One of the pop topics of the day is about this loudmouth kid who got what he deserved (50,000 volts) at a Univ of Florida forum where he seriously violated the rights of others in the audience.
Strange as it seems, a group of students actually showed up to hear what Sen John Kerry had to say. They had the right to be able to hear the speaker, and to hear an orderly set of questions (even though the answers would probably be vague and confusing). As a resident of Mass, I am annoyed that the Senator was not at the work that he gets paid to do - but that is another issue.
I hear some morons talk about the rights of free speech, as if that mean't that we all have the right to say anything - anytime we choose. No one has the "right" to inflict their opinions on an unwilling audience. The right of free speech protects the writer or speaker from being put in jail for expressing unpopular ideas - so long as those ideas are expressed in a way that does not infringe on the rights of others to peace, privacy and freedom from assault.
You cannot freely express your ideas by spraypainting them on walls of public buildings, or by driving through the streets with a loudspeaker truck. I would extend this prohibition to anyone who disturbs the peace of a public gathering by hectoring a speaker.
Bogarting the mike in a public forum, using profanity and generally disturbing the peace is not protected behavior and should be met with rapid, painful and yes - even shocking attenuation.
Let the word go forth to those who think their issue is more important than your issue - "You will get tasered, bro!"
9/20/2007
9/19/2007
Honk
Another reason to quit working
Americans lose five days a year, just sitting in traffic!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20829879/
Americans lose five days a year, just sitting in traffic!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20829879/
9/16/2007
Ch-Ch-CHanges in the Air
I was out early today, trying to get my so-called daily walk in before my 11-month-old grand daughter arrives. The air was crisp and the sky was deep blue with that golden glint of morning sunshine that you only get in September.
Autumn is my favorite season. It is the time of the Harvest - corn, squash, tomatoes, all those good New England produce items. Football is back. Fresh, tart, local, red Apples. It is the time for getting out of doors and opening the windows to let the fresh air inside.
Monday has been "my" day to watch Lila since she was 3 months old. If you know me, then you know that I am not the nurturing type, but my daughter needed to get back to work, and Lila was too young to be warehoused in a day-care-center all day.
So the grandparents on both sides stepped-up to help. My wife watches her on Friday, I have Monday, the paternal grandparents have her Tuesday and Thursday. The parents have her overnight and on weekends, (when they are not gallivanting off to Europe for two weeks).
In the early months, I would chafe at the feeling of trapped isolation when I realized that my world had contracted to revolve around the needs of a helpless infant who is totally dependent upon me - the caregiver. I imagine every young parent feels that same sense of being isolated when she/he is stuck watching a needy child when they would rather be out drinking beer with adults.
Like I say, I am definitely not your average metrosexual guy who enjoys pushing a baby carriage around, or changing diapers. But little Lila has melted my "tough-guys-don't-dance" façade. She has been a delight from the get-go. She is very sociable - a natural smiler, who enjoys being talked-to, sung-to and played-with.
Moreover, she is incredibly cute. I know you are thinking that I am biased, but how about this? When we take her out to a mall or supermarket, people always stop and remark what a cute baby she is. Do total strangers come-up and admire your grandchild? I think not.
We have watched her grow from a tiny infant to an expert crawler and accomplished babbler in these eight months. Last week, she climbed the first step of the stairs, so I guess it is time to put-up the grandkid gates again. (The cats hate when we do that).
For the past few weeks, on Wednesdays Lila has been going to the daycare facility with her three-year old brother. My daughter tells me that, shortly, there will be a space for her there on Mondays - and I will be offered the chance to get my Mondays back.
I tell myself that I will eagerly take it when it comes, because 8 hours is too long for me to be on-duty as a child care provider. I am looking to find a nice part-time job, and I have other age-appropriate interests like fishing and golf. Today I had to turn down a lunch invitation with my buddies, because I am certainly not showing-up with a baby in tow.
But, when she is in the day care place, there will be a real pang of loss for me, because part of me looks forward to my Lila day. Invariably she gives me a big smile, like she is glad to see me. I don't think I will get that from a fish or a boss.
I'm glad i took my friend's suggestion. I feel that I will always have it to look back on and will undoubtedly think: This has been an experience that I am glad that I did not miss.
9/13/2007
Happy Rosh Hashanah!
Let's face it, today is as much of a holy day as christmas to us heathens, eh?
I have just borrowed Hitchins' new book "god is not Great" from the public library, but have not started it yet. Probably much like Dawkins' "The god Delusion" which I read last year. Religion is the cause of all evil in the world. Seems like evangelistic atheists are coming out of the woodwork. Isn’t that an oxymoron?
Well, we are back from France, and I must say, it was a fabulous experience. My only regret is that we did not do it 30 years ago when we would have had more energy to walkabout and the capacity to stay up late and enjoy the nightlife. Also, the exchange rate was more favorable 30 years ago. Today $100 USD buys about 67 Euro's (with exchange fee factored in), and a cappuccino in Paris costs 4 E.
We had 5 days "on our own” in Paris and 4 days touring the countryside. The weather was boringly mild and mostly sunny. We were fortunate not to have experienced any lost luggage or travel mishaps beyond the expected delays and attendant annoyances.
Our command of the French language was so inept as to be distressing. (Yet another reason we wished we had been there 30 years ago when our college conversational French was good enough to read Le Monde). Yet, the French reputation for being rude to tourists seems over exaggerated. We generally found them to be helpful and earnestly appreciative of our feeble attempts to communicate with them. Ordering in restaurants was particularly challenging, although we did find a few that had English versions of the menu. We became more vigilant after discovering that Tartare does not mean Grilled.
We usually ate informally in Brasseries or Creperies, where you could manage to have a meal in less than 3 hours. The food was amazing. Fresh, tasty delicious. Salads were crisp, the bread was wonderful. At most eating places, the "service charge" is included in the price and tips are not expected as they are in US. I usually tipped a few Euros based on friendliness and effort, and a few times the wait person personally expressed surprise and pleasure and even shook my hand. Ugly American? I think not.
Nowhere are Americans more appreciated than in the Normandy area. We visited the D-Day memorial sites, the beaches where more than 6,000 US troops were killed in just a few hours, the cemetery, the Peace Museum. Normandy is famous for their Camembert Cheese, but we also learned about the events of WW2. My knowledge of history has always been a "C" at best (according to the Western Civilization professors' grades on my blue book exams), so I had forgotten how rapidly the French were defeated by Hitler's armies. After a few days of fighting and staggering losses, the French army simply gave-up. The country was subsequently (for about 5 years) occupied by the Germans. Thus, most of the damage to French towns was caused by Allied bombs during the liberation.
The route of our travels took us through Brittainy south to the Loire Valley. Wine Country. Mmm. Lunch would usually include a glass of rose or white vin de pays, which cost about the same as a coke (2.5E). We stopped at dozens of churches and chateaus - each with its own history and story of monarchs, political intrigues and (of course) wars. We saw the place where Leonardo Da Vinci spent the last three years of his life.
The jet lag has not entirely dissipated, but I am now back in the humdrum rat-race of a retiree: Awakened by the sounds of a spouse readying herself for work, I descend to the quietude of the kitchen to read the papers and drink a hot cup of Starbuck's Verona blend (Did I mention that you cannot get a good cup of brewed coffee in France?). I enjoy a renewed appreciation for American plumbing and fixtures; then, I take my coffee and papers to sit on the screen porch to consider how the day will unfold. Shall I read the new Hitchens book? Shall I call someone to arrange lunch? Is it too cold to go fishing? Hmm, the lawn needs mowing. And the temperature really is cool enough to paint that fading North side. Judy has a "honey-do" list as long as a freshly baked baguette (mmm). The thought of doing physical work creates dissonance with my mood of lassitude, so I go inside and close the slider. I decide to update the blog.
I have just borrowed Hitchins' new book "god is not Great" from the public library, but have not started it yet. Probably much like Dawkins' "The god Delusion" which I read last year. Religion is the cause of all evil in the world. Seems like evangelistic atheists are coming out of the woodwork. Isn’t that an oxymoron?
Well, we are back from France, and I must say, it was a fabulous experience. My only regret is that we did not do it 30 years ago when we would have had more energy to walkabout and the capacity to stay up late and enjoy the nightlife. Also, the exchange rate was more favorable 30 years ago. Today $100 USD buys about 67 Euro's (with exchange fee factored in), and a cappuccino in Paris costs 4 E.
We had 5 days "on our own” in Paris and 4 days touring the countryside. The weather was boringly mild and mostly sunny. We were fortunate not to have experienced any lost luggage or travel mishaps beyond the expected delays and attendant annoyances.
Our command of the French language was so inept as to be distressing. (Yet another reason we wished we had been there 30 years ago when our college conversational French was good enough to read Le Monde). Yet, the French reputation for being rude to tourists seems over exaggerated. We generally found them to be helpful and earnestly appreciative of our feeble attempts to communicate with them. Ordering in restaurants was particularly challenging, although we did find a few that had English versions of the menu. We became more vigilant after discovering that Tartare does not mean Grilled.
We usually ate informally in Brasseries or Creperies, where you could manage to have a meal in less than 3 hours. The food was amazing. Fresh, tasty delicious. Salads were crisp, the bread was wonderful. At most eating places, the "service charge" is included in the price and tips are not expected as they are in US. I usually tipped a few Euros based on friendliness and effort, and a few times the wait person personally expressed surprise and pleasure and even shook my hand. Ugly American? I think not.
Nowhere are Americans more appreciated than in the Normandy area. We visited the D-Day memorial sites, the beaches where more than 6,000 US troops were killed in just a few hours, the cemetery, the Peace Museum. Normandy is famous for their Camembert Cheese, but we also learned about the events of WW2. My knowledge of history has always been a "C" at best (according to the Western Civilization professors' grades on my blue book exams), so I had forgotten how rapidly the French were defeated by Hitler's armies. After a few days of fighting and staggering losses, the French army simply gave-up. The country was subsequently (for about 5 years) occupied by the Germans. Thus, most of the damage to French towns was caused by Allied bombs during the liberation.
The route of our travels took us through Brittainy south to the Loire Valley. Wine Country. Mmm. Lunch would usually include a glass of rose or white vin de pays, which cost about the same as a coke (2.5E). We stopped at dozens of churches and chateaus - each with its own history and story of monarchs, political intrigues and (of course) wars. We saw the place where Leonardo Da Vinci spent the last three years of his life.
The jet lag has not entirely dissipated, but I am now back in the humdrum rat-race of a retiree: Awakened by the sounds of a spouse readying herself for work, I descend to the quietude of the kitchen to read the papers and drink a hot cup of Starbuck's Verona blend (Did I mention that you cannot get a good cup of brewed coffee in France?). I enjoy a renewed appreciation for American plumbing and fixtures; then, I take my coffee and papers to sit on the screen porch to consider how the day will unfold. Shall I read the new Hitchens book? Shall I call someone to arrange lunch? Is it too cold to go fishing? Hmm, the lawn needs mowing. And the temperature really is cool enough to paint that fading North side. Judy has a "honey-do" list as long as a freshly baked baguette (mmm). The thought of doing physical work creates dissonance with my mood of lassitude, so I go inside and close the slider. I decide to update the blog.
9/09/2007
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