"This is nothing out of the ordinary". This was a reported quote on Channel 6 news tonight... not from a weatherman talking about rain in September... not a reporter reporting that there is a scummy election shaping up over the next month and half... nor even from a sports caster telling that the Yankees are close to being in the playoffs.
No, this ordinary thing is a manhole cover becoming airborne because of some bad wiring underground. It's sort of like saying it happens all the time. And Reportedly, a National Grid spokesperson calls this ordinary. It happened three or four times in the Albany-Troy area during the past week. Of course it's ordinary. Just like the leaves change in fall, the robins return in spring, and yes even a blue moon.
Now I go back in my mind and remember fondly all those other times in my life when we were treated to such a display of pyrotechnics from beneath the earth. Volcanoes come to mind, but no where near where I live. I can't think of a single incident where this "ordinary" phenomenon of a manhole cover hurtling through the air took place.
So I will try to think of the "ordinariness" of these incidents. Okay, sometimes wires get crossed. There are thousands of strands in some of the cables they lay. Maybe a pink one got switched to a light pink wire, and bam! the manhole blows. Or red to black. It happens all the time! Right?
I guess I do wonder why it doesn't happen more often. There are lots of wires, lots of colors, and very few in my opinion, of flying manhole covers (I understand they weigh over 200 pounds each-falling to earth like the autumn leaves). I am thankful for a wonderful group of technicians who know how to do their job.
I hope National Grid does not take this as ordinary, and figure out what the heck is going on. If this is old infrastructure that is worn, or out dated, it probably will be ordinary, and we are in deep trouble without a real commitment to fix these things. And our rates will rise, problem solved or not... watch!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Blame the Referees!!!
Because the NFL professional refs are locked out, there has been a lot of blame put on the poor refs from other venues, non-professional part-timers, who have taken over temporarily. These guys and gals (that is important to note) step onto the field prowled by giants (literally) and are expected to keep order, forcing these often uncontrollable behemoths to play according to the rules. The refs do what they can under the circumstances, and the big guys are usually very respectful, despite, I am sure, many temptations to tell the refs where to get off, or simply tear them apart. Fortunately, there is some locus of control in the players who for the most part are accepting of the situation.
Then comes the hard part. A disputed call on the final play of the game, where two players from the opposing teems appear to have caught the same ball in the end zone, and it is either a winning touchdown or a game ending interception. Whatever happens here, it is the refs fault. The call is a touchdown, the review is a touchdown (or not conclusive evidence to overturn the call on the field.) And it is the refs fault that one team lost and the other team won. Some one said: "The Packers got screwed!"
Now I ask you, is that fair. These teams are good. But they play a somewhat mediocre game for almost three hours counting time outs and intermissions. (These are important because strategy is developed during these times, so what is a time out is actually important to the way the game is played.) If they really put a full effort into it throughout (maybe they did, and then I am mistaken when I call them good teams) it would not be the referee who makes the final judgment call. (It is hard to argue that a team put in its best effort when a franchise quarterback gets sacked 8 times, or when they give up the ball with 51 seconds remaining.)The winner would be apparent. The refs who are probably in it over their heads are not really the final arbiters on a field where all the players and coaches are raking in millions of dollars each. It is the players themselves who hold their own destiny, and who ultimately decide who wins and who loses.
Certainly, since they get paid enough, they can and should do their job, and lay off the substitute refs who are trying their best to do theirs.
Then comes the hard part. A disputed call on the final play of the game, where two players from the opposing teems appear to have caught the same ball in the end zone, and it is either a winning touchdown or a game ending interception. Whatever happens here, it is the refs fault. The call is a touchdown, the review is a touchdown (or not conclusive evidence to overturn the call on the field.) And it is the refs fault that one team lost and the other team won. Some one said: "The Packers got screwed!"
Now I ask you, is that fair. These teams are good. But they play a somewhat mediocre game for almost three hours counting time outs and intermissions. (These are important because strategy is developed during these times, so what is a time out is actually important to the way the game is played.) If they really put a full effort into it throughout (maybe they did, and then I am mistaken when I call them good teams) it would not be the referee who makes the final judgment call. (It is hard to argue that a team put in its best effort when a franchise quarterback gets sacked 8 times, or when they give up the ball with 51 seconds remaining.)The winner would be apparent. The refs who are probably in it over their heads are not really the final arbiters on a field where all the players and coaches are raking in millions of dollars each. It is the players themselves who hold their own destiny, and who ultimately decide who wins and who loses.
Certainly, since they get paid enough, they can and should do their job, and lay off the substitute refs who are trying their best to do theirs.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Jesus Married?
The report today is that they have found a fragment of ancient writing indicating Jesus had a wife. Of course the question arises, "does this change anything for you?" as asked by one CNN newsroom personality. And my answer is, "You betcha!"
I should get a crowd to go to that University professor's house and we would picket, yell obscenities, yes, even crucify him and his colleagues over this disregard to our faith. We should find out the professor's ethnicity and smear his name and origins. We should tear up his library, burn his car, and a few tires on the front lawn. The news would cover it and testify that thousands of us were there, and that all Christians around the world are furious over his little piece of parchment enshrined in a little glass slide. He will never get away with this kind of heresy. The outrage will spread.
The pope will speak for all Christendom as the pope spoke out in favor of the earth centered universe that was under attack by Galileo and his intellectual cohorts back in the 1600s. He spent the rest of his life under house arrest, and there is no reason why this hot shot Harvard guy shouldn't do the same for shattering my bliss and the millions of Christians.
Whoa! Isn't that a bit extreme? Not really when you consider we like to be extreme in our society. If you are not extreme, you are no where. A wuss. A middle of the road squirrel who will get run over. You have to stick to your guns, no matter what the scholars and men of reason might say. Science, archaeology, whatever, is only there to mess you up. They solve problems that are not there, and get us all upset.
Okay, okay! Let's look at this more objectively. We have a piece of writing from around the year 200 that refers to Jesus' wife. That's about the same time frame that the New Testament was deemed to have been completed with the book of the Apocalypse. There have been discoveries over the years of thousands of documents relating to Christianity dating from before that time which were not included in the Bible, but which tell history as it was lived at the time, and which have historical facts, or traditions that shed light on the Christian community and lived faith of the people of that time. (We should look for truth and embrace it wherever it may be.)
Did Jesus have a wife? The research on this one fragment indicates a yes answer. Before I agree, I would like to see some corroboration from another source. That may come. If there is further proof, then we may have to change some things. (Maybe they will change anyway.)
A no-brainer would be the idea of celibacy for priests. Perhaps also the place of marriage in the Christian culture, maybe elevate that higher than the priesthood. Maybe the place of women in society, since it would appear that Jesus is an egalitarian who actually, physically and emotionally, loved one.
Some discussion questions: What does it mean to have a person whom we call God actually marrying one of us earthlings? What would that say about his title? What is faith anyway that made Christians put Jesus so far beyond the human pale that we stopped seeing him as human at all? Why do some people think they have to solve God's problems by rioting and killing in his name? (As a note here: the actual number of people who protested outside American embassies around the world may have been a few thousand or less. Most of the 1.7 billion or so Muslims were carrying on their regular schedules of work, school, child care, etc. like we were doing here in America- except for Chicago.)
I should get a crowd to go to that University professor's house and we would picket, yell obscenities, yes, even crucify him and his colleagues over this disregard to our faith. We should find out the professor's ethnicity and smear his name and origins. We should tear up his library, burn his car, and a few tires on the front lawn. The news would cover it and testify that thousands of us were there, and that all Christians around the world are furious over his little piece of parchment enshrined in a little glass slide. He will never get away with this kind of heresy. The outrage will spread.
The pope will speak for all Christendom as the pope spoke out in favor of the earth centered universe that was under attack by Galileo and his intellectual cohorts back in the 1600s. He spent the rest of his life under house arrest, and there is no reason why this hot shot Harvard guy shouldn't do the same for shattering my bliss and the millions of Christians.
Whoa! Isn't that a bit extreme? Not really when you consider we like to be extreme in our society. If you are not extreme, you are no where. A wuss. A middle of the road squirrel who will get run over. You have to stick to your guns, no matter what the scholars and men of reason might say. Science, archaeology, whatever, is only there to mess you up. They solve problems that are not there, and get us all upset.
Okay, okay! Let's look at this more objectively. We have a piece of writing from around the year 200 that refers to Jesus' wife. That's about the same time frame that the New Testament was deemed to have been completed with the book of the Apocalypse. There have been discoveries over the years of thousands of documents relating to Christianity dating from before that time which were not included in the Bible, but which tell history as it was lived at the time, and which have historical facts, or traditions that shed light on the Christian community and lived faith of the people of that time. (We should look for truth and embrace it wherever it may be.)
Did Jesus have a wife? The research on this one fragment indicates a yes answer. Before I agree, I would like to see some corroboration from another source. That may come. If there is further proof, then we may have to change some things. (Maybe they will change anyway.)
A no-brainer would be the idea of celibacy for priests. Perhaps also the place of marriage in the Christian culture, maybe elevate that higher than the priesthood. Maybe the place of women in society, since it would appear that Jesus is an egalitarian who actually, physically and emotionally, loved one.
Some discussion questions: What does it mean to have a person whom we call God actually marrying one of us earthlings? What would that say about his title? What is faith anyway that made Christians put Jesus so far beyond the human pale that we stopped seeing him as human at all? Why do some people think they have to solve God's problems by rioting and killing in his name? (As a note here: the actual number of people who protested outside American embassies around the world may have been a few thousand or less. Most of the 1.7 billion or so Muslims were carrying on their regular schedules of work, school, child care, etc. like we were doing here in America- except for Chicago.)
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Long Haul Politics
I was born after the Great Depression which began in 1929 and ended in the early 1940s. That was a real bad time. Up to 25% unemployment. FDR did some things, early in his presidency, and nothing seemed to happen. About midway through his second term, the federal deficit turned into a surplus, and unemployment continued to be about 18%, and it wasn't until 1942 that the country returned to "full employment." http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/Steindl.GD.Recovery
As I read through the above cited article, I realized one thing, how complicated it is to solve the problems of a nation, that is in a world of other nations. And then I listen to the current arguments that presidential candidates, representatives, and senators offer up to get our current economy moving again. Actually, there is very little out there that hasn't been tried. Except perhaps co-operation, patience, and time.
One solution offered today is to lower taxes, cut spending, get the deficit under control, and voila, all the problems will be solved. Full employment, great government (fewer employees, fire fighters, cops, teachers, etc.) but somehow there will be more jobs. I don't get this. Maybe it is too simple an answer to a complicated problem.
The other solution has to do with raising revenue, make government more efficient by enforcing rules and regulations that would stifle fraud, create jobs with a building program that would leave a viable infrastructure for our grandchildren (as opposed to reducing taxes on us now ignoring the infrastructure and leaving our grandchildren with a pile of rubble, and letting them build what they want to and pay for it themselves.) I am glad that someone thought about our generation and left us an interstate road system, some decent bridges, nice parks, and so on. They also made us a fairly safe and secure country with decent educational opportunities.
This was all done with bi-partisan support, over time.
I know if a politician says truthfully that it is complicated, and there is no definite solution, but some things can be (have been ) put in place, and it is necessary to hunker down for the long haul, that person would not be elected to anything, but maybe should be. I also know that anyone who offers a simple solution is naive, just like me, and that person is probably playing to my fears.
As I read through the above cited article, I realized one thing, how complicated it is to solve the problems of a nation, that is in a world of other nations. And then I listen to the current arguments that presidential candidates, representatives, and senators offer up to get our current economy moving again. Actually, there is very little out there that hasn't been tried. Except perhaps co-operation, patience, and time.
One solution offered today is to lower taxes, cut spending, get the deficit under control, and voila, all the problems will be solved. Full employment, great government (fewer employees, fire fighters, cops, teachers, etc.) but somehow there will be more jobs. I don't get this. Maybe it is too simple an answer to a complicated problem.
The other solution has to do with raising revenue, make government more efficient by enforcing rules and regulations that would stifle fraud, create jobs with a building program that would leave a viable infrastructure for our grandchildren (as opposed to reducing taxes on us now ignoring the infrastructure and leaving our grandchildren with a pile of rubble, and letting them build what they want to and pay for it themselves.) I am glad that someone thought about our generation and left us an interstate road system, some decent bridges, nice parks, and so on. They also made us a fairly safe and secure country with decent educational opportunities.
This was all done with bi-partisan support, over time.
I know if a politician says truthfully that it is complicated, and there is no definite solution, but some things can be (have been ) put in place, and it is necessary to hunker down for the long haul, that person would not be elected to anything, but maybe should be. I also know that anyone who offers a simple solution is naive, just like me, and that person is probably playing to my fears.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Empty the Swamp- Drain the Stress
Lately, I have made it my business to become an expert on stress, mostly handling all the factors that come my way, sort of stress from inside out; or how you can empty the swamp when you are up to your a#$ in alligators.
And that is exactly what is important, knowing the problem. Alligators really can put a crimp in your stride. Know this, and you can adjust. Not know this and you are severely hobbled, even dead.
Another important thing is to know your swamp. Parts of it are deeper than others, and instead of your a#$, you are in over your head. This can happen in an instant, or over time. Either way, it is bad.
So these are two lessons from the swamp that relate to stress. I could probably go on, and lamely link other swamp things like bugs and muskrats to the analogy, but I won't.
My best advice on dealing with stress, after you know you have a problem and are dealing with it satisfactorily, check again and make sure you are seeing it correctly, and dealing with the problem in a reasonable way. Friends, people who care about you all can be a big help in improving your perspective. Sometimes you want to reject any and all suggestions out of hand, but remember, people are trying to help. And you have to welcome the help or your stress level will rise, and panic can set in. Bottom line, after listening, you decide on the action to be taken, and you call up that old virtue of fortitude (the habit of making decisions with out regret) and move forward.
It is good to remember that you are never really alone as you face life's decisions, even though you are the only one who is responsible to make them. Talking with people helps to reinforce the decision, and in this reinforcement, there is a reduction in negative stress. It really works.
Reaching out to others is one of the best remedies to reduce stress. Often, we like to go it alone. (No one needs to help, no one needs to know the problems, I can handle it.) This may work for a while, but it will take its toll on you in many ways, emotionally, mentally and physically. Talk about the issues that confront you. Open the door for alternative thinking. Keep up a lively social life that can be a support in difficult times. (Sometimes it is not good to be too liberal with bad news. You can make a lot of other people unhappy by one trip to the supermarket.) It helps to be sure the network that you have built is strong and positive.
Most of all, in any stressful period (or better yet, all the time) remember that you are number one. Take care of yourself, eat well, and exercise. Walk. Go miles a day. Share the walk, add talk and conversation. Do a workout at a gym where there are people on different journeys through life, and have some fun.
And the swamp is drained and the alligators are gone!
And that is exactly what is important, knowing the problem. Alligators really can put a crimp in your stride. Know this, and you can adjust. Not know this and you are severely hobbled, even dead.
Another important thing is to know your swamp. Parts of it are deeper than others, and instead of your a#$, you are in over your head. This can happen in an instant, or over time. Either way, it is bad.
So these are two lessons from the swamp that relate to stress. I could probably go on, and lamely link other swamp things like bugs and muskrats to the analogy, but I won't.
My best advice on dealing with stress, after you know you have a problem and are dealing with it satisfactorily, check again and make sure you are seeing it correctly, and dealing with the problem in a reasonable way. Friends, people who care about you all can be a big help in improving your perspective. Sometimes you want to reject any and all suggestions out of hand, but remember, people are trying to help. And you have to welcome the help or your stress level will rise, and panic can set in. Bottom line, after listening, you decide on the action to be taken, and you call up that old virtue of fortitude (the habit of making decisions with out regret) and move forward.
It is good to remember that you are never really alone as you face life's decisions, even though you are the only one who is responsible to make them. Talking with people helps to reinforce the decision, and in this reinforcement, there is a reduction in negative stress. It really works.
Reaching out to others is one of the best remedies to reduce stress. Often, we like to go it alone. (No one needs to help, no one needs to know the problems, I can handle it.) This may work for a while, but it will take its toll on you in many ways, emotionally, mentally and physically. Talk about the issues that confront you. Open the door for alternative thinking. Keep up a lively social life that can be a support in difficult times. (Sometimes it is not good to be too liberal with bad news. You can make a lot of other people unhappy by one trip to the supermarket.) It helps to be sure the network that you have built is strong and positive.
Most of all, in any stressful period (or better yet, all the time) remember that you are number one. Take care of yourself, eat well, and exercise. Walk. Go miles a day. Share the walk, add talk and conversation. Do a workout at a gym where there are people on different journeys through life, and have some fun.
And the swamp is drained and the alligators are gone!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Learning about art
On this beautiful late summer day with a light breeze and glaring sun, I walked the half mile to Old Austerlitz where an art workshop was taking place. five or six participants were deep into the second day of the program, adding oil paint color to the brownish hued base acrylic painting they had done the day before. The artists were deep into their work attempting to get the exact colors of the sun soaked landscapes and buildings, and the appropriate shadows. It was fascinating to see.
This was another of my "where has this been all my life" experiences. I went to catholic schools when I was young. Art was not on the daily agenda for most of us, unless making mother's day cards with a rosary as the border around it, or pasting construction paper together to make some strange silhouette of the nativity, is considered art. My time in high school was spent on the important things like math, language, literature, history. There was no time for art. Some kids did manage to take some art classes, and I must say I admire that now.
Some aspects of it still confound me though. I remember going to the National Gallery of Art in the early 1960s to an exhibition of contemporary art. One piece that I will always remember was a totally black canvas entitled "Nine shades of black." As I gazed at this work which I thought took a lot of guts to hang up, I began to notice the different shades, and there were nine carefully drawn squares (3 X 3) with the nine different shades. I had to study it a long time before I could be sure there were nine different shades of black, and none of them were a dark shade of brown. It didn't grab me like some of the other paintings did at the time, but of all of them, this one I remember.
And this painting brings me back to the workshop. When I went there on the first day, after the artists had done a lot of work in acrylics in the searing sun or buggy shade, they were discussing some of the points of painting which are probably elementary, but were news to me. They talked about paintings that were content rich, color rich, or line rich, and if you didn't have content, then the other two are very important. For some reason, the "Nine shades of black" didn't measure up in any of the three categories, at least in my view. Yet it made it to the National Gallery of art. My guess is the artist was famous and this was a curious study that he put into the collection.
I hope to take a course in art one of these years. Maybe even do the workshop if it is offered again. My grandchildren should be able to brag about the grandfather who started painting when he was very old, and not only will he have a lot of silly blogs on the library shelf, but some "art work" to store in the closet.
This was another of my "where has this been all my life" experiences. I went to catholic schools when I was young. Art was not on the daily agenda for most of us, unless making mother's day cards with a rosary as the border around it, or pasting construction paper together to make some strange silhouette of the nativity, is considered art. My time in high school was spent on the important things like math, language, literature, history. There was no time for art. Some kids did manage to take some art classes, and I must say I admire that now.
Some aspects of it still confound me though. I remember going to the National Gallery of Art in the early 1960s to an exhibition of contemporary art. One piece that I will always remember was a totally black canvas entitled "Nine shades of black." As I gazed at this work which I thought took a lot of guts to hang up, I began to notice the different shades, and there were nine carefully drawn squares (3 X 3) with the nine different shades. I had to study it a long time before I could be sure there were nine different shades of black, and none of them were a dark shade of brown. It didn't grab me like some of the other paintings did at the time, but of all of them, this one I remember.
Abstract Painting contains three distinct shades of black, which become visible only after prolonged looking. Reinhardt was intensely sensitive to such subtle variations. He explained, “There is a black which is old and a black which is fresh. Lustrous black and dull black, black in sunlight and black in shadow.” When Reinhardt’s black paintings were first exhibited at MoMA, in 1963, their reductive imagery and stark palette shocked visitors, prompting at least one Museum membership cancellation in protest.
http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=78976
And this painting brings me back to the workshop. When I went there on the first day, after the artists had done a lot of work in acrylics in the searing sun or buggy shade, they were discussing some of the points of painting which are probably elementary, but were news to me. They talked about paintings that were content rich, color rich, or line rich, and if you didn't have content, then the other two are very important. For some reason, the "Nine shades of black" didn't measure up in any of the three categories, at least in my view. Yet it made it to the National Gallery of art. My guess is the artist was famous and this was a curious study that he put into the collection.
I hope to take a course in art one of these years. Maybe even do the workshop if it is offered again. My grandchildren should be able to brag about the grandfather who started painting when he was very old, and not only will he have a lot of silly blogs on the library shelf, but some "art work" to store in the closet.
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Once in a life time
"I can still feel the roar of the trucks. The monster tractors of past years
were much better though."- Al.
Last night I had the opportunity of a lifetime. For the first time in my 70 years or so, I witnessed a "tractor" pull at the Chatham Fair. Only they didn't use tractors, as indicated by Al's statement above. Retrofitted high powered pick up trucks with terrifying names painted on them like "Hell's Vengeance" or "Dragon Fire" replaced the magnificent tractors of yesteryear. It was not your father's pickup. These monsters must have had about 24 cylinders in them.
And they did roar. Deafening. And the ground shook. And I wanted to run. But there is something transfixing about the scene of one of these over sized, beefed up trucks pulling a huge apparatus the size of an 18 wheeler about the length of a football field in several seconds. The towed apparatus slowly applied pressure to its braking system until the pick up could no longer tow, usually because the front end of the truck was too high off the ground for the driver to manage the vehicle.
The trucks roared and so did the fans, and some one was declared a winner. I am not sure what constituted a win- perhaps distance, with time an additional factor. I joined in the applause at the end. Someone did a good job.
All in all, you could smell the fuel burning up, rubber on the track, brakes heating up, transmissions being over worked. Between pulls, a grounds crew using rollers, graders and other machines similar to a Zamboni, manicured the track.
The spectacle gives one huge macho jolt, enough for many years for me. Where has this sport been all my life, and why have I avoided it so assiduously? Well, I still have my hearing, and I still prefer baseball which "ain't over til it's over" (Yogi Berra), to any timed sport like football or basketball and of course soccer with its weird timing, or even the "tractor" pull with trucks on steroids. Call me a "citiot."
Note from Johnnie Carrier:
Johnnie wrote: "Phil I worked the tractor pulls at Schaghticoke Fair where my brother in law is fair president. My duties were to tow the monsters back back to the pits with a real tractor. Mostly they use Allison air craft engines. And the winner is the one who pulls the most weight the farthest. Nice piece for a ciitot ."
Last night I had the opportunity of a lifetime. For the first time in my 70 years or so, I witnessed a "tractor" pull at the Chatham Fair. Only they didn't use tractors, as indicated by Al's statement above. Retrofitted high powered pick up trucks with terrifying names painted on them like "Hell's Vengeance" or "Dragon Fire" replaced the magnificent tractors of yesteryear. It was not your father's pickup. These monsters must have had about 24 cylinders in them.
And they did roar. Deafening. And the ground shook. And I wanted to run. But there is something transfixing about the scene of one of these over sized, beefed up trucks pulling a huge apparatus the size of an 18 wheeler about the length of a football field in several seconds. The towed apparatus slowly applied pressure to its braking system until the pick up could no longer tow, usually because the front end of the truck was too high off the ground for the driver to manage the vehicle.
The trucks roared and so did the fans, and some one was declared a winner. I am not sure what constituted a win- perhaps distance, with time an additional factor. I joined in the applause at the end. Someone did a good job.
All in all, you could smell the fuel burning up, rubber on the track, brakes heating up, transmissions being over worked. Between pulls, a grounds crew using rollers, graders and other machines similar to a Zamboni, manicured the track.
The spectacle gives one huge macho jolt, enough for many years for me. Where has this sport been all my life, and why have I avoided it so assiduously? Well, I still have my hearing, and I still prefer baseball which "ain't over til it's over" (Yogi Berra), to any timed sport like football or basketball and of course soccer with its weird timing, or even the "tractor" pull with trucks on steroids. Call me a "citiot."
Note from Johnnie Carrier:
Johnnie wrote: "Phil I worked the tractor pulls at Schaghticoke Fair where my brother in law is fair president. My duties were to tow the monsters back back to the pits with a real tractor. Mostly they use Allison air craft engines. And the winner is the one who pulls the most weight the farthest. Nice piece for a ciitot ."
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