A Veteran's Day Prayer

A quick post for Veteran's Day. Let's have fewer of them. Veterans, that is. Let's enter armed conflict as a last resort, not the first. The idea of projecting a military presence, in my opinion, should be for defensive purposes only. That would rule out our current adventures in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, as well as other locales where the metastasis of radical Islam spreads.

This approach would have also ruled out our participation in Vietnam and Korea. In fact, the last justifiable use of military force was in Afghanistan in 2001 following 9/11 and, before that, World War II.

Yes, it's true that generals need wars to fight and the defense industry needs markets for its bombs and fighter jets, but there are far better ways to spend tax dollars than feeding the maw of national defense and fighting wars that never end and that have little to do with national security.

Let's celebrate Veteran's Day by honoring those who fought and by encouraging our government to pursue policies that make this day less and less necessary.

Don't Bother with the 2016 Election Yet

One of several things that makes Canada more appealing than the U.S. these days, in addition to single-payer health care and a tendency to avoid fighting endless wars in the Middle East, is their national elections.

There was outrage among our northern neighbors when their recent election that brought liberals crashing into office that the campaign lasted an elongated nine months--an obscene length of time! What a waste of national resources and attention--don't people have better things to do with their time?

This is written, of course, with tongue in cheek, since we live in a land where the next presidential election race starts a few hours after the previous one ends. If a candidate doesn't announce at least 18 months before the general election, he/she doesn't stand a chance.

Elections in Canada, and most other civilized countries, are federally funded. Ours, of course, are funded by influence-seeking tycoons, corporations, and special interest groups who lard up our system with enough cash that could wire all of Africa with fiber optic cable or maybe even address the decrepit infrastructure here in the good 'ole U.S.

And what have we seen so far in the current contest? One party is reduced to the lunatic fringe that wants to cut taxes for rich people; take away health insurance from poor, middle class, and old people; send more folks over to fight dumb wars in the Middle East, prevent women from making important choices regarding their health; and build walls across our southern and northern border to keep out people who really don't want to come here.

The other party wants to expand social programs, health insurance, and infrastructure repairs by raising taxes that the majority opposition party will never approve in a million years.

In other words, nobody is talking seriously yet. Maybe when the final candidates emerge and they stop dissing each other long enough to, just maybe, seriously address some of today's important issues, our ears should prick up and even take an interest.

That hasn't happened yet. I say you should enjoy the football season and have a merry holiday season and just ignore politics for a while. The New Hampshire primary isn't until February.

A Half-Hearted Endorsment of Long Distance Running

Last weekend I completed the Mohawk Hudson Marathon in and around Albany, New York, and, as usual, around Mile 18 I was wondering "What is the point?" It was a glorious cool autumn day, a flat and relatively unchallenging course, but, as always I was feeling the creeping intimations of death at that point.

I was plagued with various cramps and side stitches for most of the second half of the race and by the time the last few miles rolled around my the legs were going, the feet were sore, and the rest of me was just plain sorry tired. Of course this happens whenever I run a marathon because a marathon is a very very long distance.

Very long.

But Mr. Stupid has run 11 of them over the past 10 years and he keeps doing them knowing what they do to him. Why is that? Is it because at my advanced age fun sports like basketball, baseball, hockey and football are just too dangerous and running and swimming are about all that's left? But even people of advanced age like myself finally gain some sense and start doing fewer marathons and focus on shorter races, or just stop running altogether. 

The field for this marathon was very fast and competitive, but you could see the drop-off in participation even at this elite level. There were only 28 people in my age group (60-64) out of 1,200 runners. The next age group (60-65) there were only 5--and zero women. Does one gain a measure of essential wisdom at age 65 and stop doing these things?

So, what's the point for me? Running after a certain number of miles stops being fun--and that point for me is way before 26.2 miles! I chalk the whole thing up to a personal philosophy. Modern life is pretty easy. We have elevators, cars with automatic transmission, and chairs that adjust themselves at a push of a button. We don't have to do too many hard things from a physical standpoint.

I happen to believe that's it's good to do something hard every once in a while. Maybe once or twice a year. Running 26.2 miles is hard, but it's possible and there is a certain euphoria upon completion. 

But of course that's usually followed by three or four days of very achy quads.

Et Tu Toys R Us?

As seen here, Toys R Us has hopped on the bandwagon as a nefarious abuser of HB1 visas by displacing fully functional American workers with far cheaper Asian workers. 

I especially liked a comment from one of the article's readers:

"You would think it would make more sense to ship all of those executive jobs overseas. Sure, sending accounting and IT jobs overseas saves some money, but think how much money you could save hiring an Indian CEO for 1% of what an American CEO would make! Tremendous value could be returned to the shareholders. Not to mention if you fired all the overpaid, lazy American shareholders and hired Chinese shareholders in their place, who would be too afraid of losing their stock to agitate for higher dividends. Then you could just stack up all the money the company has saved, toss it up in the air, and yell, "I'm rich, I'm rich!" like Scrooge McDuck!"

I guess this outfit joins Disney as suitable to boycott!

It's a Two-Way Street--Comments Welcome

My total lack of sophistication when it comes to digital expression and social media cannot be understated. For example, I just got my first smart phone about two weeks ago, which has introduced untold anxiety and confusion in my life.

But about this blog. I guess when I set it up, I did it all wrong. It seems I made it almost impossible for readers to post comments. It would've provided me great joy to receive comments and spark conversations and I was wondering why I wasn't getting any after 100-plus posts. It's possible that these posts are so unbearably boring that readers are left dumbfounded afterwards. But, nah, a bunch of you seem to like them and I'm sure you have stuff to contribute--if only you could.

So I did some research and juggled the settings the other day and, shazzam! now you can comment. But still, Blogger doesn't make it easy. In order to comment, you must:

1. Click on "No Comment" link at the end of the post (Poor choice of words IMO)
2. A text box pops up in which you enter your pearls of wisdom
3. Under "Comment as", click on the drop down menu and choose "Anonymous" (I don't know why! As Google.)
4. Hit "Publish"

As a test, I urge you all to give this a shot, even if you don't have anything special to say--maybe give me a weather update in your part of the world to make sure the comment link is working. Please make me not feel like I'm baying at a cold and indifferent moon.

More Housekeeping

While we're taking care of some household items, let me remind you that if you like what you're reading here, there's more of that here in my highly rated novel that's become too much of a secret. Yes, I'm shilling for my book, but that's what you do when you're a one-man writin' and promotin' operation.

I also have this one and it's free!!! (and well worth the price.)

Statistics That Could Restore My Faith in Mankind

Time, experience, and temperament cause me to conclude that some of our species are rude, wasteful, tasteless, and dumb. You see evidence all around you in the news, on the streets, in overheard conversations, and, most pervasively, on the Internet.

That is not to say that I am necessarily a pessimist or a misanthrope. In fact, I hope most of my observations and conclusions are based on hard evidence, even though hard evidence is often hard to come by. Many abide by the saying "One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch (girl)". And I hope they're right. But give me the data, please. I would love to see statistical evidence that shows the following to be the thoughts and work of a very small minority of miscreants. In other words, show me the:

• Percentage of smokers who toss their consumed butts out the window of moving vehicles.
• Percentage of car occupants who dispose of their used candy wrappers, hamburger holders, super-sized drink cups, and other trash out the window of moving vehicles.
• Percentage of gym patrons who leave their wet towels on the floor and benches in locker rooms.
• Percentage of people who shout into cell phones on commuter trains.
• Percentage of people who miss the trash can and don't pick bother picking it up.
• Percentage of people who tip less than 10% in restaurants.
• Percentage of people who truly care about anything Kardashian.
• Percentage of people who actually believe if everyone carried loaded guns there would be fewer shooting deaths.
• Percentage of guys who actually like wearing ties to work.
• Percentage of women who actually like wearing dresses and pantyhose to work.
• Percentage of restaurant patrons who don't mind waiters who do not divulge the prices of today's specials.
• Percentage of people who leave their trash on the table at self-serve restaurants.
• Percentage of people who go to the movies so that they can text in the dark.
• Percentage of people who actually like the taste of Bud Light.
• Percentage of slow runners who start races at the front and make faster runners go around them.
• Percentage of dog owners who don't scoop Fido's poop.
• Percentage of dog owners who let their mutts run free and then reassure people who are cornered by the beast that "Fido's really friendly."
• Percentage of weekend bicyclists who wear spandex outfits with European logos who actually think they look cool.
• Percentage of congressmen who actually have a clue.
• Percentage of towns that don't allow right turn on red at any of their intersections.
• Percentage of of NJ shore towns that don't have any streets above 25 mph.
• Percentage of guys with shaved heads who think they actually look good.
• Percentage of people who ask "How are you?" and don't wait for an answer.
• Percentage of people who watch Fox News for, you know, the news.
• Percentage of females who talk like valley girls and don't think they sound stupid.
• Percentage of guys my age who actually listen to hip hop.
• Percentage of people who own SUVs and actually need a vehicle that large.
• Percentage of people who enjoy commercial air flight.
• Percentage of people in corporations who truly believe that anything productive comes out of brainstorming sessions.
• Percentage of executives who think team-building exercises have anything but the opposite effect.
• Percentage of consumers who prefer plain yogurt.

This is my short list. Feel free to add your own thoughts.

Wine: I Just Don't Get It

I just had a very good glass of wine--always a good idea prior to writing fiction or a blog post. (Not so good an idea before doing taxes.) It was a white wine from the Bordeaux region and very reasonably priced at around $15. 

The thing is, I'm not really sure why I liked it. I never really know why I like a particular wine. It was a little fruity--but I don't know if the fruit was raspberry, currant, citrus or celery. It had a nice after-taste, what is known as "finish," but I don't know if the finish was mineral, tannic, or oak. 

I also don't know if the wine was supposed be drunk now or several years in the future.  I never know. And I don't know if the wine would taste better with a savory veal dish or a simple pan-fried snapper. 

All I know is that I liked the wine. I'm pretty good a telling whether a wine costs $5 or $50, but not so good about $30 vs. $100. Words are my vocation, but words fail me when it comes to describing wine, a topic in which experts never seem to run out of words to describe. Usually I'm left with--"really tasty," or "disgusting swill."

This is weird and frustrating. When it comes to food, I'm pretty good at deconstructing ingredients, flavors and textures and can readily tell the difference between excellence in the kitchen and what you usually get.

So as a semi-serious cook, I'll just have to live with the fact that I will never be a critical judge of wines, but at least I'll always know what I like.