Nobody 720

Sunday, November 25, 2007
Nobody # 720

Nobody Asked Me But:

"Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and to make gentle the life of this world. RFK, Indianapolis, 4/4/68<<<

What better place to start than to tame the savageness that has become the essence of American politics? What can you and I do? We can support the candidates for office who best reflect our political and personal philosophy, AND who do so with humility and courtesy and respect. One can be strong and tough without being savage.<<<

Here is your question from last week and my answer to it: Looking back on all the great TV series finales over the years, which show do you believe had the best final episode?

Four quickly come to mind: “Mary Tyler Moore,” “M*A*S*H*,” “The Sopranos” AND “Everwood.” “The Sopranos” ended with delightful ambiguity, while “M*A*S*H*” and “Everwood” did just the opposite. Their story lines came together with positive conclusions. I have especially warm feelings about “Everwood.” From its fairy tale beginning, when Andy, America’s best heart transplant surgeon, arrives in Everwood to practice family medicine – for free - the program warmed my heart. That its conclusion was also a fairy tale, with love winning all around and Amy producing a Ferris wheel for Ephram in his front yard, seemed totally fitting.

But my choice is “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” It was one of the first television shows to bring closure in its last episode, and it did so with beauty and grace.

Remember that night in 1977? The entire news staff, with the exception of inept anchorman Ted Baxter, has been fired. In the final moments Mary, Lou, Murray, Ted, his wife, Georgette, and Sue Ann mass together in a teary group hug and, as they leave, Mary looks back over the newsroom and then, for the last time, turns out the lights. Exit perfect.<<<

DOWN: Republican politicians on Iraq, for claiming that - “Only we can save you from the consequences of our own disaster.” You have to admit that this is a little perverse.<<<

DOWN and DOWN again: Rudy Giuliani for his failure, as shown by the two quotes below, to be true to himself.

“I believe in the woman’s right to choose”…. but I will appoint judges who don’t.”

“I believe in gun control”…. but I will appoint judges who don’t.”<<<

DOWN: Congress for offering immunity to telephone companies in return for their cooperation with the government's wiretapping program. It is like being given a help the government invade privacy and get out of jail free card.<<<

UP: David Brooks - who recently wrote, “I had thought that the magic of the information age was that it allowed us to know more, but then I realized the magic of the information age is that it allows us to know less.”

There is humility in accepting the fact that my computer knows more than I do. But there is also great power, because, at least for now, I remain the keeper of the keyboard.

And shouldn’t the real revolution in education be in changing our curriculum to reading and writing and ‘rithmatic AND Google?<<<

DOWN: Still another year of having this turkey on the White House lawn.

Ups - that's not Bush.

UP: UCLA. Here’s what Andy Katz of ESPN had to say after their great comeback win over Michigan State Tuesday.

“Now, imagine what UCLA will be like when it is healthy. If it resembles anything close to the team that played with the passion and purpose of the second half, then the Bruins should be on their way to making a third-straight Final Four appearance. Yes, it may be only November, but clearly the Bruins have April on their mind.” Like their coach, this Bruin team is talented and tough and, also like their coach, they are at the head of their class.

What I like about this team:

1. Character – they are all great young men – the kind I would want Emily to marry (in 14 years or so).
2. Toughness – they leave it all on the floor.
3. Unselfishness – They are all about team.
4. The way Love and Mata-Real can jump and bump.

What I like about Ben Howland: 1

. He recruits for the above.
2. His teams at UCLA have consistently played above their ability level.<<<

DOWN: Another Bruin injury. Alfred Aboya suffered a fracture below his right eye during the Bruins’ easy win over Yale on Friday. He will miss from 2 weeks to a month and a half, depending on the severity of his injury.<<<

Hello everyone. I’m Jim Turner and I’m an addict - again.

But I’m taking the cure. As soon as I finish writing this, I am heading to South Korea’s Jump Up Internet Rescue School, which is like a boot camp for the young (and me) to cure our addiction to cyberspace.

And did you know that South Korea is perhaps the most wired nation on earth. 90% of their homes connect to cheap, high-speed broadband.

I can’t match some of the other addicts at JUISC who spend seventeen hours a day on line, but that is only because I have to share the computer with my wife.

(I think I will skip the obstacles courses and sign up for the therapeutic workshops on pottery and drumming.)<<<

FYI

THE TOP 10 FATTEST CITIES: 2006's 10 Fattest Cities are (with their 2005 ranking in parenthesis):

1 Chicago (5) 2
Las Vegas (9)
3 Los Angeles (21 fittest)
4 Dallas (6)
5 Houston (1)
6 Memphis, Tenn. (4)
7 Long Beach, Calif. (20)
8 El Paso, Texas (11)
9 Kansas City, Mo. (18)
10 Mesa, Ariz. (15)

THE TOP 10 FITTEST CITIES 2006's 10 Fittest Cities (with their 2005 ranking in parenthesis):

1 Baltimore (25 fattest)
2 Honolulu (2)
3 Virginia Beach, Va. (12)
4 Tucson, Ariz.
5 Milwaukee (15)
6 Colorado Springs, Colo. (3)
7 San Francisco (4)
8 Seattle (1)
9 Louisville-Jefferson, Ky. (not ranked)
10 Boston (11)<<<

While not a savage, our next president must be both a warrior and a peacemaker. Which begs a question about each of my favorites:

Can Barack be a warrior?

Can Hillary be a peacemaker?<<<

Didn’t I see this in a science fiction movie– robots seeking independence from their programs and programmers?

Only this time it is not a movie and the robots are mechanical cockroaches. Scientists placed them in groups of real roaches to study the nasties from within. But 39% of the robots rebelled and despite being programmed to prefer a lighter shelter, joined the cockroaches under the darker one.<<<

Here are your participation questions for next week:

Suppose that right now, you could be at your favorite vacation spot reading your favorite book, listening to your favorite CD and eating your favorite food. What would your choices be in each if these categories?

And

If you could take a ride on anything in the world, what would you most want to ride?<<<

A very happy birthday tomorrow to my son Greg - pictured here with Ben.<<<