The 2012 Olympics

Forty Years Ago.......

This is the 40th anniversary of the massacre at the Munich Olympics. I was ten years old that summer, and can still vividly remember watching the events unfold on TV. Announcer Jim McKay gave regular updates, and then his final announcement that the terrorists and Israeli Olympians they’d captured were all dead. I remember the pictures of a helicopter that had been destroyed by hand grenades. At ten years old, I’d seen the Viet Nam war coverage every night of my life on the evening news, but the horror in Munich seemed to me like a brand new kind of different heinousness.

It was.

I’ve seen a couple of mentions of the 1972 atrocity in the coverage leading up to this Olympics, but not enough, it seems.

We humans sure do learn hard.

Some Observations of the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremonies Telecast Extravaganza

·       Matt Lauer’s “Olympics Opening Ceremony for Dummies” narration was beyond annoying. I think Meredith Vieira walked out about 40 minutes into the telecast in embarrassment and disgust.

·       I predict that the expression “Across the Pond”will be retired after this Olympics.

·       The designs of the flags for several nations appeared to be thrown together. One had what looked like a ghost from Ms. PAC-Man standing next to a cow.

·       It seemed like some of the countries represented were invented just for the show. I doubt that Gorgonzola and Fartfovia are really countries.

·       The Queen clearly hates the Olympics.

·       American Samoa’s team looked really scary and hungry. It is cool that there’s an American Samoa. I’m not sure if there’s also a “Regular” Samoa. If there isn’t, I think American Samoa should just be called Samoa.

·       I bet that a lot of the beautiful women who marched in the parade of nations aren’t treated very well in their own countries. It was kind of hard to watch the parade with that in mind.

·         The Burundi team snuck back into the parade of nations after Senegal and marched past the cameras again. They were laughing so hard.

·       The show should have had more Mr. Bean.

·       Paul McCartney probably should not sing “Hey Jude” at the 2016 Olympics.

Mid-week Affirmation

I thought I’d try my hand at writing affirming and inspirational sayings.  They’re so popular, you know?    Here’s my first attempt........

A Tragedy in Aurora and Summer Thunderstorms

Aurora, Colorado

It has been a strange week for me personally, and it culminated with a national tragedy.

It has been unsettling for me to watch the public reaction to the event in Colorado so politicized, usually in the contrived context of NOT being politicized. Shamefully, in the name of righteousness, too many people of diverse philosophies and opinions have selfishly used the shooting in Aurora to advance their respective causes.

And it’s been sickening and ironic to see the anger and venom-tinged discourse as folks try to process how and why such a horrible thing happened.

I have my own opinions to that end, but out of respect , will keep them to myself.

Summer Thunderstorms

This week I witnessed the most impressive (if relatively short) displays of thunder and lightning and heavy rain I can remember.

This has been a long, hot and too dry summer for the entire country; supposedly the worst drought in 50 years. To make matters worse, for the past couple of weeks, although it hasn’t rained, the air here has been heavy with sticky humidity, taunting me and my parched brown lawn.

Then finally , as if on cue, for two nights in a row, the sky erupted with dramatic booms of thunder and flashes of lightning. Some of what I watched was heat lightning, I’m sure, but much of it came with huge continuous rolling thunder. The rain came in buckets; the drops, ridiculously big, seemed magnified for effect. My lawn and shrubs, faked out by the downpour, seemed to celebrate.

The 20 minute storms, though glorious, probably were just teases; the rain, not the soaking kind, was too little to remedy the drought conditions. Still the storms provided great entertainment, and served to remind me of the majesty of nature. She decides if, when and how she’ll respond to our complaints.

As I sat on my porch, safe but surrounded by the storms, I was transported to summers more than 40 years ago, when I often stayed with my grandparents in Lake George. I especially loved summer thunderstorms there, listening to a heavy rain’s rhythm on their old tin roof. Even then, I was comforted and amazed and humbled by the randomness and power of nature.

The storms this week also reminded me of camping with my family and close friends in the Adirondacks many years ago, when a severe “supercell” thunderstorm ripped through the mountains. The women and children were “cozy” in the relative safety of a pop-up trailer while my buddy and I roughed it in a tent. I was reading with a flashlight propped on my shoulder when the storm commenced. The thunder shook the ground violently and the sky seemed to stay lit for long seconds with each bolt of lightning. Great torrents of rain gushed past our tent, which flapped and snapped in the wind. At that altitude the lightning seemed extra close, and the creaking and swaying of the towering pines that surrounded us made us feel especially vulnerable. The experience was terrifying, but we were more in awe than frightened. My friend and I share similar dark senses of humor, and spent the duration of the storm exchanging wise-ass comments about being crushed and drowned.

We weren’t.

American IDOL and the Water Ban

        American IDOL

With this week’s surprise departures  of Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez as judges of American IDOL, FOX executives and AI producers have embarked upon an international search for replacements to join Randy Jackson for the upcoming season (number 12, for those keeping count).  American IDOL’s executive producer, Nigel  Lythgoe, announced Saturday that the search for new judges will be open to amateurs as well as industry insiders.  The search process will be chronicled in a new FOX series titled, American IDOL:  The Judges Competition, which will air in the months preceding the launch of the 2013 season.  The link below provides information about the application process for those interested in competing for the two coveted judge positions.  Applications will be accepted until September 5, 2012.

 http://AIJudgesearch.FOX.com/

          Water Water Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Drink

The city where I live declared a “boil water order” this week after testing by the State Health Department found an unacceptable level of bacteria in our water.  The problem was “resolved” in 48 hours, and the ban was lifted.  Today, two days since the ban was lifted, I’ve still not seen a cause for the contamination published.

           Here are observations from the two-day water ban.

·         The water ban order was declared the same day we City residents received our quarterly water and sewer bills. I wonder if next quarter we’ll get a prorated credit for two days without water.

·         My water and sewer bill increased 20% last quarter.  I live alone and my usage hasn’t increased.  I pay the city minimum, which has increased.  The bill increase really doesn’t relate directly to the water ban, but I wish that extra 20% could ensure a safeguard against contamination of the water. 

·         With the boil water order in full effect, a bunch of my neighbors had their sprinklers going full blast.  It’s been a really hot and dry stretch of weather lately, and the lawns all look horrible, but I’m not sure E. coli was the remedy needed.

·         When the power goes out, I keep flipping light switches without thinking.  I found that I have a similar subconscious behavior when it comes to the loss of potable water.

·         Several bottled water stations were set up in locations around the city to help the disabled and elderly for whom boiling water may have been troublesome.  That was a really good thing to do, but  I bet traveling across the city in 85 degree heat for bottled water was troublesome for the disabled and elderly, too.

·         When the ban was lifted, I drank a big glass of water from my tap after letting the water run for a minute.  It tasted like pool water.  I think the “fix” was a truck load of Clorox.

·         After rains and flooding from Hurricane Irene left several towns nearby pretty well uninhabitable a year or so ago, I decided it was a good idea to have some water and food stored.  I’m not really concerned about flooding where I live, but a natural disaster of any type could make essentials like water and food hard to come by for a while.  I had a few two liter bottles of water stored when the water ban hit, and so didn’t have to worry about boiling any.  I’d recommend that everyone make similar preparations while they are able to, just in case you have to deal with unforeseen problems like the one my city just experienced.

Alligator Baiting and a Few Thoughts on Social Media

Gator Attack in FLA

This week, a Florida teenager, who was swimming in a lake with friends, was attacked by an alligator that bit the kid’s arm off below the elbow.  Several alligators were destroyed in search of the amputated limb.  Authorities eventually found the arm but doctors were unable to reattach it.  The kid was heralded on the news for his good humor, bravery and presence of mind during the attack.  He was quoted saying that he’s lived in that area his whole life, always swims in that lake, knew exactly what to do to fight off the “gator” and had intentionally offered up his arm to avoid being bitten in the torso. 

………Smart kid, except for the whole intentionally swimming in the alligator-infested lake part.

In a related story, a 21 year old man was found dead in a tiger exhibit in a Copenhagen zoo.  He had been mauled.  An investigation is being conducted to determine why the man was in the exhibit, but the article I read made a point of saying that the tigers would not be put down.  Regardless of the results of the investigation, I can’t think of any reason that would justify destroying the tigers.   If this was a homicide or suicide, it’s an interesting story; otherwise it’s just another example of a person rolling the dice with nature, and losing.

Social Media Rant

 I’ve used the same Samsung flip phone since 2005. I like the convenience of a cell phone and use mine a lot more than I use my landline when I’m home.  I don’t like to text, but I answer every one I get.  I try to answer any call I get unless I don’t recognize the incoming number.  If a call goes to voicemail because I’m away from my phone or busy, I return the call as soon I can. 

I use Facebook, and have really enjoyed reconnecting with friends from my younger days.  I also use Linked-In. I use email a lot and check and respond to emails daily.  I don’t tweet, so I can’t comment on how it’s used.

I was raised to say please and thank you (in person and with Thank You cards) and to use proper phone etiquette.  Although those were simpler times, common courtesy is timeless, I think.

It seems to me that the concept of etiquette is absent when it comes to using these modern communication tools, which comprise the Social Media I’m going to discuss here, and I’m bugged a bunch by some of the behaviors that I observe.

     Observations

·         It’s funny to watch people play with Apps on their phones as they ignore every call and text that arrives.  It’s good that it’s funny to watch, because that partially makes up for the fact that these people are usually lousy company.

·         Some other people answer EVERY incoming call and text, as if to say, “Any person calling or texting me is WAY more important to me than you are.”

·         Some people make you listen to an uncomfortably long clip of their favorite song before they answer or you are allowed to leave a voicemail.

·         Some people will call you back without first listening to voicemail you left for them.  It’s really annoying, especially if you purposefully left a detailed voicemail, to have to repeat yourself.  Sometimes I want to ask the person to listen to my voicemail and call me back later.  Other times I want to say, “Oh, I was letting you know that your house was on fire.”

·         Some people will look you right in the eye and insist that they NEVER received your voicemail or text.  Sometimes, for effect, they’ll look at their phone right then in front of you, as if to prove it.

·         Some people answer calls when they’re in a stall next to me in a public restroom.   It makes me feel like I should wait a minute until I flush.  Some people text in there.  It’d be a good idea to NEVER borrow their phones.

·         Some people leave their cell phones turned off until they need to make a call.  A lot of these people aren’t in the habit of checking for missed calls.

·         Some people abbreviate too many words in a text, to the point that their meaning is unclear.  Sometimes I want to call them for clarification before I text them back.

·         Clearly, texting is socially acceptable everywhere.  I haven’t seen anyone texting at a funeral yet, but that’s about the only exception, and I honestly don’t go to many funerals. 

·         I think some people text or email to avoid ticklish or embarrassing or angry moments in person.  

·         I don’t know why people feel the need to post their current locations on Facebook.   Are these invitations for us to join you, or are you just gloating? 

·         Some people don’t answer emails or offline messages, ever.

·         Sometimes people use Facebook to post inspirational sayings or posters they’ve found.  Sometimes these postings are misspelled, and these misspelled sayings travel the world, both inspiring people and teaching them things like how to erroneously write “your” instead of “you are”.

·         Some people on Facebook challenge their friends that failure to repost something equates to being an uncaring person and bad friend.   That behavior seems to contradict the friendly intent of Facebook.

·         Social Media and gadgets have created a bunch of new ways for rude people to be rude.  It adds insult to injury to be ignored or ill-treated in multimedia.  I find it to be an ironic phenomenon that despite Social Media, we as a culture probably communicate less effectively than ever.  Is there a common courtesy App?

Monday Bonus Rant

         NOW IN LARGER AND READABLE FONT!!!! SAME LOW PRICE!!!!

·         It’s 2012.  If you insist on pronouncing the word nuclear “nu-cu-ler”, it should be mandatory for anyone within earshot to laugh mockingly and throw stuff at you.

·         I don’t play tennis, but if I ever win at Wimbledon, I think it’ll be cool to do that dropping the racket and falling backward in celebration thing.

·         Today is July 9^th.  I remember a time when I would know exactly how many days were left from today until the first day of school in the Fall. 

·         School buses really seem to bring out the douche-bag in people.

·         I’m working on a provocative and sexually- charged novel for men.  I think the timing is perfect, and I really hope it takes off.  It’s titled, “A Couple of Drinks, One Shade of Grey, And Then a Nap.”

Malware PSA, Chris Christie and Prickly Heat

Rant Public Service Announcement

There’s talk about “Malware” that may cause internet interruptions Monday, July 9^th if undetected.  The link below provides instructions for an easy self-check and fix, but by all means, do your own homework. Another way to check is to wait until Monday to see if your internet poops out.

http://www.dcwg.org/

Rant Observations

·         I’ve been a fan of Chris Christie, but I think he’s come unhinged. 

·         Some people think it’s a perfectly good idea to use a stroller, with baby on board, as a sort of seeing- eye cane and crowd separator. 

·         I never hear about anyone getting prickly heat anymore. 

·         If it’s raining, how can the humidity only be 87%?  Is there a wetter version of rain that happens when it hits 100%?

·         Texting while driving is deadly, but texting while walking into me may cause me to punch you in the head.

We Hold These Truths......

Let's take a moment to remember and honor our founders' intent............

                We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

   -Thomas Jefferson, 1776

             Give me liberty, or give me death.

   -Patrick Henry, 1775

             Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.  Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.

    -attributed to Benjamin Franklin, 1759

            There is danger from all men.  The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.

     -John Adams, 1772

                                   

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                                           Unproveable Facts About the 4^th of July

·         At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, several of Benjamin Franklin’s fellow representatives from Pennsylvania conspired to hide his eye-glasses.  Before the spectacles were returned, Franklin had been tricked into signing several menus from local taverns and the saddle of Benjamin Rush’s horse.

·         It’s considered fortunate that two representatives from Maryland, Holden McGroin and Phil McCracken, were absent the day the declaration was signed.

·         John Hancock signed the document with the fat end of a sharpie.

·         July 4^th had been celebrated as “hat day” by the Continental Congress until 1775. Although the day was called “Independence Day” from 1776 onward, trophies for “craziest” and “most creative” hats continued to be awarded at the congress’s annual July 4th barbecue.

·         Thomas Jefferson’s first two drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written as ribald limericks.

                                                          HAPPY 4TH of JULY!!!!!!