Lucky Day at the Track

Live Racing Not Dead Yet 

If I was still on Facebook, today I would have brag-posted: "Went to Suffolk Downs yesterday and won big."

But I'm not still on Facebook.  So I can give you all the glorious details of a pretty good day at the races.   First of all, you may have thought that horse racing was finished in Massachusetts.  I certainly did until a few weeks ago.  But it seems the news of Suffolk Downs' being dead was premature.  They had announced the end of racing back two years ago when they lost the casino bid.  But somehow, they managed to hold a few races last Fall and several dates this Summer.  They are open most days for simulcast betting. 

Before Dana and Vic moved to New Mexico 5 years ago, we would traditionally go to a race track on Fathers Day.  We prefer watching "flats" to harness racing.  We bet modestly, and when it comes to gambling, the races are the slowest way to lose money.  Sometimes we went to Suffolk Downs,  and other times it was Rockingham Park in New Hampshire.  

Now that the P's have moved back in Mass.,  Dana suggested that we all go to the races for Fathers Day.  But, alas, no one was racing that weekend (June 18 &19).  Suffolk only had a limited schedule selected weekends  during July, August and Sept this year.  Rockingham has completely given-up on live racing (except harness & dogs) and seems to be more like a casino these days.      

So, this year we decided to defer our "Fathers Day at the Races" to yesterday.  We arrived just in time for the second race.  From the number of cars in parking lot, it appeared that a lot of other families had decided to go to the races also.  There was no admission charge even for seating in the clubhouse where it was air conditioned.  The Racing program cost a mere $2.00.   We like to watch the horses as they are walking around the paddock, before they are saddled and mounted.  Judy makes her decisions exclusively on how she perceives the horse's attitude.  The spunkier the better.

My betting decisions are more scientific: I bet on the horse's name, the odds, and the record of the horse's performance in previous races.  I always bet $2 to win.  In the past this has nearly always cost me money.

Vic likes to play perfectas.   That is, choosing the two horse combination of 1st and 2nd , a riskier bet with a high payoff.  He had a good day, winning twice for a total take of around $300.00.
Judy won several times, validating her look-at-the-horse strategy, raking in a nice $75.00 - including a 30 to 1 shot that paid $62.45 on a $2 bet.  
Even I came away with more money than I bet.  I hit a nice 17-1 win in the 4th race for $37 and another in the 7th race for $7.00.  To me, this is winning big.

We left after the 7th race with a bit more cash than we arrived with,  despite the exorbitant cost of beer and food. 

There is another racing event in September; we will probably go back and give them the money back.

Over the long term, the house always wins.  But at least horse racing is fun to watch, unlike crew or swimming events.

Social Media and Public Opinion

I have heard people say that social media - like Twitter and  Facebook - actually has the power to shape public opinion. I think of these apps as toys -- a mere distraction for people with a smartphone and too much time on their hands.   

I believe there is a huge difference between being entertained and being informed.  Social media is primarily designed to be entertaining.  I fully acknowledge that there are many posters on Facebook who think they are advancing an agenda by "sharing" information that they feel is vital.  But these folks are largely deluding themselves into believing that others are in fact  buying their point of view.

In Facebook and Twitter you really never know who is reading your stuff.  I am convinced that I am not the only one who quietly "hides" the posts of people who habitually abuse their "friends" by bombarding them with repetitious affirmations of zeal - whether it is constant blathering about Climate change, Biblical quotations, or political rants, they are all mere expressions of faith being preached to an agreeable choir of fellow believers.  

I am not decrying FB posts because they are empty, entertaining or ephemeral.  My charge is that they do not shape public opinion. When was the last time you learned something on Facebook that changed your beliefs ? 

Social media is a ME medium.  Because everyone needs to know what you are doing and thinking every minute.  Me. Me. Me. 

Where else can a person of average writing skills communicate such vital thoughts, as : 
"Boy, it is cold out there today." or  
"Took Dad to dinner yesterday.  He ordered meatloaf.  It was a hoot."
 "Hey everybody, just got back from vacation! Here are 120 great photos of our trip to Dayton, Ohio."

Rather than impacting public opinion, these applications enable people to feel that they are connected to others.  By boasting oops I mean posting my vacation pics, it says look at me --I'm somebody.  I have "friends." I go places.  I'm cool.  

Facebook is a perfect medium for this type of inane chatter.  Your family is potentially interested in every meal and bathroom break, but the rest of us might discreetly "hide" your posts  

Twitter is just another way for people to self-promote.  If you follow any sort of organization you will be bombarded with multiple posts daily which are no more than commercials for that organization.  News editors are the worst abusers of Twitter.  It is not uncommon to see dozens of posts by some local editor each with a link to a story in today's edition.  The police department posts inane announcements "On route to investigate report of barking dog on Elm St."   Twitter is just one big Tease, because you can never get any useful information in 150 characters.

How About Blogs?

Blogs can be a different animal.  Indeed, there are some pretty good writers who set out to inform you, nay to persuade you that you should believe what they believe.  The unlimited format of text and image allows for an in-depth treatment of topic, and hyperlinks to reference sources can serve as powerful supporting material. 
I acknowledge that some of these folks are capable of writing in such a way as to actually change the way others think.

But, most writers of blogs are like me -- frustrated, self-absorbed wannabee writers who can't help themselves from opining on a disappointing and imperfect world.  Writing is a recognized form of therapy.  But most of us would admit that it is mostly for our own entertainment.  Unlike the Political and Religious bloggers we do not expect to shape your thoughts or beliefs.   

Like other free social media, blogs tend to be followed and read by the same agreeable choir for that particular denomination: pro-Obama, anti-big government, dog lovers, foodies, and such.  Folks publish their list of "favorite links" which invariably consist of like-minded bloggers.  So in the end, 90% of blogs are indistinguishable from the Twitter or Facebook except they are longer.  In the end, nobody ever almost nobody ever changes their beliefs.

The Government Should be Dissolved

All this posturing and drama over the threat of a government shutdown is just plain silly.  Didn't voters think they were sending representatives to go down to Washington to keep things running, not to act like a bunch of schoolyard jerks arguing over who is more righteous.

The major parties are so polarized in their positions that they are unable to have a civil discussion. Call me cynical but it seems to me that the best explanation for this intransigence lies in the power of powerful lobbies that have pols in their pockets.  Money elects politicians, citizens are just convenient tools, easily manipulated.

Think about it, why doesn't any administration republican or democrat do something about eliminating poverty? Why are our troops in Iraq when we have drug cartels on the border running drugs and poisoning our citizens, ruining people's lives, fostering robberies, kidnapping and general mayhem in our country.
How come banker crooks are allowed to virtually steal  money in the form of exhorbitant fees using fine print instead of a gun..
We are headed towards the "Idiocracy" of Mike Judge's nightmare film.

While our leaders bicker over the tax rates of the top two percent of wage earners, the rest of the taxpayers are held hostage.

Obesity is the new Tobacco

An opinion piece this week  in the Boston Globe by Derrick Jackson  quotes a prediction that by the year 2030, 4 out of 10 Americans will be obese (i.e., more than 100 pounds) over their suggested shelf weight.

I hate to brag, but once again I am ahead of the curve.  They say that bragging, like eating, is addictive because it makes you feel good.  Apparently, talking about one's self excites the pleasure center of the brain.  I suppose this is why blogs and social network apps like Facebook are so popular.  

My doctor thinks people should try to maintain the same weight they had when they were age 21.  Sure, doc, I'll just stop eating bacon and drinking beer, and start getting more exercise, ha ha ha.

Just thinking about deprivation makes me hungry.

Since When is Schoolyard Fighting a Crime?

In Lynn, Mass., 29 teens have been suspended because of a fight a few days ago, where no weapons were involved, and neither of the female combatants was seriously injured. One of the girls had allegedly called the other one a "whore".

Someone had the bright idea to videotape the after-school affair, and post it on Facebook.   Authorities got involved.  Now, the the combatants may be facing criminal charges, and the onlookers are punished with suspensions because they did not step-in to stop the fighting. Huh?  I always thought the famous  Seinfeld episode -where the callow friends were tried for not interfering with a carjacking-- was based on fictitious legal grounds..

I did not realize that two kids (minors) duking-it-out in a fair fight was a criminal offense. This is the way the world has worked since schoolyards were invented. It is the natural way for most living creatures to resolve conflicts of turf, romance and dignity. Yes, someone always gets hurt, maybe even bloodied. Someone wins and someone loses. And often, the former enemies - who have gained respect for each other in combat - become bonded friends. The use of weapons is not acceptable of course, but 1 on 1 fighting with fists of evenly matched opponents rarely results in serious harm.

In today's bubble-boy mentality, even the spectators are considered guilty. What about people who attend boxing matches, wrestling, hockey games? Are we obligated to run out on the ice and break up any altercations lest someone get a bloody nose?
I fear that we are becoming a nation of wusses - in a world where there are some pretty tough players. The horror which should be reserved for gun-toting shooters seems to be directed at the Lynn kids who were doing what kids do: working through an unsettling rite of passage.

Fun With Photoshop

 This was school vacation week, and I was scheduled to spend the day with my 7 yr old grandson, who is at that awkward age - too old for day care and too young to be trusted home alone.  Everyone else had work to do and I had no valid excuse, so I agreed to spend the day with little D. 

The forecast on Wednesday was unseasonably warm for February in Metrowest Boston, so it was agreed that we would go down to the Charles River for an early season fishing opportunity.   Little D was excited. no doubt remembering his amazing success at the pond last summer when he caught several good sized 2-3lb largemouth bass.  He claims to have caught 4 but I only remember 2 so I am sure he is on the road  to become a typical fisherman, most of whom exaggerate their experiences.

I got the camera out and yelled "Pretend you have cought something."
He mugged with the appropriate expression.
I posted the photo on facebook, so his working parents could see that we had gone fishing as planned

Within an hour,  his dad,  reposted the picture with a small addtion from photoshop gallery:

Pretty funny.

In Search of a Simple Life

 Normally I am not a neat person.  Neatness demands constant attention to trivialities; I am too engaged with important thoughts to be bothered with miniscule and redundant tasks like making beds and dusting picture frames or putting books back on shelves. 

This is not to say that I am un-hygienic.  Lord knows,  some folks think me to be an "obsessive germophobic". (Like my friend George who, despite my complaints, will seamlessly go from checking the dog for anal warts to handling the ice cubes to freshen your cocktail. echh.)   

I admit to being a little disorganized, maybe even messy.  Is that so wrong?  Disorder is not against the law, nor is it specified as an affront against the Almighty in scripture.  Please do not lecture me.  I am unlikely to change my ways after all these years. 

However, every now and then,  I am possessed by an inexpicable desire to put things in order. Often it comes upon me after viewing an episode of  "Hoarders" on cable TV.  If you haven't seen it, it's one of those reality shows where they film some deranged old hag or toothless fellow living alone in an old house which is filled with so much crap that the occupant cannot use some of the rooms.  The subject of each episode is simply unable throw anything away - even garbage, cat feces and ... other stuff that makes you feel itchy just watching.

Each episode starts with a video tour of the dilapidated and unkempt dwelling.  Some well-meaning relative or concerned neighbor has notified the authorities, who come, on camera to evaluate the situation.  Usually, the occupant is depicted as a bull-goose-loony.  Then,  they clean up the mess.  It is a walking ad for 1-800-got-junk.  Then they wrap the nutball in wet sheets and cart  him or her off to the funny farm.

Even if you are clinically sane and can prove it, watching the outrageous behavior of some of these crazy people makes one feel guilty -- even if you are only a minor league collector -- who saves old neswpapers and magazines, maybe some old plastic bags and other stuff  that might come in handy someday.  Maybe your wife claims that people who can't make room in the garage to park the car may be in need of an Intervention.  (Which is another reality show I do not want to be featured on.)

So, I am entering one of those phases where I put things away, coil the hose, put the wheelbarrow behind the shed - that sort of thing. 

Recently I have also been cleaning up my social networking debris. 
 - I dropped-out of classmates.com  - which has the clunkiest interface, sleazy ads, and virtually no useful content.
- I 'de-friended' a bunch of people on Facebook for inane postings, egregious postings of kid pictures or habitual religious quotations.
- I even cancelled Netflix.  We got tired of subsidizing their marketing -  intrusive popup ads and free membership for new subscribers.  Besides they just installed a redbox kiosk at Roche Bros market $1buck a night.

- We are also letting our WSJ subscription run-out.  Since Murdock took over,  the slant of news and opinion has become embarassingly biased - worse than the left-leaning media that they constantly criticize. Talk about pot calling kettle black.  The WSJ was once a fine source of real news; now it is merely a New York Times for neocons.  The drone of anti-Obama ranting is just so over-the-line that it almost  makes you want to vote him into a second term, even though you suspect that would be like gnawing off your arm just to make a point.  So the easiest thing is to stop reading the nattering naybobs of negativism.

So, goodbye to the clutter and complexity of the past.  Hello to the new and simple here and now.

I Deactivated my Facebook Account

Dear Loyal Facebook "Friend,"

No, I did not de-friend you.  I de-activated my account. 
I did not single you out to punish you because you cluttered up my home page with your endless "likes" and links to your favorite cause, or your bored twittering mindfarts, or the barrage of  pictures of your cute kids, or your tedious political views. 

Admittedly, some of these annoyances did play a part in my decision to deactivate my FB account, but the principal reason for my departure is that I am not female.  FB is clearly a medium for chicks and mindless chick-chat.

I am starting a new social networking site for men called "Guybook."
You can't just sign up for it, you have to apply and then be selected by the elite group of alpha guys.
If you survive the rigorous hazing ritual, you get to post your thoughts on Guybook.
Actually, "thoughts" is a fancy way of saying "dirty jokes and pictures of naked girls."

On Guybook you don't have friends.  Everyone is in competition.  You get into fights by launching insults at other members. Cartoon avatars duke-it-out in simulated matches so you don't get hurt.   We post football, golf, bowling scores, reviews of guy films, and competitive beer keg prices in your area.  We talk about cars, boats and gadgets and guns.  We like to shoot things - especially things that explode - like empty beer bottles. 

We post favorite video clips from 3 Stooges movies, and you can download ringtones that sound like a fart.
We almost pee our pants laughing when someone says the word "boobs," "wiener" or "sphincter."

Guybook. It will be aimed at males with an emotional maturity age of about 8 or 9 - which covers pretty much most of the American male population who are not on Facebook.

Guybook.   It's the next big thing.

Who Needs to Know?

My daughter informs me that the urge to share is probably a generational thing. My generation - those who have been around for 5 or 6 decades - are reticent about sharing personal data with friends and strangers in these wild west un-sherrifed cyberspace locales commonly referred to as social networking sites. While not universal, this is mostly true.

My daughter's generation - those who identify with the "thirty-something" generation - feel at ease with modern social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter (I call it electronic graffiti). They tell us their thoughts and feelings, post photos of the kids or the new tattoo, talk about upcoming vacations, chat in public, boasting, complaining and boring. They don't worry that sometimes a glitch will expose all their info to everyone. And that info - once posted to the Internet - is like, forever dude. They seem to have no trouble accepting the fact that a total stranger can pay $30 and learn pretty much everything about you from financial records to legal actions. If you have nothing to hide, what's your problem?

IMHO, The problem with her generation is a sort of smug arrogance - perhaps based on an irrational faith in the goodness of others, or maybe because of a dependent sense that the nanny state will keep them secure... and you are just an old fart who is afraid of the unknown. But, consider how ineffective governments are at protecting citizens...think about the fear of seniors and others who live in dangerous areas of our cities (while our troops are policing other countries), everywhere you look people are being robbed - by crooks and by banks and credit card companies, and on and on. The thieves and polluters and drug lords are allowed to move freely among us.

The generation of Facebook users kids who are in school today haven't a clue that someday they may regret posting their innermost thoughts and opinions. The kid that posts "Obama is a doushe" on his profile at age 17 may be blissfully unaware that this data could be available to background checkers when he applies for that secure government job in a few years. The checkers might not think that miss-spelling is the worst part of that statement.

Such a mistake can follow a person forever. Poor Zuckerman, (Founder of Facebook) has his own privacy problems. At age 19 he sent an instant message to a friend boasting how he had the personal data about 4,000 friends at Harvard. When the friend asked how he got the data he answered, "They trusted me. Dumb f*cks."

I guess I agree with the generational differences about sharing - in that we tend to become more cynical as we get older and experience the unpredictable things that our fellow human beings are capable of. Some people call that wisdom.

Mark Twain said it: “It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.” (I'm sure he never dreamed that we would be reading his private letters a hundred and ten years later.)

One of my octogenarian friends tells me that in his day nobody would would talk about it if they had come into any money. For example if he won a bet or hit the number, he would not tell his friends for fear that they would expect him to buy the drinks.

So what are we afraid of? Well, just for example: ID thieves are always looking for info about you that could reveal your password. Most people's passwords are the names of their kids, or pets, or some easily decipherable keystrokes. One recent study found that approximately 3.4 million U.S. adults were victims of stalking in a given 12 month period. 75% of stalkers are not strangers to their victims.

Today in the WSJ I found evidence that I am not alone in wondering who really needs to know what I am thinking. Several new sites have popped up aimed at FB users in an effort to warn them to be aware of the privacy issues. One fed-up group has organized their own planned demonstration by encouraging others to quit en masse on May 31, to send a final message to Mr. Zuckerman I guess. Sounds like he really needs to know what people of all generations are thinking.

We Are Not Alone

Another ex-Facebook alum tells his story (Why I Quit Facebook)



My daughter says I am paranoid because I do not trust strangers with my information. I think the correct word is cynical. You think you know what it means? Look it up.

Guess where you can read these terms and conditions that you have already agreed to?

" By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing."

Yes, friends, that means your data, your photos, your links, your info. For sale to the highest bidder. Can you hear me now?

Perhaps it's Time to Stop the Sharing

Facebook, the social networking choice for those who can't stop talking about themselves, has been in the news several times recently, edging out the notorious Craigslist in stories that indicate where pop culture is headed...

Betty White hosted SNL last Saturday night, thanking half a million Facebook users who voted for her to get the gig. However, the 88 year old former "Golden Girl" could not resist a few zings at the expense of her fans. She mentioned that she had not even heard of Facebook before the buzz started. Now that she has become familiar with it, FB "seems like a huge waste of time." She insisted that she would never call frequent FB-ers "losers" because she was "too polite." Zzzzing!

Today there was a piece about "Giant cocktail parties" organized by Facebook members in France. A total of 20,000 young people attended these mob scenes in Nantes and Montpelier. More startling was aside from the usual problems associated with large groups and alcohol, only a single drunken reveler died of injuries - when he fell off a railing that he was trying to slide down.

Then there is the one about the dumbest criminal of the week - the guy who was on the lam in Mexico and got caught because he couldn't help posting his activities on FB.

"Maxi Sopo fled to Cancun, Mexico, last year after learning he was under investigation. For a while, investigators weren't sure where he was. But then Sopo began posting status updates on Facebook saying how much fun he was having -- and he added a former Justice Department official to his list of Facebook friends."

It makes you wonder whether all this connectedness isn't really just a journey from dumb to dumber. But it's also an interesting reminder how this medium has the power to bring mobs into the streets, create instant popularity and even to track down fugitives.

Another issue that has been in the news recently is Facebook's privacy policies. Too many trusting ( or shall we say naive) users are unknowingly sharing way too much of their personal data with strangers. Not all FB users are nice, and some of them can use information to steal ID's or even TV's (How would you like to see this note from some crook on your wall? "...thanks for telling us that you are in Marrakesh, now can feel secure, knowing that nobody will be around to stop us from breaking-in and stealing your 50 inch flat screen.")

Personally I am thinking about finding another way to waste time. Perhaps I will be following the crowd.

[Thursday evening, “how do i delete my facebook account” was among the top 20 trending searches on Google Hot Trends, and Friday morning “delete facebook account” made the list. ]