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."
Friday, November 16, 2012
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.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
IN TIME OF PERIL
This "perfect storm" called Sandy is a real monster, touching and affecting many lives over an incredibly vast area. My heart and prayers go out to those affected, and I hope it ends up less catastrophic than predicted.
Living on an island in the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast of Florida, I appreciate the fear and dread of such storms. We were hit by Huricane Charley on Friday, August 13, 2004 and had a condo essentially destroyed, which had to be stripped down to bare walls and rebuilt, but, fortunately, no lives were lost. The possibility of a big storm is a reality with which we learn to live.
The flooding from Sandy triggered memories for me. In September of 1938, a hurricane hit New England. My middle brother (who later was killed in World War II) was on a train on his way to a prep school outside of Boston when the storm hit full blast. The train had to be evacuated, and my brother received a commendatory letter from the Governor of Massachusetts (along with several others, I'm sure) for helping an old lady and carrying her off the train through waisthigh water to safety and then helping other rescuers assist distressed off the train. My brother told how many people performed selfless acts of safety to evacuate people from that train.
In every catastrophe you have your share of idiots or stubborn fools who refuse to face the reality and danger from such storms and lose their lives or their homes. You also have the scum of the earth who take advantage of such catastrophes to loot or steal. But, thank God, you also have the heros, everyday people who do the right thing instinctively to help others in peril. A catastrophe, such as this perfect storm, brings out the worst---but also the best---in humanity.
Again, let's pray that few suffer or die and that damage is confined.
Living on an island in the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast of Florida, I appreciate the fear and dread of such storms. We were hit by Huricane Charley on Friday, August 13, 2004 and had a condo essentially destroyed, which had to be stripped down to bare walls and rebuilt, but, fortunately, no lives were lost. The possibility of a big storm is a reality with which we learn to live.
The flooding from Sandy triggered memories for me. In September of 1938, a hurricane hit New England. My middle brother (who later was killed in World War II) was on a train on his way to a prep school outside of Boston when the storm hit full blast. The train had to be evacuated, and my brother received a commendatory letter from the Governor of Massachusetts (along with several others, I'm sure) for helping an old lady and carrying her off the train through waisthigh water to safety and then helping other rescuers assist distressed off the train. My brother told how many people performed selfless acts of safety to evacuate people from that train.
In every catastrophe you have your share of idiots or stubborn fools who refuse to face the reality and danger from such storms and lose their lives or their homes. You also have the scum of the earth who take advantage of such catastrophes to loot or steal. But, thank God, you also have the heros, everyday people who do the right thing instinctively to help others in peril. A catastrophe, such as this perfect storm, brings out the worst---but also the best---in humanity.
Again, let's pray that few suffer or die and that damage is confined.
Monday, October 29, 2012
OCTOBER OBSERVATIONS
As we approach Halloween and after this last weekend of sports activity, it is a good time (or excuse) for me to comment.
PRO FOOTBALL: Are you as delighted as I by the showing of Peyton Manning, who certainly killed any rumors of being a has-been?
Are the Atlanta Falcons for real or will reality strike home in the last half of the season?
The Jets have a dual quarterback problem, Also a running back, offensive line and defense problem.
Cream is beginning to rise to the top. Watch the Pack, the Patriots, the Oilers and the Giants. The Steelers may be coming alive, as well. Dark horse, Denver.
Tony Romo almost pulled off an Eli Manning but missed by a hand.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: I still think Ohio State is overrated but less than I did. Wisconsin and Michigan will prove tests. Braxton Miller and Denard Robinson---hmmmm.
Alabama still the class of football. L.S.U. will be their last real test.
K-State will be tested by Oklahoma State and (bare possibility) Texas.
Will Notre Dame have one "Hail Mary" left to beat U.S.C.?
Oregon has three tests ahead of them in U.S.C., Stanford and Oregon State---that's a handful.
Anyone think we need a playoff system, more than ever?
BASEBALL: I feel better about my Reds losing to the Giants, the supreme masters of coming from behind and snowballing momentum. It was a "mo" World Series with the the the two hottest teams at the right time duking it out. Obviously, the Tigers got defanged and had nothing left in their tank.
MISCELLANEOUS: Isn't it great to see Indiana back in the basketball mix? Seems like old times.
A new "mano a mano" shaping up in golf with Rory and Tiger squaring off .
Explain to me how women's tennis (the W.T.A.) devolves a ranking system where Serena Willams is ranked third, having won Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, two gold medals in the Olympics and the W.T.A. championship? What labyrnthian thought process came up with this seeding?
May the wirches and ghouls bring you treats.
PRO FOOTBALL: Are you as delighted as I by the showing of Peyton Manning, who certainly killed any rumors of being a has-been?
Are the Atlanta Falcons for real or will reality strike home in the last half of the season?
The Jets have a dual quarterback problem, Also a running back, offensive line and defense problem.
Cream is beginning to rise to the top. Watch the Pack, the Patriots, the Oilers and the Giants. The Steelers may be coming alive, as well. Dark horse, Denver.
Tony Romo almost pulled off an Eli Manning but missed by a hand.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: I still think Ohio State is overrated but less than I did. Wisconsin and Michigan will prove tests. Braxton Miller and Denard Robinson---hmmmm.
Alabama still the class of football. L.S.U. will be their last real test.
K-State will be tested by Oklahoma State and (bare possibility) Texas.
Will Notre Dame have one "Hail Mary" left to beat U.S.C.?
Oregon has three tests ahead of them in U.S.C., Stanford and Oregon State---that's a handful.
Anyone think we need a playoff system, more than ever?
BASEBALL: I feel better about my Reds losing to the Giants, the supreme masters of coming from behind and snowballing momentum. It was a "mo" World Series with the the the two hottest teams at the right time duking it out. Obviously, the Tigers got defanged and had nothing left in their tank.
MISCELLANEOUS: Isn't it great to see Indiana back in the basketball mix? Seems like old times.
A new "mano a mano" shaping up in golf with Rory and Tiger squaring off .
Explain to me how women's tennis (the W.T.A.) devolves a ranking system where Serena Willams is ranked third, having won Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, two gold medals in the Olympics and the W.T.A. championship? What labyrnthian thought process came up with this seeding?
May the wirches and ghouls bring you treats.
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