tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35999188675076999182024-03-05T21:47:04.901-06:00Shackman Speaks and Sometimes YellsEveryone has an opinion. Share yours.Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.comBlogger480125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-53928543435576463752021-11-29T20:03:00.000-06:002021-11-29T20:03:08.607-06:00I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Greeting and salutations all. My hiatus has ended and I am back, just in time for playoff football, Hallmark Christmas movies, Christmas music, and more. None of my teams have matched the consistency of Hallmark though. One has managed a 5-5 record and another fired their head coach of over 20 years. Now before you Hallmark fans try to lynch me over being negative about Hallmark, I watch the damn things too. When my granddaughter Ashley lived with us she and I looked forward to those recycled plots with revolving acting teams. I find it perfectly acceptable to want to spend a couple of hours watching a movie about Christmas that always manages to eke out a happy ending in the last 15 minutes. I certainly have not managed to pull off that trick in my life. Alas, Ashley ended our tradition this year by giving birth to my first great-granddaughter Amiri last week. I will survive, LOL.<br /><br /></span>S<span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">o Black Friday has come and gone. Wouldn't it be more appropriately named Black Week or Month since they pump the sales that long? Black Friday pushes began with the placement of marketing materials the day after Halloween when stores began installing Christmas decorations. Black Friday seems somehow inappropriate.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I see we pulled our troops out of Afghanistan, bringing one inappropriate boondoggle to an end (that's another blog - you'd think we learned in Viet Nam not to fight a war we were not really trying to win). Of course, the GOP calls the Democrats fools for doing so even though the previous GOP administration started that ball rolling. Comedians in general are finding the richness of their information largely unchanged. I cannot say that surprises me. Just think - next year is an election year - possibly the most important ever. We'll certainly have lots to talk about.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As we roll into 2022, my wish for all y'all is simple</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-tJtsKngXJU" width="320" youtube-src-id="-tJtsKngXJU"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">See ya soon!<br /></span><br /><p></p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-10807870135676633212021-06-24T15:59:00.000-05:002021-06-24T15:59:04.706-05:00How is the "new normal"working out for you?<p> This week's topic-how is the new normal working out for you was my suggestion. As things open up and restrictions are lifted, how are things shaping up and what changes are happening? Are those changes temporary or permanent?</p><p>Frankly, I am beginning to doubt we will ever be completely free of Covid as it mutates into more dangerous variants and we remain so split in this country. Too many people think the whole pandemic is a vast government conspiracy and too many people refuse to be vaccinated for various and sundry reasons. Too many people see wearing a face mask as a serious assault on their privacy and they could care less about protecting other people by simply wearing the mask.</p><p>I think many businesses have discovered flexibility in workplace rules and regulations is beneficial, I would not be surprised if up to 30-40% of their workforce remains working from home - just as some have discovered the only smart thing to do is have a central workplace because open interaction makes a difference. I think telephone customer service work will flourish in the USA again because it is so much more efficient to have people working from home. People in the USA always prefer to speak to support staff they know are USA-based. If I was not retired, I would definitely consider working from home again with a flexible schedule.</p><p>There are still plenty of kinks to be worked out in the education system, as I suggested in last week's blog. Many people discovered being able to teach effectively online requires an entirely different skill set than does classroom teaching. Too many people consider the last school year to have been a waste of time. If we do not learn from our mistakes, that will be true, but there is still time to get it right.</p><p>One good thing that has happened is that entry-level jobs seem to pay much better now. There is a print ad running around here offering Jack in the Box jobs starting at $12.00 per hour. When I worked there I made a rousing $1.05 hourly. Other places are offering even more. </p><p>To accompany the new salaries, inflation is poking around and looking to put a damper on the festivities. If you think your money does not go as far as it did the last time you bought groceries you are correct. Food prices are rising for a variety of reasons - labor shortages, product shortages, increasing gas prices, and more. How long will this continue? We will have to wait and see. Of course, regardless of the real reason, this is all being politicized. The left blames the right and the right blames the left. Mitch McConnell promises to do everything within his power to block everything the Democrats propose. The Democrats refuse to stand up to the GOP. Democrats want to pass national voting reforms, the GOP chooses to restrict open voting state by state. The schism widens and deepens. The bottom line? Our system of government is in jeopardy. The peaceful transition of power? One side sent their minions to the capitol on 01/06/2021 to stop that transfer. They failed this time but continue to insist the election was stolen regardless of the fact that fraud was not found by the Barr justice department.</p><p>Things are certainly in a state of flux. Dylan was never more correct than now. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="237" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YFx66wibSoY" width="371" youtube-src-id="YFx66wibSoY"></iframe></div>As we baby boomers pass the mantle to the millennials and gen xers, I hope they are up to the task. Only time will tell, and we boomers have very little of that left. Somehow, I think their avocado toast fueled brains are up to the task. The new normal will shake itself out and be fine.<p></p><p>Be sure to read what <a href="http://rummuser.com" target="_blank">Ramana</a> and <a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Sanjana</a> have to say on their blogs. And to my late friend Phil - AKA Philly Cheesesteak - you've got some ball to play up there so lace up those sneakers and remember - nothing but net!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-16208022016323049142021-06-17T14:37:00.001-05:002021-06-18T15:17:53.120-05:00The Importance of Education<p>Sanjana has suggested the importance of education as this week's 3-on-1 topic for herself, Ramana, and I to write on.</p><p>Some may consider education to be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, in a place I lived, while expressing the sentiment education is important, the school board wanted to force the schools under their purview to teach the Christian-based notion of creationism as valid along with the notion the earth is only 6000 or so years old. Man inhabited the planet with dinosaurs and the Noah's ark tale (among other biblical stories) is accurate and true.</p><p>So, the question becomes what education is the government responsible for? Secular, religious or both? Here in the USA it should be clear - public education should focus on secular areas. Comparative education on religions is fine as an elective in the last couple of years of high school and at any level of college. Those courses should not be taught as indoctrination but rather comparative studies. LDS teaches this, Catholicism teaches that, etc. </p><p>Private schools, especially those affiliated with a particular faith, have more leeway as they are not supported by public funding. As long as students from those institutions can pass standardized testing that does not focus on religion, those private schools can and do place higher emphasis on religion course credits. The Catholic school system is well known here in the USA. There are many Catholic high schools and quite a few Catholic-run colleges like Notre Dame, St Marys, Santa Clara, University of San Francisco. Non-Catholic colleges include BrighamYoung University, Texas Christian, Southern Methodist, Liberty College, Oral Roberts, and many more. Just as in the USA somewhere every major religion can be found, so too is the case for secondary college education supported by churches.</p><p>Public institutional school systems seem to have failed at providing education in the trades for many years. When I was in high school, there were many opportunities to learn about a trade (aka blue-collar work). Friends of mine learned things like welding, auto shop, and the like. Somewhere along the way school districts made the big mistake of no longer offering those classes. It was usually claimed to be a money issue - the school districts allegedly could no longer afford those courses. IMHO they could not afford to NOT offer those courses.</p><p style="text-align: left;">It seems this situation continued for decades until a TV show named Dirty Jobs came along. The host, Mke Rowe, traveled to all 50 states, tackling over 300 jobs. 300 jobs that were actively hiring. Skilled trade jobs. Well-paying jobs that often were unfilled.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TsjYi0VDL5o/YMpNydqnwJI/AAAAAAAAFOM/8epf09LcBRoXzRDz9i6Vi1v_o5BuBA71ACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TsjYi0VDL5o/YMpNydqnwJI/AAAAAAAAFOM/8epf09LcBRoXzRDz9i6Vi1v_o5BuBA71ACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="238" /></a></p><p>If the purpose of education is to prepare people for the workforce,<b> </b>we were most assuredly failing. We owe Mike Rowe a huge thank you for pointing that out and for insisting that blue-collar work is dignified, rewarding, and available.</p><p>So yes education is important and invaluable. No, a degree is not necessary nor desirable for many. Many years ago my namesake uncle Chuck was waxing philosophic over a few scotch and sodas. He asked me why I picked a degree in Political Science. I told him it was interesting. I enjoyed talking about it and discussing politics. He asked how much that paid. Point taken. Unless a degree can directly lead to a career or be used as a stepping stone to another career path what is the point?</p><p>Too often we pidgeon hole young students and force them into career paths that are not really what those students want or should be doing. We need to correct that process.</p><p>Skilled trades need to be re-entered into high school curriculums and students taught the value of blue-collar careers. Religion needs to be kept out of the public school system other than perhaps as a club activity. Students who feel the need for religious education should find their way into a private school run by the faith of their choice. </p><p>Every student needs to be taught to read, write and do enough math to do things like balance a checkbook, set up a budget. Advanced courses should be offered to those who desire them. Civics need to be covered - every student needs to be taught to have a civil conversation. Real history needs to be covered. Students need to know the good, bad, and ugly facts of their backgrounds. Students also need to know that they are not responsible for societal failures before their time but if they have benefited from them they need to understand that.</p><p>That concludes my quick take on education. Be sure to see what <a href="http://rummuser.com" target="_blank">Ramana</a> and <a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Sanjana</a> have to say.</p><p>I'll see ya next week, same bat time and same bat channel.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-12021086334073784692021-06-10T18:31:00.003-05:002021-06-10T20:43:11.435-05:00Regrets<p>Regret is this week's 3-on-one blogging topic for Ramana, Sanjana, and me to comment on. Ramana chose the topic. This one could come dangerously close to being too personal. We all have things in our past we wish we could undo. It seems this week's topic is the third in a very similar series. We've gone from talking to our past and present selves to what truly shocks you to this week's regrets.</p><p>There is a myriad of songs about regrets. One of my faves is by the late Kenny Rankin.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hz34BWjbLWw" width="320" youtube-src-id="Hz34BWjbLWw"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>Anyone who claims to have no regrets in life is most likely a liar. In all my years I have encountered nary a single soul who honestly has no regrets. Heck - I remember the first baseball bat I ever purchased and I regretted the heck out of the purchase. In my first year of organized baseball in the Old Timers League in my hometown, Pueblo, Colorado, that sucker had almost no hits in it. Boy, did I feel cheated! It was the last Mickey Mantle model bat I ever purchased. It was nothing but Mays and McCovey models beginning the next year when we moved to California.<div><br /></div><div>I have discussed my shyness before. I can honestly say I regret not making more of an effort to fight through the shyness and get to know some of the young ladies in high school. At some point years later,I was having a discussion over a nice single malt with a friend and he said what the heck - being told no is not a big thing. There was a pause before I responded and he asked what was wrong. I replied looking back, nothing because I do not recall ever being turned down when I asked a girl out. Now, admittedly, you have to get up to the plate to hit and I did not do that often, but maybe I wasn't as bad as I thought. Oh well - that was a long time ago. Were it not for the drought conditions these days it would be water under the bridge.</div><div><br /></div><div>I regret not getting along better with my kids. We are rarely if ever on the same page about anything and I have not spoken to my son in a couple of years. Jamie and I have almost daily shouting matches. Jamie and Sean have not spoken to each other in years.</div><div><br /></div><div>I most assuredly regret moving to North Carolina. In spite of my southern upbringing, thanks to my Mississippi-born and Louisiana raised grandmother, the deep south is not for me. It never will be. </div><div><br /></div><div>I regret the schism in the USA between the left and right. The left equates something as basic as voter ID as a racist attempt to suppress votes and the right makes no secret of the new laws they are enacting to suppress the non-white vote. As I have said many times in the past, the browning of America is truly scary to many.</div><div><br /></div><div>The left is so disdainful of free speech they want people fired for stupid things people said in their youth, teens, and more. Who among us has not said or done something stupid in the throes of our youth? There is a reason the term youthful indiscretion exists. Is the suspect action a one-off or part of a pattern of similar thoughts/actions? Try and book a conservative to speak at UC Berkeley. So much for healthy debate.</div><div><br /></div><div>I regret holding on to grudges - nothing of value comes from extended periods of rancor. I regret not being more positive on a daily basis. I always considered myself an optimist but looking back that is not the case.</div><div><br /></div><div>Time for a second musical interlude, this one by a very much underrated LA area band called Love, led by the late, very talented Arthur Lee.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LJPfop7IwI4" width="320" youtube-src-id="LJPfop7IwI4"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>When it comes to relationships I have been extremely lucky. The friends I made in 5th grade are still my friends and I picked up a few more along the way. One of the things my kids did like a lot was the fact they had the same 2 parents until Lynn passed away. We got good at working out the ups and downs of marriage and life. </div><div><br /></div><div>Regrets are a part of life, but I would much rather regret things I tried than things I did not try. You cannot hit if you do not get up to bat. I do not honestly regret things I tried - perhaps the outcome of the effort but not the effort itself. If I'd known I was going to live this long I might have taken better care of myself. If I could turn back time I definitely would change the things I did to hurt people if at all possible.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Of7r1Jho1HE" width="320" youtube-src-id="Of7r1Jho1HE"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div>That concludes my quick run through regret. Be sure to visit <a href="http://rummuser.com" target="_blank">Ramana </a>and <a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Sanjana</a> to see what they have to say.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll see ya next week, same bat time and same bat channel.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-9463638951187611712021-06-03T13:45:00.001-05:002021-06-04T08:55:28.521-05:00What truly shocks you?<p>What truly shocks you? That is my question this week for our weekly 3-on-1 blog. How many news stories have you read that discuss some "truly shocking" event? Has truly shocking simply become an over-used phrase for lazy reporters? Here's what I think.</p><p>Things I consider to be truly shocking include over half of the state legislatures in this country moving to suppress the vote of people of color by changing the voting laws. The GOP used to manipulate election outcomes by gerrymandering to create super red districts and keep the GOP on top. Remember Tom Delay, Newt Gingrich and others in years gone by? Now, the GOP flatly says they are changing the state laws because the GOP cannot win elections otherwise. Democrats used the same technique (gerrymandering), just not as effectively as the GOP.</p><p>I have no issues with voter IDs - but wouldn't linking Voter IDs to driver's licenses be a simple, efficient way to issue them? The bottom line is our democratic system of government is in real jeopardy. Too many people fear the browning of America. Voting power is shifting away from the white majority and that simply terrifies many.</p><p>I find some of our local education systems currently in place truly shocking. I went through high school and college and never once heard about the Tulsa massacre 100 years ago.</p><p>In the 25 years I lived in Texas, periodically local school boards tried to force school districts to teach creationism - a clear violation of the separation of church and state on which our nation was founded.</p><p>Do you know the Beatles have a song that threatens violence against women? Take a listen to these isolated lyrics on their song Run for Your Life.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6PpJZ5HoZXE" width="320" youtube-src-id="6PpJZ5HoZXE"></iframe></div>I love the Beatles and the vast majority of their efforts but I will take a pass on Run for Your Life. Still, compared to some rap and hip-hop lyrics, that is pretty tame stuff.<div><br /></div><div>Some of what passes for entertainment in the arts is truly shocking, but that is the price we pay for the freedom of speech. Change the channel, don't watch or listen, but act like an adult. Firing someone for a stupid comment or action he or she made as a teenager is truly shocking if it was a one-off situation. A history of offensive comments or actions over a period of years may be a different story, but teenagers are infamous for making questionable comments and or decisions.<div><br /></div><div>Transgender people are big news these days. Frankly, it is not something I have a real grasp of but the reasons people do it are none of my business. My home state of Colorado was at the center of this with a hospital in Trinidad being a surgical hub for transgenders. While I have always had gay friends, I honestly do not know if I have any transgender friends. News value of transgenders? Not a truly shocking circumstance to me. There have always been genetic issues people are born with and periodically they become the news story of the week.</div><div><br /></div><div>Frankly, I find that health care in the richest country in the world not being a right is truly shocking. The lack of care available for mental health issues is indeed truly shocking. So too is the lack of respect afforded senior citizens here. That definitely falls into the truly shocking category - but maybe I just feel that way because I am a senior citizen.</div><div><br /></div><div>Political correctness is definitely truly shocking. Calling Christmas trees holiday trees is patently absurd. We are a country founded upon Judeo-Christian notions and holiday traditions. We simply drew the line at having those traditions embedded in our government. People are free to worship the faith of their choice or none at all, but prohibiting manger scenes during Christmas on government property is ridiculous. There is virtually no major religion not represented somewhere in the USA.</div><div><br /></div><div>The politicizing of virtually everything is truly shocking. Soon the condiments you choose for your hamburger will be politicized. I hope mine stays in paradise and does not become a political football.</div><div><br /></div><div>The simple act of wearing a mask to slow the spread of Covid-19 was turned into a totally ridiculous political football. It somehow became an infringement on the rights of citizens to wear a mask to help prevent the spread of Covid. The utter selfishness of nearly half of our population was truly shocking.</div><div><br /></div><div>The percentage of the population that bought into the QANON nonsense is beyond ridiculous. I had people telling me there was a vast underground network of high-speed trains. Another good one was the fact that JFK Jr was not killed in an airplane crash but was in South Dakota when Donald Trump spoke there. Both explained to me with a straight face. Mind bendingly ludicrous. Oh, and Obama is either dead or in Guantanamo Bay and we are seeing a body double/actor. How about the one that has Trump being reinstated as the winner of the last election this summer. His ex-attorney is floating that one these days.</div><div><br /></div><div>That concludes my quick run through some truly shocking tidbits. There certainly are more than enough floating around. Be sure to visit <a href="http://rummuser.com" target="_blank">Ramana </a>and <a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Sanjana</a> to see what they have to say.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll see ya next week, same bat time and same bat channel.</div><div><p></p><div><br /></div></div></div>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-53770509092216395052021-05-27T18:32:00.000-05:002021-05-27T18:32:43.925-05:00A message to my future and past selves.<p> This week's topic was suggested by Sanjana. Interesting to consider is that her past is really quite recent and her future filled with the promise you might expect for a bright teenager. Mine and Ramana's situations are reversed - we have long, deep pasts and somewhat limited futures as we are both septuagenarians. The future belongs to the young while the oldsters get blamed for the present.</p><p>It is safe to assume most people my age have been asked at one time or another if they would go back to their high school days and relive them, knowing what they do now. The answers vary widely. </p><p>I enjoyed my high school years immensely, in spite of my shyness and problems with girls. I was likened many times to a big teddy bear. That seems fair enough - I really was that shy until I met a cute little blond who really was the first female to really give a damn about me. She started pulling down some of the walls I had built up around myself. She did look a bit funny wearing my letter sweater though. She is still short, cute and one of my very best friends.</p><p>Perhaps I would advise my younger self to get serious about a future a bit sooner when it was clear sports were not in my long-term future. In 1976 in Connecticut I was enrolling in broadcast school, but that plan was interrupted when Lynn was transferred back to California, and we discovered Lynn was pregnant just before we started the road trip back to California. Lynn was not happy with her job in LA and so she resigned. To get back at her, the company let go 3 weeks later. I joined RadioShack in November of 1977 while Lynn and Jamie moved back to the Bay Area to look for work. The plan was I would move back to the Bay when she was settled as RadioShack agreed to transfer me when that time came. I considered going back to school and getting a Masters Degree in Public Administration but frankly, the notion of college again was not high on my list of things to do and I was promoted fairly quickly by RadioShack.</p><p>I enjoyed a long, somewhat successful career with RadioShack, but the last half of it was spent being Lynn's caretaker. </p><p>A message to my future self? Try to get along better with Jamie as her life struggles are about to take a big downturn as she enters the home stretch with HD.</p><p>That ends my shack take on Sanjana's topic. Be sure to check what <a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/">Sanjana</a> and <a href="http://rummuser.com">Ramana</a> have to say and I will see you next week, same bat time and same bat channel.</p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-8363576993782549822021-05-20T11:34:00.003-05:002021-05-20T11:34:58.977-05:00Maturity<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Ramana suggested this week's topic, maturity. Arguably, everyone goes through the maturation process. Most go through at minimum a two-stage process, physical and mental. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I think it is safe to say people mature physically first. This is easy to see in athletics. High school star athletes can dominate and usually they are a step ahead of most teammates in the physical maturation process. Some grow physically early. I, for example, was 6'2 and 230 lbs when I was 13 and entered Senior league and high school. In Senior League I was the big guy, in high school I was one of a bunch of big guys. I was strong but not exceptionally so - I was really quick. Each time I advanced to the next level in a sport - frosh-soph to Junior Varsity to Varsity I became just another stronger, quicker guy. When I graduated high school I was 6'2, 265. I was a big, strong quick guy but others continued to grow, I didn't. My dream of playing baseball evaporated, as the body was made for football. My friend Ed Galigher was 6'2 190 when he left Sunset High and was 6'4 265 when he went to UCLA on a scholarship for his last two years after we played two years together at Chabot. He was drafted by the NY Jets and had a solid NFL career with the Jets and 49ers. I ran into him after one of my brothers games at Chabot (Ed was one of my brother Mike's coaches) and he said all of his advantages disappeared and it was mental toughness and maturity that made the difference in the NFL.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Mental maturity and toughness has extra components in athletics due to the injuries suffered by athletes at the professional level. In truth there are significant injuries at all levels of certain sports like football and basketball.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Everyone goes through the physical maturation process at around the same time - just about when we are in high school. Good old adolescence - it starts around 10 and goes through the late teens and early twenties. Good old puberty when boys and girls go through sexual maturation. I was terribly shy back then - actually I still am. It is a wonder I got through that part. That's my journey in three stages at the top of the page.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">As I said, I was extraordinarily shy in high school. In four years I went to about six dances -Junior Prom, Senior Ball, Christmas dance, a Sadie Hawkins dance and one just to watch my friends in the New Chessmen. So now we come to the mental maturation process.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">To me, you reach maturity when you are more interested in doing the right thing than just worrying about what you want. Mature people do the right thing, even when nobody is watching. Of course, the process is not an epiphany, but one that develops over time. In my case, a big step came when I agreed to move across the country in 1976 to support my wife who was offered a promotion to establish the New England office for the small company we both worked for. I essentially put everything on hold to support Lynn. The final proof of the success of my journey was my experience as Lynn's caretaker during the last ten years of her life.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Interestingly enough, boys and girls do not develop at the same time or pace. There's a reason girls tend to perform better in high school. Girls' brains tend to be more developed during puberty. Read about that <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2504460&page=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here.</a> It is an interesting read. I really had no issues in high school beyond Algebra 2. Why? simple -I stopped taking math when hit that wall, thus ending any hope of becoming a rocket scientist. My good pal Stuart in New York kept at it and he was closely involved in developing cellphones. I used to get calls from Stu while he was in a cab in Chicago testing the latest switching technology that his group at Bell Labs was developing. So, at some point in time, it is fair to say the boys catch up with the girls. My old friend and editor Kathi insists men never catch up. I told her she shouldn't judge all men based upon her experience with me, but she laughs and says we are all alike.</span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">That is my take on Ramana's chosen topic. Be sure to visit his blog here <a href="http://rummuser.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ramana</a>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I'll see you next week, same bat time and same bat channel.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span><br /></p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-66292638814339439262021-05-13T13:47:00.000-05:002021-05-13T13:47:54.324-05:00Transactional vs morality driven and which are you?<p> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This week's topic - transactional vs morality driven and which are you - was suggested by Conrad. It is a rather esoteric topic, not the kind of thing you might discuss around the dinner table or the fireplace with a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label (the really expensive stuff).<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">So, what's it all about? Leadership styles. If you are a political junkie you have probably heard Donald Trump called transactional. Other transactional leaders include Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Norman Schwarzkopf, Vince Lombardi and Howard Schultz.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b>"When placed in command, take charge."</b> <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Transactional leaders follow regular rules, reward success, and reward
followers for punishment or failure. However, they do not act as a
catalyst for growth and change in an organization. Instead, they apply
current rules and expectations and focus on maintaining it to apply.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><strong></strong> <b>"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the
job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have
applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand."</b> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">These leaders tend to be good at setting expectations and value that
maximizes the efficiency and productivity of an organization. They give
constructive feedback regarding follow-up performance, which allows
group members to improve their output for improved feedback and
strengthening.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b>"The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation
applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The
second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will
magnify the inefficiency."</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Characteristics include </span><br /></p><ul><li>Focused on short-term goals</li><li>Favor structured policies and procedures</li><li>Thrive on following rules and doing things correctly</li><li>Revel in efficiency</li><li>Very left-brained</li><li>Tend to be inflexible</li><li>Opposed to change</li></ul>
<h3><strong>Transactional leadership pros:</strong></h3>
<ul><li>Rewards those who are motivated by self-interest to follow instructions</li><li>Provides an unambiguous structure for large organizations, systems
requiring repetitive tasks and infinitely reproducible environments</li><li>Achieves short-term goals quickly</li><li>Rewards and penalties are clearly defined for workers</li></ul>
<h3><strong>Transactional leadership cons:</strong></h3>
<ul><li>Rewards the worker on a practical level only, such as money or perks</li><li>Creativity is limited since the goals and objectives are already set</li><li>Does not reward personal initiative</li></ul>
<p>There is definitely a place for transactional leadership in the world
today. One of its best uses is in multinational corporations where not
all of the workers speak the same language. Once the structure and the
requirements are learned, it is easy for workers to complete tasks
successfully. This works because transactional leadership is simple to
learn and does not require extensive training. The transactional
approach is easy to understand and apply across much of an organization.</p>
<p>The military, policing organizations, and first responders use this
style of leadership so that all areas of the organization are
consistent. It is also easier to apply in a crisis situation, where
everyone must know exactly what is required of them and how a task is to
be done under pressure.</p>
<p>To many people, money and perks are a powerful motivator. Most people
need a job to pay the bills. They have other obligations and
distractions and would just as soon know exactly how to do their job in
order to keep it and reap the rewards.</p><p>Morality (ethics) driven leadership is a completely different animal. What are the principles of ethical leadership? <span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"> Practitioners and scholars of ethical leadership point to several key principles of ethical leadership: honesty, justice, respect, community and integrity. There are other lists with varying numbers but I think these five work well within the framework of this discussion.</span></span></p><h3><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Ethical leaders champion the importance of ethics regularly and they need to be good communicators. </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Good relationships between leaders and their teams are built on fairness, integrity, and trust. They need to hire ethical employees, and exhibit zero tolerance for ethical violations. Lastly, they need to practice justice and respect.</span></span></span></h3><h3><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Interestingly enough, Bill Gates, previously cited as a transactional leader is also considered an ethical leader. The same can be said about Howard Schultz. Still picking your brain over who Schultz is? Schultz built Starbucks into the behemoth that it is. He was replaced in 2017. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is considered an ethical leader - interesting when you consider what a divisive figure he is. He earned his ethical stripes by refusing to compromise his values. He is going to land people on Mars no matter what.<br /></span></span></span></h3><h3><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Pros and Cons of ethics driven leadership? It is a long game style. Ethics driven leaders want to be good and do good. They enjoy being creative.</span></span></span></h3><h3><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Which am I? Quite simply, I am both and neither. It all depends upon the task at hand - or rather depended upon the task at hand. These days I am retired and no longer interested in management styles, wherever they come from or are heading. I have a passing interest in political leaders and that, in and of itself, precludes ethical leadership it seems. </span></span></span></h3><h3><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">That's a wrap on this week's topic. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Be sure you hop over to <a href="http://rummuser.com" rel="nofollow">Ramana</a>, <a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Sanjana</a>, and <a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Conrad</a>
to see what they have to say on their blogs and I'll</span></span><span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">see ya next week, same bat time, same bat channel.</span></span></span></span></h3><h3><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></h3><h3><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></h3><br /><p><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"> </span></span></p><h3><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></h3><p><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"> </span></span></p><p><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b> </b> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-89005334678174756192021-05-06T13:06:00.001-05:002021-05-06T16:37:33.534-05:00Books vs e-Readers<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This week's topic is books vs. e-Readers. The topic was my suggestion.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">For most of my life I have been a voracious reader. I have said many times my preference is fiction, typically mysteries, or thrillers, and science fiction. Several years ago my annual total was over 300 read. Yes that is a big number, but way back in the 7th grade, a forward looking teacher named Rex Pinegar taught speed reading in English class. I read the typical mystery fiction book in under 4 hours. If for some reason I feel so inclined I do slow down and yes recall can be an issue, so while in school I kept the speed more reasonable. Some of you may find that speed hard to believe but I assure you it is easily attainable.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">There is nothing more satisfying to me than reading a book. A real book - the look, feel, and smell are all part of the experience. That said, unfortunately my age and eye conditions have forced me to rely on an e-Reader. With the flexible font styles and sizes, there is nothing I cannot read on my Kindle.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It is also quite easy to read multiple titles at the same time on an e-Reader, although that is not a habit I ever developed. I tend to get into the story and read straight through to the end.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Another advantage of books is collecting. I had 26 signed first editions at one time. Titles tend to be much cheaper for e-Readers, many classic titles even being free. Want to check out a new author? You don't need to invest much to check out new material. I found I enjoy native American mystery fiction that way - I started with Tony Hillerman and his Navajo police procedurals and found similar styles for Apaches, Metis, Cheyenne and Alaskan. Since Tony Hillerman passed away, his daughter Anne is keeping that series going and Dana Stabenow and her Kate Shugak series in Alaska are my favorites. There is a great detective series set in Australia - the Cliff Hardy series by Peter Corris. San Francisco has Bill Pronzini's Nameless detective series and then there are the classics - John D. McDonald's Travis McGee series, Robert Parker and the Spenser series, a unique series set in Hollywood by Stuart Kaminski - the Toby Peters Series and too many more to name. One worth mentioning though is James Lee Burke and his Dave Robicheaux series set in Louisiana. Burke is as fine a writer as has ever put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Read. Read some more. In this day and age of alternate universes and fake everything, protect yourself by reading -become your own fact checker. Don't become a slave to some cult of personality. The future of your family may depend on it.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">That's my quick shack take on this week's topic. Be sure you hop over to <a href="http://rummuser.com" rel="nofollow">Ramana</a>, <a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Sanjana</a>, and <a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Conrad</a> to see what they have to say on their blogs. Just click on their name to be whisked half a country away or half of a world away. Nothing keeps travel costs down like reading!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">See ya next week, same bat time. same bat channel.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span> <br /></p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-7457328102167630142021-04-29T13:31:00.000-05:002021-04-29T13:31:47.301-05:00Philosophy and What It Means to Me<p>Philosophy and what it means to me is this week's topic, suggested by Sanjana, the youngest member of our blogging group.</p>The word "philosophy" is derived from Greece. It originates from the words "philein sophia," which mean "lover of wisdom". "Phil" is the prefix that relates to love, while "soph" is a word root that means wisdom. Therefore, the word "philosophy," like the original Greek, means "lover of wisdom or knowledge." The Cambridge English Dictionary says philosophy is the use of reason in understanding such things as the nature of the real world and existence, AKA the meaning of life.<div><br /></div><div>There is an interesting list of the supposed major philosophies on the meaning of life from the last 5000 years or so in a blog called <a href="https://blog.adioma.com/meaning-of-life-according-to-philosophy/" target="_blank">Adioma</a>. Check it out - maybe one of the philosophies listed is the same as or similar to your own.</div><div><br /></div><div>You may even find that no single philosophy is all-inclusive and you find yourself a combination of two or more. In a world as complex as ours, it actually makes the most sense to me. While one's outlook on life is primarily defined by a single philosophy, snippets of others are recognizable. I find myself being a subjective, modern humanist according to the list of philosophies offered in the posted link - a combination of subjectivism and modern humanism.</div><div><br /></div><div>Many people I know consider themselves Christians - theists in the philosophies listed. Then there are the logical positivists - the folks who believe life has no meaning until you give it one, and boy do they like to argue with those determinists that say everything is predetermined. Those damned hedonists are always too busy partying heartily to even join in the conversation. Maybe the absurdists are right and we should all just stop trying to find a meaning and just live.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, folks, it is my belief that philosophy is all firmly etched in water. Do any of you spend much time looking at philosophy? Did you ever answer that question I posed last week- the one that asks if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it does it make a sound? Philosophy discussions tend to be similar to circular firing squads. I tend to take the easy road - treat people the way you want to be treated - well unless you are a sadist. You make your own choices in life and the meaning of your life is up to you. Unless, of course, you are a huge Monte Python fan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fUspLVStPbk" width="320" youtube-src-id="fUspLVStPbk"></iframe></div><br /><div>It might look like I don't take philosophy seriously. The truth is, I am not a huge fan of the discipline if you can even call philosophy a discipline. My degree is in political science - an oxymoron of the highest order. Too often, philosophy discussions in my observation turn into exercises wherein people try and impress each other with how many classical philosophies they can name and compare. To me, that is like only considering classical literature real literature. IMHO there is no better observer of humanity these days than James Lee Burke, with Dana Stabenow a close second. They happen to be primarily mystery authors.</div><div><br /></div><div>In all seriousness, if discussions about philosophy and the meaning of life cause a surge in polite discourse and actually get people talking to each other, then let the conversation begin. That would certainly be an improvement over the current divide.</div><div><br /></div><div>That ends my quick take on Sanjana's suggested topic. Be sure to take a look at what <a href="http://rummuser.com" rel="nofollow">Ramana</a>, <a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Conrad</a>, and <a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Sanjana</a> have to say on their respective blogs.</div><div><br /></div><div>See ya next week, same bat time and same bat channel.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-89390638407671737492021-04-22T16:55:00.004-05:002021-04-23T13:01:39.459-05:00Doing the Wrong Thing at the Right Time<p>This week's topic, doing the wrong thing at the right time, reminds me of the mind games college philosophy professors used to play back when I was a student. You remember them - things like if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound? Right and wrong are even more nebulous.</p><p>Right and wrong are relative terms. Being precise in their definition is often difficult, perhaps even impossible. You might even say or think there is no absolute right or wrong in this world. What is most often the basis of "right" is religion. Right is what a given society determines to be moral, just, and legal. That leaves wrong things to be those things that are not in accordance with morality or the law.</p><p>So, in relation to our topic, Ramana has proposed doing the immoral or unlawful thing at a time when it is determined to be moral, just and legal. Is there a right time to do the wrong thing?</p><p>In a world where there is no absolute right or wrong almost anything is possible. People with strong religious upbringings will most typically do the right thing. Unless, of course, like religious right here in the USA, they choose to support amoral, falsehood-based policies and practices to pack the Supreme Court with conservative justices to facilitate overturning existing law with which they disagree. Apparently, everyone has a price. I myself find little if anything done by radical Muslims to be moral, just or legal. There are many more examples.</p><p>For a long time climate change was laughed at and considered folly by conservatives here. Several consecutive years of radical temperature change, extended drought and the great state of Texas almost losing its electricity grid in an exceptionally cold winter seems to have awoken a few to reality. Climate change is the right thing to address, so can there really be a wrong time for that discussion?</p><p>Man's contribution to pollution? One of the unadvertised benefits to the pandemic we have been enduring is cleaner air. Why? Travel has been severely restricted. There's that nasty science bugaboo raising its head again. Can there be a wrong time for that discussion?<br /></p><br /><br />The wrong thing at the right time has been justified for centuries when the outcome is considered positive - in other words, the end justifies the means. It's what Arthur got wrong with Camelot - might for right. That is really no different than might is right. <br /><br />Considering the high regard in which science holds evolution, we can easily conflate might makes right with the survival of the fittest. Is that always correct? I think not.<br /><br />Thomas Jefferson had an interesting take on religion and Jesus. The "Jefferson Bible” was created by Thomas Jefferson in 1820 as a collection of the Biblical teachings of Jesus that he found sound, with passages that Jefferson found unreasonable, such as miracles and the resurrection, removed. To me, it is a humanist view of Jesus. Strip away the magic from Jesus and the Bible reveals a real guidepost for life.<br /><br />We all have the capacity to choose right over wrong. We do it daily in our lives. Many times we habitually do the right thing which helps maintain stress levels. Imagine how you would feel if you actually had to ponder every decision you make daily. Turn left, turn right, stop at the sign, and so on. Habits can be a good thing. Sounds like a 9AM naptime to me.<br /><br />Since there are no real absolutes, you could be forced to do the wrong thing at the right time quite often. Take each action as required. It is all about perception and as long as your moral compass, be it god-based or humanist, leads you down a sound moral path, I suspect you will be just fine.<br /><br />That's my quick take on Ramana's wrong thing at the right time conundrum. Be sure to check what <a href="http://rummuser.com" rel="nofollow">Ramana</a> and <a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Conrad</a> have to say. We'll see you next week, same bat time and same bat channel.Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-25606063501072851372021-04-15T11:38:00.000-05:002021-04-15T15:26:56.811-05:00How is today's world compared to the 21st century you imagined as a child?<p style="text-align: left;"> As a child in Colorado, my view of the 21st century was shaped by what I saw in the movies and on television. I saw some of the old Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials and my favorite at the time- Jet Jackson, Flying Commando. Jet Jackson was actually Captain Midnight with a different title and sound dubbed. His sidekick, Ichabod Mudd (with 2ds) was the same in both incarnations. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OsQUlZqvRkg" width="320" youtube-src-id="OsQUlZqvRkg"></iframe></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">Then, of course there was Forbidden Planet, a big budget Hollywood movie that I remember seeing at the drive in.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F17CCRoMttQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="F17CCRoMttQ"></iframe></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">Forbidden Planet introduced us to Robby the Robot and futuristic flying machines and space travel. Alas the special effects were in their infancy and it would be years until things got really interesting.</p><p style="text-align: left;">It wasn't until the TV show The Jetsons that real speculation about life in the future would be seriously imagined.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uPnZpENoypo" width="320" youtube-src-id="uPnZpENoypo"></iframe></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">As you can see, we are light years away from the Jetsons' flying car and Orbit City. George worked a two hour workweek and complained about being overworked. Interplanetary travel? Tesla is working on it. Robotic maids? We are making great strides in robotics. Much of what the Jetsons predicted is on its way.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Flat-screen televisions and tanning beds were predicted by the Jetsons. The show was canceled after 24 episodes because there were not enough color televisions in homes. Only 3% of homes had color televisions at the time. We did not get one until the first time the Oakland Raiders made the Super Bowl (1967).</p><p style="text-align: left;">Science fiction literature and Star Trek and Star Wars became prime predictors of future life. Not surprisingly, Star Wars and Star Trek focused on military technology. Our war machine is very efficient and we have kept it very busy. Lasers, satellites, and cloaking have all advanced.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Technology these days is about what I expected it to be. We are geeks at heart, I suspect. Rather than active physical play, kids gravitate to the latest technology. Texting has largely replaced conversation as a means of communication. Interpersonal communication and conversational skills are severely lacking in my opinion. Nearly half of our population chose to support the verbal flatulence and belicose ramblings of an amoral, pathological liar. Our interpersonal discourse is at the lowest levels in recent memory. I most definitely expected better of us. I do not see the divisions in our society going away any time soon. Ayn Rand would be delighted at the degree of selfishness rampant in our selfish society. And yet, we see random acts of kindness regularly. So maybe there is hope for us yet. Only time will tell.</p><p style="text-align: left;">That is my quick take on Conrad's suggested topic.<span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> <span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; text-align: right;">Be sure to check what my compatriots </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-align: right; text-decoration-line: none;">Conrad</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; text-align: right;"> </span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; text-align: right;">and </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="http://rummuser.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-align: right; text-decoration-line: none;">Ramana</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; text-align: right;"> </span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; text-align: right;">have to say on their blogs.</span></span></p><p data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;"><span style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I'll see ya next week, same bat time and same bat channel.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-29309077668014034522021-04-08T11:14:00.002-05:002021-04-08T17:47:17.979-05:00Has the Pandemic Wrought Any Positive Changes?<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">With all we have been through in the last year, have any of the changes been positive?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">That is this week's topic. Initially, I confess that what immediately leaps to mind is being cooped up in this trashy trailer park for a year and there sure as hell is nothing positive about that. Frankly it is still too early to assess the positive effects of the pandemic. Upon </span>further reflection, though, it has not all been negative.<br /><br />Many people have been exposed to working from home for the first time in their lives. It is something I have taken for granted for years. My late wife Lynn was home based for years and I spent most of the last ten years at my namesake RadioShack woking from home. I was substantially more prdouctive <span style="text-align: right;">working </span><span style="text-align: right;">from home. Why? Simply because my dog Ginger and I had no water cooler conversations. I was mindful of the fact my boss was doing me a huge favor staying home and caring for Lynn. </span></p><p><span style="text-align: right;">Then there was my commute - dodging an overly affectionate basset/collie mix hound walking down the hall. </span><span style="text-align: right;">On a bad day that took at least 45 seconds and surely beat the hell out of taking the freeway.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: right;">I have to think many companies have discovered in the last year that having some employees working from home is a good thing. Hopefully it will become a permanent option. I see it as a net positive for companies and the family life of employees (especially when the kids return to school in the classroom).</span></p><p><span style="text-align: right;">For the last year there has </span><span style="text-align: right;">been a reduction in CO2 emissions - in fact in general global greenhouse emissions have dropped because of reduced travel. That is not likely to continue long term but it has been a very good year and surely adds credibility to the notion that we humans are the cause of much pollution with our burning of fossil fuels. It should be a huge impetus for new green product development.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: right;">Cleanliness - both personal and disinfecting our environments has become second nature to most of us. Save for mask-wearing, it is likely to remain a good habit for us. </span></p><p><span style="text-align: right;">Are you interested in what psychologists think? Psychology today published an article with 30 positive factors - <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/future-trends/202004/30-ways-the-pandemic-has-changed-us-the-better" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">30 Ways the Pandemic Has Changed Us for the Better</a>.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: right;">These are but a few of the positive changes that have come about because of the pandemic.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: right;">My optimistic angel has gotten stronger of late.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IW7EkF99NwE" width="320" youtube-src-id="IW7EkF99NwE"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="text-align: right;">We have much to overcome. We here in the USA stand at the brink of a second civil war as we look ahead at finishing the racial issues we left incomplete in the sixties. It isn't going to be easy, but we are backed into a corner and as Japan discovered in WWII, the sleeping giant has been awoken.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: right;">That is my take on this week's topic. Be sure to check what my compatriots <a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Conrad</a> and <a href="http://rummuser.com" rel="nofollow">Ramana</a> have to say on their blogs.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: right;">I'll see ya next week, same bat time and same bat channel.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: right;"><br /></span></p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-21484223392556646592021-04-01T16:46:00.002-05:002021-04-01T19:11:19.015-05:00The Most Heartbreaking Thing In My Life Right Now<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Entering your septuagenarian decade is a good news/bad news proposition for most of us. We have reached the age where members of our families are no longer with us and some of those old friends we have had since childhood also are no longer with us. We have become those grandparents that we so fondly remember, even though I suspect we all feel younger than our mindset for grandparents. Our topic this week is "The most heartbreaking thing in my life now".</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I have narrowed that to two things, the first being personal - the fact that my daughter has Huntington's Disease - the disease that killed my late wife Lynn. Jamie is on a nearly identical trajectory with the disease as Lynn was. Unlike Lynn, having gone through this once with her mother, Jamie is actively aware of what her future holds. I assure you it is not pleasant. There is a treatment in development that could be very helpful called CRISPR - where the defective gene is snipped and removed, thereby eliminating the disease. Duke University in North Carolina is a major player and we are searching for a trial group but have been as yet unsuccessful. Jamie is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances but there are good days and bad - most typically revolving around our relationship. She struggles with the knowledge that each of her three children has a 50% chance of having HD. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The other most heartbreaking thing in my life now is the condition of my country. The complete lack of civility in our discourse and the fact that a pathological liar, amoral sociopath has the attention of nearly half of the population. We have devolved into a society where half of the population embraces the lies and bizarre conspiracy theories of QAnon. The religious far right embraced the lies and conspiracy theories to allow the Supreme Court to be stacked with conservative chistians. Their</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> hope is </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">to advance their anti-abortion agenda. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">But, worst of all is the realization that all of the work done on civil rights matters in the sixties is unraveling before our very eyes. GOP-controlled state legislatures across the country are passing voter registration laws with the intent to suppress the votes of minorities. One state has passed a law making it illegal to supply water to persons waiting in lines to vote. This was done 4because the GOP still supports the notion that Joe Biden stole the election from Donald Trump thanks to the allegedly fraudulent votes of vast numbers of black voters. Race attacks against Asians are on the rise because of the ranting of some folks that China is responsible for the pandemic that has claimed over 500 thousand Americans, even while claiming the pandemic is a fraud and the death figures attributed to it are a lie.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Gun rights supporters have convinced their multitudes that the government is after their guns - all because there is a call for real background checks for gun purchasers. The recently deposed president worked enough of his followers into a frenzy that there was an armed insurrection on January 6. We are teetering on the brink of a second civil war. The politics of obstruction rule the day in both houses of congress. The GOP still supports the notion that Joe Biden stole the election from Donald Trump despite the conclusion of Trump's own appointed investigators that the election was fair and not fraudulent.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The browning of America is a terrifying thought to the apparently vast numbers of white supremacists suddenly appearing out of the woodwork. That points to some rocky roads in the future. Although I feel bad we seem to have left so much of the race issue left incomplete, I confess I am glad I will not be here to witness the next 40-50 years. I am, however, cautiously optimistic that things will work out for the best. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">That is my take on this weeks topic. Be sure to check what the other members of this little blogging group have to say. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I'll see y'all next week, same bat time and same bat channel.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="http://rummuser.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ramana</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Padmum</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Raju</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://ceezone.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Srinivas</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Conrad</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://shackman-speaks.blogspot.com/https//www.gaelikaasdiary.com" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Maria</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, and </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Sanjan</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">a</span></span></div></div>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-48462591649727194202021-03-25T17:28:00.000-05:002021-03-25T17:28:53.119-05:00Bad Luck or Karma<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">How many times in your </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">life have you been mired in a string of bad events, one after the other, and muttered to yourself Karma is a bitch. The truth of the matter is Karma is a bastard - he was male, according to Wikipedia. So much for today's history/anatomy lesson.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I commented to one of our blogging group members not long ago that if not for bad luck she'd have no luck at all. She was having a run of serious bad luck including deaths in the family and was having a tough time. In this instance she literally was having a run of bad luck. Or was it really Karma? Karma, you see, is subject to cause and effect and related to things you have done in the past that cause a specific event. <span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c9c5be; background-color: #181a1b; color: #d3cfca;">The term </span><i data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c9c5be; background-color: #181a1b; color: #d3cfca;">karma</i><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c9c5be; background-color: #181a1b; color: #d3cfca;"> (</span><a class="mw-redirect" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit_language" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-bgimage: none; --darkreader-inline-color: #63b6fa; background: none rgb(24, 26, 27); color: #66b1fa; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Sanskrit language">Sanskrit</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c9c5be; background-color: #181a1b; color: #d3cfca;">: </span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" lang="sa" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c9c5be; background-color: #181a1b; color: #d3cfca;">कर्म</span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c9c5be; background-color: #181a1b; color: #d3cfca;">) refers to both the executed 'deed, work, action, act, and the 'object, intent'.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c9c5be; background-color: #181a1b; color: #d3cfca;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #b5afa6; background-color: #181a1b; color: #b7b0a7;">Luck is what Karma gives you when it sees you working hard with all you've got to achieve your goal. However, luck is a result of Karma. There's almost no such thing as pure luck. If you win the lottery, it's not that the ticket came flying to you. You bought it. In this case, Karma is you buying a ticket and luck is you winning the lottery.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c9c5be; background-color: #181a1b; color: #d3cfca;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c9c5be; background-color: #181a1b; color: #d3cfca;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="267" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GTEmaoozGEY" width="330" youtube-src-id="GTEmaoozGEY"></iframe></span></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c9c5be; background-color: #181a1b; color: #d3cfca;"><br /><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #b5afa6; background-color: #181a1b; color: #b7b0a7;">Karma Chameleon - according to the lyricist and lead singer (Boy George) is </span></span></span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #181a1b; --darkreader-inline-color: #aba499; background-color: #1e2021; color: #a8a095; font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">about trying to suck up to everybody. Basically, if you aren't true, if you don't act like you feel, then you get Karma-justice. That's nature's way of paying you back. Bad luck.</span></span><p></p><p><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #181a1b; --darkreader-inline-color: #aba499; background-color: #1e2021; color: #a8a095; font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">With Karma and luck so thoroughly intertwined, it is easy to understand why they are so commonly misused and misunderstood. Those who believe in a higher "authority" - god, the universe or whatever are likely to subscribe any luck to their personal Karma.</span></span></p><p><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #181a1b; --darkreader-inline-color: #aba499; background-color: #1e2021; color: #a8a095; font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">People have free will to choose good or evil and suffer the consequences of their actions. John Lennon addressed the notion of people accepting responsibility for their actions in his song Instant Karma.</span></span></p><p><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #181a1b; --darkreader-inline-color: #aba499; background-color: #1e2021; color: #a8a095; font-size: 20px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xLy2SaSQAtA" width="320" youtube-src-id="xLy2SaSQAtA"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Karma became very popular in western culture in the late 60s and early 70s when the Beatles had something of a spiritual revolution (some might call it a spiritual evolution). It has been an important part of Indian philosophy for centuries, with roots in Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddha took what he learned of Karma from Hinduism and took it in a different direction - reminding me of Martin Luther a bit.</span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Where do I land in all of this? Well let's just say I believe in a higher power and in taking responsibility for my actions, good, bad, or otherwise. I have no objection with calling the results of my actions Karma. The jury is still out on how I feel about reincarnation, but if I suddenly find myself a duck-billed platypus at some time in the future I expect I might reconsider.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">That's my quick shack take on this week's topic. Be sure to check what the others have to say on their blogs.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><p data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="http://rummuser.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ramana</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Padmum</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Raju</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://ceezone.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Srinivas</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Conrad</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://shackman-speaks.blogspot.com/https//www.gaelikaasdiary.com" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Maria</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, and </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Sanjan</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">a---</span></span></p><p data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I'll see all y'all next week, same bat time - same bat channel.</span></span></p></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-80319710139692125322021-03-18T16:27:00.000-05:002021-03-18T16:27:13.574-05:00Vaccination Drama<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> I am sure most people my age remember their first mass vaccination experience. We all stood in long lines at a designated vaccination site to take the latest, greatest polio vaccine developed by a gentleman named Sabin. We popped a little sugar cube in our mouths and headed back home. Mine was given at Southgate School - the first school in California that I attended after moving from Colorado to California in 1959. That was the second polio vaccine available, the other being developed by Jonas Salk. I had that vaccination (regular needle type) years earlier in Colorado. As a result of those vaccinations,polio has been nearly eradicated. In 2016 only 42 cases of polio were reported worldwide. Unfortunately the number of cases is on the rise, including cases caused by live strains of the virus included in the oral vaccinations.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c1bcb4; background-color: #181a1b; color: #c8c3bc;">Vaccine-derived polio is caused by remnants of earlier versions of the live virus used in the oral polio vaccine. The vaccine can be shed through feces. In places with poor sanitation, the vaccine can be spread through wastewater. Over time, the virus from the oral vaccine can replicate, regain strength and become just as virulent as the original virus against which it's supposed to protect. M</span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c1bcb4; background-color: #181a1b; color: #c8c3bc;">ost kids born after 2016 have no immunity to the most prominent vaccine-derived polio strain because that strain was thought to be on the verge of elimination</span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-border-bottom="" data-darkreader-inline-border-left="" data-darkreader-inline-border-right="" data-darkreader-inline-border-top="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-border-bottom: initial; --darkreader-inline-border-left: initial; --darkreader-inline-border-right: initial; --darkreader-inline-border-top: initial; --darkreader-inline-color: #c1bcb4; background-color: #181a1b; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #c8c3bc; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c1bcb4; background-color: #181a1b; color: #c8c3bc;">and is no longer included in the primary oral vaccine they would have received.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c1bcb4; background-color: #181a1b; color: #c8c3bc;">The attempt to eradicate polio was going very well until it wasn't. Hmmmm - a few hundred cases of polio instead of hundreds of thousands. Have you heard of a case of smallpox recently? </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c1bcb4; background-color: #181a1b; color: #c8c3bc;">Now we are facing a worldwide pandemic that has killed over 500,000 Americans and 2.6 million worldwide. We are in the midst of a massive vaccination plan using vaccines approved for emergency use. Not surprisingly there is a degree of resistence to the vaccines available from a growing cadre of antivaxxers. Covid-19 - the disease under assault </span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c1bcb4; background-color: #181a1b; color: #c8c3bc;">by the vaccines is already mutating and changing. </span></span></p><p><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c1bcb4; background-color: #181a1b; color: #c8c3bc;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">So why the drama over vaccination? Who wouldn't want a free vaccine that could protect them from serious illness and/or death? More people than you might think. Vaccination protects you and wearing a mask protects others because even if vaccinated you can be a carrier. Who wouldn't want to protect their loved ones? There are people that have been used</span></span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; color: var(--darkreader-inline-color); font-family: trebuchet;"> by the government - experimented on and lied to that have a mistrust of the government. Trust me to them means buyer beware. Add to that the notion that the vaccines available for Covid-19 are seemingly rush jobs thrown together without adequate testing and you can understand the resistance. Then too, there is the fact that the part of the population that is the most adversely affected by Covid-19 is the least respected age group - seniors - and populations of color in our population. It is as if Covid-19 is simply the tool of natural selection and is just thinning the herd while offering survival of the fittest. Of course very few people will publicly state their support for that concept but we are clearly in the midst of a white supremacist revolution of sorts. Lastly, a segment of our population view Covid-19 as a biological warfare assault on the USA by the Chinese.</span></p><p><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c1bcb4; background-color: #181a1b; color: #c8c3bc;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The decision was easy for me as every comorbidity that could affect my chances of survival is part of my makeup. I am an obese senior citizen with type 2 diabetes and congestive heart failure. My chances of surviving a bout with Covid-19 are about the same as surviving a fight with Mike Tyson or George Forman in their prime. As we have learned how to treat the original strain of Covid-19, the new variants are more virulent and more highly communicable. We are likely to be dealing with this bugger for years. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #c1bcb4; background-color: #181a1b; color: #c8c3bc;">The choice is yours. Take the protection offered by vaccination or take your chances against a virus whose sole objective is survival. Don't want the government having any more control over your life? Do you really believe Bill Gates wants to microchip the planet through vaccines? Are you convinced </span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">that 5G radio frequency communications have a damaging health impact, and that either these are directly making people sick (i.e. COVID-19 doesn’t exist and people are actually suffering from 5G effects) or the radiation is depressing peoples’ immune systems and therefore making them more likely to suffer from the virus.</span></span></p><p><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Your drama is your drama. Take the vaccine or do not take the vaccine. The choice is yours. Common sense win out or not. That is my take on this week's topic. For the record, I am approaching 24 hours since my second shot of the Pfizer vaccine. No effects.</span></span></p><p><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Be sure to check the other bloggers in our little blogging group to see what they think of Maria's suggested topic. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="http://rummuser.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ramana</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Padmum</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Raju</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://ceezone.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Srinivas</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Conrad</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://shackman-speaks.blogspot.com/https//www.gaelikaasdiary.com" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Maria</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">, and </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Sanjan</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;">a</span></span></p><p><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I'll see all y'all next week, same bat time - same bat channel.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-86565582115223601452021-03-11T17:05:00.001-06:002021-03-11T21:30:08.292-06:00The Exploration of Outer Space<p>Space, the final frontier...To boldly go where no man or woman has gone before. <br /></p><p>The irony is not lost on me. Thanks to the pandemic,we have been locked down and quarantined. Now, some states are opening up and unleashing the heretofor cooped up masses. </p><p>While we work to once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, we are seriously on Mars - checking out the red planet more seriously than ever before. Manned flight to Mars is on the drawing board, private enterprise is doing more for space exploration than we ever thought possible. Reusable launch vehicles are now a reality and another moon shot in the works. Once again, we have something new and exciting to keep our minds off the failures brought on by the pandemic.</p><p>Do you remember this? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IjFooHBlS0s" width="320" youtube-src-id="IjFooHBlS0s"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That song - in its original version - is one I </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">heard on the car radio (in that infamous Mustang convertible) on the day Armstrong walked</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">on the moon. I was on Hwy 92 having just crossed the San Mateo bridge and headed to Half Moon Bay to meet the gang. Call it a Twilight Zone moment - the song was not released nor even completed when I heard it. I looked for it for months as John Stewart was and is a favorite of mine.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Space exploration has been on my mind since I lived in Pueblo Colorado when my folks and I went to the drive in movietheater and watched Forbidden Planet. That was it for me - I was hooked. Then I saw The Day The Earth Stood Still on TV. The politics of the time went right over my head but boy was that robot Gort cool. In fact, the guy who owned the company that my late wife and I worked for in the early seventies nicknamed me Gort.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next came Star Trek and then Star Wars and all of the one off movies - including my all time fave space opera, The Last Starfighter. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1GqYbY-utms" width="320" youtube-src-id="1GqYbY-utms"></iframe></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We launched Voyager and that one is still out there. Then there is the SETI Institute - America's only organization whose very existance is dedicated to searching for life in the universe.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Space has been on people's minds since the days of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon - even longer. For all of our flaws, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">we humans are a curious race. Not curious as odd but curious as inquisitive. What is out there? Who is out there? What is our place in the grand scheme of things? <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So here we are - back in a space race and our timing could not be better. After being locked down for a year, we are raring to go. Private companies are building the vehicles. Our resident crazy South African is building a vehicle to get us to Mars and that Branson guy may as well. The excitement is building and should continue to do as we press on. Every milestone we reach should fuel the fire within us to keep exploring. We may even run into this little guy once again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EFlGdiMXiiU" width="320" youtube-src-id="EFlGdiMXiiU"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>If nothing else, I hope this weeks blog captures some of the excitement I feel about space exploration. These are strange times we live in - and the times they are a changin'. See ya next week for the next 8 on 1 blog as we get back into the swing of things. Conrad picked this week's topic and be sure to see what the other bloggers have to say. I'll see ya next week, same bat time - same bat channel.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="http://rummuser.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; font-family: trebuchet; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ramana</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; font-family: trebuchet;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; font-family: trebuchet; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Padmum</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; font-family: trebuchet;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; font-family: trebuchet; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Raju</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; font-family: trebuchet;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://ceezone.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; font-family: trebuchet; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Srinivas</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; font-family: trebuchet;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; font-family: trebuchet; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Conrad</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; font-family: trebuchet;">, </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://shackman-speaks.blogspot.com/https//www.gaelikaasdiary.com" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; font-family: trebuchet; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Maria</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; background-color: #181a1b; font-family: trebuchet;">, and </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #131516; --darkreader-inline-color: #5ab4e1; background-color: #181a1b; color: #51b0df; font-family: trebuchet; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Sanjan</a>a<br /><p></p><div><br /><br /></div></div>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-45741693007921126192021-03-05T12:07:00.001-06:002021-06-01T02:15:28.776-05:00Will the Balance of Power Be Impacted by the Pandemic?.0<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">With the entire world stage dominated by the Pandemic, it is interesting to contemplate how the pandemic will</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> impact the balance of </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">po</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">wer, if at all.</span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I see the world stage dominated by China/India, China/USA, and China/Australia along with USA/China, USA/India, and USA/Australia relations. Russia can possibly sneak in with their relations with Central and South American countries. Primary among those relations are the world's continued reliance on fossil fuels.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">As solar and other sources are developed pay careful attention to the countries rich in the compounds that make up the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles. Watch how Russia, China and the USA react to those countries as they each seek to gain control over those critical resources.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">How is the Pandemic impacting countries and thus possibly the balance of power? Vaccines. Watch how Russia and China share their vaccines with the nations of the world.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #e8e6e3; color: black; font-family: trebuchet;">We have spent decades living under a Balance of Terror. Russia and the USA have long stockpiled sufficient nuclear arsenals to obliterate the planet several times, and even though the cold war ended decades ago whenever a new country enters the nuclear club it wants to flex its muscles. New alliances may be in our future and the balance of power may enter a state of flux like no other in history.</span><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #e8e6e3; color: black; font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #e8e6e3; color: black; font-family: trebuchet;">Yes the balance of power is likely to change and I think in large part it will realign largely how we exit the pandemic. The primary influence is likely to be if the USA ever regains the respect it once commanded on the world stage that was nearly rendered extinct when our previous administration was in office. The extent of the damage it presided over is only now showing itself, including the spreading danger posed by white supremacist militias. Can we overcome the internal strife caused by POTUS 45 and his band of marauders? We are about to find out.</span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #e8e6e3; color: black; font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #e8e6e3; color: black; font-family: trebuchet;">Please check the blogs of the other members of this unique blogging team</span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #e8e6e3; color: black; font-family: trebuchet;"><a href="http://rummuser.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ramana</a>, <a href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Padmum</a>, <a href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Raju</a>, <a href="https://ceezone.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Srinivas</a>, <a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Conrad</a>, <a href="https//www.gaelikaasdiary.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Maria</a>, and <a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanjana</a></span></div>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-29024135760471274082020-12-10T16:01:00.001-06:002020-12-10T16:02:38.957-06:00Breaktime - what do you do when you get the chance for a break from your busy schedule?<p> 2020<span style="font-family: helvetica;"> - what a long, strange year it has been. Many of us have experienced unheard of levels of stress -I know I sure have. So how do all y'all cope? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Most of you can guess that I spend a fair amount of time lost in music. There is very little music I do not care for. You are not likely to see me listening to an opera. I love Broadway musicals which I discovered as a kid. Camelot is my all time fave, though I prefer the movie to the stage version unless the stage version has Richard Harris as Arthur.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I used to read a lot. My record in books for a year is over 300 but my preference is mystery fiction, sword and sorcery fiction and the like. Most of that is a quick one night's read for me but I do savor a good Harry Dresen novel by Jim Bitcher or a Kate Shugak novel by Dana Stabenow. Very few classics make my list as I am more interested in current culture and firmly believe mystery writers are as accurate at chronicling the life and times of their characters as any so called classical author.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Then there is the popcorn movie. The multitub of popocorn, typically action/adventure flick that you kick back and relax. Think Indiana Jones, Harry Potter or my all time fave popcorn movie <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7NaxBxFWSo" rel="nofollow">The Last Starfighter</a>. I confess to a crush on Catherine Mary Stewart since I saw that one and there is a sequel coming.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For the record, my all time favorite movie is a little anti-war ditty called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joGb3859K3s" rel="nofollow">The Americanization of Emily</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Back to music for the home stretch. Movie and TV themes are a great source of relaxation for me. Who doesn't get a warm, fuzzy feeling when they hear the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-mi0r0LpXo" rel="nofollow">Theme from Cheers</a>? Remember this one? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je2fGzKiqRM" rel="nofollow">Hill Street Blues</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Some of the best themes come from westerns -here is one of my faves <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPWQzq5SQYM" rel="nofollow">Silverado</a></span></p><p>That's it for how I relax - save for that occasional lost in thought moment. The astute reader will note that I am a very simple guy. I suspect another sign off this week is more appropriate - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FkGBBuBDLA">Happy Trails</a></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This week's topic was chosen by me. Be sure to check other bloggers in our group's take at their respective </span>blogs: <a href="rummuser,com" rel="nofollow">Ramana</a>, <a href="https://www.gaelikaasdiary.com/" rel="nofollow">Maria</a>, <a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Sanjana</a>, <a href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Padmum</a>, <a href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Raju</a>, <a href="https://ceezone.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Srinivas</a>, and <a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Conrad</a>.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-42473752379949791162020-11-19T15:18:00.001-06:002020-11-20T10:29:50.586-06:00Modern Democracy - Success or Failure<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">This week's topic was chosen by Raju. Be sure to check his take and the other 6 bloggers in our group's take at their respective blogs: <a href="rummuser,com" rel="nofollow">Ramana</a>, <a href="https://www.gaelikaasdiary.com/" rel="nofollow">Maria</a>, <a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Sanjana</a>, <a href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Padmum</a>, <a href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Raju</a>, <a href="https://ceezone.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Srinivas</a>, and <a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Conrad</a>.</span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">As a prelude to the topic I offer this as a backdrop</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z0xBWPHHzBw" width="320" youtube-src-id="z0xBWPHHzBw"></iframe>11</div><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Democracy dates back to the ancient Greek and Roman city states and has evolved through several different flavors over the years. The largest democracy in the world is India and the most powerful is the United States.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The last few years have seen a largely amoral POTUS attempt to tear down the institutions of our government and instill a hard-right nationalist fervor which he succeeded in doing - you may recall the armed militia, on the steps of the Michigan capitol and the arrest of several militia members planning to kidnap and possibly execute the governor of Michigan. Our country's divide is as deep and wide as the Grand canyon.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Democracy speaks to how we select our government or the leaders of any institution. You would be hard pressed to find people who prefer any other way of selecting leaders. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Once the leaders are chosen, how they choose to govern largely dictates the success or failure as a democracy, Types of democracy? Too numerous to list or discuss here. We, the USA, are a Republic. It seems our founders were not so enamored of direct democracy, as in their day that often meant democracy </span></span></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 17.5px;">without the protection of a constitution enshrining basic rights. James Madison suggested a direct democracy got weaker as it got larger whereas a republic could get stronger as it got larger (see the Federalist 10).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">World population review list the top 10 of t</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #464e56;">he </span>most democratic nations in the world are: Norway (9.87) Iceland (9.58) Sweden (9.39) New Zealand (9.26) Finland (9.25) Ireland (9.24) Canada (9.22) Denmark (9.22) Australia (9.09) Switzerland (9.03). The bottom of the entire list is anchored by North Korea, the USA comes in at 25. You can see the entire list <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/democracy-countries" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> - just scroll down through the ads and other info to the list.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Obviously economic performance is a huge indicator of the success or failure of a democracy. I believe the future success or failure of democracy lies with the success or failure of two countries - the USA and India. The USA has long been that shining ight on the hillside so often talked about. Clearly though, the last four years show we are not without issues that must be resolved. While we do possess the treasure and strength to be a world cop, the wherewithal to do so may be waning a bit. I see that strength in India and a population willing to do nearly anything to be successful. The entrepreneurial spirit I have seen from India is mind boggling and they have the technical expertise. India is an effective counterweight to China with China ahead at the moment but with India in the race for the long haul. FYI, India's democracy score is 7.23, the USA is 7.96 and China is 3.32. Globalization increases daily as communication and technical growth run wild. Market stresses caused by changing and shrinking resources require technical innovation - such as ceasing global dependence on fossil fuels. Changing weather patterns will affect food supplies and population centers. It is going to be a vastly different world in 50 years. Democracy will make a difference, as in my opinion a largely east vs west slugfest becomes a north vs south slugfest.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Modern Democracy has been very much a success to this point thanks in large part to the success and growth of the USA. How the USA reacts to internal power changes, as the next generation of leaders assume control, and external power as more nations step up on the world stage for their piece of the pie. India, this means you, will determine the future success or failure of democracy. Of course, we live in a nuclear world and there is always the chance some buffoon pushes the button that brings it all crashing down on us. I personally think the chance of that happening increases in direct proportion to the increasing political power of religions. There is a reason our country was founded with a very distinct separation of church hand state. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uBlnMIDKrtI" width="320" youtube-src-id="uBlnMIDKrtI"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">That's it for this week's topic. See ya next week, same bat time, same bat channel.</span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span></span></p></div>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-55983397182437181262020-11-12T14:44:00.004-06:002020-11-13T09:40:54.087-06:00Dinner in two hours<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Maria offered this week's topic. You can check what she and the other bloggers have to say about the topic at their respective blogs - <a href="http://www.rummuser.com" rel="nofollow">Ramana</a>, <a href="https://www.gaelikaasdiary.com/" rel="nofollow">Maria</a>, <a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Sanjana</a>, <a href="https://www.padmum.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow">Padmum</a>, <a href="http://www.padmum.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow">Raju</a>, <a href="http://www.ceezone.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow">Srinivas</a>, and <a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Conrad</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Two hours, eh? That is just enough time so lets hit the road.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OAQdbYX5oeo" width="320" youtube-src-id="OAQdbYX5oeo"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ybtl9qVFAjc" width="464" youtube-src-id="ybtl9qVFAjc"></iframe></div><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SQzW6wz2JQk" width="320" youtube-src-id="SQzW6wz2JQk"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bOl_CMvmQI0" width="320" youtube-src-id="bOl_CMvmQI0"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">Time for one more tune before we get to the place we are having dinner</span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nJX_VRr4F2M" width="320" youtube-src-id="nJX_VRr4F2M"></iframe></div>Yep - there it is </div><div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e-_QjmEr_zE/X62ZH82c6hI/AAAAAAAAFFk/P1pXAj1E1FwOLr55fV6RmGpM1oYuYN8pwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/blog.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e-_QjmEr_zE/X62ZH82c6hI/AAAAAAAAFFk/P1pXAj1E1FwOLr55fV6RmGpM1oYuYN8pwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/blog.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Plenty of time to grab a seat and enjoy a couple of double Glenlivets before the others arrive. Won't hurt my feelings if they're late - that's one more scotch LOL. And, look who the bar band is tonight!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rGGH5noBVTE" width="320" youtube-src-id="rGGH5noBVTE"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">See ya next week when our group of 8 bloggers again write on a shared topic.</span></p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-88984308624131600982020-11-05T14:37:00.000-06:002020-11-05T14:37:31.781-06:00Letter to Santa...What I want for Christmas.<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Dear Santa,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I hope this letter finds you well. I really hope 2020 has been better for you than it has for most people but I'd love a sneak peek at your naughty/nice book. I suspect keeping it up all year has been quite stressful at times. As you and I share the same personal kryptonite, cookies, I trust the Mrs. or cooking elves have kept your supplies replenished. I promise I'll leave a few extra on your plate Christmas Eve. I hope you still fit down all of those chimneys and by the by - I have always wondered how you complete your deliveries without looking like a chimney sweep? Every pic I have seen displays a clean, bright red suit with nary a smudge on it. You aren't photo shopping those are you?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At my age you might think it odd I am once again writing to you but frankly I cannot remember you ever delivering anything I asked for before. As I grew older and wiser I just assumed your day job was in politics and you are a typical politician. Alas, when the divide between folks in my country reached epic proportions and the red hated the blue, elephants hated the asses and some families were sadly torn asunder, I realized that not getting that Red Ryder Carbine Action 200 Shot Range Air Rifle (aka BB gun) could cause this much trouble. What the heck - that thing isn't even on the NRA's watch list.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Don't worry Santa - I won't ask for world peace - that must be above your pay grade. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">How about a Stanley Cup for my beloved </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tiburones de San José</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The board game Version of QAnon - </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">More tolerance to deal with the idiots in this world </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Winning lottery numbers (before the game, of course)</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A pill for writer's block on blog day (just in case)</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Zero calorie cinnamon gummy bears</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Gym membership for my good angel since my bad angel seems to kick his ass regularly</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;">The wherewithal to finish the great American novel</span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;">More patience - he is only 10 years old (my grandson)</span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;">CRISPR being approved for HD treatment for my daughter</span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;">One more year of Supernatural </span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;">The sequel to The Last Starfighter to get filmed </span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;">One last note Santa - since world peace is beyond your reach, how about just a simple thing like a return to civility?</span></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;">Shackman</span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;">That's it for my spin on Padmini's chosen topic. Please see what the others have to say</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://www.gaelikaasdiary.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Maria</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Sanjana</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.rummuser.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ramanas Musings</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://ceezone.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Srinivas</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Conrad</a></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://padmum.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Padmum & Raju</a><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p><br /></p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-86412075357899009632020-10-29T13:51:00.000-05:002020-10-29T13:51:43.860-05:00Best, Worst, Probable, the World in Five Years<p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">This week's topic sprang forth from the fertile mind of the Old Fossil, AKA Conrad. Time is running out on the US election season and Fos wants to know where it all will end. Honestly, so do most of us - the population in general. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;"><span><span><span>We begin our best view of the world in five years on November 3, 2020 by replacing the current inhabitant of the White House with Joe Biden. Mike Pence is shown the gate with his political career in tatters because he was nothing more than a sycophant for Donald J. Trump. We will have five years to repair the INTENTIONAL damage done to our Republic by the Trump administration. Trump took his deconstruction of the administrative state seriously. But, who could have imagined that one thing he did in </span></span></span><span>his term was create a coalition primed to solve the </span><span>divisiveness</span><span> his presidency has </span><span><span> so enthusiastically engendered</span></span><span> by uniting together to remove him from office. Irony of ironies.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">Nobody in their right mind would expect this new coalition to remain in tact once the job of removing Trump is done. Most important, though, is the fact that the left and right are showing they can work together if there is common ground. There is plenty of common ground to be explored and many opportunities to become a bipartisan country again. That is something we need to embrace and build on. That is something Joe Biden is known for - being an old school politician known for working across the aisle. We need to put folks in charge of departments that are qualified to run those departments. Regulations? How often have we heard from the automotive industry that they could not adhere to the regulations being imposed on them and remain in business. Yet, every year cars were made safer and more energy efficient. The entire industry is working toward nothing but electric cars in 10-15 years. Clean energy is an imperative and will require much work and new job creation. The oil industry companies are already working on this and simply need incentives to continue.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">Part of the great unknown over the next few years is how the younger generations react to the real power transitioning to them. I frankly have no clue what they will do as I have no idea what they really care about - just that they blame us boomers for many if not all of our ills. I am reasonably optimistic they will take the ball and run with it. They may have a different plan of attack but the requirements remain unchanged. Our west coast offense may soon become a thing of the past, just like the run and shoot I played in before Bill Walsh came along. To my Indian blogging partners, I apologize for the American football references, but they are the easiest to make that can be understood by readers here (especially those that know me).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">We are undergoing a period of change in this country that could be as rocky as the sixties due to the divide between us. But that divide offers a chance to create a stronger, better republic - one that lives up finally to its promise. One that returns us again to a position of leadership on the world stage. One that our allies can trust and that our foes respect. One with our nation's soul restored, where our politicians cease the name calling and behavior more akin to 10 year olds on a playground than adult leaders.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">The worst? Like the best, the election November 3, 2020 holds the key. In the worst scenario, Donald Trump is reelected. Chaos continues to reign. Our primary foe - Russia - continues to make enormous gains against our interests, as does our primary competitor, China. North Korea is stronger militarily than ever. Tensions along the Korean peninsula are as tenuous as ever. That will get progressively worse IMHO.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">Our justice department will continue its slide into the swamp and become more of a tool for 45 to seek revenge on his enemies, real and imagined. Our national parks and land will be sold or leased to companies seeking to drill or mine while little or no progress is made on alternative, environmentally friendlier power.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">More tax breaks to wealthy Americans and companies will increase the national debt significantly. Healthcare will change but we have no idea how. Nothing 45 has said or done gives any indication beyond his promises it is about to be delivered. He has made the same pledge for four years.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">I expect the protests in the streets to expand and be worse as militia groups feel emboldened by 45 to clash with protestors. The violent extreme left and extreme right use the streets as their battleground. 45 will continue to use "law and order" to push the limits of his authoritarian tendencies and label the left's actions as socialism and communism. Of course, that is likely no matter who wins the election. It also amazes me how many people are so ignorant of communism as to agree with Trump and so ignorant of socialism to not recognize its presence in our lives.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">Trump's actions - or lack thereof - regarding the pandemic will lead to many more deaths as we await his vaunted herd immunity to be reached. As this is being written we are adding 70,000 plus cases daily. Despite 45's protestation, the rise is not simply due to increased testing as the percentage of deaths and hospitalizations has increased. Vaccines are coming but only about 70% of the population seems willing to take the vaccine. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">Trump seems bulletproof when it comes to the economy and the stock market. His tax reductions and deregulation seem to keep the markets on the rise, though the benefits do not always trickle down to working folk. I see no reason for that to change.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">I expect chaos to continue its hold on a Trump administration should he be reelected. The cabinet doors will be constantly swinging as nearly everyone seems to cross 45 eventually and draw his ire.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">Of course this is all speculation and swag (scientific wild-assed guesses). But, should Trump win reelection, why wouldn't he continue to enrich himself and his company by drinking at the government trough. I would also expect Don Junior to find a way to enter politics and continue the new and improved family business. The religious right sold their souls for Trumps judicial picks, hoping to overturn Rowe v. Wade and do everything they can to ban abortion in the country - something I believe the majority does not support. But regarding the judges, and specifically the Supreme court, anyone who thinks the Democrats would not have done the exact same thing given the opportunity is naïve, foolish or both. Both parties are largely amoral when it comes to getting their way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">We will also witness the beginning of the transition of real power between generations as the younger folk start assuming the reins of power. Things will change as dinosaurs like Moscow Mitch, 45, Lindsey Graham, Pelosi, Schumer, Feinstein and the rest of the old guard ride off into the sunset searching for a rest home to continue what I am sure they believe is the real battle. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">As our population becomes younger and browner, newer ideas will spring forth from young liberals like AOC and young conservatives like Ben Sasse. That is as it should be as they inherit control from Boomers and other old folks. The world in five years will be an interesting place - we are leaving a lot of ideas and broken toys for them to sort through. I just hope it is all not filtered through another four years of Trumpian chaos. Plus, the world may be split more along north/south lines rather than east/west. It seems to me the haves are more to the north and the want to haves are more to the south. one thing is certain - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQSjV4DZ-Gg" rel="nofollow">Time Has Come Today</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;"><span>That concludes my speculations on the world in five years. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #525252;">Please Be sure to check what the other 8-1 bloggers have to say.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.gaelikaasdiary.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Maria</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Sanjana</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.rummuser.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ramanas Musings</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://ceezone.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Srinivas</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Conrad</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">Padmum and Raju</span></p>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-46044432797954870012020-10-22T16:57:00.000-05:002020-10-22T16:57:19.789-05:00A Day in the Life <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">This weeks topic is my choice and it is meant to catch us all up on life today in the midst of a global pandemic, that as this is written has infected over 40 million people, killed nearly 1.1 million people and of which over 26.7 million have survived. Over the last several weeks we have been around the edges of this subject so lets see just what is really happening.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Woke up - fell out of bed</span></h4><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br />The first thing I do every morning is head to the kitchen and make a pot of coffee, throw a couple of slices of multigrain bread into the toaster oven and let the dog out. After the animals and I are fed and watered or </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">'coffeed", the day is in full swing. Full swing is to remain grounded in my little aluminum tube. See - I am one of those with comorbidities and pretty much under quarantine 24/7. If I do get out it is definitely with a mask and a large container of hand sanitizer. That is for trips to the Doctor's office, Cardiologist or the rare trip to a drive through for takeout. It is good to see that treatment for Covid-19 has improved - at least if you have access to treatments not yet available to the general public. Just ask 45 and Chris Christie.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br />No barbershop for me but I won't look like an elderly Sasquatch any time soon as there is someone here in the park that can cut my hair.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br />I spend most days playing Scrabble, Words for Friends 2, and being a political junkie and following the news - multi sourced of course. I must admit, though, the 24/7 news coverage and short news cycle are frustrating and stressful.<br />Frankly, I long for the old days - what we used to call normal. The weekends when we could pick up and head to a movie on a whim. Of course the cost these days is simply outrageous. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br />I have noticed a cost increase for groceries as well - varying from 10% to 20% per order. Coupled with unemployment numbers and the inability of the government to come up with an appropriate new stimulus package, things are tougher than ever. There are 3 people here living off a single social security check. As long as nothing goes wrong - read breaks down - we are fine. Of course something always breaks down.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br />Things apparently will continue in this vain until we can get the Pandemic under control. We continue to lead the world in poor response to Covid-19. Nothing being presented in the news lately gives me confidence the situation will improve appreciably any time soon.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br />I am not particularly surprised by that as many people here are blessed - or cursed - with a fierce independent streak. One that seemingly equates the simple task of wearing a face mask as a severe infringement of their personal rights. There is as much rancor there as there is with gun rights critics. Who woulda thunk - a cloth face mask is as sore a point as semiautomatic weapons. The CDC is the right's NRA. Sensible? That is up to you.<br />It has been interesting to see home delivery of groceries and take out establish a strong foothold. I think those will be with us permanently as we move forward and establish a new normal. I must admit - I find the fact that I can make an Aldi, Publix, or Food Lion grocery order at 8AM and by 10AM it is delivered. I have become a fan of Aldi and their prices while the prices on groceries are so unstable. And Door Dash is easy to use but expensive. Choose your establishment wisely as you can save money with special deals. Boy, do I miss a place called Mr. Pickles - the best sandwich shop ever. I discovered them while staying with my brother's family.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br />Something else that is gaining popularity is working from home. Out of necessity, many folks are discovering the joy of working from home. Commutes include avoiding overly affectionate pets as you walk down the hall. Having spent ten years doing it at RadioShack, I am glad to see it spreading. I am even considering going back to work.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br />So here we sit - less than two weeks until what I consider the most important election in our lives. Essentially quarantined,, avoiding get togethers, watching way too much TV and being as careful as possible. NC is spiking in infections - but the weather is nice. So far I have managed to not lose any friends over the election but the number of folks I discuss politics with has declined. No harm there as it is a mad mad world there is always plenty of stuff to discuss. Less than two weeks to go until things settle down.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">And so goes a typical day for me here in North Carolina, the place I not so happily call home these days. The unhappiness is my issue and not related to the Pandemic. We are rapidly entering the Fall season, my favorite time of year. The temperature has been falling to 43° nightly, there is definitely a nip in the air. Good news - it is much cooler and pleasant temperature wise. Bad news - the cooler temperatures may be leading us into the worst time of the Pandemic. It will cause people to congregate in enclosed areas and far too many people still have issues wearing face masks when they are out and about. Opening the state's economies has caused new spikes in infections as beaches and bars become more accessible. Too many in our society prefer to be seen in pubic carrying their semiautomatic weapons rather than wear a mask and help protect people from Covid-19.</span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">That's my take on this week's quirky topic. <span style="color: #525252;">Please Be sure to check what the other 8-1 bloggers have to say.</span></span></p></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.gaelikaasdiary.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Maria</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Sanjana</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.rummuser.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ramanas Musings</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://ceezone.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Srinivas</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Conrad</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #525252;"></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://shackman-speaks.blogspot.com/padmum.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Padmun & Raju</span></a></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599918867507699918.post-36292246328254612312020-10-15T16:39:00.000-05:002020-10-15T16:39:32.721-05:00Recipe For Your Grandchildren<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This week's topic sprang from the fertile mind of the youngest member of the blogging group - our resident teenager Sanjana. Considering I have 2 grandchildren older than her, this topic is even more perplexing, but here goes anyway. I will attack the topic with a twist of sorts - my recipe is for a Saturday. A perfect Saturday like many of the ones I experienced as a kid.</span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Saturday AM</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We will assume that you did not set an alarm to awaken early on this special Saturday. You did agree to call the gang upon rising so the first part of the days recipe is to call the "gang" and set in motion the events of the day. You might down a glass of OJ whilst calling the gang. Arrange to meet at the local McDonalds for a quick breakfast - you will need some fuel for the day's activities. Meet ya at Mickey D's in an hour you excitedly say - and after the calls are made, it is off to the kitchen to make your lunch, grab your stuff, and split.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A Healthy Lunch</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Grab the bag of Cuties (Mandarin oranges), a couple of apples, the bags of chips from the pantry (healthy is in the eye of the young lunch maker) and a few bottles of Gatorade G2, the cooler and load it with ice and your ahem - healthy lunch selections. Just enough time to get dressed and hit the road. Mickey D's is only about 5 blocks away. You'll make it in plenty of time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Dress for the ball game of the day - be it soccer, football, basketball or baseball. Gloves and bats - as necessary. While getting dressed you realize the cooler is overkill since you and your siblings all have backpacks. Load the backpacks and leave the cooler on the patio. You can clean it when you get back. Hop onto your chosen mode of transport - skateboard, bike or shank's mare (for the unenlightened, shank's mare was my grandmother's way of telling me to walk if the bike or board were not available). Within 10 minutes or so you meet up with the gang at Mickey D's ready to get some breakfast. Amazingly most of the gang had fries for breakfast. I had a sausage, egg and cheese McMuffin - well - 2 of them and a Coke. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To the Park</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Alright - fueled and ready, cross the street to get dibs on the baseball diamond at Gansberger School for the days activities. In my time 90% of those days were filled playing baseball or football, depending on the time of year. And yes - unlike my time, girls play. Some of the best ballplayers are girls - my niece Sammy got a scholarship to college at Notre Dame Demur. Her mom and sisters all played, my brother and sister were jocks. I suppose these days kids are more apt to be going out to play soccer than baseball but the Saturday concept does not give a darn about the game being played - as long as you get home in time for dinner. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Let the Game Begin</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Choose up sides and get the game going. You will only have 5 or so hours to play. Everyone will get 15 or so at bats or scoring chances. If another "gang" shows up, then it is your gang vs them for neighborhood bragging rights. And, if by chance a mud ball fight breaks out, open fire. Mudballs are best after a heavy rain - you grab a handful of grass (the fields were not mowed often) and pull straight up. Then shape the mud at the base like a ball and they will fly straight and true. In 7-10 years of mudball battles no gang members were hurt. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Game Over</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After 4 or 5 hours of serious fun the entire gang will be whupped. Time to head home and work on dinner plans. For me, that meant convincing the folks a trip to Ye Olde Pizza Joynt was in order. The recipe for that was convincing the folks it was more relaxing to head to there than cooking anything at home. Luckily, both parents recognized the real value in an extra large confusion, a cold beverage and the sounds of the pipe organ blasting away. Confusion? Sausage, hamburger, multiple kinds of cheese, pepperoni, salami, mushrooms, green and black olives, bell peppers, onions, red pepper flakes and a liberal dosing of parmesan all excessively applied, and then baked to perfection so the center was not soggy. It was the perfect ending to a great day - a real recipe for success. And a loud belch.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yes this is based upon my experience as a kid in Hayward, California. My summer days were very much like this as the neighborhood gang and I headed off to play baseball every day - an activity well documented in the 1993 film The Sandlot.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a7uj69OjQe8" width="320" youtube-src-id="a7uj69OjQe8"></iframe></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>That's my take on this week's quirky topic courtesy of Sanjana. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #525252; font-size: x-small;">Please Be sure to check what the other 8-1 bloggers have to say.</span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #525252; font-size: x-small;">"Sage" Advice</span></span></h4></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #525252; font-size: x-small;">My editor suggested recipes for life - like always wear clean underwear, avoid blind alleys and the like. We all have within us a sensible person and the idiot - unfortunately, we cannot often tell the difference. Lastly, people argue less on a full stomach. </span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><a href="https://www.gaelikaasdiary.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Maria</a><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><a href="https://sanjanaaah.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Sanjana</a><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><a href="http://www.rummuser.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ramanas Musings</a><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><a href="https://ceezone.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Srinivas</a><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><a href="https://jconmem.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Conrad</a><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="color: #525252; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><a href="https://shackman-speaks.blogspot.com/padmum.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Padmun & Raju</a></p><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></h4><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>Shackman http://www.blogger.com/profile/01690901432037614409noreply@blogger.com5