What would you do given 38 minutes to live before Nuclear disaster were to strike?

This topic was my choice. It came from seeing a picture of the old duck-and-cover days when I was in grade school, junior high and high school and a friends post on Facebook that asked the same question. Why did my friend  post the question? Simple actually - it really happened to Hawaii when on January 13, 2018 the following emergency message was broadcast at 8:07 A.M. to all Hawaii cell phones - BALLISTIC MISSLE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

As you can imagine, the fear and anxiety was nearly unimaginable. Check these links

Fear. Panic. And tears. For 38 minutes, Hawaii thought it was under attack

Being a mother in Hawaii during 38 minutes of nuclear fear

For 38 Minutes, Hawai Panicked. This could be the end

Obviously there was an error and Hawaii remains lush and lovely in the middle of the Pacific. But, ngiven the political climate both here in the USA and elsewhere in the world, what do you suppose the chances are another mistake is made and what if it isn't caught in time? Or, in a worst case scenario, a nuclear attack is actually launched? Wth the actors and nations involved, I frankly am no longer not worried about nuclear conflict. I think there are enough fools in charge in all of the nations with nuclear arms that actually believe nuclear war is both survivable and winnable. As the old somg goes, it's a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack.

And to answer the question posed by the topic, like most I'd undoubtedly spend most of my time contacting those I care most about. Where I live is not likely in and of itself a primary military target there are several close enough that I won't have to worry for long about anything.

I often wonder if tjhe younger generations these days are as aware of the situation we live in - as I think we were in our youth or have they seen sufficient movies and game scenarios that have dulled them to reality? Has any movie had the effect of Nevil Shute's novel On the Beach that was turned into a fairly sobering film in 1959? I know that one stuck with me for years.

As our society seems to move closer and closer to the vision of Ayn Rand are the chances for nuclear conflict heightened? "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.”  

That certainly sounds like the credo of any high-powered CEO to me. Kind of reminds me of that old credo - the one who dies with the most wins" - the call of the unchecked, unregulated capitalist. Merge that with the decidedly un-Christian hateful evangelical right and the recipe for disaster is at hand. Lets just hope common sense has not taken a permanent vacation.

Be sure to check out Ramana's Musings to see his take on this week's topic. I suspect it will be quite different. 

The Good Old Days.

This week''s topic - The Good Old Days - was chosen by Ramana. Be sure to visit Ramana's Musings to see his take on the topic.

Who among us hasn't at some point in time shrugged their shoulders and said back in the day we we would never get away with saying that, doing that or something similar in response to some action by a less than respectful (in our mind) young person? How many pictures of push mowers have been posted in response to a complaint about mowing the grass with a power mower? How many times have you heard or read that you ate what was put in front of you or you ate nothing ar all? For me that usually referred to Tuna Casserole on Tuesday nights when Sea Hunt was on. To this day I cannot look at a can oan of tuna without this flashing through my brain - 

Think about it. Were things really better back in the day? I find it hard to believe a member of the LGBTQ community looks back on the fifties with warm, fuzzy feelings about living a lie and having to deny who they really were. And African Ameericans look back on Amos 'n Andy or Rochester warmly? The Jim Crow south? Or were  the sixties and the Black Panthers more nostalgic for them? Confession time - I thought Amos 'n Andy was hilarious and so were The Honeymooners. Both shows were laden with stereotypes and of course we all know that is political correctness - a serious no-no these days.

The good old days is largely generational - each generation has its very own good old days. Younger generations these days enjoy blaming the baby boomers for today's problems.We rebellious boomers started the participation awards nonsense and our children picked up that ball and ran with it Most of the current politicians - whose failings and actions are directly responsible for the election of Donald Trump as POTUS45. Apparently we never learned to be careful what we ask for as we got it - a non-politician in the white house. In this instance the good old days might be considered to be any time before Trump was  elected. 

A fair number of Catholics consider the Second Vatican Council of 1962-1965 as the delineation point for the good old days in their faith, meaning anything before that is valid after it not so. Think Mel Gibson and his traditionalist Catholic beliefs as an example. In fact Christianity has several changes which could be considered defining points for the good old days. Think any Protestant sect. Think Church of Jesus Christ for Latter Day Saints.

Every generation claims to have the best music. I laugh when I hear a kid these days disparage the Beatles. It is highly unlikely that without the Beatles, popular music would have evolved to what is popular today. The Beatles turned popular music on its ear as they broke new ground with things like Sgt Pepper and inspired people like Brian Wilson, Bruce Springsteen and others. The Beatles went from being a standard guitar band to a highly complex mixture of orchestral sounds and experimentation that is all the more amazing when you consider the band members could neither read  nor write music (not to be confused with and was inspired by them and others and so today we have rap and hip hop. Not surprisingly we encounter a good old days speedbump here - I just heard these 50-year old tune on the radio and enjoyed them  as much as ever. If you have a sudden nostalgic urge to hear  these just click the link.

I Will.

You Didn t Have to Be So Nice
 Will this next song be as popular in 50 years? My guess is no. But my mixed- race grandkids disagree.

Naughty by Nature

There is a certain nostalgia for film noire that has been around fordecades. Some folks simply perefer black and white as a medium - listen to the hue and cry whenever a classic film is colorized. As many hate the newly colorized version as perefer. Many a Good Old Days moments here. 

It has become the custom in many  a competition these days to have no winner or      losers and lets give everyone aparticipatipn trophy too while we are st it. Sadly ths seems to have evolved from my very own Baby Boomer generation. So this Good Old Days moment is very valid - lets get back to the good old days of teaching kids how to play a sport fairly and to be good winners or - perish the thought - losers. Kids need to learn how to compete to get along in the world today.

So where are we with the topic? Are the old days really the Good Old Days? Are they really better? The answer is a great big old sometimes. But older is no guarantee of better. This line from another favorite song of mine gets it - "Yesterdays over my shoulder but I can't look back for too long. There's just too much to see wauring inn front of me and I know that I just can't go wrong"

Don;t recognize it? Here's a link to the song

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Atitudes

While some things never change, we are really bettere off culturally when things evolve and grow. We may not love the changes as they occur but progress comes from adapting to change and adopting changes. These days corporal punishment - or really a lack thereof - is another big Good Old Days rant. Both sides vehemently defend their choices. A few other somehat common Good Old Days flashpoints include Kids growing up playing outside vs the electronic devices; Violence in video games (and remember - my generation grew up playing some form of gun centered game, deending on what the latest popular movie was. And some of those guns shot plastic bullets - I had one of these

And of course I had a Rifleman rifle and Josh Randall's (Steve McQueen) Mare's Leg from Wanted Dead or Alive. And several friends had big backyards in which to play guns. We played them all - Paladin, Rifleman, Josh Randall, Wyatt Earp, Matt Dillon, Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry - even Audie Murphy. I am not sure a video game is as much fun as gunnunn'down Virgil Barnhart or Kenny Lockard in a serious bout of guns in Virgil's back yard. And yes the Indians could be good guys - Broken Arrow had Michael Ansara as Cochise and Tonto was no stereotypical Indian to us - he was one of the good guys. And the Mexican kids had The Cisco Kid, Zorro and El Fego Baca.

So that is my quick shack take on The Good Old Days. I confess I am occasionally guilty with some of my nostalgic trips back in time - I do think in a few instances those times were better, But I believe looking forward and constantly learning is the way to go. And you do know what they say about the past - if we do not learn from the past we are doomed to repeat it. One last thing - none of my neighborhood buddys was ever Bat Masterson Nobody had the requisite cane and derby hat.

The First Time I Saw an Ocean

The first time I saw an ocean was the summer before we moved from Pueblo, Colorado to California. We were trekking west to see my new grandparents and decide if we would  make the big move. We made the drive in 2.5 days and had 4 days to check out the lay of the land.

My first real ocean view was Ocean Beach in San Francisco. I loved it. Of course in typical tourist fashion,  we rolled up our  pants and took off our shoes and socks and went wading.   n knee deep water, when the wave was receding from the beach it felt like the ocean was making a serious effort to pull me out to sea.That's when I got my first real sense of the power of the ocean. I knew I was a strong swimmer but it made me nervous as hell just the same. Plus, it was summer and the water was frigid.

Ocean Beach SF Surf Cam.  The surf is treacherous and as I said, the water is frigid. Plus, there is a great white shark breeding ground nearby, just outside the Golden Gate Bridge.

Mt next view of the Pacific Ocean was Half Moon Bay - a fairly typical state beach .It was a fun place with some  great restaurants. The water was still frigid but at least we were further away from those pesky sharks.

We continued south down Highway 1 to Santa Cruz , which rapidly became my favorite ocean spot. I wonder why. Must have been that roller coaster - The Big Dipper and  the Mad Mouse. Funnily enough I remember neither the water temperature or the distance to the great white breeding grounds. Must have been that bumper car ride.

A little furthersouth was the last stop on our ocean/beach tour, Monterey. The thing I liked best about the entire highway 1 trip was the ruggedness of the coast. There were normal beach places but th e coastline is basically rugged - and gorgeous.

My dad  insisted we take the boa1t tour of Monterey Bay. When looking out to the bay and seeing nothing but whitecaps, I was not really interested but alas my 8y-year old vote was quickly smashed by those cruel parent types. If the Santa Cruz roller coaster had been on the water it would have only been half as scary as that darn boatride.Of  course I asked if there were shatks on the bay. You bet said the cheshire cat-ike ggrinning captain. It just dawned on me that perhaps Mr Speilberg was also a passenger on the trip as I am sure I said something like  "We need a bigger boat". The boat captain and my dad had a great time - me not so much. My Mom was somewhat neutral, perhaps fearing for the sanity of her firstborn child.

That day in  Monterey ended my first exposure to the Pacific Ocean. I even stopped thinking about that boatride when we stopped at the Giant Artichoke Restaurant  and I go-t myfirst taste of deep-fried artichoke hearts. It is true - everything is better fried.

The trip was a rousing success. The next summer we  packed  up our 1957 Dodge Cornet, loaded  UHAUL trailer and headed off on the new life adventure in a land called California.

Besure to check Ramana's Musings to check on Ramana's first encounter with an ocean.

Disagreements

Disagreements.  Nobody should disagree with me as I am always right - or as my friend Gary says - if I want your opinion I will give it to you. Sometimes I am not sure he is kidding when he says that but that is a tale for another time.

Recently General James Mattis, the Secretary of Defense for the U.S.A., resigned his position because he has policy disagreements with POTUS 45. 25% of our federal government is currently shutdown because of disagreements between POTUS45 and members of Congress over the building of a wall for border security which POTUS45 is convinced will stop the flow of drugs as well as eliminate the drug dealers, rapists, gang members and other human detritus Trump is trying to convince us Mexico is sending to assault the U.S.A.

There seems to be basic disagreement over how many illegals are crossing the border these days as well. So many disagreements. The only thing the involved parties can seem to agree on is that there is disagreement.

Disagreement resolution has three potential outcomes - one of the  parties wins outright, a compromise is reached, no agreement or compromise is able to be agreed upon and thus there is no resolution (sort of an agree to disagree). Of course the magnitude of the disagreement gives different weight to any outcome.
Does the disagreement involve armed conflict? Is the disagreement between two individuals? Groups? Nation states? All of those impact the attempt at resolution.

How do you approach a disagreement or attempt to resolve a disagreement? I'd start by keeping an open mind. You need to recognize the other side has what they deem to be valid reasons resolution in their favor. All involved need to listen and carefully consider other points of view. You need to genuinely want to resolve the disagreement. And, you must be willing to accept the decision of the mediator/facilitator if there is one.

It's all pretty basic stuff in my opinion - be respectful of the other side in a disagreement, listen carefully with an open mind and look for common ground on which to build an agreement. While that may not solve 100percent of your disagreements, it will solve enough of the day to day disagreements and leave you with the time and wherewithal to handle the really crazy ones. And, if all else fails, there is Glenlivet.

Be sure to check Ramana's Musings to see what he has to say about disagreements. And Happy New Year to you all

Is Competition Good for Kids?

This weeks topic came about after some discussions about participation trophies awarded to many teams in youth sports and  my observations over the years coaching youth soccer, baseball, softball and a few relevant life experiences.

Most people that know me know I spent most of my first 10 years in Pueblo, Colorado.That's where I was first exposed to both competition and youth sports. My first memory of competing is from second grade. My friend Dave Perkins competed in everything. Literally everything, We'd take a quiz in school (Carlile Elementary) and our custom was to stand when finished. The first thing Dave and I did upon standing was to check if the other was already standing.  Then we compared grades on the work, both seeking what passed for bragging rights to a second grader. We  both liked the same girl - Susan Taylor and both lost that one as she moved to California. About the only thing we did not compete on was eating lunch, though if memory serves Dave was a Coke guy and I was an RC Cola guy.

Our competition lasted until I moved to California the summer between 4th and 5th grade. Dave was one of the last people I saw before leaving Pueblo. Truth be told, in all of our competition we split just about 50/50. Dave quarterbacked the local HS football team to a state championship - no surprise to me. But all of that competition created a bond of friendship between us that would have lasted had I not moved away. In sports we got to play on the same Old Timers baseball team and Bantam League football team.

In California I continued with youth sports - Little League baseball replaced Old Timers baseball in Colorado. My days were nearly identical to the summer days depicted in the excellent  movie Sandlot. Not once were any participation awards passed out at the end of the year. If your team won the league championship you earned that recognition.

Fast forward a few years and Lynn and I coached my sister's softball team - 14-17 year old girls. No team I ever coached competed harder than Sheila's team and we did very well. We won our division and were rewarded with trophies for the recognition we had earned. There was a large pizza party for all. Another chance to hang out with their buddies on the other teams.

About that same time I got involved in youth soccer - no surprise there as both of my kids played in the league. Players were lumped into two basic categories - house and traveling. Other than tournaments, the house players all played within their league whereas the Traveling teams - the best players - played all around the area. They were as  serious about soccer as humanly possible whereas House players generally were in it for fun, and there was an  advanced house division to help develop players for the Traveling teams.

So what did the kids get from their participation in these teams? Starting as far back as my early participation I learned about competition, teamwork, winning and losing. I learned that it takes work and effort to develop the requisite skills to win. I learned there is a difference between winning and losing. I learned that winning is more fun than losing. And, I learned that as long as you gave your best effort, losing is not a crime. Nor is winning. If you lose you try to correct the mistakes that led to the loss and if you win, keep honing your skills. Be flexible.

These are all valuable life skills that apply daily. The world is growing more and more competitive. Kids must learn life skills at an early age and continue to hone those skills as long as they are part of the workforce. Be flexible. The days of working for a single company for your entire life have come a halt. Things are changing and developing at an incredible pace and will likely require a degree of teamwork and creative thinking unlike ever before.

Does exposure to competition assure success in this highly competitive world? Absolutely not. But it will create better prepared people to face the typical daily insanity we encounter.

Be sure to visit Ramana's Musings to see what he has to say about this topic.

Has liberalism failed? 2-on-1 12/14/2018

Has Liberalism failed? To proceed with this text there needs to be  an agreed upon definition of what Liberalism really is.  The far-right in this country has confused the situation by essentially equating liberalism with many historic evils, including communism, socialism, the devil, mental deficiencies and many more.

Merriam Webster offers this as one of its definitions - political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties specifically : such a philosophy that considers government as a crucial instrument for amelioration of social inequities (such as those involving race, gender, or class).

On the surface that all sounds great. The elimination of social inequities. Wow. Liberalism  eliminates racism, race and gender discrimination and more. Wow. Sounds like a perfect world to me.

Alas, all "isms" share a common misconception - that they can be all things to all people. Isms and their followers seem to consider themselves one size fits all solutions to an increasingly complex world with extraordinarily complex issues which must be resolved to make progress. And that, my friends, is from whence the so-called Progressive movement emerged from the swamp into the  lexicon of modern politics. 

And, from the Progressive movement came the most infamous of all indicator Liberal/Progressive thought - Political Correctness. The stuff that gets sanctimonious do-gooders to want to remove everything that is offensive to someone from the airwaves, written page and consigned to the garbage can of life. If the Political-Correctness cops had their way all pages would be blank and the airwaves void of content.

Every right-thinking individual recognizes the folly in such thought and action. We function best and make progress within a system that does little or nothing to restrict or impede the acquisition of wealth. Vast quantities of it. Prices are to be determined by the market with no restriction on profit. And if you reject Jesus in any way, shape or form enjoy your short earthly stay because you will spend eternity in hell. Oh - and there are no AC units in hell. 

Clearly both liberalism and conservatism have been presented in very brief, extremes here. I could go on and on but this weekly exercise is not for War and Peace - we are more of a short story or for those of you who may recall them - the Cliff's Notes versions.

In the brief samples offered above, the liberal viewpoint offers empathy and concern whereas the right viewpoint is more of the Gordon Gecko greed is good notion. Both - if taken on their own are ineffective in the long run. It is when the two notions are combined that a real workable solution is offered. And when we hop into our very safe automobiles - made safe by liberal/progressive safety feature demands that the auto manufacturers screamed would put them all out of business because of the cost - and drive to our safe that back up to a marvelous river that we swim in and catch food from - thanks to restrictions placed on the lumber mill and coal mine handling of waste that was once simply  dumped into the river we should give props to those liberal folks.

When President Bill Clinton had an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky in the 1990s, right-wing evangelist Franklin Graham—son of the late Rev. Billy Graham—was not happy. As he saw it, Clinton had disgraced the presidency. And he wasn’t about to keep quiet about Clinton’s infidelity because the president’s “sins are not private.” But in 2018, Franklin Graham has a very different set of rules for President Donald Trump—and this time, he is ordering fellow Christians as well as the media to lay off the president or face God’s wrath and judgement. Isn't it amazing what the price for a couple of Supreme Court Justices can be.

This little ditty could become a large ditty very quickly but I do not wish to scare you off. Liberalism is not dead nor is its counterpart - Conservatism. A judicious application to both principles is required in nearly all instances for any semblance of a civil society. Back in the old days it was not a mortal sin, political suicide nor just plain wrong for our two political sides to get together and be civil to each other while working things out. I used to be what was known as a Rockefeller Republican. I have a liberal, progressive view of most social causes and a more conservative view of government.Smaller is better. These days I am most often called a RINO or libtard.

That's a wrap on this week's topic. be sure to check Ramana's Musings for his take. 

Can a truly decent man be an effective leader?

We lost former President George H.W. Bush last week. Bush 41 - not to be confused with his son, Bush 43. Almost immediately, Bush 41 was hailed as a truly decent man and excellent leader, contrasted sharply with the crude, amoral current occupier of the White House.

What constitutes decency? Merriam Webster's dictionary for learning English says: polite, moral and honest behavior and attitudes that show respect for other people. That is perfectly acceptable for the context of this exercise.
 
41's legacy of decency was discussed by every network and most commentators from both parties. Twitter was alive with tweets extolling the decency and virtues of Bush 41. and even President Trump, who has blasted Bush 41 i n the past, restrained himself. Can there be a red lineeven Trump will not cross?

Bush 41 history is well known - born into substantial wealth,the youngest aviator in WWII, graduated from Yale University, successful businessman, elected to the House of Representatives twice, Ambassador to the United Nations, Chief of the Liaison Office in China, Director of Central Intelligence, Vice  President and finally President.
various
As happens with most politicians, Bush 41's position on various issues, among them abortion, evolved over the years. Bush could reach across the aisle and work with Democrats. almost unheard of in these days marked by some of the most acrimonious political times in history.

Bush 41 was a Republican - make no mistake about that. He was loyal to the cause but respectful to the other side. When Bush 41 spoke of reaching across the aisle he was serious about doing just that. There is very little of that today.
 Bush 41 likely was not elected to a second term due to his  famous "No new taxes" comment and then raising taxes. Bush 41 did what was right at the time, not the most expedient, and he paid a hefty price.

Many people are astonished at the friendship that developed between Bush 41 and Bill Clinton. Clinton is certainly not known widely as a decent human being and his connections with/to known pedophile Jeffrey Epstein (also a pal of Trump's) certainly have been seemingly ignored - as have Trump's ties to Epstein. Hillary Clinton? Her actions regarding Epstein and others are equally disqualifying for a decency award but Both Clintons are widely respected for their political savvy. Trump and his actions are an embarrassment but some of his policies have been well received so clearly being a decent human being is not a requirement to be an effective leader, though I would argue it is desirable.

And then there is Bush 43 - the self-proclaimed compassionate conservative. Bush 43  aka "W" is one of the most widely mocked people to serve in the White House. I consider him to be the Yogi Berra of politics. And, like Yogi, I believe W to be a truly decent human being - as is IMHO his brother Jeb, the former governor of Florida. I suggest their inherent decency came from their father and how he lived his life and the example Bush 41 and his wife Barbara offered their children. It is no surprise that the Bushes were much more welcoming to immigrants than their party today. Decency in and of itself does not necessarily dictate policy - it merely affects how policies are implemented.

Bush 41's presidency included military action dictated by foreign policy. Military action in Panama and the Middle East, and the Berlin Wall came down. Operation Desert Storm was a huge success.

When you add up the successes and failures in George H W Bush's lifetime it is clear he was a successful man and by extension a successful leader so yes - given the right set of circumstances a truly decent man can be an effective leader. I have no doubt the same holds true for a truly decent woman. But real decency is no guarantee of effective leadership.

That's my take on this week's topic.Be sure to check Ramana's Musings for Ramana's take on the subject.