The temperature in Dallas today reminded me, yet again, why I consider this area of the state a very, very unfriendly place for much of the year. When I left my office, the temperature was 102 degrees. That is miserable. I don't care how low the humidity might be in Arizona, in Dallas everyone knows that 102 is hot and miserable. When I experience a day like this, my thoughts turn to Mexico again. I sent my sister a link to a hotel for sale on a Mexican beach, at only $220,000, but have not heard back from her. If I could buy it, and convince my wife to join me, I would. The foundation of my house is stressing at the heat. This morning, as I tried to shut the bathroom door, it complained that the fit was not quite right. This is a bad sign.
To get our minds off the heat, etc., my wife and I went out for a very nice meal this evening. We went to Roy's, a very upscale national seafood chain. My wife had arranged to get a $100 certificate (didn't cost us anything...I like it), so we used it. It was wonderful. We calculated rather well and the final bill came to $3.38. After adding $20 for a 20% tip (service was outstanding), we paid $23.38 for a fabulous dinner that started with a wonderful mixed platter of sashimi (2 or 3 types of tuna, salmon, etc., etc., and wonderful wasabi and super-good seaweed, etc.), then I had very, very rare blackened ahi and my wife had a wonderful fish whose name I forget...along with a marvelous pasta side dish stuffed with delicious goat cheese. I could get used to this sort of stuff!
Back home, the heat offends me again. The air conditioner is on full-bore and will be, no doubt, for hours and hours...expensive. You can't live without it here.
On a different topic, I've been busily forwarding Greg Palast's promotional materials for his new book (which I haven't bought yet). I heartily encourage you to buy it...encourage friends to buy it. Or get a copy from the library and lend it around. Or buy it and lend it around. I am not interested in making Palast rich...I am interested in getting his information to the rest of the world. I'm getting scared of America. It's becoming too RELIGIOUS and too CONSERVATIVE. Diversity and tolerance are being increasingly viewed as bad things. If I don't have a religious fish on my car, along with a "ban abortion" and "keep your eyes on Jesus" bumper sticker, I am viewed with skepticism. I pity gays in this state...their sexual orientation is viewed by many as the expression of god's hatred of them (I use lower case "g" just to piss some people off...I hope it works!).
Like the bumper sticker on the car of my colleague says, "Support Our Troops: Bring Them Home," I value their willingness to put themselves in harm's way to support Iraqis and to do the bidding of our commander in chief...but I wish their willingness to sacrifice was viewed with some sense of responsibility by the idiot in the White House. Bush supports a Constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage. If we had successfully prevented sex between humans and earthworms, we would have avoided Bush as president, so maybe he has a point...on his stupid little head!
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Monday, June 5, 2006
The Rule of Law
I just read a piece from NPR's This I Believe series. I recommend reading what Michael Mullane, a law professor and director of the Law School Legal Clinic at the University of Arkansas, has to say about the rule of law. It's a message that should appeal to Republicans and Democrats alike and one that should be palatable to atheists and religious zealots. And it is a message that can be ignored at the peril of life as we have come to know and value it in these United States.
Of course, I do not believe many people will read it. And I don't believe many who read it will change their views. People who do not already understand the concepts advanced by Mullane are not likely to grasp them now; instead, they will pick up their bibles, their guns, and their signed "thank you" letters from the George Bush political dirty money campaigns and spit on the NPR stations that promulgate such anti-family and anti-Christian filth.
Of course, I do not believe many people will read it. And I don't believe many who read it will change their views. People who do not already understand the concepts advanced by Mullane are not likely to grasp them now; instead, they will pick up their bibles, their guns, and their signed "thank you" letters from the George Bush political dirty money campaigns and spit on the NPR stations that promulgate such anti-family and anti-Christian filth.
Sunday, June 4, 2006
Early Breakfast
It's early...not yet 5:30 am...and I'm awake, and alert. As usual, it's a weekend morning. I wish I could figure out why I seem to able to pop up so early on weekends and have such a tough time getting up by 7:00 am on weekdays.
The first pot is already made and I've already begun my morning scamper around the Internet. Outside, the morning light is just barely beginning to creep into the edges of the night. I like this time of the morning. It belongs to me and I donot have to share it with anyone. Just as soon as the morning light makes it safe for me to walk outside with little fear of tripping over cracks in the sidewalk, I will go outdoors and take a brief walk. It's 73 degrees, very warm for an early morning, but cool enough that it will be comfortable. I am amazed at the temperature...what idiot thought to settle in Dallas?
If I were really energetic, I would go out and buy some bacon so I could create a really good, if really bad-for-me, breakfast. I doubt I am that energetic. And my wife, who will probably remain in bed for hours, would object. Maybe I can go out and have breakfast on my own today. I will need a clean shirt and real shoes, not fli-flops, which will be hard to get, since they are in the bedroom. Maybe I will try, though. Breakfast on my own at a restaurant...sounds intriguing!
The first pot is already made and I've already begun my morning scamper around the Internet. Outside, the morning light is just barely beginning to creep into the edges of the night. I like this time of the morning. It belongs to me and I donot have to share it with anyone. Just as soon as the morning light makes it safe for me to walk outside with little fear of tripping over cracks in the sidewalk, I will go outdoors and take a brief walk. It's 73 degrees, very warm for an early morning, but cool enough that it will be comfortable. I am amazed at the temperature...what idiot thought to settle in Dallas?
If I were really energetic, I would go out and buy some bacon so I could create a really good, if really bad-for-me, breakfast. I doubt I am that energetic. And my wife, who will probably remain in bed for hours, would object. Maybe I can go out and have breakfast on my own today. I will need a clean shirt and real shoes, not fli-flops, which will be hard to get, since they are in the bedroom. Maybe I will try, though. Breakfast on my own at a restaurant...sounds intriguing!
Saturday, June 3, 2006
The Dixie Chicks
Larry King's interview with The Dixie Chicks has replayed at least a dozen times during the past few days, but I have not tired of the conversations. I enjoy their music (though I am not a huge country music fan), but their political positions are even more attractive to me. Natalie Maines' comments about George Bush echo my own sentiments. The uproar over her comments is beyond me, though I guess ignorant rednecks WOULD take issue with them.
I'm a bit surprised by the two sisters who are part of the group...they seem to be less focused than Natalie. They are, frankly, more attractive physically than Natalie, but she is more attractive intellectually than they are...which makes her more attractive in a general sense. I'm a bit disappointed that the sisters are not more aggressive in their defense of Natalie and in their position on the issue.
The bottom line for me, I suppose, is that it does not matter to me whether the Dixie Chicks (or anyone else, for that matter) object to this Administration's policies. What matters is that I OBJECT! We should not have to wait for a musical group to articulate our positions...we should do it immediately! The fact that the Dixie Chicks (specifically, Natalie Maines), have expressed embarrassment that George Bush is from Texas is good. But what matters most is that I personally feel that embarrassment. I am so completely, utterly embarrassed. It is too bad that embarrassment carries with it a sense of responsibility for the death of thousands of US soldiers and foreign civillians.
I'm a bit surprised by the two sisters who are part of the group...they seem to be less focused than Natalie. They are, frankly, more attractive physically than Natalie, but she is more attractive intellectually than they are...which makes her more attractive in a general sense. I'm a bit disappointed that the sisters are not more aggressive in their defense of Natalie and in their position on the issue.
The bottom line for me, I suppose, is that it does not matter to me whether the Dixie Chicks (or anyone else, for that matter) object to this Administration's policies. What matters is that I OBJECT! We should not have to wait for a musical group to articulate our positions...we should do it immediately! The fact that the Dixie Chicks (specifically, Natalie Maines), have expressed embarrassment that George Bush is from Texas is good. But what matters most is that I personally feel that embarrassment. I am so completely, utterly embarrassed. It is too bad that embarrassment carries with it a sense of responsibility for the death of thousands of US soldiers and foreign civillians.
Musings on "Stuff" this Saturday
Like clockwork...the calendar turns over to Saturday, and my internal clock makes its regular adjustment so I awaken before daylight, feel energized and alert, and get out of bed ready to take on the day's challenges. If I could somehow get the calendar to go along with my plan to make every day a weekend day, I could be energized and productive all week long.
Chile's School Protests
I've been ignoring Chile for far too long. I had not been aware of the massive protests by secondary school students and their supporters until yesterday, when I took a dose of The Santiago Times. According to the newspaper, about 600,000 students and supporters took to the streets in protest of the country's ailing school system. They have already gone on strike once and are threatening another massive strike on June 5 is the government does not yield to their demands, which now include a total governmental takeover of the school system. The demands began with an insistence that the government provide reduced price or free transportation, both to and from school as well as at other times. Thanks in part to the government's failure to take their demands seriously, the students ratcheted up their demands to insist that university entrance exames (and retests) be free.
I'm inclined to say to the students, "enough is enough." While I am sure many of their demands are legitimate, the concept of nationalizing the school system is, in my view, horrible. Look at this country's feeble attempts to direct education through its "no child left alive" program. I would be especially wary of placing in the federal government's hands responsibility for curricula since it could be far too easily dumbed-down or, even worse, sterilized so as to discourage creative thought. For Chile, the students should step back and listen to rational voices. I'm all for giving people educational opportunities, but not at the expense of creativity, democracy, and ultimately, quality. I want Michelle Bachelet's presidency of Chile to go down in history as a supremely powerful success story; I hope she and her government successfully deal with the challenges of this strike.
Next Year, Moscow
A client association's European unit has, according to word I got yesterday, selected Moscow as the site of its 2007 meeting. If I continue to be expected to attend, that will mean a trip to Moscow next year. Interesting.
A Real Neighborhood Place
Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I had dinner at a place that bills itself as a real neighborhood joint...I think its boast is true. It's a restaurant that is attached to a gas station/convenience store a bit off the beaten path...right in the middle of a neighborhood that includes single family housing, apartments, a few other businesses, and some vacant land. The restaurant is a grill with limited indoor seating, but lots of outdoor seating on a couple of decks off the parking lot. The outdoors area is decorated with lots of old, rusty stuff like bicycles, lawnmowers, transmission cases, etc. that have been cleverly affixed to the walls or fences that define the space. It is a bring your own booze place. As we sat outdoors under a trellis-covered seating area (complete with outdoor ceiling fans), a troup of geezers and a grandbaby arrived and took over a large table near us. The geezers knew the asian woman who served as our waitress and they knew the name of her young child, who I would guess is about 4 years old. My guess is that the waitress' husband is the cook and maybe the owner. The geezers brought with them an enormous ice chest filled with beer. We overheard a comment that there is live entertainment on Saturday evenings, so we may check it out. The place is right across the street from a huge apartment complex, so my guess is that most of their business comes from there. It is really out of the way...quite a few blocks from the nearest street with any appreciable traffic. A neighborhood place that, maybe, I can learn to like.
Time to get that second cup of coffee and explore...maybe a long walk this morning.
Chile's School Protests
I've been ignoring Chile for far too long. I had not been aware of the massive protests by secondary school students and their supporters until yesterday, when I took a dose of The Santiago Times. According to the newspaper, about 600,000 students and supporters took to the streets in protest of the country's ailing school system. They have already gone on strike once and are threatening another massive strike on June 5 is the government does not yield to their demands, which now include a total governmental takeover of the school system. The demands began with an insistence that the government provide reduced price or free transportation, both to and from school as well as at other times. Thanks in part to the government's failure to take their demands seriously, the students ratcheted up their demands to insist that university entrance exames (and retests) be free.
I'm inclined to say to the students, "enough is enough." While I am sure many of their demands are legitimate, the concept of nationalizing the school system is, in my view, horrible. Look at this country's feeble attempts to direct education through its "no child left alive" program. I would be especially wary of placing in the federal government's hands responsibility for curricula since it could be far too easily dumbed-down or, even worse, sterilized so as to discourage creative thought. For Chile, the students should step back and listen to rational voices. I'm all for giving people educational opportunities, but not at the expense of creativity, democracy, and ultimately, quality. I want Michelle Bachelet's presidency of Chile to go down in history as a supremely powerful success story; I hope she and her government successfully deal with the challenges of this strike.
Next Year, Moscow
A client association's European unit has, according to word I got yesterday, selected Moscow as the site of its 2007 meeting. If I continue to be expected to attend, that will mean a trip to Moscow next year. Interesting.
A Real Neighborhood Place
Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I had dinner at a place that bills itself as a real neighborhood joint...I think its boast is true. It's a restaurant that is attached to a gas station/convenience store a bit off the beaten path...right in the middle of a neighborhood that includes single family housing, apartments, a few other businesses, and some vacant land. The restaurant is a grill with limited indoor seating, but lots of outdoor seating on a couple of decks off the parking lot. The outdoors area is decorated with lots of old, rusty stuff like bicycles, lawnmowers, transmission cases, etc. that have been cleverly affixed to the walls or fences that define the space. It is a bring your own booze place. As we sat outdoors under a trellis-covered seating area (complete with outdoor ceiling fans), a troup of geezers and a grandbaby arrived and took over a large table near us. The geezers knew the asian woman who served as our waitress and they knew the name of her young child, who I would guess is about 4 years old. My guess is that the waitress' husband is the cook and maybe the owner. The geezers brought with them an enormous ice chest filled with beer. We overheard a comment that there is live entertainment on Saturday evenings, so we may check it out. The place is right across the street from a huge apartment complex, so my guess is that most of their business comes from there. It is really out of the way...quite a few blocks from the nearest street with any appreciable traffic. A neighborhood place that, maybe, I can learn to like.
Time to get that second cup of coffee and explore...maybe a long walk this morning.
Friday, June 2, 2006
Listen and Look Around You...and Commit to Action
I recommend you listen to these, then pass them along. I found them on a blog I visit from time to time (read on). They'll make you laugh, until you realize how true they are!
Paul Hipp--I'm So Lonesome I Could Spy
Paul Hipp--Big Gay GOP Fear Factor Fever
Paul Hipp--I'm the Decider
An occasional visitor to this blog reminded me that, my feelings of inadequacy notwithstanding, I do have the power to do at least little things to contribute to making this a better world...e.g., campaign with a fervor unmatched in the history of mankind against Bush and his fascist lieutenants and their right-wing bible-thumping crusaders. I thank her and recommend her blog to you.
Say it with me, children, "George Bush and his Republican compatriots must be handed a stunning defeat this November and every election from this point forward!"
What are YOU going to do to make it happen?
How about asking voters you know a few questions:
Who do you believe the healthcare system in this country serves most: a) the people; b) the pharmaceutical industry; or c) healthcare industry lobbyists?
Do you believe we should wait until all scientists reach absolute agreement on whether we are damaging the environment and our future before we take action to address the matter, or that we should do NOW what the vast majority of scientists say is necessary to protect the planet?
Are you comfortable with continuing to build a huge national debt, leaving future generations to pay it off, or do you think we should act now to reverse the direction?
Should the U.S. attack other countries because their social and/or religious beliefs are different from ours?
Do you agree that citizens of this country do not have a right to vote but, instead, must earn the privilege to vote by sticking by the party in power?
If they answer even one of those questions in the way any reasonable, thinking, caring person would, there is hope that they can be persuaded to at least dispassionately consider whether the Republicans in this country should be evicted, and fast. They might start to wonder, too, why so damn few Democrats have the backbone and the will to come up with plans of their own. And they just might start thinking it is time for a new party, one that is built on progressive ideals...but try to convince them to wait until the Republicans have been turned out!
Paul Hipp--I'm So Lonesome I Could Spy
Paul Hipp--Big Gay GOP Fear Factor Fever
Paul Hipp--I'm the Decider
An occasional visitor to this blog reminded me that, my feelings of inadequacy notwithstanding, I do have the power to do at least little things to contribute to making this a better world...e.g., campaign with a fervor unmatched in the history of mankind against Bush and his fascist lieutenants and their right-wing bible-thumping crusaders. I thank her and recommend her blog to you.
Say it with me, children, "George Bush and his Republican compatriots must be handed a stunning defeat this November and every election from this point forward!"
What are YOU going to do to make it happen?
How about asking voters you know a few questions:
Who do you believe the healthcare system in this country serves most: a) the people; b) the pharmaceutical industry; or c) healthcare industry lobbyists?
Do you believe we should wait until all scientists reach absolute agreement on whether we are damaging the environment and our future before we take action to address the matter, or that we should do NOW what the vast majority of scientists say is necessary to protect the planet?
Are you comfortable with continuing to build a huge national debt, leaving future generations to pay it off, or do you think we should act now to reverse the direction?
Should the U.S. attack other countries because their social and/or religious beliefs are different from ours?
Do you agree that citizens of this country do not have a right to vote but, instead, must earn the privilege to vote by sticking by the party in power?
If they answer even one of those questions in the way any reasonable, thinking, caring person would, there is hope that they can be persuaded to at least dispassionately consider whether the Republicans in this country should be evicted, and fast. They might start to wonder, too, why so damn few Democrats have the backbone and the will to come up with plans of their own. And they just might start thinking it is time for a new party, one that is built on progressive ideals...but try to convince them to wait until the Republicans have been turned out!
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Not right now...OK, NOW!
Today's blog will evolve slowly, if at all. Watch this space to determine whether I will, again, opt not to share my thoughts for the world to see or, instead, will become verbose. Not right now, though.OK, here is what I think tonight:
OK, I'm back. I have been watching the National Spelling Bee on television and it is really fascinating. Before you label me incurably boring, let me tell you, this is something that has drama, hope, and lots of room for tears of joy. The kids who participate in the Spelling Bee are obviously very, very bright kids, but more than that they are kids who understand the importance of taking something seriously...but not letting it ruin them. I am so impressed with these kids...if I thought kids were like this, I might have had some. Something that strikes me, though, is that the majority of these kids who have made it to Washington, DC are Indian, Chinese, or of related backgrounds. Native, white, middle class American kids are few and far between. This tells me something. It tells me that the cultures from which these kids came value intellect, achievement, and knowledge. And it tells me that Hugo Chavez, the nutcase Venezuelan pig, is right when he predicts that the "empire" that is today the United States will fail in this century. Americans, as a rule, don't fucking get it! We are so self-satisfied and self-important and holier-than-thou that we don't understand what we have lost...given away...ignored.
It has taken less than a generation for this country to fall into the abyss. Unless my niece and nephew and their spouses and cohorts take radical steps, their children will grow up in a failed democracy, at best, or under the thumbs of whatever country(ies) assume the mantle of leadership in the world when the U.S. is obviously unable to continue its role.
Another topic. Over the weekend, when my wonderful wife and I were driving south toward Falba, we listened to a segment on NPR that I want to share with you. Las Rubias del Norte is a New York City based group of non-Hispanic folks who got intrigued with Latin music and decided to play it. They are several people who have wonderful skills with music, with language, with making music in general. I liked hearing them talk. I liked their music. I encourage you to listen to them. Read a bit, then listen. Then, you will appreciate my recommendation and you will thank me, or at least you will consider it. Here is the link...read and listen.
A Different Take
I don't know...some days I feel so completely inadequate that I just can't imagine a future that has any value, any sense of accomplishment. I know that is bullshit, but sometimes it happens. Usually, this happens when I look at my life and wonder why I have allowed myself to feel controlled by my history, instead of the future I can create. Like tonight. I look around me and see a house in a north Dallas suburb that I am sure many people would find fabulous. I don'te. It's not a bad place, but it's not what I am after. I want to be away from the city. Cities tend to mold minds that don't want to be molded. Mine is one of them. I want to mold minds...I have no room for someone to mold my own.
I'm sad tonight. Nothing in particular, I guess, but I'm just sad. I feel like I've left a big piece of my life just happen, instead of controlling it. I could have made a difference in many areas, but I didn't. I'm so ashamed that I did not make a difference. I had the ability. I am above average in intellect, I think, and I could have made a difference. But I did not. I allowed myself to be molded by the neighborhood. It is not right. I...all of us...should have made a difference. I'm angry at myself. It is just too late to really make a difference, and I am so upset by that.
What can I do now? I can't simply insist to my wife that we abandon all of what we have. I want to, but I can't. It is not fair to her. I dream, some days, of waking up to the knowledge that I am utterly alone and that I have complete power over me...I don't have to be concerned about family, friends, etc.
I'll snap out of this. But the intellectual issues that give rise to my sadness and anger will remain. One day, I'll figure a way out of this...maybe a way to make a difference.