Monday, February 25, 2013

Feeling the vertigo


Daughter's Facebook Post:  Argh, the worst part of being slightly OCD is compulsively checking your work e-mail, only to find it empty because one of your bosses is out of town and the other is on paternity leave. Again, I invoke the name [redacted], because she knows the feeling... — with [redacted]
Like ·  · 3 hours ago via mobile · 
  • Daughter's friend:  HA! I even do this in my sleep.
  • Wise Old Me: A generation ago there used to be a bright line between work and the rest of your life, hence the term "work/life balance". The trend now is for work time and non-work time to become seamlessly integrated. You are feeling the vertigo as your senses adapt to a "zero gravity" sort of environment, where work is not predominantly pulling you, nor is your personal life - nothing (and everything) is pulling you, so you simply push off in the direction you choose. This is how we roll now, in the internet age.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Weather: How extreme is it?

Seems like the media is enjoying the process of hyping the weather the way they hype everything else, from the Oscars to the Fiscal Cliff.   SuperStorm Sandy!  Winter storm Q!  Snowmaggeddon!  Must we have a dramatic label for everything?

The latest hyped up storm which blew through here last night was initially forecast to drop some 20 inches during white-out conditions.  I just blew out about 5.5 from my driveway, and the only white-out I experienced last night was mistakenly opening my eyes when my face was buried in the pillow.

I'm starting to think that I should measure the extremity of winter by how many times I use my snowblower.  The little shovel-only snowfalls don't count.  Two years ago I didn't use the dang thing one time.  That was an unusually warm winter, and I would count it as extreme.

The count this year so far:  3.

That's within one standard deviation.  One more substantive snowfall (which is looking like Monday) and it will be right about at the mean.  

Yawn.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The Missionaries of Democracy

In past ages, various religious groups (most notably those descended from Abraham), had muscular missions movements.  (nice alliteration, huh?)   Whether it be the ancient Israelites, Roman Catholics, Lutheran/Anglican Protestants, or Muslims - all were guilty at some point of getting converts "at the point of a sword".  Examples are abundant in the literature of soldier/missionaries saying to the newly conquered:

"Renounce your pagan ways, confess your allegiance to [our version of] God, and you will live."

We don't do those things anymore, right?

Well, not so fast.  The United States sure does.  Our military and its expanding outposts around the world have become the modern equivalent of the muscular missionaries of past ages.  Except the faith we are preaching is Democracy.  Capitalist Democracy at that.  We say to the conquered (or those about to be so):

"Listen, you backward and corrupt nations: throw off your feudalism, your tribalism, your totalitarianism, your communism, your radical theocracies, and embrace western democracy, the only true and pure government under heaven.  Embrace Democracy... and Capitalism, too!  If you do, we'll give you foreign aid, and teach you how to spend it on trade with us.  We'll establish a military presence within your borders to protect you, send in NGOs to teach you how to live, and set up American businesses to provide your workers with jobs and buy your cheap goods.  Life as our allies will be better than you've ever had it before.

"If you refuse... well, there will be sanctions first to give you time to repent.  But at some point, we'll just send in drones, bomb your leaders, arm the revolutionaries among you, and once they overthrow you, we'll sign one-sided agreements with them and license out your natural resources to our real friends.  So, avoid this harsh judgment, won't you?  Just renounce your past ways and confess your belief in Capitalist Democracy as the one true path to Enlightenment and Prosperity.  Repent, and you shall live!"
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