I merely took the energy it takes to pout
and wrote some blues -
Duke Ellington
and wrote some blues -
Duke Ellington
September 15, 2007
September 14, 2007
Moral Intelligence
(photo from Boston Globe)Upon the undisputed revelation that the New England Patriots violated league rules and cheated by videotaping the defensive signs of the New York Jets during last Sunday's game, Boston Globe writer Jackie MacMullan wrote a column entitled: "You're too smart for this stuff, Bill."
When you live in New England, and you are introduced to someone for the first time, you will either hear about what schools they attended, or hear about how smart they are. This is true whether the person is standing in the room or not. Nothing is revered in New England like intelligence. Everything is connected to intelligence. Smart, and you are likely to be viewed as upstanding, moral, and a valuable asset to society. Stupid, or of below average intelligence, and you are likely to be viewed as suspect, less than moral, and a liability to society. Too strong? Perhaps.
But isn't it interesting that when Bill Belichick is caught flagrantly disregarding the rules to gain unfair advantage (a value and practice by the way, that is the cornerstone of modern American business) the first thing people think about, are confused by, is why someone so smart would do such a thing?
News to all New Englanders who believe intelligence makes you a more moral person! No Way! No connection between IQ and morality. Proof right here. No need to look any further.
I coached little league for 5 years. If I'd done what Belichick did, I'd have been kicked out of the league, the previous win would have been forfeited, and my team would have been banned from post season play. But my league had ethics, and more importantly, my league cared about the moral future of children. Not so with the NFL.
I've been following and rooting for the Pats since I was a child in the 60's. I've been thinking about the penalties handed down by the new commissioner - $750,000 dollars of fines, which would be like fining me one dollar. A first round draft pick to a team that already has the deepest talent in the league.
Boy, those are tough consequences - makes little league seem awfully unfair!
When you live in New England, and you are introduced to someone for the first time, you will either hear about what schools they attended, or hear about how smart they are. This is true whether the person is standing in the room or not. Nothing is revered in New England like intelligence. Everything is connected to intelligence. Smart, and you are likely to be viewed as upstanding, moral, and a valuable asset to society. Stupid, or of below average intelligence, and you are likely to be viewed as suspect, less than moral, and a liability to society. Too strong? Perhaps.
But isn't it interesting that when Bill Belichick is caught flagrantly disregarding the rules to gain unfair advantage (a value and practice by the way, that is the cornerstone of modern American business) the first thing people think about, are confused by, is why someone so smart would do such a thing?
News to all New Englanders who believe intelligence makes you a more moral person! No Way! No connection between IQ and morality. Proof right here. No need to look any further.
I coached little league for 5 years. If I'd done what Belichick did, I'd have been kicked out of the league, the previous win would have been forfeited, and my team would have been banned from post season play. But my league had ethics, and more importantly, my league cared about the moral future of children. Not so with the NFL.
I've been following and rooting for the Pats since I was a child in the 60's. I've been thinking about the penalties handed down by the new commissioner - $750,000 dollars of fines, which would be like fining me one dollar. A first round draft pick to a team that already has the deepest talent in the league.
Boy, those are tough consequences - makes little league seem awfully unfair!
September 12, 2007
Changing One's View
Joe Deverell is taking a trip on the Erie Canal to promote the historic upstate New York canal system, to tackle a new challenge and to slow down his life to appreciate Mother Nature's offerings.
While many others have taken similar journeys on the canal over the years, Deverell's trek is a bit different. He will pole along the canal in a 36-foot gondola.
''It's about taking the time to look at the world in a different way. ...It would be easier to stay at home, watch TV and have a couple beers, but there will be plenty of time to do that,'' said Deverell, 41, a self-employed industrial engineer from Cato, N.Y., who departed on his trip Tuesday.
At 6-foot-2 and a muscular 220 pounds, Deverell appears ready for the physical demands of rowing a 900-pound boat an average of 12 miles a day for the next 20 days.
Deverell trained for about two months to get in shape and to pad his hands with thick, protective calluses for the rigors of the trip. He hopes to reach Albany by Sept. 30 to meet three other gondoliers who are rowing from Albany to New York City to salute the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. They're departing Oct. 1.
''What he's doing is ambitious in that he's the only one doing it. If he does it solo, I will be very impressed,'' said Greg Mohr, president of the Gondolier Society of America, one of the three gondoliers participating in the Albany to New York City tribute row.
Deverell won't be alone on his trip. Two independent New York City filmakers are accompanying him for part of his journey.
He'll row during the day. At night, he plans to dock the boat, dine at restaurants and sleep outside in a tent.
His biggest concern is running into high winds, which he said would make it more difficult to land the gondola in stormy weather.
Deverell paid $15,000 for his gondola in 2002. It was once used to ferry passengers and cargo through the busy canals of Venice, Italy.
Deverell, who has also sailed boats for many years, was inspired to buy his gondola after his girlfriend of two years died in a car accident in late 1999. She was a science teacher in the Clyde-Savannah school district and loved the outdoors.
Her death, he said, taught him to start living more for today rather than waiting for tomorrow. He had vacationed in Venice in the mid-1990s and fallen in love with the Italian boats because of their simple, efficient design and the romantic view of the world that they offer.
''It's about doing these things while you still can ... I think she would be proud of me,'' he said.
———
Updated: 9/11/2007
Information from: The Syracuse Post-Standard
September 10, 2007
When I was growing up in the Philippines as the black-sheep-son of a baptist missionary there was much talk and debate about the 'divinely inspired Word of God' - belief in the irrefutable authority of the Bible as the foundation of our entire belief system. While I still do not buy into this sovereignty, I do hold to the existence of the miraculous that once in a while comes our way, offering healing and grace.
Such is Terence Blanchard's A Tale of God's Will (a requiem for katrina). My friend, Thom, who lives part time in New Orleans, has written a most moving review of this new album. These days I am home during the day, caring for my 4 year and 4 month old daughters, Audra, and Aliza. Mid-morning or so, when a bit of boredom sets in, I play this album, and the mood and center of our home is transformed. It has become an indispensable part of our day, a time of prayer you might say - BUY IT NOW!
"moralities, ethics, laws, customs, beliefs, doctrines -
these are of trifling import.
all that matters is that
the miraculous become the norm"
Henry Miller
these are of trifling import.
all that matters is that
the miraculous become the norm"
Henry Miller
A Quiet Rain...
(photo by zachary jack marcus)As my birthday falls on the last day of July, the week prior to the 31st is a season of reflection for me. I notice things more - the passing of time, that which is vital to my life, and the sounds and rhythms of nature.
During that final week of July, things change. The light just before sunset. The sweet smell of harvest arrives. Cooler evenings. And the first few autumn leaves show up in red, orange, and yellow dress. Even though the ancient calendars tell us that the season of autumn begins around the 4th or 5th of August, our calendar insists we wait another 6 weeks to herald her arrival, despite the visible changes all around us.
Viewing changes in nature through the prism of our calendar causes a number of strange things to happen - we start bemoaning our imagined premature demise of summer, the ending of our warm days, and for some of us fortunate ones, the end of vacation and playtime. But more essentially, placing trust in this artificial authority erodes our ability to believe our own inner sense of things - that which we observe around us, that which we once knew.
Common sense is an endangered species now-a-days. We rely, not just on our calendars to tell us what our seasons are, the Weather Channel to tell us of coming climate changes, but we also place our confidence in what THEY say, from parenting, to romance, to spirituality, to most everything under the sun. Nearly dead, is our own inner knowledge of the basic cadences of life.
Perhaps if we spent less time paying homage to THEY, and more time waiting, listening, and acting out of that knowing place still gasping for air within us, we would discover the knowledge, wisdom, and peace of mind that so often eludes us.
September 9, 2007
Baseball and Magic
Bob Ryan, sports writer for the Boston Globe, has written an outstanding piece on the comeback kid, Rick Ankiel, and the new allegations of human growth hormone and steroid use. Please see his quote below, and take time to link to his article -"The problem with baseball now
is that everyone is suspect.
Everyone who throws 95 m.p.h. is suspect.
Everyone who hits a bunch of homers is suspect.
Every aging player
who puts up great numbers
is suspect.
That's what this steroid and HGH business
has done to baseball."
Bob Ryan/Boston Globe 9/9/07
"Disbelief in magic
can force a poor soul
into believing
in government and business."
Tom Robbins
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