Posts
One thing I do that is absolutely not smart: I write something on the computer, I do research for someone, or I look at something on the Internet and copy and paste it to Word on my computer, then, when saving it, I STUPIDLY just save it to the desktop, knowing later I'll come back and move it to the correct file folder.
Today is one of those times when I'm moving files to their respective folders. Almost everytime I do this, I promise myself that next time when I initially complete the action, I put the results in the correct file right then and not save to desktop.
I've made and broken this promise to myself many times. I get into a rush and, yes, it is faster to save to desktop. Is faster the same as smarter? Absoltuely not. Why? Because with some of these docs or items I saved quickly with some crazy name, I must now take the time to open the doc to figure ot what it is and, therefore, to where it should be moved! That is NOT an efficient use of time. Sometimes I have to rename the file as I move it to a folder. It would be more efficient to at least get it into the correct folder, even with a crazy filename. When I'm searching for it, I would at least start in the right place.
I'll try to do better, but won't promise to do so regarding this matter, since I've broken this promise so many times. I'm not proud of breaking promises to myself, but I only do so regarding a few issues - won't eat more chocolate, will lose weight, will file correctly, will get rid of some of the thins I have that I no longer need. (like the size 8 clothes that are too small, but just in case I lose weight, I need them!).
Breaking promises is stupid. If I'm going to break them, I shouldn't make them to begin with. So, I promise to try to do better in this area!
So what do I think is really stupid and I hope I am absolutely wrong! On a newscast last night, the announcement was made that the new Martin Luther King Memorial in D.C. is open and, among the 16 or so sayings of Dr. King is NOT anything from the "Dream Speech." Could this possibly be true? I cannot believe they would leave out that great line about looking at character instead of a person's skin color. The reporter must be wrong.
At the same time, the original sculptor for the statue was eliminated because he refused to create a huge, overpowering piece of art, stating (I'm paraphrasing) that Dr. King was a humble man and would never have wanted his image to be so "out there." Instead, Dr. King would have wanted the words to stand, not the image. I can agree with that.. I think when people reach the place of being truly great, they have lost a lot of their own ego and their beings are broken into pieces that others can easily absorb.
I'm sure we'll hear more about the memorial over the next few days, since it is suppose to be dedicated (with grand opening) on the anniversary of the Dream Speech and March on Washington, which, to my regret, I didn't participate in.
If the reporter is correct, I can only say, 1) as stupid as I am sometimes, I'm not as stupid as to leave out Dr. King's MOST FAMOUS words and 2) is everyone on drugs except for my very close friends and me?
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Appreciating Life in America
Today, millions of people of all ages all over the world are carrying buckets as they walk various distances to community wells, or to rivers and lakes, many polluted, to obtain the water they will need for cooking, washing, etc. I do not know if they have to pay for the water. Many, however, probably struggle to carry the heavy weight of liquid.
Most Americans, however, can walk into the kitchen, bathroom, or to the front or back yard, turn on the faucet, adjusting the temperature from hot to cold (typically only cold water outside the house), and let pour as much water as is needed for the task. We do pay for the water, but it is brought right to our homes. Also, we receive reports on the quality of the water and, if a pipe breaks, we can usually get help right away.
Today, millions of people all over the world are washing clothes and other items as they stand in the lake or river and scrub by hand. Then they hang out the items on the line to dry.
Most Americans, however, can walk to the washer, throw the clothes in, add detergent, set the machine, and walk away, enjoying an automatic cleansing of items. When the washing has finished, we toss the clothes into the dryer. We pay for the appliances and we pay for the electricity or gas to run them. We once had to separate clothes by colors and now there are chemically treated paper cloths available that will absorb any dyes that run from clothing/items. Whites can go in with reds. That's both good and bad. Good that we advanced to that and bad because it always was fun to see guys that washed red t-shirts with white underwear end up wearing pink briefs! Of course, items are still separated by weight - heavy jeans not washed with delicate silks. And some people in our country do wash by hand and hang out clothes. Most of us, however, who have had to do that (and I have), find a way to buy the washer and dryer. After all, we need time to watch our favorite TV programs.
Which brings us to television. Many people in the world do NOT have televisions, much less computers, cellphones, even land-line phones, etc., although more and more people are getting cellphones, even in third-world nations. I think radio may be where most third-world nations start, since it is cheaper.
In America, we have access to all types of technology, including Ipads and Iphones with cameras. We even have those big screens on the walls that present us with fabulously clear and detailed pictures. Of course, for we chocoholics, it is overwhelming to see an M&Ms package that is 2 feet by 9 inches.
People around the world have no way to keep their foods cool.
In America, we have refrigerators and freezers. Sometimes, I remember the icebox in the old Jackie Gleason TV show. Did somebody, using those big pincers, drag ice up all those stairs to their apartment? How much did the ice cost? Before electriciy, where did the ice come from? Did people go on ships to the Arctic, cut out ice blocks, transport them back to the big cities, and sell the ice in those horse-drawn carriages the moved through the streets? What a far cry from the refrigerated units we now enjoy. We can even get ice from the fridge door!
Around the world, people suffer with the heat and cold, not to mention all the bugs, snakes, and other critters.
In America, we have window air conditioners, space heaters, fireplaces, or, if more fortunate, central air and heat. We have lots of cans of chemicals we can spray to kill what we don't want in the house or we can pay someone to come protect us from yucky things, except for fire ants, that is!
My mind wanders - I think fireants came to the U.S. from South America. Their bites are horrible. Many illegal drugs also come from there. Maybe the fire ants were sent purposefully so that people with lots of bites would use illegal drugs to erase the reality of itching and burning. Another conspiracy!
Getting back on track - around the world, people walk, ride camels, ride horses, ride in wagons that are pulled by oxen, horses, even people, or endure some other more difficult type of transportation.
In America, we climb into our cars and pickup trucks and go wherever we want, depending on how much money we have for fuel and maintenance. Hopefully, the license tag has been paid for, the vehicle has an up-to-date inspection sticker, and there is insurance. In America, trucks of all sizes transport stuff we want to stores at which we shop for food, clothing, furniture, etc.
Around the world, people live in villages with no doctor. They suffer with no prescription drugs.
In America, we have doctors everywhere and many so specialized they can fix almost anything wrong with us. We have drugstores in every town. Maybe we even have too much availability of prescription drugs.
Around the world, people can't vote for their leaders. In fact, in many places, they wake up and go to sleep listening to gunfire.
Oh, should have left out that last sentence. Unfortunately, we have that in America, although we can vote for our leaders. Of course, many Americans are too lazy to read about the issues, make up their minds, and go to the trouble of going to the voting booth.
Around the world, millions of children get no education.
In America, every child gets an education that is free for them (although taxpayers pay for it). As I told my students during the four years I taught in a public school, if you don't like it here because you have to study and do homework, I can guarantee you there are many children who would be very happy to switch lives with you, even if they had to do 10 times the work!
There are very ugly things that happen to many people around the world.
We have some of that, but we do have law and order and most laws are enforced and most law enforcement people are good and honest and care about protecting and serving society.
The point - shut up all the complaining. Yes, we have high unemployment - 9.1% unemployed, means 90.9% employed, on average. As bad as it is for there to be 50% unemloyment among teens in Chicago and Detroit, at least 50% do have jobs.
Yes we have inflation in food and energy prices. But we have food and energy available to us.
I'm not trying to negate the pain of people who have lost jobs and who are having a hard time paying for food and gas, mortgages, and other bills. You have a right to complain and more power to you. Scream as loud as you want to!
What I am saying is, for my friends who complain even though they live in nice and clean homes, have jobs, cars, running water, appliances, and so much more, please realize even the poorest people in America are richer than who are considered the richest people in some third world nations. If your guy or girl dumped you, there are more possibilities out there. Unless you have a really good reason for complaining, please keep your petty complaints to yourself and share with us friends the really serious issues.
Today, I'm washing clothes in my washer and will toss them into my dryer. Today, I water the plants in my cottage with water I obtained by simply turning on the faucet. This morning I drove to the bank, the post office, and Wal-mart in a car that got me there safe and in much faster time than I could have walked, ridden a horse, camel, elephant, ox, or dinosaur. I haven't yet met any aliens from other planets who would zap me up from my cottage and zap me down at my target errands.
As bad as this heat is for us, I think it was worse for the pioneers, who tilled the fields and, when they came into their houses to rest, they had only breezes (if there were any) through open windows (without screens) to enjoy.
In America, we have it great. Yes, we have problems. Our citizens have brains and if the complainers would stop complaining and start coming up with solutions to our problems, wouldn't we all be better off?
I greatly appreciate being an American and having access to so much. I especially appreciate that my children and grandchildren are healthy and if an accident happens, we can call an ambulance or we can drive down the road a few miles to a hospital. And, I appreciate that I can write this as my washer does its work.
I am so proud to be an American. And, I am so NOT a socialist or communist. I don't want to give up what we have so that someone else can have it. I'd rather just see all those millions of people all over the world come up to our lifestyle (the postiive parts of it) without our having to lose what we have. The more educated and informed those people become, the better the chance they will work for what we have. If you don't believe that, look at China and India! I believe in Capitalism and those nations that are reaching and passing us are doing it through Capitlism.
Education and information are key, as are the opportunities for entrepreneurs and inventors to bring their ideas into practial technology that can be freely available and purchased.
Washer shut off - time to toss clothes into the dryer and for me to move on to the next project. Think I'll go to the refrigerator and fill my glass with tea. How I appreciate being so fortunate!
Most Americans, however, can walk into the kitchen, bathroom, or to the front or back yard, turn on the faucet, adjusting the temperature from hot to cold (typically only cold water outside the house), and let pour as much water as is needed for the task. We do pay for the water, but it is brought right to our homes. Also, we receive reports on the quality of the water and, if a pipe breaks, we can usually get help right away.
Today, millions of people all over the world are washing clothes and other items as they stand in the lake or river and scrub by hand. Then they hang out the items on the line to dry.
Most Americans, however, can walk to the washer, throw the clothes in, add detergent, set the machine, and walk away, enjoying an automatic cleansing of items. When the washing has finished, we toss the clothes into the dryer. We pay for the appliances and we pay for the electricity or gas to run them. We once had to separate clothes by colors and now there are chemically treated paper cloths available that will absorb any dyes that run from clothing/items. Whites can go in with reds. That's both good and bad. Good that we advanced to that and bad because it always was fun to see guys that washed red t-shirts with white underwear end up wearing pink briefs! Of course, items are still separated by weight - heavy jeans not washed with delicate silks. And some people in our country do wash by hand and hang out clothes. Most of us, however, who have had to do that (and I have), find a way to buy the washer and dryer. After all, we need time to watch our favorite TV programs.
Which brings us to television. Many people in the world do NOT have televisions, much less computers, cellphones, even land-line phones, etc., although more and more people are getting cellphones, even in third-world nations. I think radio may be where most third-world nations start, since it is cheaper.
In America, we have access to all types of technology, including Ipads and Iphones with cameras. We even have those big screens on the walls that present us with fabulously clear and detailed pictures. Of course, for we chocoholics, it is overwhelming to see an M&Ms package that is 2 feet by 9 inches.
People around the world have no way to keep their foods cool.
In America, we have refrigerators and freezers. Sometimes, I remember the icebox in the old Jackie Gleason TV show. Did somebody, using those big pincers, drag ice up all those stairs to their apartment? How much did the ice cost? Before electriciy, where did the ice come from? Did people go on ships to the Arctic, cut out ice blocks, transport them back to the big cities, and sell the ice in those horse-drawn carriages the moved through the streets? What a far cry from the refrigerated units we now enjoy. We can even get ice from the fridge door!
Around the world, people suffer with the heat and cold, not to mention all the bugs, snakes, and other critters.
In America, we have window air conditioners, space heaters, fireplaces, or, if more fortunate, central air and heat. We have lots of cans of chemicals we can spray to kill what we don't want in the house or we can pay someone to come protect us from yucky things, except for fire ants, that is!
My mind wanders - I think fireants came to the U.S. from South America. Their bites are horrible. Many illegal drugs also come from there. Maybe the fire ants were sent purposefully so that people with lots of bites would use illegal drugs to erase the reality of itching and burning. Another conspiracy!
Getting back on track - around the world, people walk, ride camels, ride horses, ride in wagons that are pulled by oxen, horses, even people, or endure some other more difficult type of transportation.
In America, we climb into our cars and pickup trucks and go wherever we want, depending on how much money we have for fuel and maintenance. Hopefully, the license tag has been paid for, the vehicle has an up-to-date inspection sticker, and there is insurance. In America, trucks of all sizes transport stuff we want to stores at which we shop for food, clothing, furniture, etc.
Around the world, people live in villages with no doctor. They suffer with no prescription drugs.
In America, we have doctors everywhere and many so specialized they can fix almost anything wrong with us. We have drugstores in every town. Maybe we even have too much availability of prescription drugs.
Around the world, people can't vote for their leaders. In fact, in many places, they wake up and go to sleep listening to gunfire.
Oh, should have left out that last sentence. Unfortunately, we have that in America, although we can vote for our leaders. Of course, many Americans are too lazy to read about the issues, make up their minds, and go to the trouble of going to the voting booth.
Around the world, millions of children get no education.
In America, every child gets an education that is free for them (although taxpayers pay for it). As I told my students during the four years I taught in a public school, if you don't like it here because you have to study and do homework, I can guarantee you there are many children who would be very happy to switch lives with you, even if they had to do 10 times the work!
There are very ugly things that happen to many people around the world.
We have some of that, but we do have law and order and most laws are enforced and most law enforcement people are good and honest and care about protecting and serving society.
The point - shut up all the complaining. Yes, we have high unemployment - 9.1% unemployed, means 90.9% employed, on average. As bad as it is for there to be 50% unemloyment among teens in Chicago and Detroit, at least 50% do have jobs.
Yes we have inflation in food and energy prices. But we have food and energy available to us.
I'm not trying to negate the pain of people who have lost jobs and who are having a hard time paying for food and gas, mortgages, and other bills. You have a right to complain and more power to you. Scream as loud as you want to!
What I am saying is, for my friends who complain even though they live in nice and clean homes, have jobs, cars, running water, appliances, and so much more, please realize even the poorest people in America are richer than who are considered the richest people in some third world nations. If your guy or girl dumped you, there are more possibilities out there. Unless you have a really good reason for complaining, please keep your petty complaints to yourself and share with us friends the really serious issues.
Today, I'm washing clothes in my washer and will toss them into my dryer. Today, I water the plants in my cottage with water I obtained by simply turning on the faucet. This morning I drove to the bank, the post office, and Wal-mart in a car that got me there safe and in much faster time than I could have walked, ridden a horse, camel, elephant, ox, or dinosaur. I haven't yet met any aliens from other planets who would zap me up from my cottage and zap me down at my target errands.
As bad as this heat is for us, I think it was worse for the pioneers, who tilled the fields and, when they came into their houses to rest, they had only breezes (if there were any) through open windows (without screens) to enjoy.
In America, we have it great. Yes, we have problems. Our citizens have brains and if the complainers would stop complaining and start coming up with solutions to our problems, wouldn't we all be better off?
I greatly appreciate being an American and having access to so much. I especially appreciate that my children and grandchildren are healthy and if an accident happens, we can call an ambulance or we can drive down the road a few miles to a hospital. And, I appreciate that I can write this as my washer does its work.
I am so proud to be an American. And, I am so NOT a socialist or communist. I don't want to give up what we have so that someone else can have it. I'd rather just see all those millions of people all over the world come up to our lifestyle (the postiive parts of it) without our having to lose what we have. The more educated and informed those people become, the better the chance they will work for what we have. If you don't believe that, look at China and India! I believe in Capitalism and those nations that are reaching and passing us are doing it through Capitlism.
Education and information are key, as are the opportunities for entrepreneurs and inventors to bring their ideas into practial technology that can be freely available and purchased.
Washer shut off - time to toss clothes into the dryer and for me to move on to the next project. Think I'll go to the refrigerator and fill my glass with tea. How I appreciate being so fortunate!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Old South Slavery and Modern College Football
People who know me are well aware I do not keep up with professional or college sports. In fact, I see much of it, especially football, as similar to the old gladiator fights of the Roman Empire in which testosterone-laden people exhibited their blood-thirstyness. I am astounded that it has taken so long for the NFL and other leaders in all levels of football to FINALLY become aware that players can receive head injuries that devastate their lives and FINALLY intervent.
Players have a hard time saying no to the money they receive for their participation. Owners know there are plenty of other potential players, so, if someone gets hurt, there will be a replacement. Fortunately, enough evidence of brain injuries is coming forth to make changes in equipment and observations of players.
As a person who promotes education, I despise seeing high school coaches make enormous pay while teachers receive much less and academic programs take the back burner to blood-and-guts football.
All that is said to emphasize I come to any discussion of football with a prejudice against it. So please take what I say with a grain of salt.
What bothers me now comes from a recent conversation with my son, Rocky, who is a football expert. In fact, he is an expert in almost all sports. When Rocky was a kid and I let him come to the Shamrock Hilton in Houston (I played piano and sang in the lounge), he so impressed members of the LA Dodgers that I personally was told by some of the team members that Rocky knew more about their records than they did. Even Steve Garvey came to meet this kid who knew so much. And players were very happy to provide Rocky with free tickets to Dodger games when they came to Houston to play.
I think people who play this Fantasy Football with Rocky also are well aware of his expertise.
So, what did he tell me that made me so angry? Simply, that college football teams make a lot of money from their football programs and are not allowed to give money to players. So I looked up the 2010 stats.
UT grossed $93,942,815 and, after paying coaches salaries, for equipment, and for other expenses, they netted $68,830,484 in profit for the college.
U of Georgia grossed $70,838,539 and profit was $52,529,885.
Penn State grossed $70,208,584 and profit was $50,427,645.
Michigan grossed $63,189,417 and profit was $44,861,184.
And Florida (the school that I asked Rocky about because of recent news regarding illegal spending on players) grossed $68,715,750 and profit was $4,258,193.
That is over $1 billion in profit from just those five colleges.
How does this relate to the old plantation owners, IN MY MIND?
I grew up in the Deep South, in Georgia. The 1950s and 1960s were filled with us trying to figure out the Old South Slavery issue. I personally marched for Civil Rights in the 1960s. I made a point of making appointments with the pastors of various African-American churches to ask why all the fuss. I attended services once at Dr. Martin Luther King's church. I remember the pain in the eyes of the African American teenager who registered at Roosevelt High School, where I attended in Atlanta, when she was snubbed by so many students and spoken to by very few of us Anglo kids.
I believe in equal rights, the equality of all humans, and, like Dr. King, that we should look at character and not at skin color, gender, ableness, IQ, etc.
Also, a student of history, I'm very acquainted with (from various sources) life on plantations. Slaves were African Americans and slave owners were Anglos.
Slave owners gave slaves a place to sleep.
Slave owners gave slaves food to eat.
Slave owners provided tools for slaves to use.
Slave owners required work of the slaves and did not allow them to be educated, to learn to read or write, etc.
Slaves were not paid money, which would have given them freedom to buy what they wanted.
All financial benefit from the work of slaves went to slave owners.
In my opinion, how does this compare to College Football programs?
Colleges give scholarships to players (of all races), part of which is providing a place to sleep (called room, as in room and board).
Colleges give players scholarships, providing food to eat (called board, as in room and board).
Colleges give players equipment to use.
Colleges require players to work by performing on the football field, whether in practice or in games.
Colleges to not pay players money, although, if on scholarship, they do give them books and provide them with education. I don't have the stats on how many college football players are on scholarship (full or part) and how many pay for their own education.
All financial benefit goes to the colleges.
The only difference I see, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, is that slaves were imprisoned in the system for life, whereas, colleges let go of students who are players, giving them the freedom to be where and do what they want for the remainder of their lives. Certainly, this is better than the Old South.
But, what is NOT better, in my opinion, is that these young college football players, whether on scholarship or not, need money for cars, clothes, dates, etc., and are not given any pay by the college so they can avoid stepping into the clutches of the fans who circumvent the rules and provide them with things they need. I understand one isn't even allowed to give a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to a player. I don't know if that is an extreme, but I did hear that stated.
The colleges tell us they don't pay players so that the field is even for all colleges. In other words, the big high-monied colleges, if allowed to pay players, could pay more, thus encouraging players to come there and eliminating the better talent from smaller colleges.
I haven't done enough research to learn how much the smaller colleges gross and net, but wouldn't it be possible to select an amount of money that even they could pay players so that all players, across the board in college football, received some pay that would allow them to buy cars, date girls, buy clothes, get a shake at Sonic, etc., without having to take money under the table. Of course, some would still go the illegal route. There are always people who like to cut corners. But at least MOST players would be fairly paid for their work.
According to the 2010 Report from the Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports,
"In Division I football, African
That tells me almost half of all football players in Division 1 football are Black. So half of the students not being paid are, for the most part, descendents of slaves. Where are Jesse Jackson and other Black leaders on this issue?
And just as bad are the White players, Latinos, and Asians. Where are the leaders of these groups on this issue?
If you look at the entire 2010 report, you see that in college football, there is a much higher percentage of Whites in the administrative, coaching, and other leadership roles for the colleges.
I believe God gave humans brains so that we can make life more fair. To me, it certainly is NOT fair for the colleges to make so much profit on the backs of these players while not sharing some of that bounty with them. Again, young people need cars, clothes, and spending money for dating, etc.
Further, it is grossly unethical to place these young people into positions of having to make moral decisions on where to obtain such money. These students have enough to deal with as they study, stay healthy, stay away from drugs, learn to interact successfully with their peers and with others. Why set them up to skirt the rules?
Can't people see by tempting them to travel down the negative brain path of breaking rules, that we are creating a future for them that may make it easier for them to break many other rules.
The point is, change the NCAA rules and pay these young people something. Don't continue this style of Old South Plantation Slavery by taking advantage of students.
In case you are interested, The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports has many documents available online about all level of sports.
At some point, things will change and student players will be paid. That may happen only in the distant future as people stop paying for tickets and stop watching football on TV as they realize they are promoting this inequality and demand fairness. The sad thing is, every viewer and every attendee at these college football games is unconsciously (or, for some, even consciously) giving an OK to this behavior. So, if you don't like it, email the NCAA and ask them to change the rules (that is called lobbying, for those of you who aren't familiar with the term).
Obviously, I have another reason for not watching college football. Give me blood-and-guts chess tournaments any day (that is sarcasm)!‐Americans account for 45.8 percent of the athletes and whites hold 45.1 percent, indicating the levels of participation between these two races continue to remain very close."
Players have a hard time saying no to the money they receive for their participation. Owners know there are plenty of other potential players, so, if someone gets hurt, there will be a replacement. Fortunately, enough evidence of brain injuries is coming forth to make changes in equipment and observations of players.
As a person who promotes education, I despise seeing high school coaches make enormous pay while teachers receive much less and academic programs take the back burner to blood-and-guts football.
All that is said to emphasize I come to any discussion of football with a prejudice against it. So please take what I say with a grain of salt.
What bothers me now comes from a recent conversation with my son, Rocky, who is a football expert. In fact, he is an expert in almost all sports. When Rocky was a kid and I let him come to the Shamrock Hilton in Houston (I played piano and sang in the lounge), he so impressed members of the LA Dodgers that I personally was told by some of the team members that Rocky knew more about their records than they did. Even Steve Garvey came to meet this kid who knew so much. And players were very happy to provide Rocky with free tickets to Dodger games when they came to Houston to play.
I think people who play this Fantasy Football with Rocky also are well aware of his expertise.
So, what did he tell me that made me so angry? Simply, that college football teams make a lot of money from their football programs and are not allowed to give money to players. So I looked up the 2010 stats.
UT grossed $93,942,815 and, after paying coaches salaries, for equipment, and for other expenses, they netted $68,830,484 in profit for the college.
U of Georgia grossed $70,838,539 and profit was $52,529,885.
Penn State grossed $70,208,584 and profit was $50,427,645.
Michigan grossed $63,189,417 and profit was $44,861,184.
And Florida (the school that I asked Rocky about because of recent news regarding illegal spending on players) grossed $68,715,750 and profit was $4,258,193.
That is over $1 billion in profit from just those five colleges.
How does this relate to the old plantation owners, IN MY MIND?
I grew up in the Deep South, in Georgia. The 1950s and 1960s were filled with us trying to figure out the Old South Slavery issue. I personally marched for Civil Rights in the 1960s. I made a point of making appointments with the pastors of various African-American churches to ask why all the fuss. I attended services once at Dr. Martin Luther King's church. I remember the pain in the eyes of the African American teenager who registered at Roosevelt High School, where I attended in Atlanta, when she was snubbed by so many students and spoken to by very few of us Anglo kids.
I believe in equal rights, the equality of all humans, and, like Dr. King, that we should look at character and not at skin color, gender, ableness, IQ, etc.
Also, a student of history, I'm very acquainted with (from various sources) life on plantations. Slaves were African Americans and slave owners were Anglos.
Slave owners gave slaves a place to sleep.
Slave owners gave slaves food to eat.
Slave owners provided tools for slaves to use.
Slave owners required work of the slaves and did not allow them to be educated, to learn to read or write, etc.
Slaves were not paid money, which would have given them freedom to buy what they wanted.
All financial benefit from the work of slaves went to slave owners.
In my opinion, how does this compare to College Football programs?
Colleges give scholarships to players (of all races), part of which is providing a place to sleep (called room, as in room and board).
Colleges give players scholarships, providing food to eat (called board, as in room and board).
Colleges give players equipment to use.
Colleges require players to work by performing on the football field, whether in practice or in games.
Colleges to not pay players money, although, if on scholarship, they do give them books and provide them with education. I don't have the stats on how many college football players are on scholarship (full or part) and how many pay for their own education.
All financial benefit goes to the colleges.
The only difference I see, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, is that slaves were imprisoned in the system for life, whereas, colleges let go of students who are players, giving them the freedom to be where and do what they want for the remainder of their lives. Certainly, this is better than the Old South.
But, what is NOT better, in my opinion, is that these young college football players, whether on scholarship or not, need money for cars, clothes, dates, etc., and are not given any pay by the college so they can avoid stepping into the clutches of the fans who circumvent the rules and provide them with things they need. I understand one isn't even allowed to give a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to a player. I don't know if that is an extreme, but I did hear that stated.
The colleges tell us they don't pay players so that the field is even for all colleges. In other words, the big high-monied colleges, if allowed to pay players, could pay more, thus encouraging players to come there and eliminating the better talent from smaller colleges.
I haven't done enough research to learn how much the smaller colleges gross and net, but wouldn't it be possible to select an amount of money that even they could pay players so that all players, across the board in college football, received some pay that would allow them to buy cars, date girls, buy clothes, get a shake at Sonic, etc., without having to take money under the table. Of course, some would still go the illegal route. There are always people who like to cut corners. But at least MOST players would be fairly paid for their work.
According to the 2010 Report from the Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports,
"In Division I football, African
That tells me almost half of all football players in Division 1 football are Black. So half of the students not being paid are, for the most part, descendents of slaves. Where are Jesse Jackson and other Black leaders on this issue?
And just as bad are the White players, Latinos, and Asians. Where are the leaders of these groups on this issue?
If you look at the entire 2010 report, you see that in college football, there is a much higher percentage of Whites in the administrative, coaching, and other leadership roles for the colleges.
I believe God gave humans brains so that we can make life more fair. To me, it certainly is NOT fair for the colleges to make so much profit on the backs of these players while not sharing some of that bounty with them. Again, young people need cars, clothes, and spending money for dating, etc.
Further, it is grossly unethical to place these young people into positions of having to make moral decisions on where to obtain such money. These students have enough to deal with as they study, stay healthy, stay away from drugs, learn to interact successfully with their peers and with others. Why set them up to skirt the rules?
Can't people see by tempting them to travel down the negative brain path of breaking rules, that we are creating a future for them that may make it easier for them to break many other rules.
The point is, change the NCAA rules and pay these young people something. Don't continue this style of Old South Plantation Slavery by taking advantage of students.
In case you are interested, The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports has many documents available online about all level of sports.
At some point, things will change and student players will be paid. That may happen only in the distant future as people stop paying for tickets and stop watching football on TV as they realize they are promoting this inequality and demand fairness. The sad thing is, every viewer and every attendee at these college football games is unconsciously (or, for some, even consciously) giving an OK to this behavior. So, if you don't like it, email the NCAA and ask them to change the rules (that is called lobbying, for those of you who aren't familiar with the term).
Obviously, I have another reason for not watching college football. Give me blood-and-guts chess tournaments any day (that is sarcasm)!‐Americans account for 45.8 percent of the athletes and whites hold 45.1 percent, indicating the levels of participation between these two races continue to remain very close."
Monday, August 1, 2011
Parents Who Are Divorcing - The U.S. Congress
Children who grow up with parents that fight are recognizing the relevance to the current activities in Congress. The bickering among the two parties in Congress remind me of a couple on the verge of divorce. The Mediator/Leader, President Obama, is smart enough to realize this is a no-win. Nobody is truly attacking today's problems. Instead it seems to be the same old whining about what got us here.
Many of us can see positives in both sides and negatives in both sides - nobody is totally right or totally wrong. People who are members of the party of Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln (the Republican Party, yes, surprise, surprise, why they don't make this their brand) DO care about others. At the same time, most Republicans are Capitalists who like entrepreneurship and obtaining goods and success on one's own merits, rather than being entitled to everything.
And Democrats DO care about others and lean heavily to the entitlement side. I could never be a Democrat because I grew up in the Deep South years ago where many Democrats also were members of the Ku Klux Klan. I was a Republican for most of my life, but this past year left the party to become an independent.
And I am sick of this fight. I said in the early 1970s we would get to this horrible economic situation if we allowed manufacturing to leave our country. I wanted to see a law passed requiring that one-half of everything purchased in the U.S. had to be manufactured here. I was laughed at by people in Congress who didn't believe things in America could fall apart. I now believe it is too late for the U.S. to recover. There are too many problems and the parents (two parties) are fighting over how to get well.
If I could, I would put all the Republicans on one-half of the country's landmass and the Democrats on the other half. I would let each create their own country and see which one works the best. For myself, I believe people who cannot take care of themselves should be helped, but this doesn't apply to people who don't want to work and they label that not being able to take care of the self.
I certainly would want every child to appreciate the free education and forget about what happened a hundred or even ten years ago. All that is water under the bridge. It is painful to see a student turn his or her back on a good education because he or she doesn't like the race of the teacher. That is very stupid to do, but it is done everyday. Idealistically, I hope this changes. Realistically, I doubt it will, at least anytime soon!
Many of us can see positives in both sides and negatives in both sides - nobody is totally right or totally wrong. People who are members of the party of Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln (the Republican Party, yes, surprise, surprise, why they don't make this their brand) DO care about others. At the same time, most Republicans are Capitalists who like entrepreneurship and obtaining goods and success on one's own merits, rather than being entitled to everything.
And Democrats DO care about others and lean heavily to the entitlement side. I could never be a Democrat because I grew up in the Deep South years ago where many Democrats also were members of the Ku Klux Klan. I was a Republican for most of my life, but this past year left the party to become an independent.
And I am sick of this fight. I said in the early 1970s we would get to this horrible economic situation if we allowed manufacturing to leave our country. I wanted to see a law passed requiring that one-half of everything purchased in the U.S. had to be manufactured here. I was laughed at by people in Congress who didn't believe things in America could fall apart. I now believe it is too late for the U.S. to recover. There are too many problems and the parents (two parties) are fighting over how to get well.
If I could, I would put all the Republicans on one-half of the country's landmass and the Democrats on the other half. I would let each create their own country and see which one works the best. For myself, I believe people who cannot take care of themselves should be helped, but this doesn't apply to people who don't want to work and they label that not being able to take care of the self.
I certainly would want every child to appreciate the free education and forget about what happened a hundred or even ten years ago. All that is water under the bridge. It is painful to see a student turn his or her back on a good education because he or she doesn't like the race of the teacher. That is very stupid to do, but it is done everyday. Idealistically, I hope this changes. Realistically, I doubt it will, at least anytime soon!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The Assassination of Usama or Osama Bin Laden
I've been thinking about whether or not I would have ordered a kill of UBL, if I were in the position of President Obama. Both killing UBL and not killing indicates a no-win situation.
After a lot of consideration, I've decided I would NOT order the kill and here is why:
Truly, UBL is a dangerous person to the United States. About 3000 people died on 9-11 alone due to Al Qaeda's bombing of the Twin Towers.
There has been no doubt that other attacks would be coming to America. A few already have been thwarted. Should those attacks have happened, a few hundred people would have died. These piece-meal attacks would have killed a few hundred people at a time. The Intelligence community has been able to prevent attacks and for that, I think all of us are grateful. We don't want even one American, or anyone else for that matter, murdered by these terrorists.
However, Al Qaeda's top henchmen have stated for quite some time that, should UBL be captured or killed, they would detonate a nuclear bomb inside the U.S. A nuke will kill many more than a few hundred people.
Was killing UBL or taking him out of Pakistan the only choices available? I think now. It is stated that the compound at which UBL lived in Abbotabad, Pakistan had no Internet or telephone connections. The means of communicating was through couriers. Had UBL been left alive in that compound with this family and the people who lived there, BUT without the ability to communicate with anyone else, how much damage could he order? His cohorts wouldn't know what to do. They couldn't get direct orders from him and wouldn't know why. This would leave them without the idea of using a nuke on Americans, although they probably would continue with small attacks.
There are American servicemen who speak the language of that area of Pakistan. They could have been placed as guards around the compound (dressed as Pakistani military) so that it appeared the guarding was being implemented by the Pakistan government, not the U.S. Further, with as much money as the U.S. provides to Pakistan, those government authorities probably could find loyal police or military to guard the compound.
These are just a few thoughts and I'm sure there are many more ideas I could come up with as time allowed.
At this time, I simply think the retribution for the death of UBL will be a lot worse than anything that would have happened had he been left alive, but with his communication abilities stopped.
Another thought - why didn't they bring the wife out? She would have had so much information to share about the comings and goings at the compound.
Also, why didn't the Seals drag UBL into another room if they were ordered to kill him so that all those children didn't have to witness the shooting? His wife and, apparently, about 10 children were in that room watching the killing. Of all those children, only one has to grow up wanting to revenge his dad's death for us to continue to be threatened for decades into the future.
Right now I'm listening to comments about the press briefing to occur shortly regarding releasing the photograph of UBL after his death and showing the gunshot wound. Apparently, President Obama will NOT release the photo and thinks because there hasn't been any retribution so far, there won't be. Therefore, not releasing the photograph helps to stop any attack. To release it, according to the President, could inflame people and cause retribution. This is bizarre to me. If revenge is in the plans, the photo will not make a difference, one way or the other. I never quite understand where the President is coming from.
Most people in this country know that the Al Qaeda leadership and members are EXTREMELY patient and plotting. Many probably are scattering since they data has been confiscated and the Al Qaeda people don't necessarily know what information the U.S. Intelligence community now has. However, they will settle and they will plot and I do believe we will get hit hard unless all of them are found and captured.
If many more Al Qaeda people are arrested, the mission has completed a double duty - kill UBL and gain information. However, if many of those others aren't arrested, simply killing UBL with the potential ramifications for a nuclear attack is NOT, in my opinion, worth it.
Of course, the President must consider his billion dollar re-election and this assassination is a boon for that.
It could occur in the future that this whole thing turns on the President and is more of a negative than a positive. We shall see! I do think President Obama makes a lot of decisions that are of a self-sabotage nature.
After a lot of consideration, I've decided I would NOT order the kill and here is why:
Truly, UBL is a dangerous person to the United States. About 3000 people died on 9-11 alone due to Al Qaeda's bombing of the Twin Towers.
There has been no doubt that other attacks would be coming to America. A few already have been thwarted. Should those attacks have happened, a few hundred people would have died. These piece-meal attacks would have killed a few hundred people at a time. The Intelligence community has been able to prevent attacks and for that, I think all of us are grateful. We don't want even one American, or anyone else for that matter, murdered by these terrorists.
However, Al Qaeda's top henchmen have stated for quite some time that, should UBL be captured or killed, they would detonate a nuclear bomb inside the U.S. A nuke will kill many more than a few hundred people.
Was killing UBL or taking him out of Pakistan the only choices available? I think now. It is stated that the compound at which UBL lived in Abbotabad, Pakistan had no Internet or telephone connections. The means of communicating was through couriers. Had UBL been left alive in that compound with this family and the people who lived there, BUT without the ability to communicate with anyone else, how much damage could he order? His cohorts wouldn't know what to do. They couldn't get direct orders from him and wouldn't know why. This would leave them without the idea of using a nuke on Americans, although they probably would continue with small attacks.
There are American servicemen who speak the language of that area of Pakistan. They could have been placed as guards around the compound (dressed as Pakistani military) so that it appeared the guarding was being implemented by the Pakistan government, not the U.S. Further, with as much money as the U.S. provides to Pakistan, those government authorities probably could find loyal police or military to guard the compound.
These are just a few thoughts and I'm sure there are many more ideas I could come up with as time allowed.
At this time, I simply think the retribution for the death of UBL will be a lot worse than anything that would have happened had he been left alive, but with his communication abilities stopped.
Another thought - why didn't they bring the wife out? She would have had so much information to share about the comings and goings at the compound.
Also, why didn't the Seals drag UBL into another room if they were ordered to kill him so that all those children didn't have to witness the shooting? His wife and, apparently, about 10 children were in that room watching the killing. Of all those children, only one has to grow up wanting to revenge his dad's death for us to continue to be threatened for decades into the future.
Right now I'm listening to comments about the press briefing to occur shortly regarding releasing the photograph of UBL after his death and showing the gunshot wound. Apparently, President Obama will NOT release the photo and thinks because there hasn't been any retribution so far, there won't be. Therefore, not releasing the photograph helps to stop any attack. To release it, according to the President, could inflame people and cause retribution. This is bizarre to me. If revenge is in the plans, the photo will not make a difference, one way or the other. I never quite understand where the President is coming from.
Most people in this country know that the Al Qaeda leadership and members are EXTREMELY patient and plotting. Many probably are scattering since they data has been confiscated and the Al Qaeda people don't necessarily know what information the U.S. Intelligence community now has. However, they will settle and they will plot and I do believe we will get hit hard unless all of them are found and captured.
If many more Al Qaeda people are arrested, the mission has completed a double duty - kill UBL and gain information. However, if many of those others aren't arrested, simply killing UBL with the potential ramifications for a nuclear attack is NOT, in my opinion, worth it.
Of course, the President must consider his billion dollar re-election and this assassination is a boon for that.
It could occur in the future that this whole thing turns on the President and is more of a negative than a positive. We shall see! I do think President Obama makes a lot of decisions that are of a self-sabotage nature.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Getting Ready to Reveal the new Astrology
I haven't posted in awhile since I've been working hard on getting the new Aquarian Age Astrology ready to reveal. If anyone reading this blog is interested, that website is http://aquarianageastrology.com/. The blog for it is http://aquarianageastrology.blogspot.com/. My email there is Lee@AquarianAgeAstrology.com and the Facebook is http://Facebook.com/AquarianAgeAstrology.
I'm now commenting on world events at that blog.
I am very sorry to see the mess we have in education now, but it has been coming - there was no doubt. You can't waste money and think it always will be there and, believe me, I saw tremendous waste when I was teaching in public schools. In my opinion, the important thing is to keep teachers IN THE CLASSROOM.
In the War on Ignorance, firing teachers is like getting rid of front-line Soldiers and Marines. Really think you can win a war that way? Looks to me like some people in administration need to be educated! This is all SOOO SAD!
I'm now commenting on world events at that blog.
I am very sorry to see the mess we have in education now, but it has been coming - there was no doubt. You can't waste money and think it always will be there and, believe me, I saw tremendous waste when I was teaching in public schools. In my opinion, the important thing is to keep teachers IN THE CLASSROOM.
In the War on Ignorance, firing teachers is like getting rid of front-line Soldiers and Marines. Really think you can win a war that way? Looks to me like some people in administration need to be educated! This is all SOOO SAD!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Busy, busy, busy
I have not posted since August, 2010. Just too many projects I am completing. Soon, I hope to be back on schedule with blogging. The best to all.
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