Saturday, July 03, 2004
REUNIONS
I attended a Family Reunion this past week and it reminded me that I am not getting any younger.
I expected that, just as I have during most recent annual gatherings.
The years seem to go by faster as I get older and after the eighty-year mark, I haven't let it bother me. I am glad to be among my own and, even though I'm an bit slower as the years add , the memories still pile up. The odd thing about that point is that they are new memories – not old ones. I am now building a structure
made up of young people, primarily, and their growing families.
It is proper that they think of themselves as being ”young”, but I, having been there and done that myself at one time, they are really older than they think themselves. I look at the young couples I have know since their birth. I remember them as being small, sometimes as mischevious little brats and others as pretty packets with saintly tendencies. Now, I am always pleased and sometimes amazed at what they have grown up to become.
They have every right to think of themselves as being “young”, but the actual facts of the matter tell me that the couple at the next table with their three children couple at the next table with three children are actually half my own age and well on their way to that “hill” they will soon be said to “go over”. They remain young in spirit even if the years are creeping upon them, and that is the soul of the basic enthusiasm for life which they pass along to their children in a loving manner. To do so reminds them that a function of being a family is to continue those traditions which set them apart.
Special care must be kept in mind to keep family reunions young in attitude. The oldsters are going to leave and it is the young member coming on who will keep the affair alive and functioning . I was especially pleased to find that this recent reunion approved and acted upon a suggestion which, I understand, came from one of the more youthful members regarding the established routine of taking pictures.
An established part of every reunion, the taking of pictures has become a deadly routine resulting in annual pictures of each family. The way was done at this particular reunion of '04 provide each family with photographs of the larger family divisions - not by families - but by generations. For the first time a member comes to find where they fit in the overall structure of the family when they look a these photographs.
The procedure starts the the founding family the husband and wife upon which the present family founded, being remembered.. If any of their sisters, brothers and their spouses are living they form the initial picture. The children of that first couple and their spouses are next; followed by the children of each of those children from those belonging to the oldest through to the youngest... .also with their spouses .You can see how the steps progress in order to a few great-greats at the end.
The pictures we will get from this “Reunion '04” will be more valued. They will provide a means of each member being able to ascertain where he or she fits into the wide family group Generational impetus will be formed as each group gets to know who else belongs in that same area.
Reunions are for old-timers in one sense, but they endure because of the youthful elements being accented. One young person's suggestion about how we ought to be taking our annual photographs is an example of how - when their interest and concern is aroused - youth can participate and move it all forward to an even better future for the family.
A.L.M. July 2, 2004 [c659wds]
Friday, July 02, 2004
IF IT AIN'T BROKE....
You, of course, know the full text: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
I don't know who first compounded that bit of ethnic advice. It is heard in a varied group of linguistic patterns and it makes good common sense in most cases. I qualify it with "most" because I feel there are times when you can fix a malfunctioning gizmo just before you know it is going to conk out and save yourself a lot of effort, worry, care and cash.
I have found it helpful to think of that old grammar-killin' adage when contemplating the state of our economy.
It helps explain the how, why and wherefore of the obvious fact that you economy seems to be suffering from a case of overseas emigration many of ourjobs. We keep demanding that our political craftsmen "fix" the problem, and it is becoming increasingly evident day-by-day that most of them have not the slightest of how to go about starting to do anything meaningful about the problem.
To make it still more complicated, many of the trained and experienced economists, not so common among us , tell us we should not be worrying about "our jobs going overseas" suggestions. It is the fancy term they use they say jobs migrate to other countries where the demands of labor are are not quite so heavy. They insist it is the natural thing for our jobs to migrate to other counties where labor is less demanding and the product can be manufactured better with less cost involved.
The vast majority of the voices I hear among workers and used-to-be workers speak rather sharply of the departure of American jobs for overseas sites. They object loudly to all that has happened . They speak out rather strongly against firms which have have moved production to Mexico, Thialand, Tiawan, South Korea, Latin America,Asia,and to China, in particular. They refuse to hear any contention that the movement might be a good thing rather than a bad one. They think it can be fixed by stretching some of the existing laws which encumber the plethora of such already in the books and already resident in Washinggnton, D.C.
They refuse to accept the idea that our economy, while badly bent in recent years, is not "broken." Ask anyone who was deeply associated with the era called The Great Depression and their feeling might well serve as a valuable norm in deciding the actual condition of our present day economy as it steadily improves. It is not dying or defunct as some critics would have us believe.
We work, play, live and die within economic systems. We always have and always will. Certainly many of the older members of the complaint corps are old enough to remember when we lived in what we now call a "Local" economy. The farmer raised the foods and city folks put together the gizmo, do-dads and gadgets they could sell to rural citizens and pass back and forth among themselves through local markets. Those centers for the exchange of goods were locally owned and operated and they served us well.
When they grew too large or cumbersome to work to the max, they changed to larger Area District or State markets. The change was gradual but after it caught on and covered larger areas, jobs changed as well. Local markets had to start advertising and reaching out to get new customers. Suddenly the area was larger in which people worked, lived, borrowed from and conned from each other. The things they sold had to be transpired longer distances by rail or truck. Exclusive markets such as those for Tobacco, Hogs, Cattle, Produce, came into being with many changes in the nature of jobs. Series of stores were set up throughout the area to meet increased demand.
With continued growth in the transportation fields and - particularly during several major wars when urgency made such changes more acceptable. We lived for a time in a crisis economy, and found ourselves to be world citizen involved a living in a world-wide marketing system. Now, in this World Market economic system, the farmer, the craftsmen, the craftsmen, artisans and others engaged in the making of products are re-cast in severely modified roles. Such work is now being done mainly in those areas where it can be done at less expense, faster and better. There are political, social, ethnic and other problems manifestations aplenty because the potential number of doers varies in different sections of the world as we work to sell the things we market to each other. Many prove to be recipients of better jobs where political and social adjustments are solved.
That which has been pending has already taken place to a large extent. We are now living and working within a World Economy. It is a natural, normal, continuing time of change and readjustment. My mother had a relative who operated a store Aspenwall, Pennsylvania years ago buying and selling local produce and manufactured goods an selling them to natives. There, in that Pittsburgh area, he had one supplier who called weekly to restock supplies of his bottled pickles on the shelves Â? a young man named Heinz Â? one name which remains among the many that made it all the way from Local, to State, to National and, now, into the World Economy.
It's here. We are part of it - like it or not. Go with it.
A.L.M. July 2, 2004 [c920wds]
Thursday, July 01, 2004
DOWNSIZING
If you have ever moved from a large house which you have occupied for a decade or two, to a smaller home, you know a thing or two about the condition known as “downsizing”.
It is widely touted in some circles as being a beneficial thing enabling us to rid our ourselves of useless encumbrances which we have accumulated though years of senseless slavery to your idea of what the so-called work ethic might be.
In truth, when economic or social makes it necessary that we effectively destroy the patina which has been forming on and within our accomplishments. Living a life well is a work of art.
I can tell you some of the things you will miss after you have downsized your life by physical relocation in smaller quarters. I cannot set up a rating system which might determine which seems to be the worst, or most missed. They have different levels of intensity at various times.
Near the top of such a list I would place the item: books.
In truth I don' really know how many books we had accumulated. I do remember that years ago a carpenter asked me how many selves we needed to hold our books at that when we were up sizing homes. He seemed shocked when I said: “about thirty-five or forty feet”. He did a good job of transforming the room with shelves deep enough to hold two layers of books plus cabinets underneath to house out-sized items, maps, scrapbooks, newspapers, art work, and other such specialized items. Our old walnut, glass enclosed Globe -Wernicke bookcases were isolated upstairs to cover one wall of a bedroom. with books. They stood four high on end platform drawers and three in the center. On the walls were paintings my wife had done - my second treasure missed now that we have downsized two times.
A few remain in our house now, yet in our form of down-sizing they aren't really gone in many cases. We invited all of the children in the family to take what they wanted from the books, the art work and other possessions and we were pleased that so much of what we held dear and worthy was deemed to be of special value to our children, grandchildren and our great-greats through their parent's selections. Rather than downsizing, we avoided negative connotations as we broadened the setting in which our treasures from yesterday may be better displayed and best used to the advantage by our greatest of all items of true wealth - our children, and by their loved ones in turn.
We have haven' really downsized - we have simply moved much of it around to a broader family base. To see them enjoying the items they chose is a special value in itself which can in be gained in no other way.
A.L.M. June 30, 2004 [c484wds]
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
BIAS
Everyone, it appears, at one time or another, seems to be looking at international, national and local affairs with biased restrictions.
Everyone, it seems, is narrow-minded, especially that man or woman who, enamored of his or her own superior self, insists they are not so encumbered. We all have a touch of such in-born bias in our makeup and many have learned to deal with it.
A common bit of stuck-up-ology is evident when you find a person who, for some unexplainable reason, takes special pride in having been born in a particular state.
I have, most frequently come upon this ?born-in? badge among people who go out of their way to state their claim to having been born in either Virginia or Massachusetts. It seems, so often, to stem from ?Plymouth Rock? and ?Jamestown 1607? and that sort of background thinking. Being ?first? is, to them, finest. Being first, then, is best in every way and always subservient to perfection.
Men and women found in this condition usually meet with their come-up-ance when quite young as they mixed with people from other areas , but I have known individuals who have carried such a feeling along with them into their adult years, and even a few, unto Death itself. It is usually set aside early in life and one makes reference to it only in one?s prayers of Thanksgiving for having been so richly less blessed and richly endowed right at the start, but you no long mention it when mixing with general society, who, not having been born a-right are, naturally, inferior.
Going off to college or joining the Armed Forces have probably done more to knock down this common ego-bias than any other actions. They rerun into New York hatchees, probably the most provincial people you will even encounter. Then there will also prideful folks ?bawn? in Texas, Iowa, Mississippi, Alabama or the ?K'laanahs.
This ,of course,is just one of many taints we tend to allow to creep into our mind which causes us, at times, to vacillate and veer from common sense thinking. It' s wise to take an honest look at some of the from time to time to see where if we may qualify in the mind of other to be called be called ?narrow -minded?, prejudiced or biased.
It can happen without the person afflicted being fully aware of it. Think across the spectrum of your view on race, religion, education, genealogy,heritage,wealth, blessings,handicaps,preferences,hates and special loves ? all facets of your life which compare in any way with that of others. Look beyond them mirror image of our life and become aware of who you really are rather than what you allow others to think you might be.
A L M June 29, 2004 [c468wds]
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
TIDAL TALK
It's easy to remember when the tide is “in” and when the tide is “out “, or “low “ and “high”, if you are among the lucky individuals who happen to be doing the authentic beach thing on the beautiful tropical island of Tahiti.
That's the serious part of living in such a paradise, I understand. It is the only spot the surface of Earth which enjoys consistent tide times. It is high tide in Tahiti at noon and at midnight of each and every day and it is said to be low tide each day at 6 AM and 6 PM. It is a unique thing with Tahiti where you can count on for such scheduled tidal conditions day-after-day, year-after-year. The tide, measures about one foot so visitors my not even notice the changes.
Some other places are noted for their erratic, flamboyant
and frisky tides such as and extreme depths of incoming waters - such as the let's-brag-about-it Bay of Fundy, up Nova Scotia, which overdoes it with as much as fifty-three feet of water when the tide comes decides to come in.
It is interesting to note that such tidal conditions are commonly blamed, like romance in living, on the Moon. The sun -four hundred times more away than the moon also plays a major role. Other factors may determine the nature and severity of tidal activities in specific areas such a the depth of the body of water concerned or a geographical feature such as a protruding cape of land or a narrow entrance. The Mines Basin area. Near Wolfville, on the Bay of Fundy you can witness the highest tides known with the world's record 52.5 feet (sixteen meters) above low tide level. The flow of sea water in the Minas Channel just north of Blomindon equals the combined flow of all the rivers and streams on planet Earth. It is estimated that the mid-tide flow measures about fourteen billion tons (l.4 cubic kilometers) of sea water flow through the channel each time the tide changes.Geologists can actually measure tilt in the terrain of Nova Scotia when the tide is in and they can tell when it goes out.
Most of us are unaware of the immensity of the world's tides. We can appreciate the bigness of such sites as the Grand Canyon by simply looking at it, but the tides can be deceptive and, when combined with storms, they can be deadly. Six thousand persons dead at Galveston, Texas in 1903 stand as sufficient testimony on that score.
In addition to normal geographic causes, the high tides of the Bay of Fundy are said to be influenced by the resonance from other tidal conditions along the coast of Maine. You can place the cause of tide change s on the Moon, the Sun, on terrain variations and, around the pseudo-fringe of thinking about tidal changes some people are wondering about the possible influence of the planets, black holes and other space “unknowns” on the tidal sequences Earth. Just when we have pretty well cleared up many of the ancient folklore reasons for tide changes, along comes a new hint of some “astral-lore” suppositions.
A.L.M. June 28, 2004 [c539wds]
Monday, June 28, 2004
June 28, 2004
THE LONG ROAD
If the transition planned for the citizens of Iraq in the next few days goes along with reasonable smoothness much will have been accomplished in a remarkable short period of time.
This is no small task we have been asked to perform.
In saying Â?weÂ?, I mean both the Iraq and those of the United States. One cannot do it without the full, honest and dedicated participation of the other. This is no time for half-way measures; for complacency, or for any tendencies to let others do what we have promised would be done. It is, perhaps, ironical that the election of a President here in our own country depends, to some extend Â? some would say Â?to a large extentÂ? - on the behavior of our enemies and of our associates.
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This strange juxtaposition of some rather complex problems puts each of our major political parties in strange and challenging positions. If, at this juncture, one is too critical the other; without a keen sense of close cooperation for the common good of all concerned, each can suffer tremendous harm. In taking up pacifist banners at the last moment,John Kerry might do us all a disservice by thus conceding defeat through abject compromise with opposition around the world. His willingness to place United State's troops under United Nations command is only one of items which makes Americans wonder about his ability to be a leader of our armed force s and the actual it actual Commander-in-Chief while sweaallegiancegence to an entity as shaky as the United Nations leadership has, quite obviously, come to be.
Because of this event taking place within the next few days in Iraq, we are a politically divided camp here at home and along serious lines, this time - not petty political differences. For the contending side to be so strongly critical of any and all actions taken by those currently in charge verges on treason in the mind of many who take the basic tenets of our national being far more seriously than the average one of us.
If Â?moderationÂ? ad Â?toleranceÂ? are still viable terms in American political life today they might wisely apply them in the next few weeks to allow the transition in Iraq to proceed without undue frictions from Americans at war with each on their local political fronts.
We are at a point of real political crisis here at home in one sense. For the first time in many years our political feelings have become intense and, in so doing, have sacrificed many principles of common decency and fair play in favor of advantages gained by any means.
The real danger is that we are,in the mind of many,deciding homeland problems in too close of a relationship to transitory problems of international stress and concern. Such mixtures may prove to be exceptionally volatile it our future.
We would do a wise thing to attempt to keep the two forthcoming events separated in our mind rather than hinging one to the other.
A.L.M. JUNE 26, 2004 [c514wds]
Sunday, June 27, 2004
CLEAN UP!
Why do so many producers of television shows seem to think we - their audience and ultimate source of income ? want to be entertained and enlightened by an endless series of TV shows founded on filth?
It is only natural, I suppose, that from time-to-time a quiz show format for instance, may chance upon a question which allows or even demands the mention of a male or female body part but it should not be made the main emphasis of the entire show.
Performers who are attempting to endear themselves to viewers certainly must realize that by giving such material front-stage-center with special lighting is like gilding an ailing lily. Filthy terms, street talk, profanity, obscenity, sacrilege, sex-oriented sketches and other lewd treatments have no place in family type entertainment on TV or elsewhere save, perhaps, in the withdrawn art theaters catering to people to who fertilizer is a fared food.
Stars, it seems say that writers are at fault, and that they are only ?reading? that which writers have set down in black and white for them to declaim as directed by professionals who how best to depict it. Producers use the same lame excuse and repeatedly bemoan the fact that it is difficult to find ?good writing? today. They also mention a point which may, perhaps, which seems a bit more valid when they say; ?That;s what the people want!? it is more honest when they say: ?That's what we think some people seem to feel they want.? The well-know 'nattering nabobs' run loose in entertainment production areas, it appears.
Far too often today that which is billed as a ?situation comedy? is, essence, an ?embarrassing situation? comedy. Cleavage and crotch shots are the main camera angles to watch for in judging a film's success at the box of. The so-called ?reality? shows are slice of life segments from yesterday serve with sexy sauces and synthetic sensationalism. Personality interviews are often diary entries at the genres least level.
If TV continues to degrade itself, who knows ? people may even start to read once again!
A.L.M. June 27, 2004 [c000wds]
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