Today's debate over the DREAM act is confusing and many-faceted. The main idea that I get from proponents of the bill is that, if we're empathetic to those who were brought here through no efforts of their own, i.e., by their parents who would be considered illegal immigrants, then we should give them permanent citizen status. The debate rages on and I'm sure that nothing I say here will change that, but when I look at the changing picture of America, I question why anyone would actually think that we, as a nation, really are that empathetic. I look around and see mean-spirited America in just about every aspect of our present-day society. To think that America is some feel-good, help-those-in-need country is absurd.
There may have been a time when this notion carried weight, but that time is only a hazy memory that began fading some 40 years ago. So when a politically driven effort bases it's rationale on our 'caring' history, they shouldn't assume that America is still worthy of that distinction.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Daydreaming
I can picture myself in a grass skirt, doing the Hula at a Luau
Yeah, I’m looking real good in my coconut brassiere, doing the Hula at a Luau
My big brother, Fred, has lived on the North Shore of Oahu since the early ‘90s…about as long as I’ve lived here in Nashville, Tennessee. And although our visits are few, we do phone each other from time to time. And our chats cover lots of ground. We always catch up on family news. But, most of all he likes to regale me with the incredible details of his Life in Paradise, and I’m usually all too eager to listen...usually.
He called me up one winter holiday season, and bragged about how he shoved a fake Christmas tree into the sand beside his towel on Waikiki Beach and celebrated in his jams with a six-pack and a Santa hat on his head. On my end of the line, I and all of Nashville were suffering through an unprecedented ice storm.
He wonders why anyone would want to live anywhere but our fiftieth state and pokes fun at us ‘mainlanders’.
I must say that Hawaii has always intrigued me whenever I daydream about relocating.
But that’s about all it is…daydreaming. For some reason I’m still here in Nashville after 18 years! That’s longer than I’ve lived in any one place.
Fred has an organic farm called Poamoho…a truly respectable endeavor…but I get jealous hearing about the lichees, kiwis, bananas, avocados, papayas and mangos that alternately come in like ‘gangbusters’, as he likes to say. I can picture myself living there, waking up in the morning and wandering out to the garden in search of a perfectly ripe mango to peel and eat immediately after detaching it from it’s stem…the juice dribbling down my chin.
I could just do it. Pick up and move, that is. Of course it would be complex since, now, I have a family, unlike the old days. And I suppose that my wife and son could prove to be deal-breakers.
My wife may not want to live where the sea breeze would caress her body 365 days a year…Ehh!(Buzzer) My son may not like the idea of never having to wear shoes again…Ehh!
Running out of possible deal-breakers, I finally remember the ideal breaker of this particular deal.
I interrupt Fred just as his list of luscious tropical delicacies is reaching mythical proportions and I ask him if it’s still true.
He pauses…distracted, and mutters, ”Is what still true?”
Then he remembers, too. What he told me a long time ago…that no matter what you do…no matter what you spray or what you amend the soil with, you CANNOT grow a decent tomato in all of Hawaii! CANNOT do it!
This hits him where it really hurts. This man who, growing up, sat across the dining room table from me in our Italian-American home where the fresh tomato was king! Tomato salads, BLTs, and the quintessential summer marinara made from mounds and mounds of delicious red globes grown out back.
“Yeah,” he says, “it’s still true.”
I can picture myself in a grass skirt, doing the Hula at a Luau
Yeah, I’m looking real good in my coconut brassiere, doing the Hula at a Luau
Yeah, I’m looking real good in my coconut brassiere, doing the Hula at a Luau
My big brother, Fred, has lived on the North Shore of Oahu since the early ‘90s…about as long as I’ve lived here in Nashville, Tennessee. And although our visits are few, we do phone each other from time to time. And our chats cover lots of ground. We always catch up on family news. But, most of all he likes to regale me with the incredible details of his Life in Paradise, and I’m usually all too eager to listen...usually.
He called me up one winter holiday season, and bragged about how he shoved a fake Christmas tree into the sand beside his towel on Waikiki Beach and celebrated in his jams with a six-pack and a Santa hat on his head. On my end of the line, I and all of Nashville were suffering through an unprecedented ice storm.
He wonders why anyone would want to live anywhere but our fiftieth state and pokes fun at us ‘mainlanders’.
I must say that Hawaii has always intrigued me whenever I daydream about relocating.
But that’s about all it is…daydreaming. For some reason I’m still here in Nashville after 18 years! That’s longer than I’ve lived in any one place.
Fred has an organic farm called Poamoho…a truly respectable endeavor…but I get jealous hearing about the lichees, kiwis, bananas, avocados, papayas and mangos that alternately come in like ‘gangbusters’, as he likes to say. I can picture myself living there, waking up in the morning and wandering out to the garden in search of a perfectly ripe mango to peel and eat immediately after detaching it from it’s stem…the juice dribbling down my chin.
I could just do it. Pick up and move, that is. Of course it would be complex since, now, I have a family, unlike the old days. And I suppose that my wife and son could prove to be deal-breakers.
My wife may not want to live where the sea breeze would caress her body 365 days a year…Ehh!(Buzzer) My son may not like the idea of never having to wear shoes again…Ehh!
Running out of possible deal-breakers, I finally remember the ideal breaker of this particular deal.
I interrupt Fred just as his list of luscious tropical delicacies is reaching mythical proportions and I ask him if it’s still true.
He pauses…distracted, and mutters, ”Is what still true?”
Then he remembers, too. What he told me a long time ago…that no matter what you do…no matter what you spray or what you amend the soil with, you CANNOT grow a decent tomato in all of Hawaii! CANNOT do it!
This hits him where it really hurts. This man who, growing up, sat across the dining room table from me in our Italian-American home where the fresh tomato was king! Tomato salads, BLTs, and the quintessential summer marinara made from mounds and mounds of delicious red globes grown out back.
“Yeah,” he says, “it’s still true.”
I can picture myself in a grass skirt, doing the Hula at a Luau
Yeah, I’m looking real good in my coconut brassiere, doing the Hula at a Luau
Ultra-Liberal
They have finally unearthed indisputable proof, after nearly 2000 years of hearsay, folklore and undocumented innuendo, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was, in fact, a registered Democrat. This should come as no surprise, since His father, Joseph, belonged to the AFW Local #167 Woodworkers’ Union of Greater Galilee... a member in good standing…except for a few lapses in timely dues payment…plus resulting late fees.
This blockbuster news is backed by anthropologists’ claims that Jesus was the sole author of a popular left-leaning blog that went by the name, “So, Crucify Me”.
Further investigation uncovered postings in which Jesus ranted about redlining in poor communities, out and out fraud during the 01 Census in Bethlehem. And how Pontius Pilate could now dictate with impunity due to years and years of gerrymandering by the Galilee GOP.
Jesus used the blog to announce upcoming rallies and protests, so loyal Democrats could follow His teaching, though the turnout He’d hoped for at the money-changer rally was embarrassingly light. As He arrived to find Himself the only lefty in the place, He texted His manager, who advised Him to make a ruckus, overturn some tables and hope the authorities show, with the press in tow. Jesus’ thumbs were flying now…He didn’t want to look like some extremist nut…just wanted to make His point about free markets, corporate loopholes and the vanishing middle class. His manager’s reply literally leapt off the screen of Christ’s Blackberry, short and sweet…”Any pub is good pub!” So Jesus made sure to get a UPI guy by His side just as the cuffs were being slapped on...click...click...
That’s one savvy savior...that's one hip holyman!
The thread of historical entries slowed to a trickle and then disappeared completely as researchers conclude that Jesus, at this time, was on the move. Several reports by those who had contact gave the impression that Jesus, even though ultra-liberal, always worked miracles in a fair and balanced way. Lazarus, who had been dead, but was clearly living when interviewed, said, "Jesus brought me back to life, even though the He knew that I'd always voted as an Independent!”
That's one savvy savior...that's one hip holyman!
This blockbuster news is backed by anthropologists’ claims that Jesus was the sole author of a popular left-leaning blog that went by the name, “So, Crucify Me”.
Further investigation uncovered postings in which Jesus ranted about redlining in poor communities, out and out fraud during the 01 Census in Bethlehem. And how Pontius Pilate could now dictate with impunity due to years and years of gerrymandering by the Galilee GOP.
Jesus used the blog to announce upcoming rallies and protests, so loyal Democrats could follow His teaching, though the turnout He’d hoped for at the money-changer rally was embarrassingly light. As He arrived to find Himself the only lefty in the place, He texted His manager, who advised Him to make a ruckus, overturn some tables and hope the authorities show, with the press in tow. Jesus’ thumbs were flying now…He didn’t want to look like some extremist nut…just wanted to make His point about free markets, corporate loopholes and the vanishing middle class. His manager’s reply literally leapt off the screen of Christ’s Blackberry, short and sweet…”Any pub is good pub!” So Jesus made sure to get a UPI guy by His side just as the cuffs were being slapped on...click...click...
That’s one savvy savior...that's one hip holyman!
The thread of historical entries slowed to a trickle and then disappeared completely as researchers conclude that Jesus, at this time, was on the move. Several reports by those who had contact gave the impression that Jesus, even though ultra-liberal, always worked miracles in a fair and balanced way. Lazarus, who had been dead, but was clearly living when interviewed, said, "Jesus brought me back to life, even though the He knew that I'd always voted as an Independent!”
That's one savvy savior...that's one hip holyman!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Hope against Hope
As the bill to extend the totally irresponsible Bush tax cuts heads to the Congress for approval, the Democratic base is suicidal. Yes, Obama has caved in the name of compromise to those whom he thinks will then 'owe him one'. Now that's a laugh! Those whom he thinks will 'owe him one' won't be done until the nation is bankrupt and can't afford to fund the programs they abhor.
But there is hope. Would I be audacious to think that in Congress there are actually Republicans who believe their own words? The words about the deficit. It is possible that some conservatives are really concerned about it instead of just using that stance to stifle the president's efforts. And these few may see that extending these cuts for wage earners above the $250K threshold is frittering away money that we could put towards bringing down the deficit. How many of these hypothetical congressmen or women would it take to derail this farce? I don't know, but something tells me that after what we've been through, saner minds surely exist...even in Republican seats.
But there is hope. Would I be audacious to think that in Congress there are actually Republicans who believe their own words? The words about the deficit. It is possible that some conservatives are really concerned about it instead of just using that stance to stifle the president's efforts. And these few may see that extending these cuts for wage earners above the $250K threshold is frittering away money that we could put towards bringing down the deficit. How many of these hypothetical congressmen or women would it take to derail this farce? I don't know, but something tells me that after what we've been through, saner minds surely exist...even in Republican seats.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Take One for the Team
I always like to tell myself that making a mistake is human...unless I keep making the same one over and over again. This sounds like advice to give a teenager, or someone new at a particular endeavor. But it holds true especially in politics. Presently , there are, in general terms, two paths we can choose to pull the nation out of it's economic doldrums. We can invest in ourselves, or we can embrace austerity measures. I don't claim to know all the cost/benefit effects from either approach, although it's evident that the pickle we're in is much worse considering the unemployment situation.
But one thing that seems so clear is how our major political parties do not change their stripes even in the worst of times.
Republicans scream about cutting spending (on Democratic programs, of course) which is no surprise. The head-scratcher is that they then expect no one to notice their clamoring to extend the totally irresponsible Bush tax cuts which are due to expire this year.
No sane person can argue that these cuts helped our economy (other than the upper 2% of our country's ultra-rich). Isn't 'trickle-down' sort of laughable by now? No...it isn't laughable...it's not funny at all. It's sad because this lie actually helped put us in the horrific bind we're in today. The right wing of our political spectrum is doing all it can to sabotage any effort to reach solvency. Very short-sighted indeed, since after the pendulum swings and they regain power, what does anyone think they will do? Fix things? If one can drink in the real danger we are facing economically, it becomes evident that tax benefits, if any, shouldn't widen the class gap. Now is the time for the wealthy to take one for the team. I don't know what an ultra-rich person spends their money on, but these Bush cuts were a badly-timed abberation, not an entitlement in perpetuity. They're not reality based...they are fantasy land.
To 'trickle-downers' I say, 'Get Real'!
But one thing that seems so clear is how our major political parties do not change their stripes even in the worst of times.
Republicans scream about cutting spending (on Democratic programs, of course) which is no surprise. The head-scratcher is that they then expect no one to notice their clamoring to extend the totally irresponsible Bush tax cuts which are due to expire this year.
No sane person can argue that these cuts helped our economy (other than the upper 2% of our country's ultra-rich). Isn't 'trickle-down' sort of laughable by now? No...it isn't laughable...it's not funny at all. It's sad because this lie actually helped put us in the horrific bind we're in today. The right wing of our political spectrum is doing all it can to sabotage any effort to reach solvency. Very short-sighted indeed, since after the pendulum swings and they regain power, what does anyone think they will do? Fix things? If one can drink in the real danger we are facing economically, it becomes evident that tax benefits, if any, shouldn't widen the class gap. Now is the time for the wealthy to take one for the team. I don't know what an ultra-rich person spends their money on, but these Bush cuts were a badly-timed abberation, not an entitlement in perpetuity. They're not reality based...they are fantasy land.
To 'trickle-downers' I say, 'Get Real'!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Canned Not-Goods
I love to cook my family's traditional recipes using the same ingredients and brands my parents and their parents used. Doing this gives me a warm feeling...comfort that I can depend on the outcome of my process.
After using a certain brand of tomato paste all my life (I won't mention names but it's initials are Hunts), I opened a can about a year ago to find that, unlike a paste at all, it's contents poured out of the can. It was slushy...more like puree. I didn't know what to do with the stuff...it didn't act like the paste I'd grown up with. Yes, a can of tomato paste can have a character or even...some might say...a personality!
I became outraged over the fact that a product such as this staple of my kitchen could become 'undependable'. So, I contacted the company.
They responded by sending me an email saying they were sorry I'd had a bad experience (which was nice) but then they offered me a year's supply of that very same stuff that I was complaining about! I was so stunned at the offer and how it failed to even confront the basis of my complaint that I froze, thanking them and giving them my address. It happened so fast, I guess. But now, I've got a pantry full of mushy paste and am finding that even the competition's paste, whenever I've tried other brands hoping it isn't an industry-wide epidemic, fairly oozes out of it's can, too!
Have other cooks experienced this or am I getting to that age where small, seemingly inconsequential events push me over the edge? Is it an inconsequential event? Conspiracy maybe?
Sure, it's just tomato paste...but don't cataclysmic uprisings like world wars have to begin somewhere? WMD...Gulf of Tonkin...all made up...not even true! Whereas I have a pantry full of evidence.
I could be led to believe that the mystery of diluted paste could spark unrest in the least likely places. Like my kitchen.
After using a certain brand of tomato paste all my life (I won't mention names but it's initials are Hunts), I opened a can about a year ago to find that, unlike a paste at all, it's contents poured out of the can. It was slushy...more like puree. I didn't know what to do with the stuff...it didn't act like the paste I'd grown up with. Yes, a can of tomato paste can have a character or even...some might say...a personality!
I became outraged over the fact that a product such as this staple of my kitchen could become 'undependable'. So, I contacted the company.
They responded by sending me an email saying they were sorry I'd had a bad experience (which was nice) but then they offered me a year's supply of that very same stuff that I was complaining about! I was so stunned at the offer and how it failed to even confront the basis of my complaint that I froze, thanking them and giving them my address. It happened so fast, I guess. But now, I've got a pantry full of mushy paste and am finding that even the competition's paste, whenever I've tried other brands hoping it isn't an industry-wide epidemic, fairly oozes out of it's can, too!
Have other cooks experienced this or am I getting to that age where small, seemingly inconsequential events push me over the edge? Is it an inconsequential event? Conspiracy maybe?
Sure, it's just tomato paste...but don't cataclysmic uprisings like world wars have to begin somewhere? WMD...Gulf of Tonkin...all made up...not even true! Whereas I have a pantry full of evidence.
I could be led to believe that the mystery of diluted paste could spark unrest in the least likely places. Like my kitchen.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Loss of Equity
In the wake of Monday night's debacle in D.C. in which the Philadelphia Eagles dismantled the Washington Redskins, 59-28, I listened to a radio rant by area sports columnist, Chad Dukes. I heard the pain in his voice and realized that this was NOT just another loss. I had watched the game with my friend and long-time redskins fan, Dave Pomeroy. We were stunned, yes, but we went on to grill some thighs and Zucchini to drown our sorrows, thinking the game to be just another slip to be forgotten and filed away as the skins had done quietly for the past 11 years of Dan Snyder's ownership. But Dukes had a valid point. Snyder does owe us in a way. His insistence to be in the fray and micromanage this team with and without second level cronies like Vinny Cerrato, means that he has devalued the team. In language he, of all people, should understand, the equity of the franchise has been diminished greatly, and therefore, we, as supporters of said franchise, deserve to be reimbursed. Rebuilding the lost equity may take another 10 years...or, it could only take 3...nobody knows for sure. The fans have sat by hoping someone in charge knows how to regain the lost glory, which always takes some time. Rebuilding a team is one thing, but mismanagement for so long may have created a 'lost decade' in terms of product quality and, saddest of all, franchise equity.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Hello!
Has anyone noticed that people don't acknowledge people anymore? I mean just walking down the street...in everyday life. Maybe it's because MY life is so darn eventless that I'm abnormally hungry for contact with others, but I just can't seem to reconcile this.
When I am walking and I pass someone, whether they are old, young, male or female, I make eye contact (or try to) and nod, uttering something like, "hello" or even just, "hey!" But, more often than not, I get no reply, just a blank stare that I take to mean, "We have nothing to engage about, please keep your comments to yourself." I'd even say that, if someone felt this way, it'd be OK to say just that. At least it would leave no doubt. It's very disheartening.
I try not to take it personally, but how else should I take it? How much effort am I asking for here? I'd be satisfied with a nod, a grin, or even just a grunt...to let me know that I'm not invisible. I'm not talking about people on cellphones here...those people, I simply ignore since I believe they, in essence, aren't really present. I'm talking about congeniality, pure and simple . Are we so caught up in our own little worlds that we can't be pleasant to each other?
This gets so far under my skin that lately, when I approach someone, I give myself a little pep talk right before the moment of truth. "Don't do it, Vince...you'll just be left hanging in the breeze...this person doesn't want to wave...don't wave! Don't! Oh, you jerk! She walked right past you with your hand in the air, while she made a big demonstration of reaching for her car keys. You fool! You loser...Oh,yeah, right...make like you meant to scratch your ear! You are so pitiful."
This is what it has come to...me chastising myself over a simple How-Di-Do.
Does anyone else notice this stuff? I really hope so, otherwise I must begin the long and painful trek into therapy. And then, how will I greet Dr. Roth? With my luck, my therapist will also respond poorly to How-Di-Do?
When I am walking and I pass someone, whether they are old, young, male or female, I make eye contact (or try to) and nod, uttering something like, "hello" or even just, "hey!" But, more often than not, I get no reply, just a blank stare that I take to mean, "We have nothing to engage about, please keep your comments to yourself." I'd even say that, if someone felt this way, it'd be OK to say just that. At least it would leave no doubt. It's very disheartening.
I try not to take it personally, but how else should I take it? How much effort am I asking for here? I'd be satisfied with a nod, a grin, or even just a grunt...to let me know that I'm not invisible. I'm not talking about people on cellphones here...those people, I simply ignore since I believe they, in essence, aren't really present. I'm talking about congeniality, pure and simple . Are we so caught up in our own little worlds that we can't be pleasant to each other?
This gets so far under my skin that lately, when I approach someone, I give myself a little pep talk right before the moment of truth. "Don't do it, Vince...you'll just be left hanging in the breeze...this person doesn't want to wave...don't wave! Don't! Oh, you jerk! She walked right past you with your hand in the air, while she made a big demonstration of reaching for her car keys. You fool! You loser...Oh,yeah, right...make like you meant to scratch your ear! You are so pitiful."
This is what it has come to...me chastising myself over a simple How-Di-Do.
Does anyone else notice this stuff? I really hope so, otherwise I must begin the long and painful trek into therapy. And then, how will I greet Dr. Roth? With my luck, my therapist will also respond poorly to How-Di-Do?
Sunday, September 19, 2010
God and Football
I don't wish to disparage anyone's faith...in their god...or their football team. In either case, that would amount to sacriledge! But if we could, for a moment, try to see how both types of loyalty have so much in common, a bit of sanity could result.
Today, and for centuries, religious fervor has resulted in the pain, suffering and death of millions of people. This is a fact. At the risk of being viewed as 'elitist' I have sworn off organized religion after being raised a devout believer. I know first-hand how one can be attracted to religious inclusiveness. The problems begin, in my opinion, when a religion claims it's superiority over other religions. More pointedly, one deity's superiority over another deity. Religion quickly becomes non-inclusive in this respect.
Here's where sport comes in.
We sports fans believe in our respective teams...sometimes without more reason than the fact that we are 'homers'. We watch each clash with other teams, holding out hope that ours will vanquish them and be worshipped as 'number one'...that is, until next year, when supremacy is recast in doubt and fear once again. No death...no suffering (save an ankle or two)...and most importantly, we all know the claims of supremacy is fleeting and totally unrelated to the realities of life...the daily struggle to feed and clothe our families while communing with other humans in a civilized manner.
Let's give each religion a yearly shot at the trophy and let civilization lighten it's load. We have so many more important things to worry about.
Today, and for centuries, religious fervor has resulted in the pain, suffering and death of millions of people. This is a fact. At the risk of being viewed as 'elitist' I have sworn off organized religion after being raised a devout believer. I know first-hand how one can be attracted to religious inclusiveness. The problems begin, in my opinion, when a religion claims it's superiority over other religions. More pointedly, one deity's superiority over another deity. Religion quickly becomes non-inclusive in this respect.
Here's where sport comes in.
We sports fans believe in our respective teams...sometimes without more reason than the fact that we are 'homers'. We watch each clash with other teams, holding out hope that ours will vanquish them and be worshipped as 'number one'...that is, until next year, when supremacy is recast in doubt and fear once again. No death...no suffering (save an ankle or two)...and most importantly, we all know the claims of supremacy is fleeting and totally unrelated to the realities of life...the daily struggle to feed and clothe our families while communing with other humans in a civilized manner.
Let's give each religion a yearly shot at the trophy and let civilization lighten it's load. We have so many more important things to worry about.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
The 'New' Paradigm
The financial crash and following recession has brought our nation to it's present state and everyone is holding their cards in wait for the nest shoe to fall...or not. Who knows what will happen? My family has our house on the market and interest has proven scant. I hear conflicting opinions as to what the near future holds, but, based on the continued glut of inventory locally, I'd better be prepared to hunker down.
I've heard most people say that the real estate market will return, and that would please me, but, even though my personal preference would be to find them correct, I still have my doubts. "All things are cyclical.", I hear, but something tells me that's a hopeful statement, too.
The one thing I keep trying to remember is that this freefall didn't really begin with the financial crash. Our nation has been rupturing jobs for decades to foreign countries that are willing to do the work much cheaper. And with the advent of the internet and communications in general, accessing that labor has become 'de riguer' for companies with their eye solely on the bottom line. And who can blame them? I can. And we should.
To think that business entities are going to voluntarily grow a conscience is absurd. The belief that some new paradigm is in effect goes against all that is our present view of business as a whole. Think back to Dick Cheney's statement that energy efficiency in business is an admirable virtue, but that he was totally against legislation to that effect. I don't see us embracing any 'new paradigm' in business until we employ the 'carrot and stick' to our own masters of industry. Now that would be 'new'.
I've heard most people say that the real estate market will return, and that would please me, but, even though my personal preference would be to find them correct, I still have my doubts. "All things are cyclical.", I hear, but something tells me that's a hopeful statement, too.
The one thing I keep trying to remember is that this freefall didn't really begin with the financial crash. Our nation has been rupturing jobs for decades to foreign countries that are willing to do the work much cheaper. And with the advent of the internet and communications in general, accessing that labor has become 'de riguer' for companies with their eye solely on the bottom line. And who can blame them? I can. And we should.
To think that business entities are going to voluntarily grow a conscience is absurd. The belief that some new paradigm is in effect goes against all that is our present view of business as a whole. Think back to Dick Cheney's statement that energy efficiency in business is an admirable virtue, but that he was totally against legislation to that effect. I don't see us embracing any 'new paradigm' in business until we employ the 'carrot and stick' to our own masters of industry. Now that would be 'new'.
Friday, September 17, 2010
The Lost Decade
I used to think that the Redskins were the only team with ownership problems. And now that Washington's braintrust is showing signs of grasping their role more effectively, I've been able to take the blinders off in respect to the rest of the league. Myopia strikes most harshly when the homefront is under siege.
The last 10 years of Snyder Rules in D.C. probably shouldn't be such a surprise to the fan base. Hindsight is always picture-perfect and this is no different since Danny Boy made his millions (billions?) in a rush, as the dotcom phenomenon created many of his ilk. After his purchase of the Redskins, how else did anyone expect him to run the show? With patience? Snyder wouldn't be where he is if he was an adherent to the concept of delayed gratification. So, in a way, we Washingtonians, as a community, should have seen the mess coming. Think Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders, Dan Wilkinson.
I'll try not to criticize other team owners, but there are teams out there with similar problems.
Take Dallas ( I said I'd try!), for example. See any correlations? Yes, they have gobs of talent at the skill positions...and a paucity of depth at the non-flambouyant ones. This is a common pitfall for owners who get too involved in the workings of their team. It's one thing to have a game plan week to week. It's an entirely different set of factors in the game plan for a team's health over time. Time...the eroder of dreams...the exposer of hubris. Rather than my listing the owners who know how to keep their respective teams competitive year after year, decade after decade, it would save ink to simply say that the list is probably those owners who you never hear about...until they're dead. Rooney, Kraft and Green Bay Packers, Inc. come to mind.
Before Washington fell into the evil empire's hands, they had another owner who, though flashy, exhibited these needed fatherly traits. Jack Kent Cooke. And when he died and his heirs were unable or unmotivated enough to carry on his legacy, the city was at the mercy of kismet. And his name is Dan Snyder.
We as fans will be focused on each week's clash between the participants on the field, but it's the owners who are really playing this game. They either study it and follow tried and true methods entrusting the day-to-day workings of their team to proven and talented professionals, or they are mavericks whose meddling amounts to sheer gambling. Can they afford that? Maybe...but we fans end up being the pawns who just get shoved around the board hoping the Grand Master knows what he's doing.
The last 10 years of Snyder Rules in D.C. probably shouldn't be such a surprise to the fan base. Hindsight is always picture-perfect and this is no different since Danny Boy made his millions (billions?) in a rush, as the dotcom phenomenon created many of his ilk. After his purchase of the Redskins, how else did anyone expect him to run the show? With patience? Snyder wouldn't be where he is if he was an adherent to the concept of delayed gratification. So, in a way, we Washingtonians, as a community, should have seen the mess coming. Think Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders, Dan Wilkinson.
I'll try not to criticize other team owners, but there are teams out there with similar problems.
Take Dallas ( I said I'd try!), for example. See any correlations? Yes, they have gobs of talent at the skill positions...and a paucity of depth at the non-flambouyant ones. This is a common pitfall for owners who get too involved in the workings of their team. It's one thing to have a game plan week to week. It's an entirely different set of factors in the game plan for a team's health over time. Time...the eroder of dreams...the exposer of hubris. Rather than my listing the owners who know how to keep their respective teams competitive year after year, decade after decade, it would save ink to simply say that the list is probably those owners who you never hear about...until they're dead. Rooney, Kraft and Green Bay Packers, Inc. come to mind.
Before Washington fell into the evil empire's hands, they had another owner who, though flashy, exhibited these needed fatherly traits. Jack Kent Cooke. And when he died and his heirs were unable or unmotivated enough to carry on his legacy, the city was at the mercy of kismet. And his name is Dan Snyder.
We as fans will be focused on each week's clash between the participants on the field, but it's the owners who are really playing this game. They either study it and follow tried and true methods entrusting the day-to-day workings of their team to proven and talented professionals, or they are mavericks whose meddling amounts to sheer gambling. Can they afford that? Maybe...but we fans end up being the pawns who just get shoved around the board hoping the Grand Master knows what he's doing.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sanity on the 'Cellular' Level
After dropping my son, Joey, and his pal, Frank, at school this morning, I made the reverse trek back home. As I approached the neighborhood, facing a stream of cars in oncoming traffic, I was shook to see an SUV drifting across the double yellow lines. As I swerved and blew my horn, the driver corrected his path and as we passed each other I saw that he was chatting away on his cell phone. This isn't the first time I've encountered this. It didn't really surprise me and I don't want to rant about it other than to say that it seems so, well...ignorant, self-important and shameful! But it did remind me of my recent trip to Washington, D.C. last month to visit my 92 year old mother. She reluctantly accepted my offer to drive her to her early morning doctor's appointment from her home in Alexandria, VA, to Walter Reed Hospital in the District. It seems she is accustomed to taking the bus. She and my sister, Jackie went and Jackie said she'd call me on my cell phone when they were ready for me to pick them up. I figured I'd kill some time in town rather than go all the way back to VA...I was anxious to visit an Italian market off Florida Avenue anyway. After I shopped and I was heading back in the direction of the hospital, my cell phone rang. I knew it was probably Jackie and I moved to the right lane to turn onto a side street so I could take the call. I won't use my phone while driving...period. I'm no scientist, but I'm damn sure about the science behind our brains' only being able to focus on one thing at a time, no matter how 'special' we think we are.
The lane I turned onto was a calm, tree-lined drive that had no traffic at all and I looked to the curb for a spot to pull into, and seeing one, I slowed and angled my car in behind another sedan some thirty feet ahead. As I was coming to a stop, I pushed the 'answer' button and lifted the phone to my ear, after which I applied the emergency brake. At this same instant, I noticed a D.C. police cruiser in the parking lot some 50 feet to my front. The call was Jackie and as the officer's and my eyes met, I began conversing with my sister. The police car's engine started and began heading toward me rather swiftly and I told Jackie to hold on a minute...that a cop was coming over to me. I had forgotten that cell use while driving was banned in our capitol city, and not only that, but they took it VERY seriously, which I was about to find out first-hand. So seriously, in fact, that even while drifting into a parking slot while lifting a cell to ones head is rightfully considered breaking the law.
The officer didn't even have to explain...I told him I was thoroughly impressed with the commitment the city has evidently made to the issue. Wow! He gave me a warning, but the experience left an indelible mark on my nation-view.
I live in Nashville, TN, where there is no such law...no such commitment...not even the rumblings of a desire to clamp down on such a blatant disregard for propriety on the public roadways. It gives me pause each time I start my car and ease into traffic here.
So what is it? Is there something distinctly different about these two communities? I checked up on just how many states have cell use while driving bans in effect and it's quite laughable. Only 8 states have gotten real in this regard (I believe that even the states that do have bans in place should extend it to cover ALL cell use, not just hand-held) and a few just now putting them into effect. I draw a blank trying to grasp the factors involved with why most states are not following this trend. Is it due to size? Population? Rural characteristics? There's just no telling, and I can't even begin to delve into the possibility that civic corruption (read, lobbying) may play a part. That's not to say that a place like D.C. doesn't have it's fair share of corruption! I hope it's just a case of lag time between knowledge and legislative action that's holding everyone else back from doing the right thing in this case. At least my son, Joey, isn't driving...yet.
The lane I turned onto was a calm, tree-lined drive that had no traffic at all and I looked to the curb for a spot to pull into, and seeing one, I slowed and angled my car in behind another sedan some thirty feet ahead. As I was coming to a stop, I pushed the 'answer' button and lifted the phone to my ear, after which I applied the emergency brake. At this same instant, I noticed a D.C. police cruiser in the parking lot some 50 feet to my front. The call was Jackie and as the officer's and my eyes met, I began conversing with my sister. The police car's engine started and began heading toward me rather swiftly and I told Jackie to hold on a minute...that a cop was coming over to me. I had forgotten that cell use while driving was banned in our capitol city, and not only that, but they took it VERY seriously, which I was about to find out first-hand. So seriously, in fact, that even while drifting into a parking slot while lifting a cell to ones head is rightfully considered breaking the law.
The officer didn't even have to explain...I told him I was thoroughly impressed with the commitment the city has evidently made to the issue. Wow! He gave me a warning, but the experience left an indelible mark on my nation-view.
I live in Nashville, TN, where there is no such law...no such commitment...not even the rumblings of a desire to clamp down on such a blatant disregard for propriety on the public roadways. It gives me pause each time I start my car and ease into traffic here.
So what is it? Is there something distinctly different about these two communities? I checked up on just how many states have cell use while driving bans in effect and it's quite laughable. Only 8 states have gotten real in this regard (I believe that even the states that do have bans in place should extend it to cover ALL cell use, not just hand-held) and a few just now putting them into effect. I draw a blank trying to grasp the factors involved with why most states are not following this trend. Is it due to size? Population? Rural characteristics? There's just no telling, and I can't even begin to delve into the possibility that civic corruption (read, lobbying) may play a part. That's not to say that a place like D.C. doesn't have it's fair share of corruption! I hope it's just a case of lag time between knowledge and legislative action that's holding everyone else back from doing the right thing in this case. At least my son, Joey, isn't driving...yet.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Fantasy Tom-Foolery
The 2010 NFL season has begun and since I've exhausted every source of info in respect to the Washington Redskins after their unlikely win over the hated Dallas Cowboys. Wait...what was that? The Redskins beat the hated Dallas Cowboys? I love the sound of that ! Sorry. Some things I never grow tired of.
I don't have a rant this morning unless readers conceiveably would find my football spiel rant-like. I only wish to examine the recent phenomenon that football fans and even non-fans have come to call Fantasy Football. I will try to treat this as delicately as possible since many of my friends indulge in this bastardized offshoot of reality-show sensibility. It seems that the games themselves are not enough. Somebody had to figure a way to 'involve' every dumbass with a laptop in what, until that moment, had hertofore belonged solely to 'real' teams and their respective 'real' players. Where I used to enjoy the cameraderie of the brethren whom I call fans at a given tilt...now it's not taboo to say one is 'for' their team but then add that they hope the star receiver of their opponent gets so many catches or so many receiving yards...against his team! And then I consider the look on the Fantasy participant's face to determine what he is thinking when he says he 'has' Reggie Wayne...and Tom Brady. What? This is just WRONG. These players' names together is offensive to me. Can't you just keep 'fantasy' in the bedroom, where it belongs! And if the real game of football isn't enough for you, I can suggest several endeavors that may benefit you and burn that nervous energy off like a Marin County fog at mid-morning. Do you have a yard? Or a small plot of soil that you could garden in? Consider trading vegetables with other would-be dreamers and their families at halftime.
Look, the NFL will manipulate this thing to the hilt...if you let them. Even they don't think the games are enough. They're always trying to hook more viewers, just as Verizon, once they sign you up, goes after new customers and leaves you dangling by your password. Think about it...protect the QB, the Tuck rule, illegal use of the hands...free agency for godsakes! The game is but a shadow of it's original self, and I'd love to say let's keep it pure, but it's too late for that. The best I can do is shun the ever-prostituting efforts of reality-fantasy proponents that will always try to make the game somehow 'better'.
I don't have a rant this morning unless readers conceiveably would find my football spiel rant-like. I only wish to examine the recent phenomenon that football fans and even non-fans have come to call Fantasy Football. I will try to treat this as delicately as possible since many of my friends indulge in this bastardized offshoot of reality-show sensibility. It seems that the games themselves are not enough. Somebody had to figure a way to 'involve' every dumbass with a laptop in what, until that moment, had hertofore belonged solely to 'real' teams and their respective 'real' players. Where I used to enjoy the cameraderie of the brethren whom I call fans at a given tilt...now it's not taboo to say one is 'for' their team but then add that they hope the star receiver of their opponent gets so many catches or so many receiving yards...against his team! And then I consider the look on the Fantasy participant's face to determine what he is thinking when he says he 'has' Reggie Wayne...and Tom Brady. What? This is just WRONG. These players' names together is offensive to me. Can't you just keep 'fantasy' in the bedroom, where it belongs! And if the real game of football isn't enough for you, I can suggest several endeavors that may benefit you and burn that nervous energy off like a Marin County fog at mid-morning. Do you have a yard? Or a small plot of soil that you could garden in? Consider trading vegetables with other would-be dreamers and their families at halftime.
Look, the NFL will manipulate this thing to the hilt...if you let them. Even they don't think the games are enough. They're always trying to hook more viewers, just as Verizon, once they sign you up, goes after new customers and leaves you dangling by your password. Think about it...protect the QB, the Tuck rule, illegal use of the hands...free agency for godsakes! The game is but a shadow of it's original self, and I'd love to say let's keep it pure, but it's too late for that. The best I can do is shun the ever-prostituting efforts of reality-fantasy proponents that will always try to make the game somehow 'better'.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Eat Smart...and Sustainably
This morning the glitter has faded from what was an exciting Redskins' win over the hated Dallas Cowboys. Wait a minute...that sounded so fine...Redskins' win over the hated Dallas Cowboys. I never get tired of hearing that! But after reading many posts at football sites that give the Skins no credit for the win, I will shrink back to another subject. Any subject will do...just something so a reader here won't think I'm a bitter Redskins fan in search of a glory long past, never to be regained. (The truth is so painful!)
Actually I want to address the subtle changes that I see in our food industry. We have to be careful not to be too swayed by the 'organic' movement. Not that organic is bad...it's great. But now that organic is 'in' (which it never was until big business saw how lucrative it could be) we, as consumers, must grow along with it. Yes, organic produce has advantages, certain items more than others. And we still don't know what benefits an organic Bell pepper holds over one grown with pesticides. At the cellular level, there may be researchable traits yet undiscovered. But we have experienced exactly how the mere size of an industry can make bottom-line more important than benefits to consumers (Think AIG and Lehman, to name only a couple). Organic food was always a small niche market of hippies and flower children in the 60s and 70s. Whole Foods is now world-wide and raking in the profits. I don't begrudge anyone making money on a helpful product, but we've learned so much since the old days. After reading 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' and seeing first hand how the idea of small farms that operated on interconnected bio-diversity to eliminate the need for pesticides and antibiotic use have all but been eliminated, I feel we must refine what type of food industry we want to foster. Do we want mono-culture operations that foul the air, soil and groundwater like the CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations)? These entities have pushed the small sustainable farms nearly out of existence. Small farms like 'Polyface' in Virginia, which is mentioned in 'Dilemma', used to be the norm before 'big money' started looking for even 'bigger money'. It happens in all facets of life...farming, automobiles, medicine, banking, even music!
If we want our food industry to follow a reliable trajectory it must include 'organic' but even more importantly, it must be consciously sustainable. It must include, and even lean heavily on 'bio-diversity' and 'local'. Why doesn't Whole Foods have a huge local aisle, full of fresh produce and meats produced regionally and delivered to the stores in the same manner as CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) have been doing in recent years?
The real costs, in energy and environmental damage, of our current conventional food production is clearly unsustainable. We need to learn why and move toward a better model for the future.
Actually I want to address the subtle changes that I see in our food industry. We have to be careful not to be too swayed by the 'organic' movement. Not that organic is bad...it's great. But now that organic is 'in' (which it never was until big business saw how lucrative it could be) we, as consumers, must grow along with it. Yes, organic produce has advantages, certain items more than others. And we still don't know what benefits an organic Bell pepper holds over one grown with pesticides. At the cellular level, there may be researchable traits yet undiscovered. But we have experienced exactly how the mere size of an industry can make bottom-line more important than benefits to consumers (Think AIG and Lehman, to name only a couple). Organic food was always a small niche market of hippies and flower children in the 60s and 70s. Whole Foods is now world-wide and raking in the profits. I don't begrudge anyone making money on a helpful product, but we've learned so much since the old days. After reading 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' and seeing first hand how the idea of small farms that operated on interconnected bio-diversity to eliminate the need for pesticides and antibiotic use have all but been eliminated, I feel we must refine what type of food industry we want to foster. Do we want mono-culture operations that foul the air, soil and groundwater like the CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations)? These entities have pushed the small sustainable farms nearly out of existence. Small farms like 'Polyface' in Virginia, which is mentioned in 'Dilemma', used to be the norm before 'big money' started looking for even 'bigger money'. It happens in all facets of life...farming, automobiles, medicine, banking, even music!
If we want our food industry to follow a reliable trajectory it must include 'organic' but even more importantly, it must be consciously sustainable. It must include, and even lean heavily on 'bio-diversity' and 'local'. Why doesn't Whole Foods have a huge local aisle, full of fresh produce and meats produced regionally and delivered to the stores in the same manner as CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) have been doing in recent years?
The real costs, in energy and environmental damage, of our current conventional food production is clearly unsustainable. We need to learn why and move toward a better model for the future.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Monday Post-Redskins Win
I awaken to a day that is decidedly upbeat. I could discuss politics...but today has me in a glorious mood. Politics is gutter-wallowing, and there will be plenty of time for that. No, today I will simply enjoy knowing that the Washington Redskins will MOST PROBABLY not find themselves in the grip a downward spiral again this year. That numbing trend that began when their ownership was transferred to Daniel Snyder instead of Jack Kent Cooke's son, who stumbled in his bid for the team some 11 years ago, will end this year. Whatever happened in the wake of JKC's death and the subsequent search for new ownership, the historical fact remains that he was out...and Snyder became 'The Man'. It may simply be that he wasn't as gung-ho as Snyder, or he didn't want it badly enough. And although Snyder is probably no less a Skins fan than myself, he was in no way getting good business advice from whomever it was that was in his ear about how to be successful as an NFL owner. Apparently, he has begun listening to newer, better angels.
The Skins didn't look brilliant last night...just persevering. It was an ugly win...replete with a gut-wrenching last-gasp ending, out of which the Skins snatched victory...instead of the all-too-familiar defeat. Today is Monday and the focus (after the obligatory visits to cowboys.com to bask in some overdue chest-thumping) becomes the Houston Texans...the Skins' opponent next weekend.
Are the Skins Super Bowl-Bound this year? Probably not. But Week One was the beginning of something we haven't seen in our Redskins trajectory for a long time. 'Competent' is the word that describes them to me. From the Head Coach to the lowliest special-teams player...and, yes, to ownership. Our ownership is finally getting it's act together. That's what's finally different. Here's to you, Dan Snyder. See if you can stick to this plan.
The Skins didn't look brilliant last night...just persevering. It was an ugly win...replete with a gut-wrenching last-gasp ending, out of which the Skins snatched victory...instead of the all-too-familiar defeat. Today is Monday and the focus (after the obligatory visits to cowboys.com to bask in some overdue chest-thumping) becomes the Houston Texans...the Skins' opponent next weekend.
Are the Skins Super Bowl-Bound this year? Probably not. But Week One was the beginning of something we haven't seen in our Redskins trajectory for a long time. 'Competent' is the word that describes them to me. From the Head Coach to the lowliest special-teams player...and, yes, to ownership. Our ownership is finally getting it's act together. That's what's finally different. Here's to you, Dan Snyder. See if you can stick to this plan.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
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