September, already?

Yep, hard has it is to believe, it's September.  Classes have already started.  One down, seventy-seven to go.  I really did, though, look forward to the first one and am eagerly anticipating this term.

Boy, it's been warm, if not hot!, and humid here.  We (Karen, Michael, and I) were in Las Vegas last week (and part of this) visiting Matt and Linda.  It was hot there--105-106 most days, with the hottest day reaching 109.  Yep, that's hot!  But when people joke, "Yeah, but it's a dry heat.....," it's not really a joke.  I ran each AM, one day at 82 degrees, by far the coolest AM.  The other days I started anywhere from 89 degrees to 93 degrees, with the temps inching upward by my finish.  But those runs were far more comfortable than the ones here this week, with temperatures 20 and 25 degrees cooler and all this humidity.  I think, one day, I saw "15% humidity" in Las Vegas.  Here a couple of days it was approaching 100%.  And two afternoons, we (Karen, Carrie, and I) walked/ran when it was in the upper 80s and lower 90s--with that humidity.  Yes, we were careful......  My blind running buddy this AM, in response to my grousing about the heat and humidity, remarked, "Yeah, but we'll be wishing for this weather in November......"  I told him, "Not me."  I much prefer running in the cooler and colder stuff than this soup.

I remain a bit befuddled by this phenomenon called "Trump."  I saw a poll this AM that showed him, right now, ahead of any and all of the Democrats seeking the nomination, yes, even Clinton.  (Now, how anyone can still even consider voting for her also befuddles me!)  Granted, the election is more than a year away.  Still, Trump?  No, I'm not a Trump-guy and can't envision voting for him, in a primary or in a general election.  Still......  I'm not exactly sure I can put my finger on it.  Of course, people are sick and tired of Washington, DC.  An outsider has an attraction, noting also the relatively strong showing in the polls of Ben Carson and Carla Fiorini (who I would give serious consideration for a vote).  But, are people "fed up," as some pundits claim?  I have my doubts.  After all, voters continue to vote for the same DC folks (and newcomers just like them), the Establishment, again and again.  They aren't "fed up" enough to throw the bums out, those who tell lie after lie in their campaigns, knowing full well they won't live up to their promises.  (Is it a "lie" if one doesn't really mean it?  Is it a "promise" if one doesn't really mean it?)  As an example, if people are "fed up," how can they even think about voting for Clinton, all other warts aside?  Hmmm......

Now, try this one on, too.  Trump signed some "loyalty pledge," to support whoever the Republican candidate is, precluding a third-party run by Trump if he doesn't get the Republican nomination.  Why would he do that?  To try to get the Republican machinery in place if he wins enough primaries and caucuses?  The Establishment Republicans must be jumping for joy.  They figure Trump can't possibly win the nomination and now have secured a promise from him to support whoever they do nominate.  Ah, that's the key word, isn't it?  "Promise."  It would be cool to see the Republican Establishment bash Trump if he goes back on his "promise," exposing them for the lying hypocrites that they are.  Trump should have never signed such a deal.  Instead, to gather even more grass roots support, he should have said something like, "I'll sign such a pledge if the Establishment Republicans agree to sign a similar pledge not to renege on their campaign promises."  Imagine those like "Glitch" McConnell and Boehner with that one......  I'd like to see that.

I see that the ObamaCare health tax is approaching, likely to hit even before the 2018 expected date as companies plan for the future and the added expenses.  And all along I thought the President was knowingly lying when he "promised" (Ah, there's that word again!) that we could keep our policies, the same ones, and it wouldn't cost "a dime more."  Ha.  BTW, I'm still waiting for some--or any!--of those ObamaCare supporters around here to volunteer to contribute to the already more than $2100 our health insurance has cost us since it went into effect.  Nope, not a single person has come up with a single dollar.  Oh, and our policy isn't the same as it was three years ago either.

I get a kick (although I loathe it) how local school districts and communities continually plead "poverty" then spend frivolously--OK, wastefully.  Maybe it's in the nature of the beast, that, as Milton Friedman once postulated, "It's easy to spend other people's money."  And most of these Bozos are "penny wise, but pound foolish."  They want to cut where the savings would be the least, while spending where the costs are most.  Don't take my word for it; look at your local places.

Speaking of that, I keep hearing about the "economic recovery."  Oh, it's been "slow," but the President and DC pols are heralding it, as are the Michigan Republicans, from the governor on down.  Remember Mark Twain's astute observation about "Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics."  Oh I certainly don't believe the politicians' claims of, say, employment/unemployment figures.  Who doesn't know that they play with the figures and even the definitions.  But more so, even if I accept their versions of "a recovery," it seems pretty apparent those who have "recovered" are those who were hurt the least by the recession and those who were hurt the most haven't recovered.  More jobs/employment?  Maybe, but at what costs?  Diminished hours?  Far lower pay?

I understand right-to-work and its appeal, esp as the unions have gotten way out of hand.  (Remember, though, the unions never operated by themselves.  They couldn't have given their members raises unilaterally.  Management agreed to the many ludicrous things that have led many people to turn on unions.)  That said, I really have a hard time with those former union members who now, because they can save some money, who opt out of unions.  Boy, talk about ingrates.  Or to stick with a them over the past dozen or so years, talk about being greedy!  Perhaps those who opt out should be required to also forgo any benefits the unions have bargained for them in previous years.  The opters should have to give up the union pay, health insurance, job security, etc.  But, no, they want what those who have worked to get--even though they are no longer willing to work for them.  "Hey, it's all about me!  I deserve what others get, even though they worked for it and I am not."

OK, that's enough for now, except I keep linking that Iran Deal with the Munich Agreement of 1938.  I know a lot about that agreement and the similarities are striking.  Even listening to the supporters of the Iran Deal sound remarkably like 80 years ago.  Although Munich is soundly criticized now, at the time it was extremely popular.  After all, "Herr Hitler is a reasonable man.....," said Neville Chamberlain.

A Sign of Ageing, I Guess

One evening last week, I took the kids to Buddy's for pizza and anti-pasto.  I'm not sure which they liked better, the pizza or the salad!  Each of the three had two plates of salad, knowing the pizza was yet to arrive.  (For me, at Buddy's, I can make up my mind if I like the cheese or the crust better.  I guess I can really enjoy both, can't I?)

Anyway, the point is that on the way home I had Bopper plug several Motown CDs in the player and we listened to some great Detroit music.  I made a point to emphasize the rich baritone of Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops.  And, I noted, "Listen to the music, not just the words."  It was as if there was a classical concert going on behind the words--the violins, the big horns, not to mention the famous beat.  I'm not sure what they thought of Grandpa, but they were moving to the beat(s).

I was thinking, later, how today's generations (well, at least those whose music has spanned the past twenty or so years) have missed out.  Most of their music, I guess, is now electric, canned.  There are no big bands, music that can stand on its own (that is, without words), and, in live productions, the choreography.  I think I've mention here before how I think so few of today's "stars" can really sing or, at least, sing well.  Obviously, some can; others sound like alley cats screeching.

OK, OK, that's a sign of ageing......

I enjoy discourse, discussion, be it of politics or baseball or education or history or......  Especially as time marches, I find myself learning more and more.  I picked up another tidbit last week, actually inadvertently.  Someone cautioned against too often painting people in groups with too broad a paint brush; "They may have some things in common, but not all."  My take on that was, with some groups,  the only us you can find is opposition to them.  And I immediately thought of how so many people are so quick to disparage the Tea Partiers.  I'm not a Tea Partier, but I do sympathize with some of their concerns--who can't, esp if they really stop disparaging and think about things? Read the op-ed pages and see if that's not true of the Tea Party.  If someone is to be marginalized, even polarized, the quickest way, politically, is to tie him/her in with the Tea Party.  A case in point is an ongoing scandal in the Michigan State Legislature.  The details are like those silly reality shows, which I like to call unreality shows.  Regardless, the first two articles I read about those involved were clear in citing the Tea Party ties, as if that would lead readers to "Um hum, that explains a lot."  But, does it?

I just finished a book about "sempervirens," people who live, not forever, but for several centuries.  The lead character served at the court of Louis XIV of France, the Sun King, and also witnessed the first moon landing and now communicates by text messaging!  It's an interesting concept and the author does nice work in demonstrating not only he good ("Gee, I get to live forever!"), but also the bad (such as outliving loved one after loved one......)  And, it seems, the sempvirens, by living so long, have come to realize how very precious life is.  I'll try this one for a conversation starter at our next social gathering (See why I don't get invited to many of them?) or even on a long run with my partner(s).

Flip-Flopping

Flip-flopping, pandering, lying......

I heard the word "flip-flop" the other day and noted that it's almost always used in a negative context, as if "flip-flopping" is a bad thing.  Hmmm......

I suppose outwardly/publicly changing one's opinion to pander to voters, with no intention to hold true to those new views is a bad thing.  OK, I guess it might also be termed lying.  But in and of itself, is "flip-flopping," that is changing one's mind, a bad thing?

Isn't it good to be opinion to new ideas, that what one holds or has held is wrong?  Isn't it good to grow, perhaps, intellectually, emotionally, etc.?

Of course, principles are to be valued.  They form a foundation for one's thoughts.  But it's important to evaluate "flip-flops."  For instance, was Abraham Lincoln a "flip-flopper" because he changed his views on slavery and blacks, on the nature and purpose of the Civil War?  More recently, is Donald Trump "flip-flopping" on his stances on issues over the past years?  Was Lincoln pandering?  Is Trump pandering?

Is changing one's mind always "lying?"  For instance, marriage vows usually include the words, "until death do us part."  Do those seeking and getting divorces qualify as "liars?"  After all, they took a vow.  I've never heard divorced person called a "liar."

And of politicians, I know the truism, "You can't do anything if you don't get elected."  Is, then, lying OK for politicians running for office?  I think the instances of campaign promises, bold and overt, being abrogated (OK, the pols are lying through their teeth) once elected are dishonest.

Words

I love words.  They can be simple, such as "stuff."  I think that's a great word.  They can sound wonderful, like "prestidigitation" and "discombobulation," which I always pronounce "dis-cum-boob-u-la-tion."  They can evoke precise meanings like no other word or combination of words; think "obstreperous." They can lead us to wonder how they ever became pronounced they way they are pronounced, such as "colonel."  (And why is "colonial" pronounced so differently?)

Consider these "ough" words and say them slowly:  "thought," "cough," "rough," "though," "through," and "bough."  And there are "book," "boor," "blood," and "broom." Great!  How about "air," "err," and "heir" as well as "eight," "ait," and "ate?"

And what about c as in "chivalry," e as in "euonymus," g as in "gnaw," h as in "heir," j as in "jalapeno," k as in "knife," m as in "mnemonic," p as in "psychology," t as in "tsetse," w as in "write," and x as in "xylophone?"  There are many more, too.

One of my favorites is "sycophant."  When I pulled that one out, actually using it in a coherent sentence, Karen and Carrie made fun of it (or was it me?) and tied it to "elephant."  Karen likes "oxymoron," often using "good" and "man" as an example.

In a review of a biography, I once used the word "hagiography."  My editor sent me a note saying that, at first, he hesitated to use it.  Upon further reflection, he opted to leave it.  The other day for my column I used the words "harrowing" and "penultimate."  I wonder if my editor will keep "penultimate."  I know it sounds "officious" (another cool word), but I really wanted to use it.

How about these Hangman possibilities:  "syzygy?"  "onyx?"

That said, I was writing the other day and found myself reluctant to use several words that might have, at one time, fit nicely in my piece.  One was "incredible" and another was "awesome."  They, and others, seem to have become too trite for my tastes, overused to the point of losing their pizzazz.  Haven't "classic" and "icon" (not the computer/keyboard "icon")also become overused and trite, too? And I know it's become common, but I won't use "impact" as a verb, not the way most are now using it.  Instead, I will say/write "has an impact," "influenced," etc.

I guess I'm a word snob.  I cringe when I hear people misusing or mispronouncing words, although I often mispronounce words on purpose.  And to see words misspelled in print? Oh, boy......

I subscribe to a "Word of the Day" e-mail list.  Each day I receive a new word.  Some are really cool, such as "peripatetic."  Others seem very made-up.  But they are fun.

And, of course, what does "ghoti" spell??????

Manners and Liberal Arts

Several instances of the past couple of weeks have shown me how "unmannerly" we've become.  Manners are not just a matter of being polite.  They show respect toward others.  They help to maintain order.  I believe it was Madison in Federalist 51 (?) who wrote, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary."

At a local large art fair, one esp egregious example was some woman who was elbowing her way passed other fair-goers.  Oh, she wasn't going anywhere, just to see exhibits.  If others were in her way, well, it was her way--so out came the elbows.  My friend Carrie was a bit ahead of me and came back to tell me about the rudeness which I had experienced a few moments before.  We both said something about "Excuse me?" but the lady just sneered at us.  At a craft brewery in Healdsburg, CA a group of young kids, maybe in their mid-20s, was being loud and obnoxious--right next to our older table of six.  In fact, we were unable to hear each other.  That there was an open space (the hooligans were standing, not yet seated at a table) just the other side of the aisle way made no difference.  When asked if they could tone it down so we could hear each other at our own table, one of them said, "We have a right to have fun."  Ah, how typical.  First, there's the misunderstanding of "rights."  Then, there's the concern--or lack of concern--for others.  On the flight home from CA, two people tried to rush down the aisle to get off the plane, cutting off others.  Row-by-row exiting wasn't good enough for them.  Karen said something to the first one who whistled by, but it did nothing but get some smart-Aleck reply.  I said nothing, but did move out into the aisle to block the second one.  And, no, they weren't rushing to make another flight connection.  They were at the luggage turntable, waiting with others.  (They couldn't cut in front there.)  And the luggage turntable......  Both in SF and at Metro, K and I waited for the luggage to come around.  We stood back, not crowding, but still able to see when ours appeared.  Except, people just crowded in front, waiting for their own pieces, blocking our and those with us from seeing our luggage.

Maybe these people just don't know any better.  Where were their parents in raising them?  I don't know if this is stereotyping, but in each of these instances the perpetrators (I had to use that term!) were in their 20s or early 30s.  Maybe they weren't thinking.  But I suspect it's the sense of entitlement that has pervaded our culture.  It's all about me.  Others be damned.  I'm entitled to make as much noise as I want.  I'm entitled to have fun at others' expense.  I'm entitled to see art exhibits before other people.  I'm entitled to get off the plane before anyone else.  I'm entitled to get to my luggage regardless if it hinders others.

It reminds me of so many people who think they don't have to have jobs they don't like.  They are entitled to enjoy their jobs and, if those jobs don't pay enough or have perks that provide things like health insurance, etc., well then other people ("the greedy rich?") should pay for the perks.

Upon our return, catching up with the local newspapers (I usually just scan the front pages, but look more closely at the op-eds and, of course, do the puzzles.) was a large editorial about liberal arts degrees in college.  I may or may not have written of this before.  Several weeks ago, a letter writer in one of the Detroit newspapers was vehement in his opposition to colleges providing liberal arts degrees, "worthless" he called them.  Colleges should provide degrees that lead to jobs, that provide the wherewithal to pay off student loans, that produce marketable job skills, etc.

Coincidentally, I discussed this with one of my college buddies in CA last week.  We both have liberal arts from Amherst and both thank our lucky stars daily for the opportunity.

"Worthless" degrees?  I think those who think this are Neanderthals in their thinking, evidence that they themselves didn't get liberal arts educations or, if they did, not very good ones.  Who says colleges should make graduates "job-ready?"  Well, of course, corporations and other businesses say so.  They have foisted the expenses of training employees on to taxpayers and tuition-payers.  And the backward-thinking colleges seem to be going right along with this.  In many ways, I think people misunderstand liberal arts education--its purposes and its content.

Of course, graduates from college should be able to find and do jobs.  But a legitimate liberal arts degree will ensure they can--if others understand what a liberal arts degree (at least a good one) is all about.  I fear many corporate-types don't understand this at all.  Perhaps they are lazy.  Perhaps they know what they are doing, in foisted off the costs of training.  After all those CEOs and other upper level managers have to make their millions of dollars.

As my friend Carrie and I have often asked, at least each other, "Is love of learning no longer enough?"  The answer is becoming more and more manifest--No, it isn't.

Smart People

One thing, at least, I know is that there are a lot of smart people out there.  I learn from them every day.  It's not just their ideas, but that they make me think and rethink.  Sometimes, due to their forceful opinions, I change mine.  Sometimes not.  But I always respect well-thought opinions.

A few weeks back, I talked with the author of a book on the partisan divide in the US Congress.  He, as one might have guessed, is critical of our current Congress.  I fully understand that.  I left our conversation with two thoughts.  One, which drew a look of disapproval from him, was that "Maybe we deserve the rascals" we have sent to Congress.  Two, how difficult it is to form educated opinions when there are so many differing "facts" out there.  Who are folks like you and me to believe?  Can we trust the LameStream Media, from whatever side, to give us the straight talk?  Somehow I think not.

I really have a great deal of respect for my blind running buddy.  I'm not at all certain, were I blind, that I could get out there and run like he does--especially with a Bozo like me for a guide runner!  I admit that sometimes I don't pay attention and he trips, sometimes falling.  That's my job, to watch for potholes, uneven pavement, sticks/branches, etc.  And I forget......  This AM, he laughed, "Today you have this blind fool dragging you through six tough hill repeats."  Yes, I did and it reminded me of the respect I have for him.

Karen bought some item that had the label "Echo Valley."  It must be a brand name.  I was reminded, again, of my physics teacher at Amherst, Professor Romer.  He was outstanding, so much so that, in my US Government, AP I think, class back when I taught in the high school, I sometimes devoted a day a week to reviewing students' physics with them.  Yes, I taught physics!  That's how good Prof. Romer was, teaching this history major enough physics......  Prof. Turgeon, my French teacher, was so good, I also helped struggling students with French, even answering a few questions from one of the teachers several times.  But, back to "Echo Valley."  Prof. Romer lived on a street named "Echo Valley."  He was a runner and, to celebrate his 50th birthday (I think), he devised his own marathon, "The Echo Valley Marathon." It was run on Prof. Romer's street, a cul-de-sac of about a quarter mile.  That's about 104-105 laps of his street.  He did it, with the help of some neighbors.  He later said, "That was stupid."  Well, that's one word I'd never use in the same sentence with Prof. Romer's name, never.  I had many really outstanding teachers at Amherst and he was right up there with them.  And, the older I get, the better they become.  I am sorry I missed him at the recent reunion.  Maybe next year......

I know I've ranted about this before, but do people, namely my neighbors, really have to cut their grass with mowers whose engines sound like they belong on airplanes?  Most of them wear the ear muffs, that's how loud they are.  So, they must know how irksome the noise is.  At the least they could hand out ear muffs to neighbors.  And, it seems, they always pull out the airplanes, er, mowers at dinner time, when we are trying to eat on the deck, outside.

Charlie Sanders recently died.  The former Detroit Lion was All-Pro a number of years, about 9 or so.  One of my Amherst mates, Jean Fugett, played in the NFL with the Cowboys and Redskins,  He was in several Super Bowls, with winners' rings to prove it.  He was in the Pro Bowl several times, but in an e-mail to me admitted, "[Sanders] kept me from being All-Pro about four or five times."  I think the NFL players, at the time, voted him the best single player at his position.  That is, Sanders was better as a tight end than any running back or quarterback was at running back or quarterback, better than any linebacker was at linebacker, etc.  That's some compliment.  And, best of all, from all accounts, Sanders was every bit as good a person as he was a player.

In the same vein, NFL, Ken Stabler the former Raiders QB died.  I was very surprised to learn he is not in the NFL Hall of Fame.  He deserves to be, no doubt.  Hmmm......  I wonder why he isn't.  We are so quick to put others in various halls of fame, to label them "legends" or "icons."  Stabler actually did something!!!!!!

Quick Laugh......

OK, it's not "ha ha" funny, but......

A letter to the editor in today's newspaper asks why car makers can't put in some electronic device that blocks cell phone usage while driving.  He notes the dangers and inconveniences of cell phone-using drivers:  "weaving all over the road at half the speed limit, blocking traffic, sitting at the green light until they finish dialing, or just not paying attention......"  Let me add causing fatal and near-fatal accidents.  I know, from personal experience.  What was it, four months ago, when some cell phone-using fool plowed into the back of my car, while I was at a stop light with cars stopped in front of me, too.  She was going full-tilt, maybe at 45 or 50 mph.  The limit there is 45 mph, but who goes the speed limit?  There was no screech of the brakes, so she was going "full-tilt."  My car was totaled, looking like an accordion front and back.  (She drove my rear bumper up to the back seat and forced my car into the car ahead of me, smashing the left half of my hood/engine to the windshield.)  And that lady fully admitted she was on the phone.  She rambled in front of me and the police officer, who kept looking at me out of the corner of his eye, as if to say, "Is she stupid or.....?", "I always tell my kids not to use their cell phones while driving.  Maybe I should follow my own advice."  Ya think??????

I think this letter writer is a little out of touch.  The car makers aren't going to install any such device (which could include a way to make 911 calls).  They are far too interested in adding more and more electronic diversions to cars.  Yes, there's a lot of money to be made in helping drivers become even more distracted.

A couple of weeks back there was a good article from an automotive writer, a self-admitted "car guy," about this--that is, the added distractions to driving.  Note the last paragraph.  Government puts ridiculously low blood-alcohol limits (In effect, I might be in big trouble if I have two beers with dinner within a couple of hours and then drive.) on driving, yet mandates all these electronic distractions.  Of course, the auto makers are fully on board with the diversions--Hey, man!  There's money to be made.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2015/06/11/peters-distracted-driving-problem/71025082/