“I’d rather flunk my Wasserman test
than read a poem by Edgar Guest.”
Ogden Nash
That is one of my pet lines from Nash, the master of light and satirical verse, as well as a fine lyricist.
I have my own version: I’d rather flunk my Wasserman test---
than shop at WalMart’s best.
I read an article today on AOL online, describing Costco as the Anti-Walmart, and, boy, can I relate to that. I love shopping at Costco. I’ll try to avoid it on Christmas Eve, but the rest of the time, even during crowded tourist season here in sunny Florida, I like the place. The people are helpful and knowledgeable and obviously like their work. At $17.00 an hour, they are much happier campers than the underpaid WalMart crew.
I have a daughter who is happier than a pig in slop shopping at WalMart late at night. I can understand the late at night bit to avoid the crowd, but I just don’t like WalMart.
I don’t like what they have done to the many small retailers they’ve put out of business. I don’t like their predatory buying pressure. I’ve known a few companies and agents who have sold them and, though they love the volume, they don’t love the ever-increasing cost pressure applied by this behemoth of a chain. I don’t like their relationship with their employees, which can only be described as adversarial.
To me, Costco is beating them at their own game and making the process enjoyable to their customers. The only thing I don’t like at Costco is that I spend too much when I go in there. That’s my fault, not Costco’s.
So, carry on with that miracle of retailing, Walmart, if you desire, but give me the new rival, Costco, thank you.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
WHERE TO BE BORN?
This chart came from The Economist, one of my favorite periodicals for calm, thorough and objective reasoning. A sister company of this periodical, Economist Intelligence Unit (E.I.U.), did a study recently, weighing in many factors as to the best places to live in our world now. The U.S.A. used to dominate this study. Look where we are now---number 16, behind a host of nations, even our neighbor, Canada.
Factors to determine these ratings include. geography, income, crime rate, trust in public institutions, health, safety, family life and resources. One of the contributing factors in America's decline from numero uno to sixteen is the fiscal debt crushing future generations and the economic load it will impose on those generations.
One amusing note: in the article, they quote one of my favorite movie lines from that classic, The Third Man, a masterpiece directed by Sir Carroll Reed and featuring Joseph Cotten and one of my favorites, Orson Welles. Welles plays an ammoral con man, an American operating in the shady drug (in this case, penicillin) blackmarket after World War II in Vienna. His old friend, Cotten, is trying to dissuade him from his crooked endeavors by appealing to his humanitarian instincts. Welles replies in a great speech to the effect that medieval Italy, a country torn by strife and the evil Borgias, created Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. And in 500 years of peace and harmony, what did Switzerland create? The cuckoo clock! The writers of the article were referring to what they called the "yawn factor" of living in boring Switzerland.
I still love that line.
Just in case you are planning to live another hundred years or more, I thought you might find this information of value. As for me, I'm too old to emigrate. I'll stay here in the good old U.S.A., warts and all.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
THAT FRAGILE THREAD
I lost my younger nephew on Monday, who died unexpectedly at age 63. It is painful at my age of 85 to see someone from the next generation pass on before me, and the shock and trauma generated in the entire family are profound.
Alfred was a bear of a man-boy: 6'3", a teddy bear with an ebullient outgoing personality, the proverbial "not-a-mean-streak-in-his-body" type. He had a rollicking sense of humor and loved pranks and gadgets. He was a born salesman whose customers, I'm sure, loved him. He and his wife Liz, whom he married in 1991, never had children but had a series of dogs whom they treated like kids. His nephews, nieces and cousins all loved him because of his outgoing personality.
In his younger days he was a typical product of the 60s and 70s: anti-war, pot smoking, rebellious against the establishment---typical of so many of his generation. He even ran a head shop in our small town in Ohio. He got involved with some serious drugs early but, to his credit, left that world behind him and got his act together. He went through a couple of bad marriages but found happiness with his third try, Liz, and settled down. He moved to Florida in the early eighties and came to Fort Myers in 1988. He and Liz were married in 1991.
Alf and a partner started an electronics business in alarm systems and audio and video equipment, ranging from home sound systems to home theaters, for custom homes and businesses. It was highly successful, until the crash of 2008 put the kibosh on building of new homes. Still, they struggled along and began to see improvements in the last year. My nephew retired from the business this summer.
One of his outstanding characteristics was his caring nature. His mother-in-law lived with Alf and her daughter for almost ten years, the last few of which she slowly but surely went downhill. Liz had a job that involved a lot of travel, and a great deal of the care and concern fell on Alfred, who unfailingly and uncomplainingly took care of his mother-in-law, who died last fall. It was service above and beyond the call of duty, and I wish I could strike him a medal.
Ten years ago, he had a freak accident: a golfing friend accidentally hit him with his club, which turned out to be a fortuitous happening because X-rays revealed he had a tumor on his pituitary gland in his head. He underwent serious surgery removing the pituitary, but he recovered, and thanks to medication, compensated for the loss of this gland and was able to lead a normal life.
His death was swift. He felt fine on the Saturday; in fact, he and Liz walked the dogs. Then, Sunday morning he awoke with intense pain in his lower abdomen. He stayed in bed the whole day. Liz went into him Monday morning at 9:00 and asked if he wanted a doctor. He said, no, he thought he would be better soon and just wanted to rest some more. At 10:15, she came in and found him comatose, called the medics, who arrived promptly and could not revive him. I'm no doctor, but it sounds like an aneurysm of sorts. Liz will decide whether to have an autopsy or no.
All of us are in pain. Once again, we are reminded of that fragile thread connecting life and death.
God bless you, Alfred. God has gained one of the good ones.
Alfred was a bear of a man-boy: 6'3", a teddy bear with an ebullient outgoing personality, the proverbial "not-a-mean-streak-in-his-body" type. He had a rollicking sense of humor and loved pranks and gadgets. He was a born salesman whose customers, I'm sure, loved him. He and his wife Liz, whom he married in 1991, never had children but had a series of dogs whom they treated like kids. His nephews, nieces and cousins all loved him because of his outgoing personality.
In his younger days he was a typical product of the 60s and 70s: anti-war, pot smoking, rebellious against the establishment---typical of so many of his generation. He even ran a head shop in our small town in Ohio. He got involved with some serious drugs early but, to his credit, left that world behind him and got his act together. He went through a couple of bad marriages but found happiness with his third try, Liz, and settled down. He moved to Florida in the early eighties and came to Fort Myers in 1988. He and Liz were married in 1991.
Alf and a partner started an electronics business in alarm systems and audio and video equipment, ranging from home sound systems to home theaters, for custom homes and businesses. It was highly successful, until the crash of 2008 put the kibosh on building of new homes. Still, they struggled along and began to see improvements in the last year. My nephew retired from the business this summer.
One of his outstanding characteristics was his caring nature. His mother-in-law lived with Alf and her daughter for almost ten years, the last few of which she slowly but surely went downhill. Liz had a job that involved a lot of travel, and a great deal of the care and concern fell on Alfred, who unfailingly and uncomplainingly took care of his mother-in-law, who died last fall. It was service above and beyond the call of duty, and I wish I could strike him a medal.
Ten years ago, he had a freak accident: a golfing friend accidentally hit him with his club, which turned out to be a fortuitous happening because X-rays revealed he had a tumor on his pituitary gland in his head. He underwent serious surgery removing the pituitary, but he recovered, and thanks to medication, compensated for the loss of this gland and was able to lead a normal life.
His death was swift. He felt fine on the Saturday; in fact, he and Liz walked the dogs. Then, Sunday morning he awoke with intense pain in his lower abdomen. He stayed in bed the whole day. Liz went into him Monday morning at 9:00 and asked if he wanted a doctor. He said, no, he thought he would be better soon and just wanted to rest some more. At 10:15, she came in and found him comatose, called the medics, who arrived promptly and could not revive him. I'm no doctor, but it sounds like an aneurysm of sorts. Liz will decide whether to have an autopsy or no.
All of us are in pain. Once again, we are reminded of that fragile thread connecting life and death.
God bless you, Alfred. God has gained one of the good ones.
Friday, November 16, 2012
A SMALL CONNECTION
The scandals which broke this week regarding the sexual activities of top generals are an old and familiar story. Henry Kissinger once said and created the maxim: "Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac," Power is a real love potion, affecting the parties involved in frequently tragic ways. Go back to Samson and Delilah, Anthony and Cleopatra, Napoleon and Josephine, Jack and Marilyn, Bill and Monica---the participants and victims are legion.
Women are attracted to the powerful, and men find it hard (an apt choice of words) to resist the lures of a sexually aroused woman. Reason and good sense are swept away in the vortex of a passionate affair. Another crude but accurate male epigram comes to mind: a stiff prick knows no conscience.
And then the old Aristotlean definition of tragedy comes into play. Aristotle defined tragedy as the fall of a man from high estate. Look at David Patraeus. A general compared by many to Eisenhower, Marshall, Washington and Grant, a Renaissance man of many parts, brilliant and seemingly beyond reproach, he is now a tragic hero or an overrated bum, according to your view. Most of all, he is a very human man who could not resist the allure of power and the desire that accompanies it. Whether he seduced or was seduced doesn't really matter; the end result is the loss of a talented man to public service. That is an old and familiar story.
At a breakfast meeting earler this week, I wisecracked to a friend, 'It's amazing what that tiny piece of the human anatomy can cause," and my friend replied, "Yeah, but it has all kinds of connections."
Women are attracted to the powerful, and men find it hard (an apt choice of words) to resist the lures of a sexually aroused woman. Reason and good sense are swept away in the vortex of a passionate affair. Another crude but accurate male epigram comes to mind: a stiff prick knows no conscience.
And then the old Aristotlean definition of tragedy comes into play. Aristotle defined tragedy as the fall of a man from high estate. Look at David Patraeus. A general compared by many to Eisenhower, Marshall, Washington and Grant, a Renaissance man of many parts, brilliant and seemingly beyond reproach, he is now a tragic hero or an overrated bum, according to your view. Most of all, he is a very human man who could not resist the allure of power and the desire that accompanies it. Whether he seduced or was seduced doesn't really matter; the end result is the loss of a talented man to public service. That is an old and familiar story.
At a breakfast meeting earler this week, I wisecracked to a friend, 'It's amazing what that tiny piece of the human anatomy can cause," and my friend replied, "Yeah, but it has all kinds of connections."
Monday, November 12, 2012
IN RETROSPECT
Now that we have had almost a week to mull over the election results, I have found it interesting to read a variety of pundits.
The old guard of what might be termed "Country Club Republicans" believes that the political agenda was not conservative enough and preaches even more of "same old, same old": more tax breaks for business and protection of the ultra rich; solve every problem by encouraging business and the rest will take care of itself. The more things change, the more they are the same...
The more astute pundits look beyond the same old answers and point out that the Republican Party, for the most part, is a collection of older white men which does not reach out to expand its base, both ethnically and genderwise. Obviously, it was not a majority of whites who reelected the President but the "rainbow blend": some whites and a helluva lot of Blacks and Hispanics, not to mention a broad crosssection of women, especially younger ones. Add in a brilliant stratagem of targeting precisely independent voters and getting them out to vote.
Perhaps the Republican Party is too stubborn to change, but I can't believe, with young Turks like Marco Rubio waiting in the wings for showtime, that they won't change. A changing of the guard is bound to occur, unless their feet are set in concrete.
The next few months are going to be fascinating as the two parties circle each other and try to reach a compromise--- in each one's favor. Certainly the election has strengthened the President's hand, but you can be sure that John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and G.O.P. stalwarts will push the fiscal cliff and other economic problems to the max.
America, with brief exceptions, has been a two-party political system. Is it time for a truly viable third party, representing the moderates of this country, rejecting the extremes of the current two parties? Perhaps it might grow spontaneously without intent as a result of the forthcoming struggle to find a way out of our economic morass.
The old Chinese curse is applicable here: may you live in interesting times.
The old guard of what might be termed "Country Club Republicans" believes that the political agenda was not conservative enough and preaches even more of "same old, same old": more tax breaks for business and protection of the ultra rich; solve every problem by encouraging business and the rest will take care of itself. The more things change, the more they are the same...
The more astute pundits look beyond the same old answers and point out that the Republican Party, for the most part, is a collection of older white men which does not reach out to expand its base, both ethnically and genderwise. Obviously, it was not a majority of whites who reelected the President but the "rainbow blend": some whites and a helluva lot of Blacks and Hispanics, not to mention a broad crosssection of women, especially younger ones. Add in a brilliant stratagem of targeting precisely independent voters and getting them out to vote.
Perhaps the Republican Party is too stubborn to change, but I can't believe, with young Turks like Marco Rubio waiting in the wings for showtime, that they won't change. A changing of the guard is bound to occur, unless their feet are set in concrete.
The next few months are going to be fascinating as the two parties circle each other and try to reach a compromise--- in each one's favor. Certainly the election has strengthened the President's hand, but you can be sure that John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and G.O.P. stalwarts will push the fiscal cliff and other economic problems to the max.
America, with brief exceptions, has been a two-party political system. Is it time for a truly viable third party, representing the moderates of this country, rejecting the extremes of the current two parties? Perhaps it might grow spontaneously without intent as a result of the forthcoming struggle to find a way out of our economic morass.
The old Chinese curse is applicable here: may you live in interesting times.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
A THIRD WORLD ELECTION
The tumult and the shouting are over, thank God, and the people have spoken. It was close but not so much as I expected. I believe the right man won. But the expense and the time, the slime and dirty tricks for both parties were disgusting.
On our little island in Florida, my wife and I, along with many others, stood and waited in line for three hours and forty minutes. We actually got in the ballot room in a little more than three hours, quickly voted (though the ballot, with a ton of proposed amendments in bilingual form looked like the next great American novel) and then stood in line again so that we could scan our multi-paged ballot one page at a time THROUGH ONE BALLOT MACHINE/SCANNER. You don't have to be a brilliant mathmetician to figure, at five sheets per person, waiting for each page to be cleared, which took over a minute, that the pace was turtlelike. Judging by the quantity of letters to the editor of the local Fort Myers newspaper, this problem was universal, and people were pissed, to say the least.
Standing in line that long you make a lot of temporary friendships, forged in the adversity of shared discomfort (we had lots of rain showers). . One attractive younger woman in front of me received a phone call from an American friend living in Switzerland who said, "When is America going to join the twenty-first cenrury in voting procedures? Why are we so backward?"
It is shambolic, this whole system of voting. Here we are leading the world in technology and we can't come up with an internet voting system. I know, I know, the security problems. But we trust our defense system and a host of other governmental activities to computers; yes, they get breached on occasions, but we usually sort it out. Can't we put some brainpower to work to solve this ridiculous system which is a blackmark on the democratic process.
Then we have the problem of manipulation of voters. Here in Florida the Republican powers have done everything possible to limit voters, especially those they don't want to vote, like blacks, who are frequently overwhelmingly Democratic, by limiting voting hours in early voting or demanding ridiculous proofs of identity as a valid voter. Shades of pre-Civil Rights Mississippi...
I get tired of the number one nation in the world (at least for now) looking like a third world country at election time. It's time, long overdue, for a real change in election procedures.
On our little island in Florida, my wife and I, along with many others, stood and waited in line for three hours and forty minutes. We actually got in the ballot room in a little more than three hours, quickly voted (though the ballot, with a ton of proposed amendments in bilingual form looked like the next great American novel) and then stood in line again so that we could scan our multi-paged ballot one page at a time THROUGH ONE BALLOT MACHINE/SCANNER. You don't have to be a brilliant mathmetician to figure, at five sheets per person, waiting for each page to be cleared, which took over a minute, that the pace was turtlelike. Judging by the quantity of letters to the editor of the local Fort Myers newspaper, this problem was universal, and people were pissed, to say the least.
Standing in line that long you make a lot of temporary friendships, forged in the adversity of shared discomfort (we had lots of rain showers). . One attractive younger woman in front of me received a phone call from an American friend living in Switzerland who said, "When is America going to join the twenty-first cenrury in voting procedures? Why are we so backward?"
It is shambolic, this whole system of voting. Here we are leading the world in technology and we can't come up with an internet voting system. I know, I know, the security problems. But we trust our defense system and a host of other governmental activities to computers; yes, they get breached on occasions, but we usually sort it out. Can't we put some brainpower to work to solve this ridiculous system which is a blackmark on the democratic process.
Then we have the problem of manipulation of voters. Here in Florida the Republican powers have done everything possible to limit voters, especially those they don't want to vote, like blacks, who are frequently overwhelmingly Democratic, by limiting voting hours in early voting or demanding ridiculous proofs of identity as a valid voter. Shades of pre-Civil Rights Mississippi...
I get tired of the number one nation in the world (at least for now) looking like a third world country at election time. It's time, long overdue, for a real change in election procedures.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
MORE FUEL ON THE I.T. FIRE
In view of my recent post ("Are You Smarter than Your Phone"), I was interested to see an article in the "NY Times" regarding educators and studies about the effect of technology on students and altering learning styles.
A study by the Pew Internet Project and another by Common Sense Media, although both quickly avow that these studies are based on subjective views of teachers, indicate that constant use of digital technology has shown a deterioration in attention spans and to complete challenging tasks.
One teacher interviewed commented: "I'm an entertainer. I have to do a song and dance to capture their attention." Almost 90% of the teachers interviewed thought that students were "an easily distracted generation".
Yet many interviewed agreed that technology is a useful learning tool: about 75% said that the internet and search engines had "a mostly positive effect". One commented that video games and digital presentations were positive tools for teaching. This same teacher said , "I'm tap dancing all over the place. The more I stand in front of the class, the easier it is to lose them."
One problem noted was that students get so acclimated to quick information and answers ("the Wikipedia" effect") that they lack patience for finding answers which take more time and tend to give up too easily. Another researcher, Dr. Dimitri Christakis of the Center for Child Health, Behaviour and Development at Children's Hospuital of Seattle WA, found that saturation from heavy digital stimulation created a "supernatural stimulation" which makes reality a bore, in comparison. It is hard for teachers to compete with that.
It's a new world, folks.
A study by the Pew Internet Project and another by Common Sense Media, although both quickly avow that these studies are based on subjective views of teachers, indicate that constant use of digital technology has shown a deterioration in attention spans and to complete challenging tasks.
One teacher interviewed commented: "I'm an entertainer. I have to do a song and dance to capture their attention." Almost 90% of the teachers interviewed thought that students were "an easily distracted generation".
Yet many interviewed agreed that technology is a useful learning tool: about 75% said that the internet and search engines had "a mostly positive effect". One commented that video games and digital presentations were positive tools for teaching. This same teacher said , "I'm tap dancing all over the place. The more I stand in front of the class, the easier it is to lose them."
One problem noted was that students get so acclimated to quick information and answers ("the Wikipedia" effect") that they lack patience for finding answers which take more time and tend to give up too easily. Another researcher, Dr. Dimitri Christakis of the Center for Child Health, Behaviour and Development at Children's Hospuital of Seattle WA, found that saturation from heavy digital stimulation created a "supernatural stimulation" which makes reality a bore, in comparison. It is hard for teachers to compete with that.
It's a new world, folks.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
ARE YOU SMARTER THAN YOUR PHONE?
I had my old Volvo inspected because of a “check engine” light at my ultra-honest Volvo technicians. They used to be the mechanics for an old dealership that was taken over and moved thirty miles south and chose not to go south but to stay and set up a business for Volvos and other foreign and even domestic cars. They are that rare species of conscientious honest and proficient artisans who give you expert work at reasonable prices. In fact, on some minor items, they don’t even charge me.
That’s not the purpose of this blog, but it is good to give credit when due and acknowledge quality workmanship and professionalism in these shoddy times.
While waiting for the car, I randomly picked up a magazine and found an intriguing article by a journalist named Jeff Wise called “Mental Outsourcing”. Let me quote from Jeff Wise. Referring to our reliance on cellphones and G.P.S. systems, he says:
“The dumbing down…(depending on these devices totally) is just one example of a trend that’s affecting almost every aspect of out cognitive life. I call it mental outsourcing. More and more we’re using technology, especially smartphones as auxiliary brains, delegating to them mental functions---such as memory, sense of direction and problem solving---that we used to do routinely ourselves.”
This sums up very nicely a feeling I’ve had, almost inchoate and unsaid, about the technological revolution we are undergoing. It is an exciting and fascinating world. Look at the information available today compared to, say, twenty-five years ago; hell, for that matter, in the time I’ve been retired since 1995. Here I am, an old man, and I love the computer, the internet, all things I.T., although I am light years away from being a techie. (I guess I’m some kind of old geek.)
But I think Wise has touched a nerve in that we are becoming too dependent on our new wizardry and becoming mentally lazy. I still do crossword puzzles first thing in the morning over my coffee. Why? Because it starts the engine of my mind and challenges me., plus I love words. I like to do some arithmetic in my head. Why? Because I’m good at it, and it keeps those grey cells pulsating. I even sometimes look at maps and work out where I'm going. Why? To see if I can still do it.
Wise even points out that recent scientific studies are demonstrating some correlation between dependence on our devices and the diminishing of our cognitive skills. For example, people depending solely on a G.P.S. device instead of mapping out where they would like to go showed “cognitive decline and even the early onset of dementia” in some cases. Another one that got me: multitaskers who phone or text while driving “function as though at an alcohol level of .08, the equivalent of being legally drunk”.
So, let’s have our technological marvels like smartphones, computers and G.P.S. systems, but use them wisely. Just, every so often, do some mental exercises to keep the brain---after all, it’s part of the body---fit. Even my phone could agree: that’s really smart.
That’s not the purpose of this blog, but it is good to give credit when due and acknowledge quality workmanship and professionalism in these shoddy times.
While waiting for the car, I randomly picked up a magazine and found an intriguing article by a journalist named Jeff Wise called “Mental Outsourcing”. Let me quote from Jeff Wise. Referring to our reliance on cellphones and G.P.S. systems, he says:
“The dumbing down…(depending on these devices totally) is just one example of a trend that’s affecting almost every aspect of out cognitive life. I call it mental outsourcing. More and more we’re using technology, especially smartphones as auxiliary brains, delegating to them mental functions---such as memory, sense of direction and problem solving---that we used to do routinely ourselves.”
This sums up very nicely a feeling I’ve had, almost inchoate and unsaid, about the technological revolution we are undergoing. It is an exciting and fascinating world. Look at the information available today compared to, say, twenty-five years ago; hell, for that matter, in the time I’ve been retired since 1995. Here I am, an old man, and I love the computer, the internet, all things I.T., although I am light years away from being a techie. (I guess I’m some kind of old geek.)
But I think Wise has touched a nerve in that we are becoming too dependent on our new wizardry and becoming mentally lazy. I still do crossword puzzles first thing in the morning over my coffee. Why? Because it starts the engine of my mind and challenges me., plus I love words. I like to do some arithmetic in my head. Why? Because I’m good at it, and it keeps those grey cells pulsating. I even sometimes look at maps and work out where I'm going. Why? To see if I can still do it.
Wise even points out that recent scientific studies are demonstrating some correlation between dependence on our devices and the diminishing of our cognitive skills. For example, people depending solely on a G.P.S. device instead of mapping out where they would like to go showed “cognitive decline and even the early onset of dementia” in some cases. Another one that got me: multitaskers who phone or text while driving “function as though at an alcohol level of .08, the equivalent of being legally drunk”.
So, let’s have our technological marvels like smartphones, computers and G.P.S. systems, but use them wisely. Just, every so often, do some mental exercises to keep the brain---after all, it’s part of the body---fit. Even my phone could agree: that’s really smart.
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