For at least the fourth time, I saw an McCain campaign ad last night that really fries me. It's an attack ad accusing Barack Obama of knowing nothing about small businesses because he has never run a small business. And this is coming from John McCain? And since when has he run a small business? What does he know about the small businesses of the struggling middle class?
McCain, the son of an admiral, went from the bottom of the class at the Naval Academy, to a career as navy pilot. When he retired from the navy, he went directly into politics, supported very comfortably by his second wife's money. Cindy's tax return for 2006 indicates an income of more than six million dollars. This is not a list of her assets; this is her income from her assets. That's $500,000 per month, or $16,000 per day. The McCains own nine houses and a fleet of cars. I wouldn't call Cindy McCain the owner of a "small business," and John McCain was very specifically excluded from ownership of this "small business" by Cindy's father in his will. In fact, Cindy inherited a very lucrative beer distributing business from her father. She didn't build it, and McCain has had no part in running it. He has spent most of their married life commuting to Washington. Perhaps if you compare the Cindy McCain's business to MicroSoft, you might call it a small business; but try comparing it to the dry cleaners down the street. Small business indeed. What hogwash.
Certainly just because the McCains have money does not mean that everything in their life has been a bed of roses. He was a prisoner of war; she has battled drug addiction. None of us can look at another's life from the outside and know their troubles or lack of them, but don't tell me, John McCain, that you know what it's like to run a small business because you haven't a clue.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Oh Glorious Weather
Having Celtic and Anglo Saxon genes has never been a drawback for me. In fact, I enjoy tracing my roots, studying the cultures, and recognizing the my links with the Irish and the English, but recently I have discovered (I think) one very significant disadvantage: I belong in a cold climate, not the subtropical one I have inhabited for the last thirty-four years.
Of course, I have known for a long time that my pale skin and green eyes would suffer in the hot South Florida sun. In fact, I've already had minor procedures to remove cancerous growths, and cataract surgery to replace my damaged lenses; but it has only recently dawned on me just how much the endless hot weather affects my energy levels.
My significant other thrives in the hot weather, playing golf and puttering in the yard all summer long, but I huddle under a ceiling fan in the air conditioned house and try to do my part for the environment by not lowering the thermostat below 78 degrees.
We have a cold snap in Florida this week, and I have been reborn! I feel an energy I haven't felt in months. Surely there is some genetic force at work here. Centuries of cold, damp climate cannot be overridden by a mere thirty four years of Florida sun.
Of course, I have known for a long time that my pale skin and green eyes would suffer in the hot South Florida sun. In fact, I've already had minor procedures to remove cancerous growths, and cataract surgery to replace my damaged lenses; but it has only recently dawned on me just how much the endless hot weather affects my energy levels.
My significant other thrives in the hot weather, playing golf and puttering in the yard all summer long, but I huddle under a ceiling fan in the air conditioned house and try to do my part for the environment by not lowering the thermostat below 78 degrees.
We have a cold snap in Florida this week, and I have been reborn! I feel an energy I haven't felt in months. Surely there is some genetic force at work here. Centuries of cold, damp climate cannot be overridden by a mere thirty four years of Florida sun.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Costumes
Most of us like to hide our true selves at least once in a while, and any excuse to put on a costume is a favorite diversion. While it's true that my honey and I groan when someone says "masquerade party," that's mostly because we have to struggle to come up with an idea for a costume. Once the costume is selected or devised, we are as excited as two kids doing their first Halloween outing. I love Halloween dress-up. I can hardly wait to see what appears at my door.
One of my favorite Halloween get-ups was the year my granddaughter Bekah was around four. She spent part of the evening as her favorite fairy princess, courtesy of her doting paternal grandma. Then she returned home to done her knight in shining armor costume in order to finish her candy route. She felt perfectly comfortable in both, and how lucky she is to have parents who are willing to let her try out any role she pleases.
Another favorite is Bekah's younger sister Raenah as a very prim and proper Minnie Mouse. Her picture at the time says it all -- how special she felt in her special polka dot dress, hairbow, gloves, purse, and shoes -- a fashion maven in the making.
Then there is grandson Logan's first Halloween picture. He's just five months old, so he can't protest his furry skunk costume. He sits in his father's lap, a bewildered look on his face, his little pink curled-up feet peeking out from the black furry legs.
Sometimes, however, the very best costumes are the ones we make ourselves. Now that the economy stinks, maybe kids will go back to coming up with their own. How it challenges a budding imagination to have to figure out how to create an effect with cardboard, tin foil, and grandma's old pie pans. What fun to create a mask out of mom's old make-up. You can draw your face again and again until you get it right.
I know that computers challenge our kids, but I don't know if there is anything quite like making a costume out of nothing but what's lying around the house.
One of my favorite Halloween get-ups was the year my granddaughter Bekah was around four. She spent part of the evening as her favorite fairy princess, courtesy of her doting paternal grandma. Then she returned home to done her knight in shining armor costume in order to finish her candy route. She felt perfectly comfortable in both, and how lucky she is to have parents who are willing to let her try out any role she pleases.
Another favorite is Bekah's younger sister Raenah as a very prim and proper Minnie Mouse. Her picture at the time says it all -- how special she felt in her special polka dot dress, hairbow, gloves, purse, and shoes -- a fashion maven in the making.
Then there is grandson Logan's first Halloween picture. He's just five months old, so he can't protest his furry skunk costume. He sits in his father's lap, a bewildered look on his face, his little pink curled-up feet peeking out from the black furry legs.
Sometimes, however, the very best costumes are the ones we make ourselves. Now that the economy stinks, maybe kids will go back to coming up with their own. How it challenges a budding imagination to have to figure out how to create an effect with cardboard, tin foil, and grandma's old pie pans. What fun to create a mask out of mom's old make-up. You can draw your face again and again until you get it right.
I know that computers challenge our kids, but I don't know if there is anything quite like making a costume out of nothing but what's lying around the house.
Friday, October 24, 2008
So Somebody Asked What I Thought Was Important in Education Today.
Higher test scores, strong core values, cultural awareness, sensitivity to diversity, career focus, and job preparedness are all valuable goals in a modern public educational system. In fact, in no time in our history has a good education been so essential. In order to compete in the new world markets, our students must have, not just a solid foundation, but a world class education. We talk a lot about world class education in my school district these days. Nevertheless, for me as an English teacher, it all boils down to the ability to think.
At first glance, the ability to think may seem like "a no-brainer," as the students would say, but when we look at all of the influences that are bombarding our children today, the ability to think is at a premium. One of the chief saboteurs of the ability to think is the internet, with its easy access to quick answers and its lack of differentiation between good and poor sources of information. Ask a high school student about Langston Hughes, and he will quickly access the latest entries on Wikipedia, and much of the information he finds there will be accurate and informative. After all, today’s high school student likes to give his teachers the right answers – never mind the fact that he has not discovered Langston Hughes for himself by reading his poetry. There will be no real connection between Langston Hughes and Mr. 4.0 from the junior class unless Mr. 4.0 takes the next step and actually makes connections for himself. That kind of connecting takes time and deep thought. Today’s children often think that quick answers are all that is needed.
Even a casual examination of the online services ClassicNotes, CliffNotes, Sparknotes, and the multitude of term paper sites gives us some sense of the direction our students are taking. While many English teachers have no objection to students using study tools, students’ use of such aids is seldom about deeper learning. It is all too often about getting information as fast as possible in order to write the paper, and take the test, and get the A, and graduate with honors, to get into a good college and land in a good career. There is such a rush, with no time for thoughtful digestion of a multitude of viewpoints; however, careful consideration of a multitude of viewpoints is our most essential asset in this rapidly shrinking world.
A rather large percentage of high school students today will tell anyone interested that they prefer science and math to subjects such as English. To be sure, this is partly because science and math are the modern weapons. We assess our students’ test scores in science and math against those of the rest of the developed world with increasing concern. We must excel; we must compete. Yet there is another more subtle reason for students’ rejection of the study of literature: There is no certitude. Hamlet and Anna Karenina still puzzle us. In Literature, there is no one, "right" answer, and our children want "right" answers so they can fill in the next box on the answer key. It is the job of parents and educators to help children see and accept the fact that most of life’s questions have many right answers, each with its own set of good and bad consequences, and that practicing the art of deep thought will help them deal with the puzzles.
The kind of thinking that our children need most today is the kind that takes time and patience. It is the kind that forges new connections in the brain. It is the kind that allows for more than one answer and demands constant review for better and more complete solutions to our problems. It is innovative. It feeds the soul. If we do not slow down and nurture such thinking in our children, we will fail, no matter how high their SAT scores.
At first glance, the ability to think may seem like "a no-brainer," as the students would say, but when we look at all of the influences that are bombarding our children today, the ability to think is at a premium. One of the chief saboteurs of the ability to think is the internet, with its easy access to quick answers and its lack of differentiation between good and poor sources of information. Ask a high school student about Langston Hughes, and he will quickly access the latest entries on Wikipedia, and much of the information he finds there will be accurate and informative. After all, today’s high school student likes to give his teachers the right answers – never mind the fact that he has not discovered Langston Hughes for himself by reading his poetry. There will be no real connection between Langston Hughes and Mr. 4.0 from the junior class unless Mr. 4.0 takes the next step and actually makes connections for himself. That kind of connecting takes time and deep thought. Today’s children often think that quick answers are all that is needed.
Even a casual examination of the online services ClassicNotes, CliffNotes, Sparknotes, and the multitude of term paper sites gives us some sense of the direction our students are taking. While many English teachers have no objection to students using study tools, students’ use of such aids is seldom about deeper learning. It is all too often about getting information as fast as possible in order to write the paper, and take the test, and get the A, and graduate with honors, to get into a good college and land in a good career. There is such a rush, with no time for thoughtful digestion of a multitude of viewpoints; however, careful consideration of a multitude of viewpoints is our most essential asset in this rapidly shrinking world.
A rather large percentage of high school students today will tell anyone interested that they prefer science and math to subjects such as English. To be sure, this is partly because science and math are the modern weapons. We assess our students’ test scores in science and math against those of the rest of the developed world with increasing concern. We must excel; we must compete. Yet there is another more subtle reason for students’ rejection of the study of literature: There is no certitude. Hamlet and Anna Karenina still puzzle us. In Literature, there is no one, "right" answer, and our children want "right" answers so they can fill in the next box on the answer key. It is the job of parents and educators to help children see and accept the fact that most of life’s questions have many right answers, each with its own set of good and bad consequences, and that practicing the art of deep thought will help them deal with the puzzles.
The kind of thinking that our children need most today is the kind that takes time and patience. It is the kind that forges new connections in the brain. It is the kind that allows for more than one answer and demands constant review for better and more complete solutions to our problems. It is innovative. It feeds the soul. If we do not slow down and nurture such thinking in our children, we will fail, no matter how high their SAT scores.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
After the Election
Counting chickens is something I struggle against, so when people tell me that Obama is going to win, I silently pray that all this confidence does not stir up the gods against us. I hope Obama/Biden is the winning ticket on November 4th, and I hope it is a clear victory so we have no repeats of the stolen 2000 election.
Having said that, I hope the winners reach out emphatically to those moderate Republicans who hate what has happened to their party and who struggle to maintain their integrity and their dignity. There are many of them; they've just been lost in the awful quagmire created by the presidency of George W. Bush. Under Bush, science is suspect, as is any criticism of American policy or law. Business, instead of being the backbone of a healthy economy, has become the evil genie that congress and the president let out of the bottle.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if Barack Obama reached across the aisle to the best and the brightest of the Republicans and asked them to fill some cabinet positions and other positions in his new government? Wouldn't it be thrilling if those of the Democratic party saw the wisdom in this instead of pushing for exclusive ownership of all appointments? How about Colin Powell for Secretary of Defense? If ever a man served his country honorably, even as he was being sabotaged, circumvented, and lied to by the Bush administration, it is Colin Powell.
Listen all you Democrats out there, instead of seeking revenge for all past perceived slights, why not take the high road? Why not begin to put an end to this unproductive warfare between the parties? If the Democrats do not behave responsibly, they will find themselves right where the Republicans are in four years. People are tired of the bickering. Nothing gets done. Put your country first instead of your party. Be magnanimous. If you don't support moderate Republicans, the whacko Republican fringe will become more bitter and manage an even tighter stranglehold on the Republican Party. That will be a disaster, even for the Democrats.
And while we are speaking of Democrats: Hey, you guys, how about reining in your own lunatic element? We're all sick of it. We want people of calm, moderate temperament to work on our problems. The age of something for nothing is over, and we need to accept that.
I think Barack Obama is really a moderate man with moderate policies that will help the most people. I hope the Democrats who support him will let him lead in that direction.
Having said that, I hope the winners reach out emphatically to those moderate Republicans who hate what has happened to their party and who struggle to maintain their integrity and their dignity. There are many of them; they've just been lost in the awful quagmire created by the presidency of George W. Bush. Under Bush, science is suspect, as is any criticism of American policy or law. Business, instead of being the backbone of a healthy economy, has become the evil genie that congress and the president let out of the bottle.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if Barack Obama reached across the aisle to the best and the brightest of the Republicans and asked them to fill some cabinet positions and other positions in his new government? Wouldn't it be thrilling if those of the Democratic party saw the wisdom in this instead of pushing for exclusive ownership of all appointments? How about Colin Powell for Secretary of Defense? If ever a man served his country honorably, even as he was being sabotaged, circumvented, and lied to by the Bush administration, it is Colin Powell.
Listen all you Democrats out there, instead of seeking revenge for all past perceived slights, why not take the high road? Why not begin to put an end to this unproductive warfare between the parties? If the Democrats do not behave responsibly, they will find themselves right where the Republicans are in four years. People are tired of the bickering. Nothing gets done. Put your country first instead of your party. Be magnanimous. If you don't support moderate Republicans, the whacko Republican fringe will become more bitter and manage an even tighter stranglehold on the Republican Party. That will be a disaster, even for the Democrats.
And while we are speaking of Democrats: Hey, you guys, how about reining in your own lunatic element? We're all sick of it. We want people of calm, moderate temperament to work on our problems. The age of something for nothing is over, and we need to accept that.
I think Barack Obama is really a moderate man with moderate policies that will help the most people. I hope the Democrats who support him will let him lead in that direction.
Food for Thought
I just thought of another positive result from the current financial crisis. Maybe portions will be smaller. Wouldn't that be wonderful? When did we ever get the idea that the bigger the portion, the better the meal? I have tried, from time to time, to order a smaller portion at a restaurant. I think it gives some indication of just how poor our eating culture is that, regardless of the supposed quality of the restaurant (and I live in an area that has many "good" restaurants) that I have always been told by the server that the portions are controlled and uniform, that I cannot have a smaller portion.
Of course, if I lived in France, this would not be an issue. The French don't serve big portions in the fine restaurants. It's all about quality. I realize that super-size McDonald's has made inroads even in France, but the French are resisting. Vive le resistance! If we were to celebrate the eating of small portions of good food as the French do, maybe we Americans would have less trouble with obesity.
Most of the good diet regimens now emphasize taking real time to eat instead of running through Arby's drive-through and eating the value-size meal on the way to the kids' soccer practice. Losing weight, they say, means that you take the time to sit down and enjoy the food you eat -- to really taste thoughtfully, chew thoroughly, and pause frequently to enjoy your surroundings and your companions. As a consequence, people who follow this practice lose weight and do not feel deprived.
And a word about taste. I ran into a French woman in my grocery store the other day. She asked me about some label she was reading and we began to talk about supermarkets. I started to brag about the ever-increasing variety of organic foods. She smiled sweetly, and without a trace of condescension, told me that most foods in France were organic. How lucky for them, because, have you ever noticed how much more taste organic foods have? I suspect that's one of the reasons we eat more; we are missing a lot of taste that has been "preserved" and "pesticided" out of our food. I know the organics are more expensive, but the more popular they become, the lower the price will be.
So instead of thinking that we have all the answers, that the American way is the best way, and that everyone in the world wants to be just like us, maybe we ought to acknowledge that we could learn much from those cultures, such as the French, that cultivate good organic food, a discerning palate, and the leisure time in which to eat.
Of course, if I lived in France, this would not be an issue. The French don't serve big portions in the fine restaurants. It's all about quality. I realize that super-size McDonald's has made inroads even in France, but the French are resisting. Vive le resistance! If we were to celebrate the eating of small portions of good food as the French do, maybe we Americans would have less trouble with obesity.
Most of the good diet regimens now emphasize taking real time to eat instead of running through Arby's drive-through and eating the value-size meal on the way to the kids' soccer practice. Losing weight, they say, means that you take the time to sit down and enjoy the food you eat -- to really taste thoughtfully, chew thoroughly, and pause frequently to enjoy your surroundings and your companions. As a consequence, people who follow this practice lose weight and do not feel deprived.
And a word about taste. I ran into a French woman in my grocery store the other day. She asked me about some label she was reading and we began to talk about supermarkets. I started to brag about the ever-increasing variety of organic foods. She smiled sweetly, and without a trace of condescension, told me that most foods in France were organic. How lucky for them, because, have you ever noticed how much more taste organic foods have? I suspect that's one of the reasons we eat more; we are missing a lot of taste that has been "preserved" and "pesticided" out of our food. I know the organics are more expensive, but the more popular they become, the lower the price will be.
So instead of thinking that we have all the answers, that the American way is the best way, and that everyone in the world wants to be just like us, maybe we ought to acknowledge that we could learn much from those cultures, such as the French, that cultivate good organic food, a discerning palate, and the leisure time in which to eat.
A New World
The financial crisis looms large in everyone's consciousness right now, and people are much more pessimistic about the next few years, but there are some silver linings in the cloud of doom that hangs over us. Here are ten reasons in no particular order to be happy about the future:
1. People will not be able to replace things as easily, so they will take better care of and appreciate the things they have. There will be less waste and more conservation. Maybe there will be more jobs in repairs, and companies will make things that are more fixable instead of expendible.
2. Instead of a tv, vcr, computer, sound system, and telephone in every kid's room, maybe there will be more books, and maybe the kid will wander into the family room in search of company once in a while.
3. People will visit libraries again to borrow books. Maybe they will even meet like-minded people there who also like books. Maybe there will be new societies of people who like to read.
4. Mom and Dad will have to say "no" to their kids more often, thereby improving their kids' chances of handling life's roadblocks with less fuss.
5. With less money to spend going places, families might stay home more and spend time together. Real homemade popcorn and an evening of Monopoly might replace an evening at Movietown 20.
6. Courtesy in the business world might stage a comeback. After all, if jobs are scarce, bosses (and patrons) will not have to put up with the rude guy behind the counter. There will be too many polite, productive citizens waiting to take his place.
7. Maybe school kids will stop thinking that labels are essential. Maybe the kid who has never been able to afford the hot labels will feel more like one of the "in crowd."
8. Perhaps people will plant vegetable gardens again. Think of the fresh air, exercise, comraderie, and good food that could result from that!
9. With energy costs on the rise, maybe people will be more interested in goods produced close to home, thereby creating new homegrown industries.
10. Since people will choose more carefully what they buy, workmanship and the craftsmen who create it will earn more respect.
Of course there are negatives to each of the things listed here, but why not look for something positive? For the past twenty plus years, we have been building a culture mostly based on more and more consumerism. The more we bought, the better off we thought we were; but were we really better off?
1. People will not be able to replace things as easily, so they will take better care of and appreciate the things they have. There will be less waste and more conservation. Maybe there will be more jobs in repairs, and companies will make things that are more fixable instead of expendible.
2. Instead of a tv, vcr, computer, sound system, and telephone in every kid's room, maybe there will be more books, and maybe the kid will wander into the family room in search of company once in a while.
3. People will visit libraries again to borrow books. Maybe they will even meet like-minded people there who also like books. Maybe there will be new societies of people who like to read.
4. Mom and Dad will have to say "no" to their kids more often, thereby improving their kids' chances of handling life's roadblocks with less fuss.
5. With less money to spend going places, families might stay home more and spend time together. Real homemade popcorn and an evening of Monopoly might replace an evening at Movietown 20.
6. Courtesy in the business world might stage a comeback. After all, if jobs are scarce, bosses (and patrons) will not have to put up with the rude guy behind the counter. There will be too many polite, productive citizens waiting to take his place.
7. Maybe school kids will stop thinking that labels are essential. Maybe the kid who has never been able to afford the hot labels will feel more like one of the "in crowd."
8. Perhaps people will plant vegetable gardens again. Think of the fresh air, exercise, comraderie, and good food that could result from that!
9. With energy costs on the rise, maybe people will be more interested in goods produced close to home, thereby creating new homegrown industries.
10. Since people will choose more carefully what they buy, workmanship and the craftsmen who create it will earn more respect.
Of course there are negatives to each of the things listed here, but why not look for something positive? For the past twenty plus years, we have been building a culture mostly based on more and more consumerism. The more we bought, the better off we thought we were; but were we really better off?
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