I know I promised to update this blog more often when American Idol finally ended, so of course I haven't posted to this blog since after the finale. Go figure.
For the last few weeks, and for that matter the next few weeks, I have been busy with a number of work related projects that I am not getting paid to do but still need to do anyway, which has kept me from making the promised posts. Two weeks ago I gave a presentation to a group of young engineers. Last week I did one final read-thru of a construction manual that I am the head writer for just before publication, and for the last few days I have been studying for the LEED AP exam that I am taking this week. Then once that is done I need to prepare a presentation for the conference in Peru next month that is the subject of another one of my blogs.
Now that I work in San Francisco I encounter a lot more homeless people during my commute than I did before. Last week was especially true, as there was this gentleman on the commuter train that I was on who was slowly walking through the train car with a hat out begging for money. He was an older gentleman who needed a cane to move around. He was dressed nicer than the homeless people that I see sleeping on the streets in San Francisco but like them he was asking for change. I did my best to avoid eye contact with him as he walked by, something I find myself doing a lot more these days. Most others on the train did the same, as only two people gave this man any money.
I like to think of myself as a caring person, but I cannot seem to bring myself to care about the homeless people that I encounter on an almost daily basis to the extent that I reach into my pocket and give them money. When this gentleman got off the train I started to wonder how I had gotten so cold to the idea of giving this guy money that I went out of my way to avoid eye contact with him, and why I do this to pretty much every homeless person I see with a hat or can out. I supposed some of it is related to my suspicion that these guys will use the money to buy drugs, and while I would be willing to bet most of them would what about the ones that would not? For the life of me I cannot tell the difference, so I end up not giving anyone any money at all.
A couple days earlier there was a woman with her son sitting on the sidewalk in front of the commuter train station with a sign asking for money because they were stranded. I was tempted to take them to the airport and buy them a ticket to wherever home is for them but instead I just walked by, just like the hundreds, perhaps thousands of others who use that same station that same day. We cannot all be callous people, can we?
The last time I gave someone begging me for money some cash was a couple of years ago. While I was sitting in a small park eating lunch a gentleman that appeared younger than me and not strung out on drugs came up and sat on the bench with me and starting telling me his life story about how he was just laid off from his job and he needed some cash for food. He was better spoken than most homeless people so I sat there and listened to him, also because I could not think of a graceful way to get up and move away. When he was done I gave him a $20 bill. He promised that he would pay me back and of course he never did, but at the same time I never saw that guy again. My hope is that the reason why is because he was able to get back on his feet again, but I will never know for sure.
We seem to live in a society where those who beg for money on the streets are treated with suspicion, that giving them money only enables them to continue down the path that put them on the street to begin with. And indeed I would bet that in most cases this is true. But I suspect that there are those who are sincere in getting off the street who are getting lost in the fog of suspicion and thus don't get the help that they need. And whose responsibility is it to help these people? Their families? The government? Us? I know Hillary Clinton claimed that it takes a village, but is it the village's responsibility to give money to everyone who asks?
I wish these folks would find the help that they need, but I am not sure how. It is a good thing that I am not running for mayor. I just don't have the conscience for it. Maybe that is why so many politicians are lawyers.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Mick Jagger & Simon Cowell, Philosophers
One of the things that I have noticed while watching American Idol is the growing trend in American culture towards protecting children from defeat and disappointment. I also saw an HBO report that reinforced my thinking that this trend is morphing into a national obsession. The report featured a school that banned dodge ball because it was too violent and caused the kids who lost to feel bad about themselves. The same report also talked about another school that banned the game of tag because of the stigma that came with being “it.” You may have heard about how some schools, including the University of California Santa Cruz, that got rid of grades because the kids who got bad grades were suffering from reduced self-esteem.
I am not a parent so perhaps this colors my judgment, but I find this to be very distressing and not the way to teach children. I may not have kids but I was one once, and to be honest I was not very good at dodge ball, or any other sport for that matter. And yes, my self-esteem did suffer, but I got over it, as did millions of other kids who went through the same ordeal. I learned about disappointment, I learned what it is like to fail, and I think those lessons were valuable in that I had to learn how to deal with defeat later in life. The fact is that we cannot always get what we want. I was watching the Indy 500 time trials Sunday and there was one driver, Alex Tagliani, who missed qualifying for the race by a mere few hundredths of a second. He was sitting in his car waiting to qualify but ran out of time, and he just sat in his car with tears in his eyes when he realized that he was not going to make the race.
Now imagine if Alex had been taught as a kid that there is no such thing as failure, or that he never had to experience what is like to fail, can you imagine how he would have reacted? He would probably have thrown a temper tantrum, throwing his steering wheel at anybody within range, and demanded that the track make an exception to their 100 year old rule and allow him to qualify after the time to do so had expired. Not very sportsmanlike behavior is it? But that is what I think this generation of kids is being taught. Let’s face it, life sucks sometimes, but if you never had to deal with that until you’re an adult then it’ll be a lot harder for you to accept, which will make it harder for the rest of us to deal with you.
What does this have to do with American Idol? Glad you asked. I have always wondered why some people who clearly have no musical talent still try out for the show and still react as if they have been shot when they are rejected. How in the world can these kids think that they are good enough singers to qualify to compete on this show? Well, when you have been told all of your life that you are a great singer by parents who should know better but instead want to keep their kids happy, and then of course they are going to react angrily when some ornery guy from England and his loopy counterparts say they can’t sing.
Then there is the current saga of contestant Kris Allen, who is in the final 2 even though his singing voice is weaker than at least half of the final 13 contestants this season. The main reason he is in the finale is because there are millions of pre-teen girls out there who think Kris is absolutely adorable and are voting for him hundreds, perhaps even thousands of times each. Now keep in mind that each one of those votes costs money, 10 cents a vote I think, and last week there were 88 million total votes, which means that somebody will have to pay $8.8 million in phone bills. I think it is safe to say that it won’t be the pre-teen girls that are doing all of this voting. But how many parents out there will take these girls’ cell phones away when that $300 phone bill shows up? So far, not many, and that may explain why Kris is still in the competition.
What we need here is more parents who act like parents and less parents who act like their kid's friend. I'm not talking about deliberately subjecting kids to defeat and misery, I'm talking about just being parents. My parents did it, my brother and sister-in-law are doing it, I have friends who are doing it, why can't the rest of America?
I am not a parent so perhaps this colors my judgment, but I find this to be very distressing and not the way to teach children. I may not have kids but I was one once, and to be honest I was not very good at dodge ball, or any other sport for that matter. And yes, my self-esteem did suffer, but I got over it, as did millions of other kids who went through the same ordeal. I learned about disappointment, I learned what it is like to fail, and I think those lessons were valuable in that I had to learn how to deal with defeat later in life. The fact is that we cannot always get what we want. I was watching the Indy 500 time trials Sunday and there was one driver, Alex Tagliani, who missed qualifying for the race by a mere few hundredths of a second. He was sitting in his car waiting to qualify but ran out of time, and he just sat in his car with tears in his eyes when he realized that he was not going to make the race.
Now imagine if Alex had been taught as a kid that there is no such thing as failure, or that he never had to experience what is like to fail, can you imagine how he would have reacted? He would probably have thrown a temper tantrum, throwing his steering wheel at anybody within range, and demanded that the track make an exception to their 100 year old rule and allow him to qualify after the time to do so had expired. Not very sportsmanlike behavior is it? But that is what I think this generation of kids is being taught. Let’s face it, life sucks sometimes, but if you never had to deal with that until you’re an adult then it’ll be a lot harder for you to accept, which will make it harder for the rest of us to deal with you.
What does this have to do with American Idol? Glad you asked. I have always wondered why some people who clearly have no musical talent still try out for the show and still react as if they have been shot when they are rejected. How in the world can these kids think that they are good enough singers to qualify to compete on this show? Well, when you have been told all of your life that you are a great singer by parents who should know better but instead want to keep their kids happy, and then of course they are going to react angrily when some ornery guy from England and his loopy counterparts say they can’t sing.
Then there is the current saga of contestant Kris Allen, who is in the final 2 even though his singing voice is weaker than at least half of the final 13 contestants this season. The main reason he is in the finale is because there are millions of pre-teen girls out there who think Kris is absolutely adorable and are voting for him hundreds, perhaps even thousands of times each. Now keep in mind that each one of those votes costs money, 10 cents a vote I think, and last week there were 88 million total votes, which means that somebody will have to pay $8.8 million in phone bills. I think it is safe to say that it won’t be the pre-teen girls that are doing all of this voting. But how many parents out there will take these girls’ cell phones away when that $300 phone bill shows up? So far, not many, and that may explain why Kris is still in the competition.
What we need here is more parents who act like parents and less parents who act like their kid's friend. I'm not talking about deliberately subjecting kids to defeat and misery, I'm talking about just being parents. My parents did it, my brother and sister-in-law are doing it, I have friends who are doing it, why can't the rest of America?
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
I Find It Interesting That I Am Still Here
You didn't think I would leave without saying goodbye did you?
Actually, the conference in Peru was postponed until July because of the swine flu "pandemic". Yes, I know there is no swine flu in Peru, but one of the moderators of the conference is in Mexico City and, well you know what happened in Mexico City. So I have been spending the last couple of days revising my travel arrangements, getting the post office to continue to deliver my mail, getting my newspaper to continue to deliver my news, and otherwise undoing all of the arrangements that I made in preparation for the trip. This includes restocking my fridge and cupboards, which are now bare since I only bought enough food at my last trip to the supermercado to last me until today.
A few things in the news that I find interesting:
I find it interesting that the same people who are panicking about Homeland Security issuing advisories about "right wing extremists" are the same people who defended Bush's domestic surveillance program. Like you said guys, you have nothing to fear if you did nothing wrong, right?
I find it interesting that the same people who defended the Bush administration's use of torture on "enemy combatants" in Cuba are objecting to Obama talking to the Cubans because the Castros torture political prisoners. One man's enemy combatant is another man's political prisoner.
I find it interesting that the above two groups are essentially the same people.
I find it interesting that the world's navies began cracking down on the Somali pirates only after the US Navy did first. See, we really are the world's only superpower.
I find it interesting that the city of Vallejo, California is still hosting a Pirate Festival next month even with the Somali pirates in the news all the time. I also find it interesting that Vallejo used to be home to a large Navy base that my Grandpa was once stationed at.
I find it interesting that there really is a Swine Festival. It's in Basille, Louisiana the first weekend in November. Make your reservations now and don't forget to bring your face masks.
And yes, there is a Somali festival too, but you have to go all the way to London for that one. I wonder if the attendees would find it interesting if someone showed up wearing a pirate costume.
I find it interesting that the press is treating Obama and Biden's visit to a burger joint yesterday as some kind of a big deal, as if the President of the United States is too high and mighty to go to a burger joint. Did not Clinton plan his jogging routes around McDonald's locations?
I find it interesting that I still have a follower even though I only post on this blog about once a month. I will promise, though, that I will post more here after the American Idol season is over in 3 weeks time, at least until I go to Peru and post to that blog.
I find it interesting that my water board mandated that we all conserve water or else face big fines, and then they raise my water rates because people are not using enough water.
I find it interesting that suddenly Fiat is the world's most powerful car company though nobody outside of Italy drives their cars. It may explain why Italian cars cost so much.
I find it interesting that so few people have left my former firm after they were bought out by a much larger out-of-town firm. I only mention this in case any of my former co-workers are still reading this blog.
I find it interesting that the phrase "shark tank" still has a double meaning in San Jose. I find it depressing too.
I find it interesting that only now, when her American Idol contract is up for renewal, does Paula Abdul admit that she was addicted to pain killers. She has been acting suspiciously sober on the show as of late.
I find it interesting that when I activate Blogger's spell checker it recognizes "Obama" but not "Biden" or "Blogger's".
I find it interesting that I dedicated about an hour writing this entry when I could have been doing something more productive, like going to the supermarket or reading a newspaper.
Actually, the conference in Peru was postponed until July because of the swine flu "pandemic". Yes, I know there is no swine flu in Peru, but one of the moderators of the conference is in Mexico City and, well you know what happened in Mexico City. So I have been spending the last couple of days revising my travel arrangements, getting the post office to continue to deliver my mail, getting my newspaper to continue to deliver my news, and otherwise undoing all of the arrangements that I made in preparation for the trip. This includes restocking my fridge and cupboards, which are now bare since I only bought enough food at my last trip to the supermercado to last me until today.
A few things in the news that I find interesting:
I find it interesting that the same people who are panicking about Homeland Security issuing advisories about "right wing extremists" are the same people who defended Bush's domestic surveillance program. Like you said guys, you have nothing to fear if you did nothing wrong, right?
I find it interesting that the same people who defended the Bush administration's use of torture on "enemy combatants" in Cuba are objecting to Obama talking to the Cubans because the Castros torture political prisoners. One man's enemy combatant is another man's political prisoner.
I find it interesting that the above two groups are essentially the same people.
I find it interesting that the world's navies began cracking down on the Somali pirates only after the US Navy did first. See, we really are the world's only superpower.
I find it interesting that the city of Vallejo, California is still hosting a Pirate Festival next month even with the Somali pirates in the news all the time. I also find it interesting that Vallejo used to be home to a large Navy base that my Grandpa was once stationed at.
I find it interesting that there really is a Swine Festival. It's in Basille, Louisiana the first weekend in November. Make your reservations now and don't forget to bring your face masks.
And yes, there is a Somali festival too, but you have to go all the way to London for that one. I wonder if the attendees would find it interesting if someone showed up wearing a pirate costume.
I find it interesting that the press is treating Obama and Biden's visit to a burger joint yesterday as some kind of a big deal, as if the President of the United States is too high and mighty to go to a burger joint. Did not Clinton plan his jogging routes around McDonald's locations?
I find it interesting that I still have a follower even though I only post on this blog about once a month. I will promise, though, that I will post more here after the American Idol season is over in 3 weeks time, at least until I go to Peru and post to that blog.
I find it interesting that my water board mandated that we all conserve water or else face big fines, and then they raise my water rates because people are not using enough water.
I find it interesting that suddenly Fiat is the world's most powerful car company though nobody outside of Italy drives their cars. It may explain why Italian cars cost so much.
I find it interesting that so few people have left my former firm after they were bought out by a much larger out-of-town firm. I only mention this in case any of my former co-workers are still reading this blog.
I find it interesting that the phrase "shark tank" still has a double meaning in San Jose. I find it depressing too.
I find it interesting that only now, when her American Idol contract is up for renewal, does Paula Abdul admit that she was addicted to pain killers. She has been acting suspiciously sober on the show as of late.
I find it interesting that when I activate Blogger's spell checker it recognizes "Obama" but not "Biden" or "Blogger's".
I find it interesting that I dedicated about an hour writing this entry when I could have been doing something more productive, like going to the supermarket or reading a newspaper.
Monday, April 20, 2009
South American Getaway
I did promise to talk about my upcoming trip to Peru in a future post, and the future is now.
On May 7 I will be flying down to Lima, Peru for a week-long conference on confined masonry construction. I became involved in this back in 2005 after the Great Sumatra Earthquake and Tsunami left hundreds of thousands of people homeless, especially in the Aceh region of Indonesia. I felt like I had to do something more than just write a check, and I was fortunate enough to get in contact with the small NGO Build Change, who was just starting a reconstruction project in Banda Aceh, Indonesia and was looking for volunteer engineers to help with the design and construction of the new homes. I was one of many who answered the call.
In the summer of 2006, on my 40th birthday no less, I went to Banda Aceh to see the reconstruction in person and to assist Build Change in the projects that they were active in at the time. My chronicles of that trip are on my Aceh reconstruction blog, which I have kept up as an archive of the trip. One of the things that I learned while in Aceh was that I knew very little about the confined masonry construction that was being used to rebuild the homes there. I also learned that there were few others who knew much about it either.
Since then a group of engineers, researchers, architects, and other interested parties formed a network to learn more about confined masonry construction and eventually to try and promote it as a less expensive but more resilient form of construction than what is currently the practice in third world countries, especially countries that are susceptible to earthquakes like Indonesia and China. It is this network that is meeting in Lima and have invited me to participate. I have set up a new blog for this trip (assuming that my laptop will survive the trip) that I will also use to document other items of interest related to confined masonry construction as well as my possible future trip to China to assist Build Change's reconstruction efforts there following last year's large earthquake.
I must admit that I am as nervous about this trip as I was when I went to Indonesia. I must admit that I am not a third world kind of guy. I remember when I was at the airport waiting for the plane to Indonesia I considered turning around and leaving, and no doubt the same thoughts will cross my mind when I am at the airport waiting to go to Peru. However, this is a cause that I strongly believe in, which is what led me to board that plane in 2006 and will push me on board the plan to Lima in a couple of weeks. At least I can take comfort in that my Spanish is a little better than my Bahasa Indonesian and that I will be meeting with fellow dedicated people while I am in Lima so there is less of a chance that I will get lost or abandoned in a far away land. It is going to be interesting.
It reminds me of a conversation that I had with a couple of friends back in college. We were talking one night about the three of us taking over a small South American country, and after a number of alcoholic beverages we settled on Peru. One guy was going to be the figurehead leader with no responsibility but with big mansion privileges. Another guy was going to be the interior minister in charge of the intelligence service because he wanted to be able to spy on everyone. I was going to be in charge of the armed forces because in small third world countries that is where the real power is, since with just one order I could stage a coup and overthrow the other two. I have long since lost contact with those other two guys but I would imagine that they would find it amusing that I am traveling to the country that we once planned on taking over, assuming that they still remember the initial conversation after all these years and all those beers...
On May 7 I will be flying down to Lima, Peru for a week-long conference on confined masonry construction. I became involved in this back in 2005 after the Great Sumatra Earthquake and Tsunami left hundreds of thousands of people homeless, especially in the Aceh region of Indonesia. I felt like I had to do something more than just write a check, and I was fortunate enough to get in contact with the small NGO Build Change, who was just starting a reconstruction project in Banda Aceh, Indonesia and was looking for volunteer engineers to help with the design and construction of the new homes. I was one of many who answered the call.
In the summer of 2006, on my 40th birthday no less, I went to Banda Aceh to see the reconstruction in person and to assist Build Change in the projects that they were active in at the time. My chronicles of that trip are on my Aceh reconstruction blog, which I have kept up as an archive of the trip. One of the things that I learned while in Aceh was that I knew very little about the confined masonry construction that was being used to rebuild the homes there. I also learned that there were few others who knew much about it either.
Since then a group of engineers, researchers, architects, and other interested parties formed a network to learn more about confined masonry construction and eventually to try and promote it as a less expensive but more resilient form of construction than what is currently the practice in third world countries, especially countries that are susceptible to earthquakes like Indonesia and China. It is this network that is meeting in Lima and have invited me to participate. I have set up a new blog for this trip (assuming that my laptop will survive the trip) that I will also use to document other items of interest related to confined masonry construction as well as my possible future trip to China to assist Build Change's reconstruction efforts there following last year's large earthquake.
I must admit that I am as nervous about this trip as I was when I went to Indonesia. I must admit that I am not a third world kind of guy. I remember when I was at the airport waiting for the plane to Indonesia I considered turning around and leaving, and no doubt the same thoughts will cross my mind when I am at the airport waiting to go to Peru. However, this is a cause that I strongly believe in, which is what led me to board that plane in 2006 and will push me on board the plan to Lima in a couple of weeks. At least I can take comfort in that my Spanish is a little better than my Bahasa Indonesian and that I will be meeting with fellow dedicated people while I am in Lima so there is less of a chance that I will get lost or abandoned in a far away land. It is going to be interesting.
It reminds me of a conversation that I had with a couple of friends back in college. We were talking one night about the three of us taking over a small South American country, and after a number of alcoholic beverages we settled on Peru. One guy was going to be the figurehead leader with no responsibility but with big mansion privileges. Another guy was going to be the interior minister in charge of the intelligence service because he wanted to be able to spy on everyone. I was going to be in charge of the armed forces because in small third world countries that is where the real power is, since with just one order I could stage a coup and overthrow the other two. I have long since lost contact with those other two guys but I would imagine that they would find it amusing that I am traveling to the country that we once planned on taking over, assuming that they still remember the initial conversation after all these years and all those beers...
Friday, April 10, 2009
A Good Friday Sermon 2
Now that I have a real life follower I suppose I should post more often to let them and you know that I am still alive, though I know there is at least one person who reads this blog who also reads my Idol blog quite regularly....
Back in 2006 in my past blog I posted a sermon on Good Friday that was critical of the church that I was born and baptized in. What prompted this was a delicious sausage that I had for lunch that day and the guilt trip that I went through afterwards, since when I was a kid I was told that people who eat meat on Lenten Fridays, especially Good Friday, were doomed to Hell. I still cannot understand how ignoring a meaningless rule established not by God but by mortal human beings was tantamount to committing murder or engaging in devil worship. I also still believe that the path to God is through a person's heart and not through their stomach.
Oh, BTW, I had a nice club sandwich with turkey for lunch today, and a beer.
One of the quotes that I found in my research for that post was this gem from theologian Grace McKinnon: "Not eating meat on Friday is but a small thing compared to the sacrifice He (Jesus) made by laying down His own life willingly so that we might live." This leads me to today's sermon. How exactly did Jesus' sacrifice allow me to live? I have been told as far back as I can remember that Jesus died for our sins but I have never really understood the logic behind this.
A few of you, including the affore mentioned follower (who I bet wants me to note that she is not the same person who reads the Idol blog), know that I attended a Catholic high school, and in my sophomore year there I had a priest for religion class that every once in a while would pass out index cards and ask us to write down any question about religion that we wanted to and that he would attempt to answer them. So one day I wrote down "how did Jesus die for our sins?" The teacher read this question aloud and laughed, then said that he thought it was a trick question and didn't answer it. "I think we all know the answer to that," he said. Thankfully we were not required to write down our names on the cards so I was spared the embarrassment of being exposed as an apparent heretic in front of my classmates, but I was upset that he did not answer the question. I did not press the issue, mostly because I was embarrassed to do so and also because the priest was pretty cool and would break up the lectures by showing us one of the Rocky movies. But to this day I wonder why he refused to answer the question. After all, it is one of the basic, heck the basic tenet of the Catholic Church but I was never given a basic, logical explanation for how it all works.
A few years ago one of my co-workers who is Hindu asked me what Easter was all about, which I thought posed an interesting dilemma, how do you explain Easter to a Hindu?
Christian: Easter celebrated the day that the Messiah Jesus rose from the dead.
Hindu: Like reincarnation?
Christian: No, Jesus came back as himself.
Hindu: Why is that important?
Christian: Because Jesus died for our sins.
Hindu: How?
Christian: Uhh..... did you notice how cold it was this morning?
I suppose that it is not a coincidence that my confirmation name was Thomas, not in the sense that I am a doubter but in the sense that I find it difficult to accept things on faith alone. OK, maybe I am a doubter. This may also explain why I was such a bad Republican and had to leave the party and the county that I was raised in. Why can't the church that claims to speak for God on matters of faith and morals offer a rational explanation for a belief that goes to the core of the religion? It's like getting into a taxi in a third world country, they ask you to just take it on faith that you will end up at your hotel with your wallet still in your pocket.
Which, BTW, I will find out about in about a month when I go to Peru. More on that in a later post.
So here I was a couple of months ago with all these doubts about the religion that I was raised in talking to my 6-year old niece about that same religion. She goes to Sunday school and on this occasion she told me all the things she is learning in this school, and I find myself encouraging her to continue and telling her how important it was for her to go to these classes. I thought afterwards about how odd this was and whether or not I was being a hypocrite, but I think I have come to terms with this. The faith that I have and the questions that I ask come from all those years in church and religion classes. I'm not looking to tear down the house, just remodel it. The foundation is still there, and I think it is important for my niece to get that foundation before she starts asking the questions. Does this make any sense?
I still wonder what the connection was between the New Testament and Rocky Balboa, but I guess some mysteries are better left unknown....
Back in 2006 in my past blog I posted a sermon on Good Friday that was critical of the church that I was born and baptized in. What prompted this was a delicious sausage that I had for lunch that day and the guilt trip that I went through afterwards, since when I was a kid I was told that people who eat meat on Lenten Fridays, especially Good Friday, were doomed to Hell. I still cannot understand how ignoring a meaningless rule established not by God but by mortal human beings was tantamount to committing murder or engaging in devil worship. I also still believe that the path to God is through a person's heart and not through their stomach.
Oh, BTW, I had a nice club sandwich with turkey for lunch today, and a beer.
One of the quotes that I found in my research for that post was this gem from theologian Grace McKinnon: "Not eating meat on Friday is but a small thing compared to the sacrifice He (Jesus) made by laying down His own life willingly so that we might live." This leads me to today's sermon. How exactly did Jesus' sacrifice allow me to live? I have been told as far back as I can remember that Jesus died for our sins but I have never really understood the logic behind this.
A few of you, including the affore mentioned follower (who I bet wants me to note that she is not the same person who reads the Idol blog), know that I attended a Catholic high school, and in my sophomore year there I had a priest for religion class that every once in a while would pass out index cards and ask us to write down any question about religion that we wanted to and that he would attempt to answer them. So one day I wrote down "how did Jesus die for our sins?" The teacher read this question aloud and laughed, then said that he thought it was a trick question and didn't answer it. "I think we all know the answer to that," he said. Thankfully we were not required to write down our names on the cards so I was spared the embarrassment of being exposed as an apparent heretic in front of my classmates, but I was upset that he did not answer the question. I did not press the issue, mostly because I was embarrassed to do so and also because the priest was pretty cool and would break up the lectures by showing us one of the Rocky movies. But to this day I wonder why he refused to answer the question. After all, it is one of the basic, heck the basic tenet of the Catholic Church but I was never given a basic, logical explanation for how it all works.
A few years ago one of my co-workers who is Hindu asked me what Easter was all about, which I thought posed an interesting dilemma, how do you explain Easter to a Hindu?
Christian: Easter celebrated the day that the Messiah Jesus rose from the dead.
Hindu: Like reincarnation?
Christian: No, Jesus came back as himself.
Hindu: Why is that important?
Christian: Because Jesus died for our sins.
Hindu: How?
Christian: Uhh..... did you notice how cold it was this morning?
I suppose that it is not a coincidence that my confirmation name was Thomas, not in the sense that I am a doubter but in the sense that I find it difficult to accept things on faith alone. OK, maybe I am a doubter. This may also explain why I was such a bad Republican and had to leave the party and the county that I was raised in. Why can't the church that claims to speak for God on matters of faith and morals offer a rational explanation for a belief that goes to the core of the religion? It's like getting into a taxi in a third world country, they ask you to just take it on faith that you will end up at your hotel with your wallet still in your pocket.
Which, BTW, I will find out about in about a month when I go to Peru. More on that in a later post.
So here I was a couple of months ago with all these doubts about the religion that I was raised in talking to my 6-year old niece about that same religion. She goes to Sunday school and on this occasion she told me all the things she is learning in this school, and I find myself encouraging her to continue and telling her how important it was for her to go to these classes. I thought afterwards about how odd this was and whether or not I was being a hypocrite, but I think I have come to terms with this. The faith that I have and the questions that I ask come from all those years in church and religion classes. I'm not looking to tear down the house, just remodel it. The foundation is still there, and I think it is important for my niece to get that foundation before she starts asking the questions. Does this make any sense?
I still wonder what the connection was between the New Testament and Rocky Balboa, but I guess some mysteries are better left unknown....
Monday, March 30, 2009
You Are What You Eat
A long time friend commented that she was glad that I am putting my American Idol posts on a separate blog. I'm not sure if that was a shot at me or not. After all, what is wrong with American Idol? Wait, don't answer that...
If you saw the profile of local food goddess Alice Waters on 60 Minutes a week ago Sunday you saw that the lunch program at the Berkeley schools that she championed was prominently featured. Waters mentioned in the interview that she wants to use the Berkeley program as a model for schools all across the country to help reduce the rate of obesity among America's youth.
If you are not familiar with the program, Waters through her foundation completely reformed the lunch program in the Berkeley schools. Instead of the processed and frozen foods that haven't changed since either of us were in school the kids in Berkeley get freshly cooked meals made with ingredients harvested either right on campus or at a nearby farm, similar to what Waters uses in her famous restaurant Chez Panisse. The district also has a state-of-the-art kitchen and an executive chef to develop the menus and cook the meals.
This all sounds well and good but there is apparently one big problem, there is not enough money any more to pay for the program. The grant provided by Waters' foundation ran out this year and the foundation has indicated that they are not planning on renewing it. Since there are not enough kids buying these lunches to cover the cost of making them the district kicked in around $275,000 this year to keep the program running. However, now that they are facing budget cuts the district has said that it does not want to subsidize the program to that extent any more.
The executive chef, who is leaving the district in June to take the program to other districts, said in the San Francisco Chronicle that the reason Waters' foundation is no longer funding the program is because the intent was for the program to pay for itself; and that the reason funding is short is because there are not enough kids currently in the program to do this. The Chronicle noted that only 50% of elementary school kids, 35% of middle school kids, and 10% of high school kids regularly buy their lunches at school. The paper also notes that the program costs about $1.40 per student lunch, compared to $0.80 to $0.90 for the frozen, processed stuff that the kids in other districts eat.
So why if this program is so important to Alice Waters and other supporters (including one who claimed that it was a "moral imperative") are they not ponying up the extra money to keep the program going? If this program is so naturally wonderful then why are the majority of students in a politically progressive town like Berkeley not participating in it?
What we have here is a case of people who are blinded by their ideals to the extent that they cannot see the reality through the trees. I sense that Alice Waters thought that parents would naturally be willing to kick in the extra money to pay for a program that is better for their kids, so much so that it may be inconceivable to her that the majority of parents would not. I sense that she also forgot that when given a choice most high school kids would choose cheaper junk food over the healthier fare that she is offering. I know I was guilty of that when I was a teenager and so were most of you. They are not nearly as impressionable as the elementary school kids that were featured in the 60 Minutes piece. Speaking of which, I find it interesting that the money issue was never brought up in the story. Only the positive aspects of the program (and don't get me wrong, I think that there are positive aspects of the program) were featured.
I think it is time for a reality check. If you want to improve the quality of school lunches then you better be prepared to pay for it yourself or find some way to make it more affordable and thus more attractive to the average Joe and Jane who have never set foot in Chez Panisse. To do otherwise is not only a waste of money and effort but it is also insulting to those who don't share these same ideals. You can't sell your product by telling people that they have a moral imperative to spend more money than they can afford or more than what their friends in other districts are being asked to pay. You have to convince them that your product is better, not just assume that because you feel that way they will too. Just ask any American auto maker. It is this arrogance that really bothers me sometimes, so much that I actually spend an hour typing this up and I don't even live in Berkeley.
That's enough of that serious stuff, back to American Idol...
If you saw the profile of local food goddess Alice Waters on 60 Minutes a week ago Sunday you saw that the lunch program at the Berkeley schools that she championed was prominently featured. Waters mentioned in the interview that she wants to use the Berkeley program as a model for schools all across the country to help reduce the rate of obesity among America's youth.
If you are not familiar with the program, Waters through her foundation completely reformed the lunch program in the Berkeley schools. Instead of the processed and frozen foods that haven't changed since either of us were in school the kids in Berkeley get freshly cooked meals made with ingredients harvested either right on campus or at a nearby farm, similar to what Waters uses in her famous restaurant Chez Panisse. The district also has a state-of-the-art kitchen and an executive chef to develop the menus and cook the meals.
This all sounds well and good but there is apparently one big problem, there is not enough money any more to pay for the program. The grant provided by Waters' foundation ran out this year and the foundation has indicated that they are not planning on renewing it. Since there are not enough kids buying these lunches to cover the cost of making them the district kicked in around $275,000 this year to keep the program running. However, now that they are facing budget cuts the district has said that it does not want to subsidize the program to that extent any more.
The executive chef, who is leaving the district in June to take the program to other districts, said in the San Francisco Chronicle that the reason Waters' foundation is no longer funding the program is because the intent was for the program to pay for itself; and that the reason funding is short is because there are not enough kids currently in the program to do this. The Chronicle noted that only 50% of elementary school kids, 35% of middle school kids, and 10% of high school kids regularly buy their lunches at school. The paper also notes that the program costs about $1.40 per student lunch, compared to $0.80 to $0.90 for the frozen, processed stuff that the kids in other districts eat.
So why if this program is so important to Alice Waters and other supporters (including one who claimed that it was a "moral imperative") are they not ponying up the extra money to keep the program going? If this program is so naturally wonderful then why are the majority of students in a politically progressive town like Berkeley not participating in it?
What we have here is a case of people who are blinded by their ideals to the extent that they cannot see the reality through the trees. I sense that Alice Waters thought that parents would naturally be willing to kick in the extra money to pay for a program that is better for their kids, so much so that it may be inconceivable to her that the majority of parents would not. I sense that she also forgot that when given a choice most high school kids would choose cheaper junk food over the healthier fare that she is offering. I know I was guilty of that when I was a teenager and so were most of you. They are not nearly as impressionable as the elementary school kids that were featured in the 60 Minutes piece. Speaking of which, I find it interesting that the money issue was never brought up in the story. Only the positive aspects of the program (and don't get me wrong, I think that there are positive aspects of the program) were featured.
I think it is time for a reality check. If you want to improve the quality of school lunches then you better be prepared to pay for it yourself or find some way to make it more affordable and thus more attractive to the average Joe and Jane who have never set foot in Chez Panisse. To do otherwise is not only a waste of money and effort but it is also insulting to those who don't share these same ideals. You can't sell your product by telling people that they have a moral imperative to spend more money than they can afford or more than what their friends in other districts are being asked to pay. You have to convince them that your product is better, not just assume that because you feel that way they will too. Just ask any American auto maker. It is this arrogance that really bothers me sometimes, so much that I actually spend an hour typing this up and I don't even live in Berkeley.
That's enough of that serious stuff, back to American Idol...
Friday, March 27, 2009
No Justice No Oakland
I have been struggling all week trying to figure out what to say about the murder of 4 police officers in the city that I call home. I have some very definite feelings about this but I don't know if I can put those words in writing and not get more than a few people unnecessarily upset at me, especially since people who know me personally are reading this blog.
If it was not obvious before it should be obvious now that there is a significant number of people in Oakland who view the police as the enemy that they want to see defeated by any means necessary. I hope I am not sounding racist by pointing out that the majority of these people are African American and live in the relatively poor East and West Oakland neighborhoods. These are the people who justified vandalizing Oakland businesses on 2 separate occasions in protest over the shooting of an African American man, Oscar Grant, on an Oakland BART station New Years Day by a BART police officer, and these are the people who taunted the police and held memorials for the African American man, Lovell Mixon, who shot and killed the 4 Oakland cops last Saturday.
To them, none of this is the fault of the shooter but of a society, and in particular its police force, that they see as racist and discriminatory. They claim it was society that turned Lovell Mixon into a monster and that the police were asking for it because of all of the abuse, both real and imagined, that the police inflict on African Americans. This article in New American Media outlines this case and talks about how Mixon's actions were celebrated by some that feel that justice was served.
There is that word: justice. It is a word that we in Oakland have heard a lot this year, first after the BART shooting and again now. One of its definitions is: "the use of authority and power to uphold what is right, just, or lawful." But what is considered "right" and "just" is subject to interpretation. To some, retribution and retaliation are considered "just" and in that context one can see why people would see the murder of 4 police officers as justice. It is this same mindset that justifies the protests and the calls for the execution of the former BART police officer who shot and killed Oscar Grant.
But when does it end? At what point will all be forgiven? Retaliation and the thirst for revenge is a powerful motivator that does not quickly turn off once it is turned on. Just ask the people of Israel and the Palestinian Territories, who have been engaged in a war fueled by revenge for over 60 years. Even worse, it often grows like a cancer, constantly feeding and growing until it consumes its victims. Two years ago there was an 8 year old boy here in Oakland who was hit by stray bullet while taking piano lessons and became paralyzed from the waist down. The bullet was fired by someone robbing the gas station across the street from the piano store. The shooter was caught and is currently awaiting trial. There was a large outpouring of support from the community towards the boy and his family and calls for the city to increase their efforts to prevent this from happening again, calls that quickly faded away to nothing. Today violent crime in Oakland is even more prevalent than it was then. What hope can we have then that the calls for change that this new incident has generated will actually result in real, positive change, especially when there are people in this city that view strengthening law enforcement as a negative change rather than a positive one? What other effective options are there? What will it take to stop the killings and make Oakland a safer place to live? And does it come at a cost that the people of Oakland, including me, are going to be willing to pay?
For many years Oakland has had an image problem. Many people view Oakland as a dangerous, lawless city, and a few of my friends questioned why I moved here. It may explain why so few of them have come visited me since I moved here 7 years ago. I try telling them that Oakland is not as dangerous as it is portrayed in the media and that it can be a nice place to live, but then incidents like this shooting occur. Not only do I loose credibility but more importantly it leads me to question why I do live here. It leads me to question whether or not there is any hope that Oakland can find its way out of the downward spiral that it has been trapped in for the last few decades and whether or not I can wait around long enough for that to happen. With housing prices being what they are I would have to take a financial loss to move away so that is unlikely to happen anytime soon, but what will happen to Oakland in the meantime? I honestly cannot say. I wish that I could.
If it was not obvious before it should be obvious now that there is a significant number of people in Oakland who view the police as the enemy that they want to see defeated by any means necessary. I hope I am not sounding racist by pointing out that the majority of these people are African American and live in the relatively poor East and West Oakland neighborhoods. These are the people who justified vandalizing Oakland businesses on 2 separate occasions in protest over the shooting of an African American man, Oscar Grant, on an Oakland BART station New Years Day by a BART police officer, and these are the people who taunted the police and held memorials for the African American man, Lovell Mixon, who shot and killed the 4 Oakland cops last Saturday.
To them, none of this is the fault of the shooter but of a society, and in particular its police force, that they see as racist and discriminatory. They claim it was society that turned Lovell Mixon into a monster and that the police were asking for it because of all of the abuse, both real and imagined, that the police inflict on African Americans. This article in New American Media outlines this case and talks about how Mixon's actions were celebrated by some that feel that justice was served.
There is that word: justice. It is a word that we in Oakland have heard a lot this year, first after the BART shooting and again now. One of its definitions is: "the use of authority and power to uphold what is right, just, or lawful." But what is considered "right" and "just" is subject to interpretation. To some, retribution and retaliation are considered "just" and in that context one can see why people would see the murder of 4 police officers as justice. It is this same mindset that justifies the protests and the calls for the execution of the former BART police officer who shot and killed Oscar Grant.
But when does it end? At what point will all be forgiven? Retaliation and the thirst for revenge is a powerful motivator that does not quickly turn off once it is turned on. Just ask the people of Israel and the Palestinian Territories, who have been engaged in a war fueled by revenge for over 60 years. Even worse, it often grows like a cancer, constantly feeding and growing until it consumes its victims. Two years ago there was an 8 year old boy here in Oakland who was hit by stray bullet while taking piano lessons and became paralyzed from the waist down. The bullet was fired by someone robbing the gas station across the street from the piano store. The shooter was caught and is currently awaiting trial. There was a large outpouring of support from the community towards the boy and his family and calls for the city to increase their efforts to prevent this from happening again, calls that quickly faded away to nothing. Today violent crime in Oakland is even more prevalent than it was then. What hope can we have then that the calls for change that this new incident has generated will actually result in real, positive change, especially when there are people in this city that view strengthening law enforcement as a negative change rather than a positive one? What other effective options are there? What will it take to stop the killings and make Oakland a safer place to live? And does it come at a cost that the people of Oakland, including me, are going to be willing to pay?
For many years Oakland has had an image problem. Many people view Oakland as a dangerous, lawless city, and a few of my friends questioned why I moved here. It may explain why so few of them have come visited me since I moved here 7 years ago. I try telling them that Oakland is not as dangerous as it is portrayed in the media and that it can be a nice place to live, but then incidents like this shooting occur. Not only do I loose credibility but more importantly it leads me to question why I do live here. It leads me to question whether or not there is any hope that Oakland can find its way out of the downward spiral that it has been trapped in for the last few decades and whether or not I can wait around long enough for that to happen. With housing prices being what they are I would have to take a financial loss to move away so that is unlikely to happen anytime soon, but what will happen to Oakland in the meantime? I honestly cannot say. I wish that I could.
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