A culture of living

The tragic Terri Schiavo story is raising and stoking cultural divise issues. Those who support re-inserting the feding tube stake their claim by adopting the "Culture of Life". This is the same slogan espoused by those who wish to eliminate abortion, beginning of life issues. Now they wish to control "end of life" issues. End of life is death but discussing "death" issues would be awful. I wish there were no abortions. Abortions represent a personal failure and a failure by our society to assist young mothers. These lives should be preserved through adoption. They sya "Choose Life". So, I guess I must chose death.

Well, I believe in the culture of living. That is the time between beginning of life and end of life. That is the part, collectively and as individuals have control. My culture of living involves having clean air and water and not allowing industries to pollute the air and water. The culture of living involves providing decent health care and not worrying aboutlosing your health care after your last pycheck. The culture of living means good education, so those who live will have good jobs, not only for only oursevles but for the generation coming behind us.

So, I can only the Republican Party is willing to embrace my culture of living as much as they embrace "culture of life". The best thiing is they are not mutually exclusive. Also, we on the left, need a slogan, too.

Terri Schiavo... theater of the absurd

Like many of us, I have followed or at least tried to follow this story in hopes of understanding what good will come of this. I am sad to say, I see nothing of value arising from this. I would hope through this, we would appreciate "end of life" issues better. It was my hope someone would have the courage to step forward and see the plight of Terri Shivao and relate it to the that millions of people starve everyday and nothing is done. Perhaps this would lead legislators to look more closely at conditions in hospitals and hospices. That will not happen. Terri will die and all for not. Her plight has been exploited by politics and other so called right to life groups. We have here theater of the absurd.

Thousands of families deal with these issues every year. They handle end of life issues without the help of the courts and the government. It is a personal and a family matter. So what happened here.....

We have been drawn into what is a dysfunctionial family's problem. This train wreck started thirteen years ago, the last time Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers spoke. The acrimony is so deep between the families, they forgot about Terri. How many of us wish to go our graves, knowing our families are not at peace. Both sides lack respect for each other. I believe Michael Schiavo should have recused himself and left the decisions to the Schindlers. That could only happen if there is a dialogue between the two sides. They have themselves to blame here. The Schindlers get extra marks for hiring Randall Terry, a disgraced Christian Conservative..for having had an affair with a younger. He is a public figure and that is on the record. I have no problem making this judgment.

The public has been cheated. Both sides misrepresent the facts, to the point where trying to discuss this situation on the merits is impossible. Instead, we take a side and find ourselves arguing over the facts..what facts. It is that point my wife and I agreed it was useless discussing this issue. If there were a videotape of Terri Shiavo stating she would not wish to kept alive this way, the Schindler's lawyers would have claimed the videotape was fake. That is how far the sides are apart. To think, we could have been spared all this, if Dr. Phil or Oprah would have become involved.

It has made for compelling Reality TV... and just as silly... The sequel will be who gets the rights to the Terri Schiavo story. I am certain we will be treated to two versions. I am at the edge of my seat, waiting

Terri Schiavo,,,,the last straw for Florida.

I do not have a strong opinion, one way or another on this spectacle. It is a family tragedy. I will focus on what good may come out of all this. The state of Florida should be made a ward of the Federal Government. This is the last straw. In 2000, a group of citizens tried to kidnap Ilian Gonzales. Really, they believed they were in their right to take the poor kid away from his dad. Later that year, the nation was held hostage because Floridians could not read a ballot to vote. It was then determined they could not count. Now, we have this train wreck. Apparently, washing your dirty laundry through the courts and media is the state pastime in Florida. Laws and reason, especially facts, play no role in how Floridians behave. We should take away their due process and have every Floridian take a civics course.

So, why do events in Florida hold the country? It is the hurricane syndrome. The media sends too many reporters to cover hurricanes. Any woman in a nightgown living in a trailer park can become a national spokesperson. In between hurricane seasons, they miss the attention. So, they create a national scandal. However, this is one is the last straw. The USA is a capitalist nation. This scenario is totally unproductive. Florida is a drain on the economy. Don't the Schindlers and Schiavos have jobs? What about the protestors? I would hope they have jobs. These are not productive members of the society.

On the other hand, every nation needs a Florida, a nice warm sunny place to go in the winter. It has another important role. Florida is the sink trap of the nation. But every so often, one needs clean rhe sink trap. Florida is where all the nut cases gravitate. You cannot go any further south than Florida, geographically or intellectually. The state is an amalgam of illegal immigrants, con men and other low lives. Well, the trap is full, call the plumber or get some Drano.

I am not suggesting the federal government keep it forever, just long enough so the drain works efficiently. I am for state rights....They abused them , they lose. George only has to call Jeb and explain to him he is taking over for a while. After all, wouldn't we all help our brothers with the plumbing?

English as the ONLY Official Language of the US

Here is my vote for adopting English as the official language of this country. My views are very liberal on most issues ..but this is not a liberal/conservative issue. Being a resident alien of the US, I am in favor of legal immigration. I believe all countries can be enriched through immigration... Provided they join the club and play by the rules.

The fact is once English is adopted as an official language, all government documents will be available in English. That is your right. Being served, if you will, in any other language is a privilege. You cannot demand it and the government does not have to provide it. Any immigrant has an obligation to learn English. Why? For one thing it may help he or she to find a better job. Even in countries whose linguistic duality is based on history find having two official languages to be well, patently unfair. Being a Canadian, I can attest to this fact. I am fluent in French and English..And also a third language. The only reason I am fluent in French is that I lived in Quebec. If I lived in Alberta, I doubt I would be speak French.

So, why bring this up? Canada is officially bilingual. As a Canadian citizen, I have a right to be served in either French or English.....It sound so idyllic. It is anything but that. Here is what really happens..The French speaking minority, mainly from Quebec, will tend to dominate the civil service sector because well they speak French. They have a disproportionate effect on policy. The English majority feels left out, at times. The same is occurring in Belgium and other countries..... Such as the United States of America..... When was the last time you went to Motor Vehicles Department?

In many states, including New Jersey, Texas and Florida, the language being spoken is Spanish. Why? Because these states, among others have decided to offer their services in Spanish. So, if you live in any of these states and have no reason to be fluent in Spanish, well good luck getting a state job. Yes they may be clerks now, but they eventually become supervisors and administrators. That is patently unfair. I am not suggesting passing a law banning Spanish. That is prejudice. I am suggesting we adopt English as the ONLY official language in this country.

I would appreciate any comments. Thank you for reading.

Baseball, Steroids and Sportsmanship

Like most sport fans, I watched as much as possible of the steroids in baseball hearings. We were led to believe baseball had a very murky policy regarding the use of illegal substances in the collective bargaining agreement. If you missed it, Bud Selig was so outraged of a policy he controlled he practically declared he would personally take any player using steroids to the shed and cane him. Well, that is what he sounded he would do. The policy was murky regarding the penalty. The commissioner at his discretion would either suspend a ballplayer for 10 days or fine him $10,000. Of course, if the player were suspended, his name would be public. The congressmen were disgusted and the lawyer for the MLB in charge of the policy did an awful job of explaining it. The reason for the latitude being provided id for players who come forward and admit to taking illegal substances. A player should not be punished to the fullest extent of the policy if they come forward, voluntarily. They do into rehab.

If a player is caught using drugs or in possession of illegal drugs, it is a criminal matter. There are examples in industry, so do not get all outraged. If you fail a drug test when applying for a job, the company does not turn its findings over to the authorities. Should a company find illegal drugs on you, aside form being fired, the company can report you to the authorities. That is the law.

The players followed a panel of families whose sons died as a result of steroid abuse. The first spectacle was totally unnecessary and only stoked the flames at the hearings. No wonder Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro and Jose Canesco must have felt they were at the Salem witch trials. As for Curt "Republican Party" Schill-ing, his sanctimonious attitude was simply too much to bear. He felt no responsibility to take action when he saw a player taking illegal substances, but had no problem calling them cheaters. So which is it? If a player on your team does it, it os not cheating but if a player on another does it is? If they were interested in learning anything the players should have been granted limited immunity.

These are pro athletes who earn big money. They are expected to perform at a high level. They will do anything they can to prolong their careers. Pro athletes today are bigger, stronger and faster. That can be traced to improved nutrition, longer workouts and greater dedication to the game. Ball players no longer show up out of shape at spring training. Have some benefited from steroids? Probably.....but steroids by themselves are controlled substances. You can get a script for steroids. Maybe if steroids were administered by physicians and the athletes monitored during their career, they would not be abused. It may be radical but why not.

Regarding the abuse of steroids by children...where are the parents...... Supplements such as creatin can effect the same results. However, if parents are willing to say it is OK to take creatin to change your body, well how far away can steroids be?

A few ideas for the NHL

Hockey remains my passion. These days it is skating, mostly. Nonetheless, Hockey is a great game and the NHL does need to do something special in the off-season of they wish not only to keep their fans but grow. Here are a few ideas......

1) Open up the game. Fans would love to see more scoring. The ice surface is too small when you look at the size and speed odd the current players. The center ice area between the blue lines needs to be wider. The referees need to call the clutching and grabbing. Let's encourage more passing and skating and discourage headmanning the puck and create scrums in the offensive zone. These measures are fan but they do not address how to better market the sport and the brand.

The following measures address those points.

2) Professional Roller Hockey League..Yes...You read this right. There are presently disparate professional roller hockey leagues in North America. Many if the players in these leagues are ex hockey players or semi pro players who never made it to the NHL. The NHL should organize a professional Roller Hockey League. More Americans roller blade than ice skate because well, you do not need ice to play roller blade. Actually, I do both. Most of my team mates from my ice hockey team, play roller hockey in the summer. A couple did so, professionally. In other words, the trend is happening. The NHL should catch on to this.

The NHL should give away the rights to broadcast games to ESPN. Why not? This league would create a ready base of new ice hockey fans. Whenever I play a pick up game of ice hockey. I am surprised how many guys started playing roller hockey and decided to play ice hockey in the winter.

3) The NHL and NHLPA should sponsor a NASCAR team or even a race. There are no more loyal fans in sports today than NASCAR fans. This marriage is not as strange as it may sound. Several NASCAR drivers list ice hockey as their favorite sport. There are several parallels between NASCAR the NHL. Both sports feature speed and skill. The athletes both have pride and passion. NASCAR drivers bump each other at 200 mph. They do not see the heavy hits in hockey as anything more than just being very competitive.

So how do you promote IceHockey to NASCAR fans....the fastest sport on two legs. The speed of the game, not always caught on television. You can promote fans going to the game by offering discounts on tickets to anyone attending a NASCAR race. Finally, hockey players could attend NASCAR races and become more fan accessible.

4) When NBC does finally get around to broadcasting games, they ought to look North to see what works. The CBC has always managed to convey the speed and intensity of the game to fans with close up shots and camera angles close to the ice. Also. NBC needs their own Don Cherry. Many fans watched hockey on Saturday night just to hear what outrageous and insightful thought Don cherry would have. It should be an American who has had a colorful career in hockey. I discussed this with my wife and she suggested Chris Nilan. Chris was a talented rough and tumble player...who loves the game. He would be great in that role.

Any other ideas are welcome. I doubt Gary Bettman reads blogs, anyway.

Feeling Inadequate at Home Depot

I am not handy. I have a fear of power tools. It may haveto with the noise or the fear of losing a body part..finger, toe you name it. Thus a trip to Home Depot only reminds me of this inadequacy. I go there as my wife still does not consider me hopeless. Frankly, I am pretty much hopeless. I am overwhelmed by the brochures on how I can install a ceramic floor, wood laminate floor or screens..that was a disaster. Definitely, I am less of a man.

My parents saw this inadequacy early in my life. They insist I get an education. My father tried, as did my uncles. They shook their heads as I handled a power saw, nail gun or drill. Early on they decided my role would be to carry things, wood, bricks or even handle a wheelbarrow. Later in life, I played the odds. If I try to cut that piece of wood with a power, what would be the odds of either failing or losing a figure compared to say my odds of finding someone else to do it. I calculated the risk and often decided the few dollars were worth more than the pain and suffering, not to speak of the probable dismemberment. Still, I have tool envy in Home Depot, observing the men with the big carst buying lumber, tile and bircks. Those men are going home to their power tools. All I can hope to do is to seduce a nail, maybe a couple of screws....on a good day, anything that does not involve an outside source of energy.

Yet, I continue to watch This Old House, only to elevate my hope. I can be Norm Abrams one day...NOT. I admire his workshop and what I could build with those tools if I had any talent. I have decided there are many more like me out there. I say we unite and find those of the fairer sex made to feel inadequate by Martha Stewart. I know we are out there with all the free time in the world to blog.

The promise of the interent

I blog therefore I must believe in the promise of the internet. Ihave had many doubts about whether the interet has truly brought us together or made us more productive. One cannot argue the internet has made us all better consumers. With the abundnace of search engines and consumer information, we are now able more than ever to lever information whne purchsing goods. That informatio may be the best price in the area to auction sites to knowing the latest incentives and rebates being offered on new cars. Here, the internet has delivered. Capitalism lives.

The internet was also supposed an amazing tool to bring us closer and provide greater understanding. Here it has failed. The internet is after all a tool and nothing more. We remain failed humans. Instead of drawing us together, the internet has polarized us. People on the net will ultimately search for those like minded people. It is not and open exchange and it is definitely not the town hall. The abundance of websites promoting extreme points of view is proof of that. Again, it is not the internet, it is the people whao are flawed and frankly the net cannot resolve that situation.

The more worrisome aspect of the net is that it is easilt abused. There are no filters. No one will edit or fat check this piece, for example. An entire generation is following who use the net as their primary source of innformation. They conntinually narrow their searches until they read the news that suits them. They read opinions which agree with their point of view. The book "Killing Time" by Caleb Carr is a sobering example of the power of the net and digitization. In the book, a business manipulates the news and photographs, digitally chnging history. Is it possible? Well the technology is there, as is the medium, the net.

So, I will continue to read the New York Times and other papers. I doubt the net can be fixed... especially as it is only a tool. Let's hope this tool doe snmot become the only tool in communication and information. My hope is that humanity becomes more open minded. We can still use our own filters. No one has taken that away from us.