I am bemused and amused at the kerfuffle regarding the airlines over the past week. First, l'affaire United.
I really haven't followed this as closely as much of the rest of the nation apparently has, bur from what I've read.....
Why is there any sympathy for this guy who was hauled off the plane? OK, he was upset at having to give up his seat. He didn't want to take a later flight. The airline policy, like most corporate airline polices, was not endearing to consumers/customers. But the guy acted alike a jerk! He was belligerent and petulant, throwing a tantrum like a little kid. He refused to leave the plane. I'm sure the airline personnel on board were pleasant enough in trying to explain to him the reason(s). But, of course, like so many people today, to this guy it was all about him. He couldn't be inconvenienced. That hundreds of other people might be inconvenienced if the last-minute seating of the pilots and/or crew hadn't taken place is not important. His inconvenience is. And like a little kid, he forced the issue by requiring he be physically removed from the plane. I wonder, before he was carted off, if he stamped his feet and said, "No!" I hope he's put on a no-fly list......
That said, United doesn't get off Scot-free (Is that an ethnic slur? I don't know nowadays.) either. For a long time, airlines have overbooked. I don't know if this was such an instance or if it was the pilot/crew issue. Still, airlines overbook.
In the first place, why wasn't a bidding war started? Why didn't United offer, say, $500 for ceding a seat? OK, $500 doesn't work, try $600. Keep going up until people begin to bite. They will, eventually, and my guess it might be sooner than one would imagine.
I understand the overbooking. It's all about money. I'm not sure I've ever been on a flight when there weren't offers like this, to give up seats in return for money. OK, the airlines want to make money. But haven't they made record amounts of money in each of the past several years, esp since the price of fuel took a nosedive? They still need to overbook? What about customers?
And those who are "bumped" are not "bumped" on the basis of when they purchased their tickets. Nope. Those who paid more for their tickets, even if they bought them months after others did, are given seats.
Could the disregard for customers stem from the monopolistic/oligopolistic status of the industry? If so, aren't there regulations regarding that? If the free market has been curtailed, then......
Delta doesn't escape some criticism here, too. The storms in the Southeast last week played havoc with air schedules. But it seemed after a couple of days all of the airlines were pretty much back on track, well, all except Delta. And after last summer's computer debacle that threw Delta (or its consumers/customers) for a loop, one would think the corporate-types running the show would have learned a few lessons and have the company better prepared. One would think wrong(ly!). Karen's flight from Jacksonville, connecting to Columbus, was a horror of horrors. (Columbus, instead of Detroit because it was more than $500 cheaper!) She arrived home a day late, which might not have been too bad. But her luggage arrived her today, Wed. Sat to Wed for the luggage to be found and delivered.
Coincidentally, we were caught up in last August's mess, too, stranded at Detroit Metro for about eight hours--with all three kids! Our flight was delayed, delayed, and delayed again. First, there wasn't a pilot; then one arrived. Then there weren't enough crew members; by the time the crew was filled, the pilot had "timed out." When an off-duty crew member offered to work our flight, allowing our flight to take off only four hours late, he was rebuffed for some reason by his superiors--he tried at least! Three other regularly scheduled flights left on time--before ours! Instead of making us wait eight hours, why not bump and have just an hour or two (at most) of inconvenience for all of the customers? By the time we arrived in Las Vegas we had lost a whole day; landing left room for a meal for the kids and then bed time at the hotel. I must admit we did receive some "Sky Miles" for enduring the debacle, but I'd have preferred getting there on time.
Throughout, though, the personnel were very cordial, friendly, and understanding, in the face of some pretty hostile customers--esp when they discovered other Las Vegas flights were proceeding as scheduled while we waited and waited and waited. The only problem came when a supervisor arrived--who either refused to confront questions or didn't know the answers. Hey, he was a supervisor; shouldn't he know the answers?
Aren't their laws against "gouging?" Parking lots on opening day for the Tigers were gouging. Michael paid $40 for a parking spot in a lot that we normally pay $10. Of course, a slice of pizza runs more than $6 doesn't it, a single slice?!?!?!
Airline prices. Overbooking. Parking. Ball park eats. Once again the little guy seems to take hits.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Friday, April 7, 2017
Friday Chuckles
After a couple of days earlier this week in the lower 60s, we had snow all day yesterday. Overnight, it kept snowing, about an inch of accumulation at daybreak. Tomorrow is slated to be in the mid-60s and Sun in the mid-70s. But today, opening day for the Tigers, it will still be cold, in the mid-40s with blustery wind. I know they have to get in their 162 games, with as few double headers as possible to make ever-more money, but have any of these schedulers played in this cold stuff? I suppose many of them have and money trumps all, but still. "Fond" is not a word I use to describe my memories of playing in the winter weather.
So, "50 advertisers have pulled their ads" from Fox News due to the alleged sexual harassment of Bill O'Reilly. (BTW, I was surprised to read it is the top-rated talk show on cable TV. I don't know if that's true; I can't remember ever watching it.) And some USA Today reporter "excoriated" a well-known professional golfer (I guess "well-known" to most folks; I never heard of him and can't recall his name--nor that of the reporter.) for golfing with Don Trump. It's his treatment of women or at least what he says about them, esp in light of the golfer's comments about country clubs that still exclude or minimize the number of women members. Yet, Bill Clinton still commands hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more, for short speeches. So does his wife. And, speaking of treatment of women--and common folks in general...... I wonder how many of those "50 advertisers" have paid either of the Clintons for speeches or, at the least, have CEOs who have attended their speeches.
A newspaper article this AM covered an attempt by local school districts to attract young males into teaching. It plays into several serious conversations I've had recently with quite a variety of folks. I think the first step those seeking to draw more youngsters into teaching would be to check how much teachers are paid. If I recall correctly, a couple weeks ago one of these fellow conversants said the average starting pay for a teacher in Michigan is $33,000. I checked online and that's pretty close to the actual figure (2015). At the same time, I checked our local district, which remains (as it has historically) one of the lowest paying districts around, not just in our country. The median teacher income is about $51,000. And very few new teachers are being hired since it is claimed student enrollment is declining and declining significantly. It really rankled me to hear a teacher tell me of a colleague who tried to rationalize the low pay with the trite and ridiculous, "But teachers have a great pension." No wonder teaching/education is in the state it's in. As I've said to many others for quite a few years, "How about paying me what teachers are worth and I'll take care of my own 'pension.?'" Nah, nobody takes that seriously, apparently not even other teachers. Another one of these guys I talked to claimed the average teacher gets out of education within five years. Is that true? I don't know, but I have no reason to doubt it. Yet the CEOs of the top two US auto-makers made more than $22 million in '16. I'm not saying they do or don't deserve it; somebody obviously thinks so. Let's just consider the comparison.
The President and his team are trying to unseat some members of the House Freedom Caucus. I'm no fan of Trump, not in the least. He's done little to change my mind that he belongs nowhere near the Presidency. And this attempt to get even with the no-voters on the deeply flawed recent health care bill is not only appalling, but revealing. For instance, I am not sure I'd vote for Justin Amash, the Michigan Congressman. He's not in my district and, besides, he's carrying some baggage I find disturbing. But for the guy who claimed he was going to "drain the Swamp," going after Amash (and other Freedom Caucus members) for actually living up to campaign promises he (and they) made to their constituents--that is, not deliberately lying!--is pathetic. Isn't it interesting that Trump has said he's going after the Democrats who opposed the bill?
The IRS has been mildly harassing us about a tax problem, a minor one at that. Let's just say, you probably spend more at the grocery store in a week that the amount over which we are scuffling. I have already used the IRS's own data to refute half of the claim. It is still "investigating." C'mon! It's not like were talking about big bucks here. Like I said, it's about $100 or so. Yet, I wonder, why doesn't the IRS go after the really big buck guys? It can't find some problems with all credits, deductions, etc, the loopholes supposedly allow them? Even more, we have rec'd several "urgent" phone calls claiming the IRS has "prepared to file a lawsuit against" us. We've had that call a number of times over the years. I did a reverse phone number check and found out this is a company pulling a scam. (Sometimes, to attract return calls, it uses "lottery winnings," "insurance benefits," etc.) So, if I can easily discover this is a scam, why isn't the IRS all over these folks?????? As I've said many times before, there is something seriously wrong when citizens (namely, my wife) are intimidated and filled with terror by their own government--at least one of its agencies. Yes, I'm sure she'll pay the $128, likely when I'm not paying attention.
It reminds me when, during Prohibition, the federal gov't ordered mercury and strychnine to be added to liquids people were drinking for their alcohol content. Oh, the liquids are revolting and disgusting, things such as auto anti-freeze, rubbing alcohol, embalming fluid, and formaldehyde. Yet, to prevent US citizens from drinking their alcohol in this manner, poisons, lethal ones, were ordered added. An activity, that is drinking, that was legal just a year before, had been an accepted practice (in moderation) for centuries, and was legal in almost every other nation in the world now threatened the lives of US citizens. Perhaps I'm just paranoid.
So, "50 advertisers have pulled their ads" from Fox News due to the alleged sexual harassment of Bill O'Reilly. (BTW, I was surprised to read it is the top-rated talk show on cable TV. I don't know if that's true; I can't remember ever watching it.) And some USA Today reporter "excoriated" a well-known professional golfer (I guess "well-known" to most folks; I never heard of him and can't recall his name--nor that of the reporter.) for golfing with Don Trump. It's his treatment of women or at least what he says about them, esp in light of the golfer's comments about country clubs that still exclude or minimize the number of women members. Yet, Bill Clinton still commands hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more, for short speeches. So does his wife. And, speaking of treatment of women--and common folks in general...... I wonder how many of those "50 advertisers" have paid either of the Clintons for speeches or, at the least, have CEOs who have attended their speeches.
A newspaper article this AM covered an attempt by local school districts to attract young males into teaching. It plays into several serious conversations I've had recently with quite a variety of folks. I think the first step those seeking to draw more youngsters into teaching would be to check how much teachers are paid. If I recall correctly, a couple weeks ago one of these fellow conversants said the average starting pay for a teacher in Michigan is $33,000. I checked online and that's pretty close to the actual figure (2015). At the same time, I checked our local district, which remains (as it has historically) one of the lowest paying districts around, not just in our country. The median teacher income is about $51,000. And very few new teachers are being hired since it is claimed student enrollment is declining and declining significantly. It really rankled me to hear a teacher tell me of a colleague who tried to rationalize the low pay with the trite and ridiculous, "But teachers have a great pension." No wonder teaching/education is in the state it's in. As I've said to many others for quite a few years, "How about paying me what teachers are worth and I'll take care of my own 'pension.?'" Nah, nobody takes that seriously, apparently not even other teachers. Another one of these guys I talked to claimed the average teacher gets out of education within five years. Is that true? I don't know, but I have no reason to doubt it. Yet the CEOs of the top two US auto-makers made more than $22 million in '16. I'm not saying they do or don't deserve it; somebody obviously thinks so. Let's just consider the comparison.
The President and his team are trying to unseat some members of the House Freedom Caucus. I'm no fan of Trump, not in the least. He's done little to change my mind that he belongs nowhere near the Presidency. And this attempt to get even with the no-voters on the deeply flawed recent health care bill is not only appalling, but revealing. For instance, I am not sure I'd vote for Justin Amash, the Michigan Congressman. He's not in my district and, besides, he's carrying some baggage I find disturbing. But for the guy who claimed he was going to "drain the Swamp," going after Amash (and other Freedom Caucus members) for actually living up to campaign promises he (and they) made to their constituents--that is, not deliberately lying!--is pathetic. Isn't it interesting that Trump has said he's going after the Democrats who opposed the bill?
The IRS has been mildly harassing us about a tax problem, a minor one at that. Let's just say, you probably spend more at the grocery store in a week that the amount over which we are scuffling. I have already used the IRS's own data to refute half of the claim. It is still "investigating." C'mon! It's not like were talking about big bucks here. Like I said, it's about $100 or so. Yet, I wonder, why doesn't the IRS go after the really big buck guys? It can't find some problems with all credits, deductions, etc, the loopholes supposedly allow them? Even more, we have rec'd several "urgent" phone calls claiming the IRS has "prepared to file a lawsuit against" us. We've had that call a number of times over the years. I did a reverse phone number check and found out this is a company pulling a scam. (Sometimes, to attract return calls, it uses "lottery winnings," "insurance benefits," etc.) So, if I can easily discover this is a scam, why isn't the IRS all over these folks?????? As I've said many times before, there is something seriously wrong when citizens (namely, my wife) are intimidated and filled with terror by their own government--at least one of its agencies. Yes, I'm sure she'll pay the $128, likely when I'm not paying attention.
It reminds me when, during Prohibition, the federal gov't ordered mercury and strychnine to be added to liquids people were drinking for their alcohol content. Oh, the liquids are revolting and disgusting, things such as auto anti-freeze, rubbing alcohol, embalming fluid, and formaldehyde. Yet, to prevent US citizens from drinking their alcohol in this manner, poisons, lethal ones, were ordered added. An activity, that is drinking, that was legal just a year before, had been an accepted practice (in moderation) for centuries, and was legal in almost every other nation in the world now threatened the lives of US citizens. Perhaps I'm just paranoid.
Monday, April 3, 2017
Olio
That's a good word for today's post. Look up it's definition. It's also the name of the Amherst College yearbook. Well, it used to be. Who knows what it is now or if it remains the name when it will be changed?
I say that because "It's Official!" That's what my e-mail from the college reads. "Lord Jeffs" was dropped by the doo-gooders (and I mean "doo") because of some perceived slights Lord Jeffery Amherst propagated against the Indians in the French and Indian War. That there is no direct proof that he did any such thing, that there is only a vague reference in a single letter, that other commanders on both sides (including Indians) were doing worse, etc., well, that doesn't matter when facts get in the way of an agenda. Regardless, the new mascot (well, not one I will use) is "Mammoths." Just "Mammoths." Not of the Wooly kind. (At least then a new haberdashery could open in town with an ad that reads, "For your winter coat go see Wooly Mammoth or Harry Bison......") Oh, there's a lengthy rationale, which reads as silly as the name "Mammoth."
Michael had the Tigers' opening day game on when I walked in, well, it was the introduction. What a circus! All the home team White Sox were brought in, individually, by convertibles, the cars coming from CF to the dugout. It sure looked like the White Sox players were embarrassed by all that. Not me. I just turned off the boob tube.
Is Michigan a great place!?!?!? Last Tue or Wed, it was 70+ degrees, sunny at least at times, both days. I got in on my bike again--it was great! Sat and Sun, with temps flirting with 60 degrees, I threw BP to Michael and the Codester, without an L-screen, taking my life in my hands. Whew! It's rained off and on all day today and rain is forecast for all of tomorrow. Wed is back to sunny and in the upper 50s or lower 60s. The last I saw, Thur is called for snow--80-90% all day. Neither of my weather sites discloses accumulations, but...... And I don't mind any of it. Besides, the rain and snow will give my rag of an arm time to recuperate.
I'm sure it was quite coincidental, but I had two conversations last week followed by an op-ed in Sun's newspaper regarding the current state of education. The three instances weren't all the same and even took somewhat different tacks. But several things were obvious. Why, did these non-teachers want to know, are teachers always blamed for the poor state of education? Why aren't administrators and school boards, outside of the big cities, that is? And as one astute person noted, when administration and governing of the cities' schools have been taken over by the state of Michigan, things have worsened! In fact, trace the so-called decline of public schools in Michigan. Go back, go back, go back. Yep, you found it. It began when the state began to stick its nose in local control. Now this is confounding and conflicting for me, because I see how ineffective the state has been over the years, making things far worse. Yet at the same time, I also see, particularly right now, how poorly our locals are running the schools here.
The op-ed suggested steps for improvement. Most of them focused on teachers. A couple did make sense. But why, again, is the focus always on teachers? Why not their bosses? I know I know......I'm beating a dead horse. Nobody listens, not even former teachers who now sit on the local board.
The op-ed author is a member of the governor's commission to improve education. I, for one, don't think much of the governor and, in particular, his approach to schools. I think he has no clue what teaching and learning are all about. But still I wonder what this op-ed/education commissioner would say to my suggestion that his call for more and improved "student teaching" is hogwash? First, I think most student teaching is a waste of time. I know not many will agree with me. Some teachers will, though. Second, the colleges of education and the universities themselves in Michigan have created their own windfall, pushing through a full year of student teaching, not merely a semester. Wow! Talk about padding one's pocket book. So, most students coming out of college are already heavily in debt. Now the colleges are adding another year's worth of bills. But remember, "It's all about the kids." Here's my plan, one I've floated before, but usually it receives nothing but raised eyebrows. (Note, "One Man's Lonely Opinions.")
Get rid of student teaching--gone! Oh, one or two courses can be required--to teach about classroom management, test and essay creation, laws, etc., generally the administrivia. Then, instead of student teaching, require a full year, at least, of substitute teaching. (BTW, get rid of that ridiculous "guest teacher that is now being used.) There are all sorts of benefits to that. Hey, I see advertisements all over Southeast Michigan for substitute teachers. Here you go! Having some Bozo who's read all the books, but has never actually been in a classroom or, if he has, it was a long time ago, will never be as effective as learning to control a classroom as a substitute. (C'mon, tell me you don't remember, when you were a student, your eyes lighting up when word got out you were having as sub.) Make the sub cover all sorts of subjects and grade levels, his/her own area, but others, too, even music, art, business, as well as the required courses. And don't forget, require substituting in elementary, junior high (I still refuse to say "middle school."), and high schools. Plus, now instead of fattening the purses of the colleges, students will be earning money--as well as reducing their tuition/loans. Who says I don't like change??????
Here are some personal anecdotes. When I did my student teaching, I discovered I had more classroom experience than my college supervisor and some of the college teachers! Yep. I had already substituted for a full year, with my own fourth grade class for a semester. Oh, they knew the book stuff, but in the seminars they ran.....it was obvious they had little or no clue. I don't know how many times they said stuff that the other student teachers started to gobble up. I most often kept quiet but sometimes spoke up. "You know, that's not really how it is." I had a very good student teaching experience--I enjoyed my classes, had nice students, and was able to engage in school activities, football and basketball. My supervising teacher let me alone--really left me alone--knowing I had taught before. But it was very aggravating that now I, in effect, had to pay to teach after I had already been paid to teach.
I wonder if this op-ed guy would respond to my suggestions, positively or negatively? BTW, I really slopped a lot of this down. The Codester wants to play catch again and I'm in a hurry to get out there with him before the next sprinkles. The grand kids come first. Forgive any and all typos and incoherence. Maybe I'll edit tomorrow.
I say that because "It's Official!" That's what my e-mail from the college reads. "Lord Jeffs" was dropped by the doo-gooders (and I mean "doo") because of some perceived slights Lord Jeffery Amherst propagated against the Indians in the French and Indian War. That there is no direct proof that he did any such thing, that there is only a vague reference in a single letter, that other commanders on both sides (including Indians) were doing worse, etc., well, that doesn't matter when facts get in the way of an agenda. Regardless, the new mascot (well, not one I will use) is "Mammoths." Just "Mammoths." Not of the Wooly kind. (At least then a new haberdashery could open in town with an ad that reads, "For your winter coat go see Wooly Mammoth or Harry Bison......") Oh, there's a lengthy rationale, which reads as silly as the name "Mammoth."
Michael had the Tigers' opening day game on when I walked in, well, it was the introduction. What a circus! All the home team White Sox were brought in, individually, by convertibles, the cars coming from CF to the dugout. It sure looked like the White Sox players were embarrassed by all that. Not me. I just turned off the boob tube.
Is Michigan a great place!?!?!? Last Tue or Wed, it was 70+ degrees, sunny at least at times, both days. I got in on my bike again--it was great! Sat and Sun, with temps flirting with 60 degrees, I threw BP to Michael and the Codester, without an L-screen, taking my life in my hands. Whew! It's rained off and on all day today and rain is forecast for all of tomorrow. Wed is back to sunny and in the upper 50s or lower 60s. The last I saw, Thur is called for snow--80-90% all day. Neither of my weather sites discloses accumulations, but...... And I don't mind any of it. Besides, the rain and snow will give my rag of an arm time to recuperate.
I'm sure it was quite coincidental, but I had two conversations last week followed by an op-ed in Sun's newspaper regarding the current state of education. The three instances weren't all the same and even took somewhat different tacks. But several things were obvious. Why, did these non-teachers want to know, are teachers always blamed for the poor state of education? Why aren't administrators and school boards, outside of the big cities, that is? And as one astute person noted, when administration and governing of the cities' schools have been taken over by the state of Michigan, things have worsened! In fact, trace the so-called decline of public schools in Michigan. Go back, go back, go back. Yep, you found it. It began when the state began to stick its nose in local control. Now this is confounding and conflicting for me, because I see how ineffective the state has been over the years, making things far worse. Yet at the same time, I also see, particularly right now, how poorly our locals are running the schools here.
The op-ed suggested steps for improvement. Most of them focused on teachers. A couple did make sense. But why, again, is the focus always on teachers? Why not their bosses? I know I know......I'm beating a dead horse. Nobody listens, not even former teachers who now sit on the local board.
The op-ed author is a member of the governor's commission to improve education. I, for one, don't think much of the governor and, in particular, his approach to schools. I think he has no clue what teaching and learning are all about. But still I wonder what this op-ed/education commissioner would say to my suggestion that his call for more and improved "student teaching" is hogwash? First, I think most student teaching is a waste of time. I know not many will agree with me. Some teachers will, though. Second, the colleges of education and the universities themselves in Michigan have created their own windfall, pushing through a full year of student teaching, not merely a semester. Wow! Talk about padding one's pocket book. So, most students coming out of college are already heavily in debt. Now the colleges are adding another year's worth of bills. But remember, "It's all about the kids." Here's my plan, one I've floated before, but usually it receives nothing but raised eyebrows. (Note, "One Man's Lonely Opinions.")
Get rid of student teaching--gone! Oh, one or two courses can be required--to teach about classroom management, test and essay creation, laws, etc., generally the administrivia. Then, instead of student teaching, require a full year, at least, of substitute teaching. (BTW, get rid of that ridiculous "guest teacher that is now being used.) There are all sorts of benefits to that. Hey, I see advertisements all over Southeast Michigan for substitute teachers. Here you go! Having some Bozo who's read all the books, but has never actually been in a classroom or, if he has, it was a long time ago, will never be as effective as learning to control a classroom as a substitute. (C'mon, tell me you don't remember, when you were a student, your eyes lighting up when word got out you were having as sub.) Make the sub cover all sorts of subjects and grade levels, his/her own area, but others, too, even music, art, business, as well as the required courses. And don't forget, require substituting in elementary, junior high (I still refuse to say "middle school."), and high schools. Plus, now instead of fattening the purses of the colleges, students will be earning money--as well as reducing their tuition/loans. Who says I don't like change??????
Here are some personal anecdotes. When I did my student teaching, I discovered I had more classroom experience than my college supervisor and some of the college teachers! Yep. I had already substituted for a full year, with my own fourth grade class for a semester. Oh, they knew the book stuff, but in the seminars they ran.....it was obvious they had little or no clue. I don't know how many times they said stuff that the other student teachers started to gobble up. I most often kept quiet but sometimes spoke up. "You know, that's not really how it is." I had a very good student teaching experience--I enjoyed my classes, had nice students, and was able to engage in school activities, football and basketball. My supervising teacher let me alone--really left me alone--knowing I had taught before. But it was very aggravating that now I, in effect, had to pay to teach after I had already been paid to teach.
I wonder if this op-ed guy would respond to my suggestions, positively or negatively? BTW, I really slopped a lot of this down. The Codester wants to play catch again and I'm in a hurry to get out there with him before the next sprinkles. The grand kids come first. Forgive any and all typos and incoherence. Maybe I'll edit tomorrow.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Re-Reading Books
A few months ago, I re-read Barbara Tuchman's The March of Folly. I enjoyed it and recalled some of it, but also had some new perspectives. I recently finished My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. I was surprised that, even though I read it 40+ years ago, I remember very, very little, if any of it. Wow! But it was well worth reading--again, almost like for the first time.
Re-reading books, as a classmate of mine wrote, some years later is "a good thing." It does allow one's life experiences to give new perspectives. I read Asher Lev again because I came across its title and remembered it being a very thought-provoking and enlightening book. Although it's been decades, I'm pretty sure that I didn't have the same reactions to Asher Lev that I had last week. And I wasn't disappointed, not at all.
Potok's novel, My Name Is Asher Lev, is the story of an Orthodox Jewish boy, who practices Hasidic Judaism faithfully, in Brooklyn. Asher becomes an artist, a world-renown artist who is frequently conflicted between his art and what drives him to create and his religion and even loved ones, his family and community. The conflicts, at least to me, are also ones I experienced. How do I take this artist Asher Lev? Caught between the inner monster of creativity and the love he has for his mother and father, Asher often catches me the same ways--cheering for him and, often soon after, giving him the raspberries. Yes, Asher, live your dreams, follow the inner voices! No, Asher, how can you do this to those you love?
The novel is very well written as are all of Potok's books (I've just started to re-read The Chosen, which I remember better than Asher Lev), passionately written about passions. To me it was a page-tuner and each time there was an introduction of sorts and the words "My name is Asher Lev" appeared I was excited! There's a sequel, The Gift of Asher Lev, which I have read and plan to put on my summer reading list.
I am considering other "re-reads," too. I have wondered what Catcher in the Rye will now read like. I might, too, re-read all of Joe Ellis' bios of the Founding Fathers, esp Washington, Jefferson, and Adams, but esp Washington. I did try Hermann Hesse's Glass Bead Game (also known as Magister Ludi) which I remember as an all-time favorite. I barely reached 50 pages and had to put it down. Maybe that needs to be tried again, maybe. I wonder, too, how Kurt Vonnegut's novels would read to someone other than a starry-eyed man in his early 20s.
I also read my dissertation. It was not a re-read, since I don't think I ever really read it except to proof it. I'd give it a passing mark, but not what my professors/committee gave me/it. To them, it led to my induction to the graduate Phi Beta Kappa, whatever the Greek letters for it were. I'm not sure I'd elevate it to that status. It was lengthy (268 pp.) and heavily researched and documented, which surprised me. I remember doing a great deal of work on it, spending more time than I needed. (My adviser told me the typical thesis length was 75 to 100 pages. Hmmm......) Again, I don't remember the specifics other than my "defense" of it. The committee sat there waiting and my lead adviser merely said, "You obviously know more about this than we do. What do you want to talk about?" Nope, there was no "defense." After my grueling (and that's not at all indicative of what they were) oral comprehensives at Amherst, I was expecting an academic Siberia of sorts. Nope. Whew!
I did get a kick out of hearing one of the members of the House of Representatives urging the chairman of the House Intelligence (?) Committee to step down because he "has lost integrity." Wait a minute! What member of the US Congress has the nerve to accuse another member of the US Congress of a loss of integrity?????? Comedy......
And the headline the other day read, "Russian protesters take to the streets in show of defiance." Further reading led to the reason for the protests, that Russian government leaders had profited, quite handsomely indeed, from their political offices. I laughed again. Where have these Russians been hiding all these years? After leaving your job, could you afford a $5.3 million home? Heck, the guy who cries the loudest about "the greedy rich" has three houses, all of which are worth more than my single home and, yet, his tax bracket is half of mine, despite making about three or four times more.
Oh for good measure...... I had a student this week question me about the pages of reading not matching up with our topics in class. Hmmm...... I had him explain or at least try to explain. I asked to see his book to show him how the reading list/syllabus works. I noticed, he had the wrong book! Yes, the wrong book. It was the text for the later half of US History, not the early half--Vol. 2, not Vol 1. I told him that, meeting with a blank look. Then I had a question. "What took you nine weeks to figure all that out?" Again, blank look......
Sometimes we just have to laugh.
Re-reading books, as a classmate of mine wrote, some years later is "a good thing." It does allow one's life experiences to give new perspectives. I read Asher Lev again because I came across its title and remembered it being a very thought-provoking and enlightening book. Although it's been decades, I'm pretty sure that I didn't have the same reactions to Asher Lev that I had last week. And I wasn't disappointed, not at all.
Potok's novel, My Name Is Asher Lev, is the story of an Orthodox Jewish boy, who practices Hasidic Judaism faithfully, in Brooklyn. Asher becomes an artist, a world-renown artist who is frequently conflicted between his art and what drives him to create and his religion and even loved ones, his family and community. The conflicts, at least to me, are also ones I experienced. How do I take this artist Asher Lev? Caught between the inner monster of creativity and the love he has for his mother and father, Asher often catches me the same ways--cheering for him and, often soon after, giving him the raspberries. Yes, Asher, live your dreams, follow the inner voices! No, Asher, how can you do this to those you love?
The novel is very well written as are all of Potok's books (I've just started to re-read The Chosen, which I remember better than Asher Lev), passionately written about passions. To me it was a page-tuner and each time there was an introduction of sorts and the words "My name is Asher Lev" appeared I was excited! There's a sequel, The Gift of Asher Lev, which I have read and plan to put on my summer reading list.
I am considering other "re-reads," too. I have wondered what Catcher in the Rye will now read like. I might, too, re-read all of Joe Ellis' bios of the Founding Fathers, esp Washington, Jefferson, and Adams, but esp Washington. I did try Hermann Hesse's Glass Bead Game (also known as Magister Ludi) which I remember as an all-time favorite. I barely reached 50 pages and had to put it down. Maybe that needs to be tried again, maybe. I wonder, too, how Kurt Vonnegut's novels would read to someone other than a starry-eyed man in his early 20s.
I also read my dissertation. It was not a re-read, since I don't think I ever really read it except to proof it. I'd give it a passing mark, but not what my professors/committee gave me/it. To them, it led to my induction to the graduate Phi Beta Kappa, whatever the Greek letters for it were. I'm not sure I'd elevate it to that status. It was lengthy (268 pp.) and heavily researched and documented, which surprised me. I remember doing a great deal of work on it, spending more time than I needed. (My adviser told me the typical thesis length was 75 to 100 pages. Hmmm......) Again, I don't remember the specifics other than my "defense" of it. The committee sat there waiting and my lead adviser merely said, "You obviously know more about this than we do. What do you want to talk about?" Nope, there was no "defense." After my grueling (and that's not at all indicative of what they were) oral comprehensives at Amherst, I was expecting an academic Siberia of sorts. Nope. Whew!
I did get a kick out of hearing one of the members of the House of Representatives urging the chairman of the House Intelligence (?) Committee to step down because he "has lost integrity." Wait a minute! What member of the US Congress has the nerve to accuse another member of the US Congress of a loss of integrity?????? Comedy......
And the headline the other day read, "Russian protesters take to the streets in show of defiance." Further reading led to the reason for the protests, that Russian government leaders had profited, quite handsomely indeed, from their political offices. I laughed again. Where have these Russians been hiding all these years? After leaving your job, could you afford a $5.3 million home? Heck, the guy who cries the loudest about "the greedy rich" has three houses, all of which are worth more than my single home and, yet, his tax bracket is half of mine, despite making about three or four times more.
Oh for good measure...... I had a student this week question me about the pages of reading not matching up with our topics in class. Hmmm...... I had him explain or at least try to explain. I asked to see his book to show him how the reading list/syllabus works. I noticed, he had the wrong book! Yes, the wrong book. It was the text for the later half of US History, not the early half--Vol. 2, not Vol 1. I told him that, meeting with a blank look. Then I had a question. "What took you nine weeks to figure all that out?" Again, blank look......
Sometimes we just have to laugh.
Monday, March 27, 2017
Good Guys
Sometimes the good guys actually win. I'm writing here of Clarkston's boys' basketball team winning the state Class A title under long-time coach Dan Fife. Fife has been the coach there for more than 30 years. He's been recognized as one of the top coaches in the state, winning numerous league, district, and regional titles. But the state crown had eluded him, until Sat.
I normally don't follow sports much these days, at any level, unless my kids are playing. But I picked up on Clarkston early in the state tournament, hoping that maybe this was the year for Fife. It was. From all I have read, heard, and seen, he's done wonders for the community of Clarkston.
I played baseball with Fife, oh about 50 years ago, on the sandlots of Detroit. He seems to be the same unassuming guy he was then, confident but friendly. It was nice to see one of the good guys win.
One thing that still stuck with me in reading several of the articles about this were references to "not winning a state title," despite all the other titles, great teams and players, etc. Those references reminded me of all the talk of the Minnesota Vikings back in the '70s, getting to the Super Bowl, but never winning it, as if that was a big blot on the team's greatness. I have found that, for the most part, such talk comes from people who didn't play the game(s), at least not at a high level. They just don't know how hard it is to perform and achieve like, well, like the Vikings did. No, getting to the Super Bowl as often as they did, win or lose, was a great achievement.
I think the term "bridesmaids" is often used, pejoratively, for the continued runners-up. I find nothing wrong with bridesmaids! I first really met my wife when she was "a bridesmaid" and that turned out just fine.
Like Swampcare/Trumpcare/Ryancare/Obamacare Lite or not, the fiasco last week was very telling in more ways than one. Like "repeal" or not, that's what the President and many members of Congress, both the House and the Senate, were elected on. The proposed Republican bill last week did nothing of the sort, was not a repeal. Wasn't that their promise? So, while they passed repeal legislation (not exactly, but close) while there was no chance of it withstanding an Obama veto, now that there was the strong likelihood of a Presidential signature, they showed their true colors--both dishonesty and lack of courage.
It was humorous to read one former House Freedom Caucus member, who resigned from the caucus citing the failure of Swampcare, say, "Leading is hard, but that is what we were elected to do." The man needs to look at what they really "were elected to do," to repeal Obamacare and then do it. If you don't really plan to do something, quit lying about it during campaigns. He then added that all sides have "to come together," something that always produces a chuckle. Why is it that one side always is forced "to come together," "to reach across the aisle," "to be biparisan," "to compromise," etc., while the other side isn't? We haven't seen this from "the other side" since Bill Clinton, have we? Maybe we have and I just don't remember.
It is also humorous to see how many are citing figures from the Congressional Budget Office. With its track record of inaccuracies, why would anyone consult it or accept its estimates? George Will had a great comment regarding that. Citing a 19th Century religious skeptic who scrawled on the doors of a church, Will wrote "Important if true."
I normally don't follow sports much these days, at any level, unless my kids are playing. But I picked up on Clarkston early in the state tournament, hoping that maybe this was the year for Fife. It was. From all I have read, heard, and seen, he's done wonders for the community of Clarkston.
I played baseball with Fife, oh about 50 years ago, on the sandlots of Detroit. He seems to be the same unassuming guy he was then, confident but friendly. It was nice to see one of the good guys win.
One thing that still stuck with me in reading several of the articles about this were references to "not winning a state title," despite all the other titles, great teams and players, etc. Those references reminded me of all the talk of the Minnesota Vikings back in the '70s, getting to the Super Bowl, but never winning it, as if that was a big blot on the team's greatness. I have found that, for the most part, such talk comes from people who didn't play the game(s), at least not at a high level. They just don't know how hard it is to perform and achieve like, well, like the Vikings did. No, getting to the Super Bowl as often as they did, win or lose, was a great achievement.
I think the term "bridesmaids" is often used, pejoratively, for the continued runners-up. I find nothing wrong with bridesmaids! I first really met my wife when she was "a bridesmaid" and that turned out just fine.
Like Swampcare/Trumpcare/Ryancare/Obamacare Lite or not, the fiasco last week was very telling in more ways than one. Like "repeal" or not, that's what the President and many members of Congress, both the House and the Senate, were elected on. The proposed Republican bill last week did nothing of the sort, was not a repeal. Wasn't that their promise? So, while they passed repeal legislation (not exactly, but close) while there was no chance of it withstanding an Obama veto, now that there was the strong likelihood of a Presidential signature, they showed their true colors--both dishonesty and lack of courage.
It was humorous to read one former House Freedom Caucus member, who resigned from the caucus citing the failure of Swampcare, say, "Leading is hard, but that is what we were elected to do." The man needs to look at what they really "were elected to do," to repeal Obamacare and then do it. If you don't really plan to do something, quit lying about it during campaigns. He then added that all sides have "to come together," something that always produces a chuckle. Why is it that one side always is forced "to come together," "to reach across the aisle," "to be biparisan," "to compromise," etc., while the other side isn't? We haven't seen this from "the other side" since Bill Clinton, have we? Maybe we have and I just don't remember.
It is also humorous to see how many are citing figures from the Congressional Budget Office. With its track record of inaccuracies, why would anyone consult it or accept its estimates? George Will had a great comment regarding that. Citing a 19th Century religious skeptic who scrawled on the doors of a church, Will wrote "Important if true."
Monday, March 13, 2017
DST
Daylight Savings Time.
Last week I had the wonderful thought that my running in the dark was over, at least until next November or December. Ah...... No more flashlight and/or headlamp. No more, even with the illumination, stepping in pot holes or on ruts on the shoulders--well at least not as often.
Nope. I forgot about Daylight Savings Time. How disappointing, Sun AM, to think about heading out to run at 7:30 and it's still dark out! Oh, no...... On the AMs I work, I am usually out there by 5:30, if not before. The past few weeks I finished up on those days in an hour of daylight. I'll have to wait a few more weeks for that again.
I think Ben Franklin, perhaps with his tongue in his cheek, proposed it back in the mid-1700s. I have my doubts about that, mostly because time was not at all standard back then; it was a local matter due to transportation and communications of the day. The US enacted some DST during the First World War, in an attempt to help the war effort. This was the rationale, too, in the 1960s when Congress passed The Uniform Time Act (?) and later tweaks in the '70s--to help save energy.
The argument that farmers benefit was shot down, I think, in the '70s. One farmer said it doesn't affect him one way or the other. "I start to plow when the sun comes up and I stop when the sun goes down."
I think some studies have shown this is not necessarily so, but I don't know for sure. I know I'm not a big fan of it, unless...... There are some studies that show increased physical problems, such as more heart attacks the first couple of days after it goes into effect, circadian rhythms that run amok for a few weeks, interruptions of sleep, etc. I have no idea if these are true, partially or otherwise.
I think when Indiana enacted DST about a decade ago, energy usage actually increased. I'm not sure if that is so or, even if it is, if the enactment of DST was the cause. (How do they determine that, the specificity?) There is some evidence that auto accidents increase significantly the day or two after DST goes into effect; I guess people, from lack of sleep, are more tired behind the wheel?
Once it kicks in, there are more daylight hours at the end of the day and fewer at the beginning. I noted how this affects my early AM running, but only to April or so. The argument goes that now people can better use the outside time. Maybe......
I don't know if this is feasible, but maybe the solution would be to have DST year-round; but then would it be "DST" or not, just regular time? And would our circadian rhythms be continually fouled?
I figure some folks somewhere must be making money off of this.
Last week I had the wonderful thought that my running in the dark was over, at least until next November or December. Ah...... No more flashlight and/or headlamp. No more, even with the illumination, stepping in pot holes or on ruts on the shoulders--well at least not as often.
Nope. I forgot about Daylight Savings Time. How disappointing, Sun AM, to think about heading out to run at 7:30 and it's still dark out! Oh, no...... On the AMs I work, I am usually out there by 5:30, if not before. The past few weeks I finished up on those days in an hour of daylight. I'll have to wait a few more weeks for that again.
I think Ben Franklin, perhaps with his tongue in his cheek, proposed it back in the mid-1700s. I have my doubts about that, mostly because time was not at all standard back then; it was a local matter due to transportation and communications of the day. The US enacted some DST during the First World War, in an attempt to help the war effort. This was the rationale, too, in the 1960s when Congress passed The Uniform Time Act (?) and later tweaks in the '70s--to help save energy.
The argument that farmers benefit was shot down, I think, in the '70s. One farmer said it doesn't affect him one way or the other. "I start to plow when the sun comes up and I stop when the sun goes down."
I think some studies have shown this is not necessarily so, but I don't know for sure. I know I'm not a big fan of it, unless...... There are some studies that show increased physical problems, such as more heart attacks the first couple of days after it goes into effect, circadian rhythms that run amok for a few weeks, interruptions of sleep, etc. I have no idea if these are true, partially or otherwise.
I think when Indiana enacted DST about a decade ago, energy usage actually increased. I'm not sure if that is so or, even if it is, if the enactment of DST was the cause. (How do they determine that, the specificity?) There is some evidence that auto accidents increase significantly the day or two after DST goes into effect; I guess people, from lack of sleep, are more tired behind the wheel?
Once it kicks in, there are more daylight hours at the end of the day and fewer at the beginning. I noted how this affects my early AM running, but only to April or so. The argument goes that now people can better use the outside time. Maybe......
I don't know if this is feasible, but maybe the solution would be to have DST year-round; but then would it be "DST" or not, just regular time? And would our circadian rhythms be continually fouled?
I figure some folks somewhere must be making money off of this.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
"Almighty Wind"
Lou Rawls once sang about living on "Dead End Street," where "There was nothing to blick or buffer the wind, the elements, to keep them from knocking my pad down, Jim! I mean really socking it to me." Of course, he was talking about Chicago, the "Windy City," which supposedly picked up that nickname from "windy" politicians more than Mother Nature. But that's not clear......
We had our own winds here this week. Wow! One utility CEO claimed they were "near hurricane-force winds." I don't know why he used the term "hurricane" instead of "tornado," given that we are far, far more likely to experience tornadoes than hurricanes. But his point was made. I read that there were readings of 70 mph winds! I don't know how "near" those are to anything, but they sure were strong.
The utilities said this was the largest emergency/loss of power in the state's history. That is astounding, in two ways. One, there was just wind and I don't mean that lightly. That is, there was no ice or snow or rain or thunder/lightning. It was just wind, albeit very strong wind. Two, I guess more than a million utility customers were without power. I don't know if that means "people" or "households" and includes "businesses." Regardless of that, it sure is a lot of people. Top it off with the deep freeze returning. (My blind buddy called last night to cancel our run this AM. Temperatures were to dip to 10 degrees or lower and he said, "It's too cold!") Some folks have been told their power wouldn't be returned until Sunday eve, from Wed during the day. Yeow! That's a long time and that's pretty cold.
There are pockets of outages around us. We had some considerable flickering of lights, etc. on Wed, all day and night long. And I don't remember if it was during the night on Wed or Thur that we lost power, for just a bit, though. It wasn't long, just enough to cause all of the clocks to require resetting. We were lucky.
While running and walking, there were considerable number of twigs, branches, and limbs down on the streets and roads and bike path. Across the street, there was a very sizable evergreen that had fallen. Right next to our neighbors' porch, it fell across the front yard and covered the entire street. Two days later, yellow tape still prohibited passage. Neighbors were parking at the ends of the block.
Farther down, to the north, a very big tree went down, blocking a dirt road, completely. No one could get through on Wed or Thur and finally I saw a removal crew cutting it up on Fri. It was quite big, maybe three or four feet in diameter.
And Einstein was right about "relativity." It's all about "frames of reference." The wind was very strong still on Thur and even Fri AM. Compared to Wed though, it was a light breeze--but not really. And last night, on our run, the wind had picked up considerably again. Running on the side with no trees to "buffer" it, we were afflicted with "brain freeze." (Yes we kept running and did our four laps--or was it five?)
Often around here we are reminded of Mother Nature's power only in photographs, videos, etc. from other parts of the country. This time, although not of the proportions of some hurricanes, flooding/rains, wildfires, etc., we faced first-hand the effects that are out of our control.
We had our own winds here this week. Wow! One utility CEO claimed they were "near hurricane-force winds." I don't know why he used the term "hurricane" instead of "tornado," given that we are far, far more likely to experience tornadoes than hurricanes. But his point was made. I read that there were readings of 70 mph winds! I don't know how "near" those are to anything, but they sure were strong.
The utilities said this was the largest emergency/loss of power in the state's history. That is astounding, in two ways. One, there was just wind and I don't mean that lightly. That is, there was no ice or snow or rain or thunder/lightning. It was just wind, albeit very strong wind. Two, I guess more than a million utility customers were without power. I don't know if that means "people" or "households" and includes "businesses." Regardless of that, it sure is a lot of people. Top it off with the deep freeze returning. (My blind buddy called last night to cancel our run this AM. Temperatures were to dip to 10 degrees or lower and he said, "It's too cold!") Some folks have been told their power wouldn't be returned until Sunday eve, from Wed during the day. Yeow! That's a long time and that's pretty cold.
There are pockets of outages around us. We had some considerable flickering of lights, etc. on Wed, all day and night long. And I don't remember if it was during the night on Wed or Thur that we lost power, for just a bit, though. It wasn't long, just enough to cause all of the clocks to require resetting. We were lucky.
While running and walking, there were considerable number of twigs, branches, and limbs down on the streets and roads and bike path. Across the street, there was a very sizable evergreen that had fallen. Right next to our neighbors' porch, it fell across the front yard and covered the entire street. Two days later, yellow tape still prohibited passage. Neighbors were parking at the ends of the block.
Farther down, to the north, a very big tree went down, blocking a dirt road, completely. No one could get through on Wed or Thur and finally I saw a removal crew cutting it up on Fri. It was quite big, maybe three or four feet in diameter.
And Einstein was right about "relativity." It's all about "frames of reference." The wind was very strong still on Thur and even Fri AM. Compared to Wed though, it was a light breeze--but not really. And last night, on our run, the wind had picked up considerably again. Running on the side with no trees to "buffer" it, we were afflicted with "brain freeze." (Yes we kept running and did our four laps--or was it five?)
Often around here we are reminded of Mother Nature's power only in photographs, videos, etc. from other parts of the country. This time, although not of the proportions of some hurricanes, flooding/rains, wildfires, etc., we faced first-hand the effects that are out of our control.
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