Nobody 679

Sunday, December 31, 2006
Nobody # 679

Nobody Asked Me But:

A Noiseless Patient Spider
by Walt Whitman.

A noiseless, patient spider,
I mark'd, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated;
Mark'd how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding,
It launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself;
Ever unreeling them--ever tirelessly speeding them.

And you, O my Soul, where you stand,
Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,--seeking the spheres, to
connect them;
Till the bridge you will need, be form'd--till the ductile anchor
hold;
Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.

May you all and all of yours throw many threads this year and may they all catch on somewhere good.<<<

THE MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

With apologies to the Beatles, this is a great name for our post-Christmas trip to Tucson. The magic was the way in which a mediocre movie (“Night at The Museum”) was turned into one filled with fun and enjoyment simply by attending it with my daughter and grandchildren. The mystery was the strange noises, which kept emanating from the back of our car – several gurgles followed later by Stones music. It took us a few minutes to realize that it was from Ryan’s cell phone that he had accidentally left in the back seat. We pulled off the highway and, after a couple of failures from cell phone challenged moi, finally got through. When I teased R about his surprise gift to his grandparents, he, ever quick on the trigger, came back with “Merry Christmas.”

The trip was great, if rushed, since we had to get back for Thursday’s PAC-10 opener. So we spent Tuesday and Thursday driving, but Tuesday night we had our usual in-room pizza and presents – both enjoyed by all. Then Wednesday, Barb had her annual Arizona shopping day while we went to see “Night” – and, of course, to a B&N for new books.

We again stayed at the Arizona Inn, which, to me, is an oasis of peace.

It was strange not having Greg and Ben there, but they are happy in their new Reno home, and I am sure that next year we will find a way to all be together.<<<

ORONTO, Ontario (AP) – “A giant ice shelf the size of 11,000 football fields has snapped free from Canada's Arctic, scientists said.” I wonder: Over the long haul, will Bush be remembered more for the disaster of Iraq or the potential catastrophe of Kyoto?<<<

My quote of the week, from Thomas Friedman, is on the same subject - December summers in Washington D.C.: “I’m half expecting the cherry blossoms to come out for Christmas. In fact, my wife was rummaging through her closet the other day and emerged to tell me she needed a whole new wardrobe — ‘a global warming wardrobe,’ clothes that are summer weight but winter colors.”<<<

Cartoon of year (left)

Philosophical question of the week: Do optimists live longer than pessimists, or do they just think they will?<<<

Year-end news item: “Medi-Cal pays for over 100,000 births by undocumented women.” Comment: I would think that a quick physiological examination would be enough to “document” that they were women, and if that wasn’t enough, the birth event itself should be proof positive.<<<

AP - 1, SI – 0: The Associated Press chose Tiger Woods as their Athlete of the year while Sports Illustrated selected Dwayne Wade. Wade is an excellent player who had a great play-off and also seems to be a genuinely nice person, but Tiger dominated the world of golf as nobody has since – well, since he did 4 years ago.

No person has been as dominant in sports as Tiger since Michael ruled the basketball world – and even he needed the help of teammates.<<<

Did you know that the typical American, in 2006, spent $100.60 for every $100 of take home pay?<<<

To prove what a good year I have had, this very small down was one of my year’s low points. About two weeks ago, on my Sunday morning trip to Starbucks, they dropped and broke my stainless cup. It was a long time favorite, for its shape, and because the lid hollowed out leaving room for extra whipped cream. So sad!<<<

Happiest political event of 2006 - The mid-term elections.<<<

JUSTICE AND INJUSTICE – 2006 Justice – O. J.’s book going down in flames and Judith Regan going down with it.

Injustice – Green onions, which had to suffer the indignity of being falsely blamed for the year’s second E. coli outbreak.<<< Television 2006 - What I watched:

1. “Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip” 2. “The Unit” 3. “Bones” 4. “Ugly Betty” 5. “Deadwood” 6. “The Sopranos” 7. “Prime Suspect”

What I also should have watched – “The Wire.”

What I missed most – “Everwood.”<<<

SOME WORST (WITHOUT THE LIVER) OF 06

Worst sports prediction: “Tiger will be mortal in 2007.” – MSNBC Sports<<<

Worst decision in sports (and movie) history: - Rocky, at 60, gets back into the ring.<<<

Worst phrase that didn’t originate in 06 but ran continuously throughout the year from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: “Stay the Course.”

Biggest Racist, Sexist, Bigot Award or, as we in the business call it: BRSBA:

The nominees are Mel Gibson and Michael Richards. And the winner is…………………….

For his body of work – Mel Gibson.<<<

Did you know that within our 1,000-person embassy in Iraq, only 33 speak Arabic and of those 33, only 6 are fluent in the language?<<<

Those of you who are not basketball fans can stop here. For the rest of you, I will spoil your surprise by telling you in advance how the PAC-10 is going to end up after 17 more conference games. (18 for the two Oregon schools.)

Please accept my mea culpa, because I am writing this one game into the schedule. If this gives me an unfair advantage, I apologize.

1. UCLA The wings are very good at everything except ball-handling and creating their own shots, and the middle is weak offensively, but the Bruins have DDTH – defense, desire, toughness and Howland. That will be enough to get them first place.

2. ARIZONA The Cats can score from all 5 positions, which makes them very tough to defend and are still great at attacking the basket, which gets them to the foul line very often, but can they defend? I think not as evidenced by their attempt to mask this weakness by playing a zone. They are the most athletically talented team in the conference, but the Bruins will out-tough them in a close race. 3.

WASHINGTON Washington’s offense presents big problems with their inside-outside game, especially with 2 talented bigs, making it tough to double-down, and some good 3-point shooting, but, as SC exposed Thursday, the Huskies don’t much like to play defense.

(The middle: 4, 5 and 6 can be closely lumped together in a “you pick them” group.)

4. USC Until the past week and a half, I thought the Trojans were second division material, but I (grudgingly) make them my pick to win the riddle of the middle. Young, Pruitt, Stewart and 21 year-old freshmen Taj Gibson are talented and have played their last few games with increased discipline. But I am not sure that this will continue. A couple of losses and the Trojans may well fall far enough to be my biggest mistake.

5. WASHINGTON STATE All those writers who picked the Cougars to finish last are going to feel really foolish. This is a very good team who will upset at least one of the conference’s top 3, win most of their home games and a few on the road and get into the NCAA Tournament.

6. OREGON Oregon is a group of talented individuals (the best that Nike money can buy) in search of a coach.

(Contrary to much speculation, from spots 7-10 the PAC is pretty weak.)

7. CALIFORNIA This team was already on their way to being also-rans and then were hit by injuries to their two best bigs. They still have a couple of dangerous players but that’s not enough to get them above #7.

8. STANFORD So far, the Lopez twins haven’t had the impact that was expected. If they get better the Cardinal could climb as high as #7

9. OREGON STATE (8-5) Jay John seems like a decent coach, but he has had little success recruiting talent. For this he must share the blame with Corvallis. Actually he gets major blame because Pullman is a much worse place with better talent.

10. ARIZONA STATE (6-5) Given time, Herb Sendek should improve this program. But, wait, didn’t we say that about Evans too.

Happy Holidays in 2006

Nobody 678

Sunday, December 24, 2006
Nobody # 678

Nobody Asked Me But:

On being good, being watched, or both:

He’s making a list.
He’s (even) checking it twice.
(You better bet that) He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town.<<<

An afternoon on the town - from sublime to interesting: Before the Bruin game last Wednesday, Barb and I headed to Larchmont Village to try out the highly rated pizza at Village Pizzeria with a stop at Frittelli’s in Beverly Hills for another new gastronomic experience – doughnuts, supposedly made in heaven. They were – the chocolate mocha is otherworldly and every other one we tried is close behind. (We returned before our Saturday game to pick up a couple of dozen more plus one for Barb).

Now for the troubling news: nothing will ever part my wife and I, but she pushed the limit by liking Larchmont pizza better than Casa Bianca. Don’t get me wrong. It was excellent, but NO PIZZA IS BETTER THAN CASA BIANCA.

And finally for the interesting – we luckily found a doughnut parking place on a side street in BH. As we got out of the car we noticed that a man was cutting and styling a young woman’s hair in the middle of the sidewalk beside the car. When we returned they were still at it. We assumed it was because the city of BH gave him a good rental deal on sidewalk space.<<<

Sports Illustrated basketball columnist Seth Davis was writing about the Achilles heel of several college teams. Of Arizona he said the following, which made me laugh and want to share:

Biggest deficiency: “We all know this team can get out on the break and put points on the board (the Wildcats average 86.6 ppg, ninth in the nation). What 'Zona lacks is a true defensive monster to man the interior and provide some toughness. Senior center Kirk Walters is slowly working his way back from mononucleosis, but let's face it, when guards are driving down the lane they'll be more afraid Walters will kiss them than they are that he'll reject their shot.”<<<

I am currently reading “The Lay Of The Land,” by Richard Ford, which has made most top 10 lists of novels of 2006. The hero, Frank Bascombe, is, among other trials, fighting prostate cancer. It seems that so many of the best novelists, especially the male ones – Roth, Updike, etc. are obsessed with aging and death or at least write about it as if obsessed. I suppose that is to be as expected even from writers when they reach that “certain age.” The funny thing is that although I am about their age (or older) and not at all happy that I will (probably) die some day, I read their work with curiosity and interest and am not depressed by their words,

And

I know that it is easier said than done, but laughter is still one of the best medicines. Thus, I love Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Woody Allen-like quote on death: “At least you don’t have to go to the dentist anymore.”

(Do you suppose that he stole that from The Woodman?”)<<<

There is a funny PC passage from “The lay Of The Land.” Ford is writing about a small pilgrim town in New Jersey - a sort of Williamsburg-rip off. (Why do you suppose that so many of our best writers live in NJ? I would think that an anomaly – no offense meant, Gary and Sheena.)

But I digress.

Ford writes: “Inside the village they’ve installed a collection of young pilgrims – a black pilgrim, a Jewish, female pilgrim, a wheelchair bound pilgrim, a Japanese pilgrim with a learning disability plus two or three ordinary white kids.”<<<

Here are 4 from Newsweek’s long year-end list of Conventional Wisdom. (It’s worth reading the magazine (left) or checking it out on line to see the rest.)

Bush – Down Arrow “Last year's CW said, "Nowhere to go but up." Once again, he confounded expectations.”

Al Gore – Both-ways arrow “Thriving in new career as movie star and "I told you so" enviro. Inconvenient truth: He still blew it in 2000.”

Google – Up Arrow “Stock hits $500 in Oct., and its rivals still searching for a clue. Click here for this arrow's sponsored link.”

Tiger Woods – Up Arrow “Beloved dad dies, but he's more dominant than ever. With Mickelson in meltdown, who will be No. 2?”<<<

There may be no ultimate in PC, but this comes close: Barbara was trying to send a holiday E-card and they rejected Ho, as in Ho, Ho, Ho, because it could be misinterpreted.<<<

As the year ends, it is time for everybody and their brother (I’m the brother) to delight and inform with their Best of 06 lists. I will start with the Best Books that I have read (or listened to) in 2006.

General Fiction

BEST

"Ordinary Heroes," - by Scott Turow:

An incredibly moving story of a son trying to re-discover his dead father by reading dad’s journal of life and love during WW II.

"On Beauty," by Zadie Smith: A look, both meaningful and funny, at the never-ending warfare of class and intellect, manner and morals in the small college town of Everywhere, New England.

"Everyman," by Philip Roth: One of America’s great writers asks whether there is life after 70 or just a marking of time until death.

Mystery-Crime Fiction

BEST

"Pegasus Descending" – James Lee Burke – “Why is one person spared and another not? Why do the Yvonne Darbonnes of the world suffer? If age brings either wisdom or answers to ancient questions, it has made an exception for me.”

To read the passage above is to know why I think that Burke is one of the great crime fiction writers of all time. His prose often touches poetry and his characters are unforgettable.

The who of Dave Robicheaux, Burke’s main character, is best summed in Pegasus by his wife Molly when she says that of all the human beings that she has known he is the most true to himself. Sometimes he stumbles. Often the end game catches him by surprise. Always his good wrestles with his demons. Occasionally the good takes a temporary loss but still wins in the long haul. Because, as Molly reminds him, that’s who he is.

This is a book, so rich, that I didn’t want it to end.

RUNNERS-UP

"The Night Gardener" by George Pelecanos

Before starting Gardener I had just finished Pegasus Descending, and I did not think anything could come close. This does. In fact it may be as good. Like Dennis Lahane’s “Mystic River,” “The Night Gardener” is too large to fit in the genre. It is first a novel about people and about a city – Washington D.C. Yes, they investigate crimes, past and present, but they, and not the crimes, are what Gardener is all about.

"River of Darkness" by Ronnie Airth

Airth is new, and this, the first of only two novels so far, has made me a huge fan. Set in Post WW I England, the characters and the story are equally impressive. I am very anxious to read his second book.

I had many books from which to choose for this third spot. It was a great year for the genre, and I could have easily substituted either of Michael Connelly’s books, (“Echo Park” or “The Lincoln Lawyer”), Jeff Parker’s, “The Fallen,” Tess Gerritsen’s, “The Mephisto Club,” Barry Eisler’s, “The Last Assassin” or P. J. Tracy’s, “Snow Blind.”

Non-Fiction

BEST

"The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion

This is truly a magical book. I call it a realization book. To read it is to look into the face of death but more importantly into the face of survival. It is a face of pain and confusion but there is hope as well. It is not the hope that we can avoid feeling but that we can feel. And therein lies our humanity.

"America At The Crossroads: Democracy, Power And The Neoconservative Legacy" by Francis Fukuyama

Fukuyama, during the time between 1985 and the middle of the George Bush’s first term, was the main philosophical voice for the neoconservative movement. However, since the early days of the Iraqi war, he and the other key figures in the neo movement have parted company. They say Fukuyama left the movement; he says the movement left him by moving away from some key principles of neoconservativism – primarily by moving too far, too fast and too alone.<<<

UCLA 92, Michigan 55! And this in a game where we were 8 ½ point favorites. The Bruins are 11-0 as they head into their opening weekend of PAC-10 play with a game that will cause us to drive from Tucson straight to Pauley. We will lose a few games along the way, but these Bruins are good!<<<

Laughing matter:

Barack Obama, less than two years into his Senate term, made his first-ever trip to the state in mid-December, and his sold-out performance before a tumultuous crowd impressed even the most hardened political operatives. But not Conan O'Brien, who said that it was “just because New Hampshire had never seen an African-American before.”<<<

No laughing matter: The man who produced the racist campaign ads that helped defeat black Tennessean Rep. Harold Ford Jr.’s bid for the Senate, (“They” are going to steal our women.) now works for John McCain.

Senator McCain meet Dr. Faustus. He will return for your soul shortly.<<<

Nobody 677

Sunday, December 17, 2006
Nobody # 677

Nobody Asked Me But:

Mark the weeping and wailing as the Far Right reacts to the Baker/Hamilton Report:

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page described the report as a “strategic muddle,” Richard Perle called it “absurd,” Rush Limbaugh labeled it “stupid,” and The New York Post portrayed the leaders of the group, former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton, a former Democratic member of Congress, as “surrender monkeys.”

Now mark the anger in the voices of the American voters as the Far Right continues to ignore their wish to end America’s role in the chaos that is Iraq:

“And the people spake onto these defilers of democracy and said “our will shall be done.” And in 2008 it was. It came to pass that the majority smote these defilers a mighty blow and caused it to be that their power was as nothing, no more than dung dust in the wind. And the defilers, denied access to their perks, henceforth wandered the streets of their capital beating their breasts and crying, “woe are we, for we have sinned against democracy.”<<<

When I was a kid I loved roller coasters but feared Ferris Wheels. I am braver now as this picture shows and besides, this is a Millennium Wheel. We are on the London Eye looking down on past and present. (In England isn’t that always the case?) The large green area in the center is St. James Park created by King Henry the VIII as an area to hunt deer and used by his daughter Elizabeth I for her loved outdoor ceremonies.

Just above is Buckingham Palace and great pictures of it can be taken from the bridge in the park’s center. Not only did I do that, but Barb and I rented lawn chairs and had a pastry breakfast where Henry, Elizabeth and so many other monarchs walked and rode.

Walk about ½ mile above the park’s left edge and you are strolling on Old Bond Street with its own history. Henry VIII bought jewelry for his many loves at the Tiffany store here and crossed the street to check out the newest Ralph Lauren fashions at Polo. For his outdoor wear he walked down a few doors to Timberland.<<<

NY Times lead line: Holocaust Deniers and Skeptics Gather in Iran. Comment: I think this clearly shows that the de-mensa society is alive and unwell.<<<

The Times/Bloomberg Poll - Asked which party they would favor if the election were held today, registered voters picked the Democratic Party by 8 points: Democrats: 49% vs. Republicans: 41% But When asked whom they would favor in the following match-ups if the election for president were held today, registered voters made these choices:

McCain (R): 50% vs. Clinton (D): 36%

Clinton (D): 42% vs. Romney (R):36% Source:

SOS: Does anyone have Barack Obama on his speed dial?>>>

Two people with a strange connection died within the last 10 days. Augusto Pinochet, 1915 – 2006, was the cruel tyrant who, with American help, ousted the legitimately elected, left-leaning President of Chile, Salvador Allende. During the 17 years of his brutal military regime, and with the continuing support of the U. S. he killed and tortured thousands, but few from the wealthy propertied class who now weep at his passing.

Jeane Kirkpatrick, 1926 – 2006, was the U.S. envoy to the United Nations in the 1980s, and the author of the influential 1979 essay "Dictatorships and Double Standards," published by Commentary magazine. Her theses that right-wing authoritarian governments were much better bets for conversion to democracy than left-wing totalitarian (since proven wrong) justified the many instances, especially in Latin America, of brutality and murder in the name of the “greater good.”<<<

In its December issue, The Atlantic Monthly asked ten prominent historians to name the 100 most influential figures in American history. From time to time, I will comment on a few that I believe to be wrongly ranked. But first, here are their top ten. I find little to disagree with in numbers 1-8 – perhaps a couple of switches in the specific rankings, perhaps not. However, Edison (may) be too high at number 9, and Wilson is most certainly undeserving of his 10th place finish.

(The comments for each choice are those of the historians except for those in parenthesis. I claim those.)

1 Abraham Lincoln He saved the Union, freed the slaves, and presided over America’s second founding.

2 George Washington
He made the United States possible—not only by defeating a king, but by declining to become one himself.

3 Thomas Jefferson
The author of the five most important words in American history: “All men are created equal.”

4 Franklin Delano Roosevelt
He said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” and then he proved it.

5 Alexander Hamilton
Soldier, banker, and political scientist, he set in motion an agrarian nation’s transformation into an industrial power.

6 Benjamin Franklin
The Founder-of-all-trades— scientist, printer, writer, diplomat, inventor, and more; like his country, he contained multitudes.

7 John Marshall
The defining chief justice, he established the Supreme Court as the equal of the other two federal branches.

8 Martin Luther King Jr.
His dream of racial equality is still elusive, but no one did more to make it real.

9 Thomas Edison It wasn’t just the lightbulb; the Wizard of Menlo Park was the most prolific inventor in American history.

10 Woodrow Wilson

He made the world safe for U.S. interventionism, if not for democracy.

(This is a good thing? Most of our interventions have turned out badly. In addition, his inability to compromise gave both idealism and intellectualism a bad name. There is no way that Wilson deserves to be in the top 10.)

17 Ronald Reagan
The amiable architect of both the conservative realignment and the Cold War’s end.

(Reagan was a one-trick-pony. He was able to stay on message, because his was so simplistic. He gets too much credit for ending the cold war and too little blame for the illegalities in foreign affairs that happened on his watch. However, by accident, design, or a combination thereof, he did re-legitimize conservatism in America.)

18 Andrew Jackson
The first great populist: he found America a republic and left it a democracy.

(Jackson was also a narrow, bigoted, racist, super-egocentric, unpleasant SOB, but he did, as The Atlantic points out, complete that which Jefferson started – changing the republic to a democracy. For this he probably deserves a higher rating.)<<<

Staying with presidents for a moment. You have heard the expression “ugly is only skin deep.” Of course you haven’t. I just made it up to prove a point. Here is what the NY Herald had to say in commenting about Lincoln having surprisingly received the Republican nomination to run for the White House in 1860: “He has most unwarrantably abused the privilege which all politicians have of being ugly.”

<<< CNN Headline: Iran's leader: 'Zionist regime will soon be wiped out.'

Make me president and I would request a time to speak to the U. N. General Assembly where I would deliver two messages. To Iran: “If you make any attempt to try to destroy Israel, your country will immediately become Southwest Asia’s largest parking lot.” To Israel: “OK, we have your back, now give back the occupied territories and make peace or your cash flow from the U. S. will dry up like an Arizona stream in the dry season.”<<<

Friday was Bill of Rights Day which made me wonder: the way we are allowing some of our basic principles to be damaged in the “war on terror,” will we someday say of the U. S., “We had to destroy our nation to save it?”<<<

On Bruin Basketball:

Sometimes Bruin recruiting reporters will say that UCLA did not try to recruit a certain excellent player because “he is not a good fit.” Many have written and asked what they meant by that phrase.

Here is an answer in these paragraphs about Bruin prize recruit for next year, Kevin Love. His “doesn’t haves” are the baggage that make other players, no matter their high skill level, fall short of the requirements necessary to be recruited by coach Howland and staff.

“There's so much to admire about Love, who doesn't have a posse following him around, doesn't have an entourage of advisors other than his parents, doesn't have any tattoos and doesn't worry about where he'll end up in the legacy of UCLA centers. He's respectful, polite and addresses his elders as ‘Mr. Walton" or ‘Mr. Jabbar."

"The goal is not to be the greatest player," he said. "It's for our team to be the greatest. I play for the love of the game."<<<

Nobody 676

Sunday, December 10, 2006
Nobody # 676

Nobody Asked Me But:

And the years are rollin' by me.
They are rockin' evenly.
I am older than I once was, and younger than I'll be.
That's not unusual.
It isn't strange,
After changes upon changes, we are more or less the same.
After changes, we are more or less the same. Paul Simon – “The Boxer.”

Writing by moonlight:

Happiness is those mornings when the full moon shines down through the atrium and onto my desk and computer, and I work by its light.<<<

This is one of my favorite pictures from our trip. It was taken near Newcastle through a window on the fast train from London to Edinburgh. The North Sea is in the background. At first sight, I thought that the blur ruined it. But then I realized that to me the sense of motion represented the beauty of the trip and all the wonders that we saw and experienced.<<<

“A slide toward chaos could trigger the collapse of Iraq’s government and a humanitarian catastrophe,” the report said in its executive summary. “Neighboring countries could intervene. Sunni-Shia clashes could spread. Al Qaeda could win a propaganda victory and expand its base of operations. The global standing of the United States could be diminished. Americans could become more polarized.”

The passage above is from the report of the Iraq Study Group. The tragedy of this greatly mishandled misadventure is that, at least in my opinion, the outcome described above is inevitable. It is the classic example of turning a bad situation into one that is hopeless.<<<

It is now 6:32 and the sky is lightening, but the full moon remains my companion.<<<

Charles Frazier waited nine years after his first novel, the wonderful “Cold Mountain,” to publish his second. Not wanting to prejudice any of you who may decide to read it, or listen to it as I did, I will say little about “Thirteen Moons,” except that I liked it. However, a question is posed in the book that I want to answer.

It is first asked by Bear, one of two older Cherokees that are like fathers to the novel’s hero, Will Cooper. And later, in his fading years, Cooper poses it to himself: “If you knew you had only one more day would you praise creation or curse God?”

If I am one of the lucky or unlucky ones who know of their impending death, I am sure that in moments of fear, I will curse, not God, but reality. But I also know that my overwhelming feelings will be those of thankfulness that I had the chance to hang around – to know and be known, love and be loved and to live most of the time as opposed to merely existing.<<<

Post script: The lucky or unlucky question above is worth exploring, but at another time.<<<

My grandmother once taught me that two wrongs do not make a right. She should have taught that to Senator John as well.

(1) “McCain seeks more troops for Iraq.” (2) But gays need not apply. Another “good” guy proves himself not so good. Caught off guard by a reporter’s question about whether he supports gay rights, John McCain answered yes and no. He said he opposes "discriminating against any American," and he opposes discrimination in the workplace, BUT he believes in firing gay people from the military.

Sorry John but you don’t get it both ways. You can’t pin on an anti-discrimination badge at the same time you discriminate. My regular army brother, with his 5 tours in Vietnam, is to the right of McCain on most issues. But he still says that he measured those who accompanied him on his jungle forays by their bravery and commitment to duty and not by their sexual preference.<<<

Sir Winston Churchill once wrote that, “Democracy is the worst possible form of government except all others that have been tried.” The same is true of de facto segregation. No, bussing is not wonderful, nor are the other various school district plans that give race an edge. But they are better than the do-nothing alternative. And yet, by next spring, the O’Connor-less Supreme Court will outlaw these plans using the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment as their justification for keeping white schools white.

Well guess what Supremes? If, in a nation still far from integrated, racial minorities were as equally protected by the 14th Amendment as were their white brothers and sisters, de facto segregation would grow smaller by the year, smaller still by the decade, until we would truly be one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

And for my money, you can remove the just from Justice in the four court hard-cores and too often in “Justice” Kennedy, as well.<<<

Two weeks ago, Time Magazine updated the A to Z advances in American health knowledge for 2006. If you read the list you learned:

B – Bacon is bad, especially if you eat it too often. Sausage too. Neither is good news for me, but sometimes love is cruel.

C – Coffee and chocolate are good – unless you are pregnant, in which case, coffee can be bad. But since I am not, excuse me while I have another sip.

R - High doses of resveratrol (found in red wine and, OK, be boring, in red grape juice too) fed to obese mice seemed to prevent problems usually seen in chubby rodents (and people), including diabetes, liver damage and premature death. However, to gain the optimum benefit I will have to drink 100 glasses a day. No sacrifice is too great for one’s health.

W – Wealth; money can't buy happiness, but it can buy health. Big surprise!<<<<

In that same issue I also learned that falling out of bed kills 600 Americans each year. I am thinking of either installing a high railings or rubberizing the floor next to our bed.<<<

FYI: when we encounter the unexpected, the amygdala, a primitive, almond-shaped clump of tissue that sits just above the brainstem signals us to engage danger or to run from it. My amygdala seems to be heavily weighted toward the latter.<<< (Not totally true. My wife thinks I confront danger too much.)

Ever since we attended the signing of his new teen novel, by NY Daily news sports columnist, Mike Lupica, I have been a regular in reading his columns. I recently found these two gems:

“Two days before he resigned, Donald Rumsfeld apparently wrote a memo suggesting that our policy in Iraq isn't working.”

“Rumsfeld also thinks A-Rod has been a bit of a postseason disappointment with the Yankees.”<<<

The second:

“Finally today, a happy birthday to my daughter, Hannah, who turned 8 yesterday.”

"She is our fourth, and our first girl, and I tell her this weekend, in the newspaper, what I tell her all the time: she was, in all wonderful ways, worth the wait.”<<<

Did you read recently that an Orange County couple claim that to get proper schooling for their severely autistic son, they were forced to shower employees at his elementary school with diamond jewelry, Coach bags, Chanel perfume and other lavish gifts worth a total of $100,000, according to a legal claim filed this month?

Funny, the best I ever got was a box of See’s chocolates.<<<

And here is still another item from those weird schools in Orange County. It seems that students at University High in Irvine currently use a numeric code linked to a prepaid account to buy their lunch or snacks, but the principal decided it would be safer to take their fingerprints and scan them as students traversed the lunch line. After numerous parent privacy complaints the district overruled his plan, but think of the wasted possibilities.

There could scanners set up at classroom doors, so administrators (they too would be printed) could not enter without an appointment. And why stop there?

Let’s add telephones with angry-voice recognition software to automatically screen out of control parents.

Any other suggestions?<<<

Number 1, UCLA 65-62 over # 6 Texas A&M! The picture (left) is of the past and present – Coach Wooden congratulating Coach Howland.

Nobody 675

Sunday, December 3, 2006
Nobody # 675

Nobody Asked Me But:

















“As you can see, I had enough left over for chips and guacamole.”<<<

Welcome to December. Do you know December's motto? I thought not. It's "No time like the presents.”<<<

An article in the NY Times last week was headed: Cities Compete in Hipness Battle to Attract Young.

They mentioned two places from my youth, Lansing and Memphis. I was born in the former and they did offer a lot to the young – a small hospital to handle my birth, and a doctor’s office where I had my tonsils removed while being calmed with lies that “this won’t hurt” and “you can have plenty of ice cream afterwards,” while they put me to sleep by dripping chloroform on to a cloth held over my face.

As for Memphis, what more could the young ask for than a non-virgin club in my high school. The only problem was that I knew nothing about it until it made headlines all over the country, and by that time we were long gone to Arizona.

One hip city that was glaringly overlooked was Granada Hills where we have a new McDonalds and three Ralph’s markets, two across the street from one another.<<<

Quote of the week comes from evolving conservative, Clint Eastwood: “It's not that you shouldn't defend your country, but I just think you can say to a younger generation, here or anywhere, that there must be a better way to live than to send 18-year-olds to go die somewhere."

A matter of ethics – two cases:

Q - We could enroll our older daughter in a school for gifted children or in a very good school for children who are bright but not gifted. The attraction of the latter is that it has a strong sibling admissions policy, all but ensuring her younger sister’s acceptance. Should we consider our younger child’s interests in deciding where to send her sister? David, Los Angeles

JT - Would you deny your older daughter an education at Julliard because your younger one is not as musically inclined? I didn’t think so. One of the very best gifts we can give our children is to teach them that, even within a strong family bond, they are unique and special. Assuming that the first school is not only gifted, but desirable, send your older daughter there. Then seek out the school for your younger daughter that best meets her ability level.

Q - I teach ethics to 17- to 19-year-olds in Bavaria. By law, Muslim students attend ethics lessons instead of Christian studies. My class also includes Protestants and Catholics and some nonreligious students, an interesting mix. Some Muslims, often very religious, ask if I am religious. Shall I tell the truth (I’m not religious, but accept any nonfundamentalist religious belief), or avoid answering so as not to confuse them or cause conflict in their families? Peter, Germany

JT - This begs an interesting question – especially for an ethics teacher. Obviously in most instances it is unethical to lie. But does the same rule apply to avoiding a question? Can you just say, “Since this is an ethics class, my religious beliefs are irrelevant?” I think not. Even though ethics and religion can be completely separate, in many minds they are deeply entwined. I think that ethically speaking you owe your students a truthful answer so that they can adjust to any bias that may, even without intent, creep into your teaching. Thoughts?<<<

I am reading a highly recommended book, (I just can’t remember who recommended it) “Is Democracy Possible Here; Principles For A New Political Debate,” by Ronald Dworkin who is a law professor at New York University and at University College, Oxford.

In an early chapter, he quotes from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

The Newter, a self-anointed semi-intellectual, paints a strangely simplistic canvas of the differences between America’s Reds and Blues. Since the theme of Dworkin’s book is how to rediscover political debate as opposed to our current political war, I thought it would be interesting to test myself against Gingrich’s assumptions.

CAMP 1 - BLUE

Let’s take them one by one in order to see whether Newt’s principles are phony labels.

Newt - Blues are elites who want to:

1. Drive God out of public life.

If by public, Newt means political, i.e., government, then I stand with the Founding Fathers (and with Jesus) in their desire to separate Caesar and God.

2. Scorn American history.

I love American history. That’s why I taught it for so long. Recognizing faults does not cancel love.

3. Support economic regulation over freedom and competition.

I support a compromise between regulation and free enterprise. So did Newt, every time he voted for a farm subsidy or a corporate bailout.

4. Like the NY Times and are internationalists.

Isn’t everyone except Pat Buchanan to some degree an internationalist? I would bet that even Gingrich does not disdain working with the international community whenever possible. As for the NY Times, I plead guilty. If I turned red and had to give it up, I would miss reading the best conservative columnist in the country – David Brooks.

CAMP 2 – RED

Now for the big question - can I find any common cause with the “reds?”

Newt – Reds are:

1. Proud of our history.

Anybody who is absolutely proud of our history needs either a refresher course in that history or one in morality. But, like Walt Whitman, “I am large, I contain multitudes.” This means I can be both proud and ashamed of our past. I believe that we are the greatest nation ever, but one that has committed monstrous crimes. I will mention three glaring ones, but there are others – our genocidal policy towards the Indians, our long-term commitment to slavery and our 100-year support of segregation.

2. Know how integral God is to understanding American exceptionalism.

Here I can’t qualify. I do not believe in God. As for exceptionalism , the word smacks of the very elitism of which Gingrich accuses the Blues. You can’t have it both ways Newtster.

3. Know how vital the creative and competitive spirit is to being American.

Once again, I have to plead Whitman. I love our creativity but feel ambivalent about our competitive spirit. Much of it is based on greed and selfishness, two human qualities that fuel success and have made us wealthy and powerful beyond belief – but that leave behind a large segment of losers whose bitterness and despair have a very long half-life. On the other hand, much goodness comes out of competing with ones-self to be the very best.

4. Believe that the world is worth defending even if it irritates our allies.

To begin with, Newt is being disingenuous here. Our allies believe the world is worth defending. What we sometimes differ on are the when’s, where’s and whys. If our cause is just and, despite our efforts to bring them along, our allies still withhold support, then I am all for going alone. IF OUR CAUSE IS JUST!

Iraq quotes of the week – both by Thomas Friedman of the NY Times:

“We need to face our real choices in Iraq, which are - 10 months or 10 years.” “

Anyone who tells you that we can just train a few more Iraqi troops and police officers and then slip out in two or three years is either lying or a fool.”<<<

Here’s what was “Bruin” last week.

Basketball:

Number 1 UCLA 88, Long Beach State 58! Player of the game: Josh Shipp.

Football:

UCLA 13, USC-BCS 9! Player of the game: Eric McNeal.