Nittany Lions, Tigers, and Bears…

The ongoing story unfolding in State College regarding the alleged child abuses by a former coach brings some serious issues to light. Expected, many are outage at the allegations; the nature of the grand jury findings doing little to tamp down the already incendiary situation. For the most part, the outrage is warranted. While I stand opposed to the Paterno dismissal, I am not shocked that it happened.

Often, I get frustrated listening to news commentators just openly blast the staff. It’s so incredibly easy to come on television after the fact and unleash on a defenseless target. It’s the “if I saw such injustice, I would have NEVER let it happen!” crowd. And most honest people with any moral compass would fit into this category. The problem is that life isn’t scripted; it’s situational in nature and rarely black & white. If we took 1,000 subjects and put them in Joe Paterno’s shoes, you would be shocked (or maybe not) at the number of people who would have handled it in the same fashion that Paterno did. As easy as it is to say with unequivocal certainty that I would have gone straight to the authorities after McQueary presented me with his testimony, I don’t know how I would have reacted given all the facts. The fact is, very few of us will ever been in the position Paterno was in. Most of us, will not be the CEO of a company that has hundreds of employers. Most of us, will never be able to fathom the organization pressures that come with being the leader of a massive athletic program or company. Do these pressure affect certain situations? I can only assume so.

Everyday, we see good men and women find themselves the victims of moral quandry. Some make it through unscathed, but many still bear the marks of their decisions. Coach Paterno found himself victimize like many. I’m not the sensationalist type and I prefer to allow due process occur before I cast blame. I opine that Paterno could have done more to investigate the allegation when they were brought to his attention. Did he have a legal or civil obligation? Absolutely not. I may change my mind as more comes out, but that’s where I stand now.

The most important thing is to remember that Joe Paterno’s role, if you want to call it enabling, is in no shape or fashion comparable to Jerry Sandusky’s. The crimes that for which Sandusky has been arraigned are vile and despicable. To lump these two men in the same basket is uncout, inappropriate, and unfair.

I Got 99 Problems, and the Wine is One. Hit Me.

Every time I head to the local grocery I pass through the beer aisle. Not only because it is Aisle #1, but I still cannot get passed the awesome-ness of being able to buy beer in grocery stores. I hate that about you, Pennsylvania. Each time I move through shining sea of frothy delicacies, I see a sign for $2.99, full-size bottles of wine, in your choice of Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. I know what you’re thinking, the only thing that could make this more Jersey is White Zinfandel.

Here is my issue. I’m familiar with wine enough to realize that you can get fairly decent wines at low price points if you do your research. You can find $20 wines that taste like $45 wines, etc. My problem is that $2.99 is such a low price. I don’t know how these guys cover operational costs with such a low price. It has to be a terrible wine, right? They don’t make any red wines only refrigerated whites. That should be a clear giveaway, right?

You’re probably saying, “dude, it’s three bucks; just buy a bottle and throw it away when you realize it taste like caramelized man-toes.” To which I would respond, “dude, watch your attitude. First off, Rahm Emmanuel sucks and there’s an almost 12% booze tax in Chicago, so that makes it more like $3.50 a bottle. Secondly, even though it’s such a minimal investment, who buys a $2.99 bottle of wine.”

I’m no snob by my calculations, it is merely a common sense issue. One would assume by the you-get-what-you-pay-for postulate, that a product with such a minuscule asking price would have to be not only lacking in quality, but downright inappropriate to serve to even your least favorite guests.

Then again, what if it is a hidden jewel, waiting to be exposed by a suitor willing to sequester his pride? The diamond in the rough? The Williams sisters in Compton? The Black Jew? It could be the finest wine my palette has ever been introduced to. I may be retarding my happiness by not slurping the ambrosia within. Who knows? This may be the wine that was supposed to be served at my first wedding, or better yet my first divorce (I’m just playing the odds, take it easy you romantics!).

If I breakdown and purchase the aforementioned libation on a future excursion to the market and it happens to be putrid, oral malfeasance, I will feel used and abuse, like Michelle Duggar’s uterus. By the way, Congrats on baby #20. Besides the enormous refund check you must get for having twenty dependents, you now have the peace of mind knowing that even if you have 13 screw-ups, you’ll still have seven kids to take care of you when you need them most. But, on a serious note, 20 children is insanely awesome. I hope TLC pays well, because college tuition is a motherfucker! I hope geniuses don’t run in your family because it’s going to cost you about $8M to put twenty kids through Harvard Law School.

Well, I believe I have gone off on a tangent. Regardless, I don’t know if I will ever buy that $3 bottle of wine that tortures me ever so. If I ever go missing you will know that I bought a bottle and instead of enduring the embarrassment of knowing that I got duped, I will chug it and jump into to Lake Michigan never to be seen again. At least by Americans. I figure if I manage to float to Canada, I can’t come back to America. I’ve talked entirely way too much shit on Canada over the years to admit to going there voluntarily.

Seth Godin on Benchmarking

I was rereading a book that I had previously read a couple years ago when I came across a little nugget:

In addition to the stress it creates, benchmarking against the universe actually encourages us to be mediocre, to be average, to just do what everyone else is doing. The folks who invented the Mini (or the Hummer, for that matter) didn’t benchmark their way to the cutting edge. Comparisons to other cars would never have brought about these fashionable exceptions. What really works in not having every little thing be up to the usual standards — what works is everything being good enough, and one or two elements of a product or service being amazing.

So, I’m officially letting go. I’m going to stop comparing everything to my all-time best, to your all-time best, to everyone’s all-time best. I’ve stopped checking Amazon. Instead of benchmarking everything, perhaps we win when we accept that the best we can do is the best we can do and then try to find the guts to do one thing that’s remarkable.

—Seth Godin

When Did I Become Anti-Death Penalty?

I had a weird revelation about a month ago. Without provocation or consideration, I had somehow, over time, become an opponent to the death penalty. I very rarely express my views on the matter, mainly because it rarely arises in normal conversation. Over the last few months, and mostly spawned by “the trial,” I found myself thinking about the subject and couldn’t quite seem to understand my switch.

Most influential in my exodus from “eye for an eye” methodology, is that there is no practical reason for the death penalty. Death Rows across the nation are located in the most secure areas of the most secure detention centers. Most inmates on death row are sequestered to their cells for usually more than 22 hours a day. Inmates don’t break out of Death Row anymore. In addition, execution isn’t a deterrent any longer now that it take so long to reach execution date after sentencing. The intimidation factor would still exist if we executed convicted felons (who’s crime warranted lethal correction according to the law) one month after conviction instead of 20 years.

Secondly, I just don’t think it’s government’s or state’s job to be killing people. There something backwards about imperfect people condemning other imperfect people to death. Let’s leave judgement up to our Maker.

Lastly, I’m finding it hard to defend my staunch pro-life beliefs while supporting the murder of convicted felons in the name of justice. It just sounds hypocritical. In the past, I would say, “oh, well that’s different,” but life is life. It’s not worth any more or less from conception to adulthood.

I don’t know the economic impact caused by life imprisonment vs. eventual execution, so I won’t speculate other than to speculate that the difference is probably negligible. :)

So, I guess I fully oppose the death penalty, domestically or in military tribunal. It is an archaic program that in unnecessary in an evolved, more intelligent society.

Today, The Court System Worked

I told myself that I would leave the Casey Anthony trial alone for a while, but after hearing and watching the Twitterverse explode and my facebook feed erupt, I figured I’d chime in on a few things. I want to preface this web log by saying how lucky I am to live in a nation where presumption of innocence is the standard and where the state weighs the burden of proof. Americans often take this for granted, but the rights that we have, such as a fair and speedy trial, a jury of our peers, double jeopardy rules, etc. are not orthodox in all countries.

The U.S. justice system was designed firstly to protect the innocent. After that prerequisite is met, then and only then is condemning the guilty a concern. It may seem barbaric and less than utilitarian, but I would set 40 murderers free if it meant that one innocent person would not be charged for a crime he didn’t commit.

I’m not going to get into the details of the case, but I will say that I’m thrilled that we don’t sentence people to death because they look guilty anymore. Even the most vile of people still must be convicted beyond a reasonable doubt. Justice, in many of eyes, may not have been served, but the courts did not fail us.

Better Food vs. Less Food

I had an interesting conversation over dinner last night. We were comparing food regulations in the United States vs. other developed countries when it comes to commercial agriculture, farming, distribution, etc.

While I concede that the United States has under par standards, I made the argument that most developed countries don’t have the conundrum of feeding upwards of three-hundred million mouths (under the pretense that ever mouth is fed each day).

I argue that being overweight presents a much greater risk than the hormones, steroids, and pesticides that are in our meats and vegetables.

As a nation we don’t grasp what healthy weights truly are and how significant a 5-lb increase in weight (excluding muscle gain) can be. I’m sitting at here at 200 lbs. Granted, I may look like I could use a few gym sessions, no one would call me “fat.” Truth being, I’m 30 pounds overweight in accordance to the BMI index for my height (5’10”). I’m 4.5 lbs from being clinically obese.

As for steroids in red meats, we shouldn’t be eating as much red meat as we do. I’m guilty as the next guy. I absolutely love red meat, but it’s not the greatest thing for you if eaten frequently and in the portions it’s normally served in.

Our lack of standards for commercial agriculture and farming is not the culprit for our nations health problems. We eat too damn much crap. I’d rather be an ideal weight and eat pesticide-laden veggies and steriod-injected tenderloin in moderation than be 40 pounds overweight eating range-free eggs and organic prime rib.

This has been a little motivation piece for myself. I’m trying to lose 20 lbs. this months. I’m giving up drinking so that I can quit smoking so I can get beyond the 6-mile mark on my runs. It’s been 4 days and it’s been quite nice. Not too excited to miss National Beaner Day, but I guess the rice, beans, and Corona can wait ‘til Cinco de Junio!

Happy Cinco de Mayo fools,

stillz

“The House by the Side of the Road”

Here’s an insightful poem I came across this evening:

The House by the Side of the Road

There are hermit souls that live withdrawn
In the peace of their self-content;
There are souls, like stars, that swell apart,
In a fellowless firmament;
There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths
Where highways never ran;
But let me live by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

Let me live in a house by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by;
The men who are good and the men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner’s seat,
Or hurl the cynic’s ban;
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

I see from my house by the side of the road,
By the side of the highway of life,
The men who press with the ardor of hope,
The men who are faint with the strife.
But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears
Both parts of an infinite plan;
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

Let me live in my house by the side of the road
Where the race of men go by;
They are good, they are bad, they are weak,
They are strong,
Wise, foolish - so am I.
Then why should I sit in the scorner’s seat
Or hurl the cynic’s ban? -
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

- Sam Walter Foss

The Paradox of our Time

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years.

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space; we’ve done larger things, but not better things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we’ve become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology has brought this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference, or to just hit delete…

Breaking Bad Habits

I often hear people says “if you really want to quit [insert detriment] you would.”

That’s a lie.

People who get hooked on illicit drugs or other harmful behaviors aren’t devoid of common sense. 99% of them know what they are doing is physical and/or mentally toxic, yet for reasons, either chemically or habitually, they cannot break away from it.

The solution is not in whether the individual wants to quit, yet rather if said individual is willing to do whatever it takes to quit, which is substantially more difficult.

Security vs. Privacy: The Airport Reach-a-Round

I’m laying in bed, unable to sleep, watching a debate over the intrusive behavior of the new enhance TSA screenings at airports. The issue being raised is whether Americans are willing to forego their privacy to ensure safer airways.

First, I’m not convinced any method other than profiling is truly effective. PC or not, Nuns and 7-year-old children are not blowing up airplanes, Muslims are. We shouldn’t be subjecting all passengers to these counter-terrorism measures.

But, since we are, I must say that I’d rather someone grab my junk than end up in 42 pieces at the bottom of the Hudson River. Americans are such babies these days. Times are tough. If you’re scared of a little radiation prepare to get felt up. It’s not that difficult. Oddly enough the same people that bitch and complain about the radiation from the imaging scanner don’t mind having their cell phones glued to their ears for 4 hours a day.

On the first page of my journal…

Last week I purchased a Moleskine notebook to begin the next installment in my line of journals, which I’ll use for lack of a better word. More accurately, it’s a scattered anthology of random, unchronicled, indiscriminate thoughts. There’s is no correlation between the first and second, second and third, or even the pages in between each. Even the physical properties of the journals vastly varies in shape, size, color, texture, and so on. The solitary trait that binds all twelve (or so) of my journals is that all of them have empty first pages.

My first journal dates circa 1997, when I moved to Hershey, PA. Neither the relocation (I still miss you, Jersey) nor my prepubescent years were extraordinarily difficult, but I was able to find peace in moments of solitude. Scripting just gave me a pastime. Puzzled over what to include in my first page, I wanted to set the tone for the subsequent the pages. While I never planned on, nor do I today, divulging their content, I always assume that someone, other than I, would eventually read them, if only in my prospective, posthumous state. So, I just skipped the first page and before, I knew it I was on to the next journal, facing the same dilemma.

One would think that I would learn to accept it and just excuse my lack of creativity as a tradition of some sort, but I can’t. For some reason, diminutive, insignificant specks of life annoy the crap out of me. I handle life’s “bigger” problems with relative ease…go figure!

Ladies and Gentelmen (and Barack Obama if you’re tuning in), I decided to waste your time this afternoon to tell you that this morning, I finally put something on the first page of my journal. Oh, the anticipation!!! I simply drew a smiley face. No words. No famous quotes. Not a cut-out photo of Megan Fox (this may be up for renegotiation). Just a big, unattractive smiley face that laughs at my EVERY time I open the damn book. IF I was rolling on acid, it would probably jump off the page, do a backflip, and shout, “10 years and 10 journals later and all you came up with is a freakin’ smiley face! What a joke!”

I’m glad I don’t drop Acid. That experience would be horrifying.

So, what am I in the process of doing? I’m at Borders buying another Moleskine journal. This smiley face is going into the first bonfire I see, Fahrenheit 451 style.

Obama Still Doesn’t Get It! We Need Jobs, Not Change!

Nervously awaiting the USA/Nigeria [World Cup] match, I wandered into a Starbucks early this morning to grab a venti Americano and a New York Times. The front page tells the story of a Louisiana judge blocking a White House ban of deep sea drilling. The White House claims that “continuing to drill at these depths without knowing what happened does not make any sense” and that it plans to immediately appeal the ruling. I can understand the WH sentiment, but what makes less sense is killing jobs because of one accident.

The nation is yearning for work, yet the White House is overwhelming only in support of creating green jobs. Now is not the time to push your agenda, Mr. Obama. You give us sob stories about the rural areas of Ohio and the struggling families in Iowa all the time. I’m willing to bet my life on the fact that those without jobs don’t care if their work is hurting the environment, they just want sustainable income to take care of their families. That’s ALL that matters.

Personally, I don’t believe its the president’s job to stimulate the economy, but since the president believes it’s his responsibly, maybe he should worry about fixing it instead of pushing his agenda.

Off-shore drilling employs thousands of people in the gulf area. At a time when Louisiana is facing 10+ percent unemployment, is now the time to kill jobs?

A Citizen’s Guide: Part I

A few weeks ago, I discovered a 1941 copy of the American Citizens Handbook in a bucket of an antique shop. The Handbook was issued by the National Education Association and was dedicated to the 2 million young adults that were to turn eighteen years old that year. In 1968, the NEA had nearly 15,000 of these books burned.

The Handbook is a great read. It truly identifies the greatness of the country while outlining the responsibilities of the individual to carry on the legacy of our great nation. It was interesting to see how times have changed in the 70 years since its publishing. Among other things, Hawaii and Alaska were not US states, yet Pluto was still a planet. More importantly, it was amazing to feel the reverence that these authors had for this country and the overwhelming sense of personal responsibilities which they believed was required for America to continue to be the beacon of light which the world looks up to.

The Handbook contains many sections which I will get into later this week. I am a fervent believer that experience is platform upon which all knowledge and reason are formed and applying knowledge gained from said experience is pivotal in growing as a person, country, species, etc. Many of the answers we are looking to solve today’s issues have post-modern solutions that are still equally effective today.