It's so easy to whine--OldSouth has certainly done his share!
It's more productive to look this decayed culture in the eye and say, 'One way or another, by God, I intend to push back!'
So, OldSouth has decided to announce his annual Green Shoots awards, honoring those who push back by being themselves.
Today's two candidates:
Cranmer is always worth reading, and the article linked here is an especially insightful about the value of education, and how it might best be made available to more.
Imprimis is a semi-monthly publication mailed to more than 1,700,000 readers by free subscription.
It publishes from Hillsdale College, a small liberal arts college in southern Michigan that in itself wins OldSouth's 'GreenShoots' award.
Its graduating class of 2008 (258 students) reports a 96% placement rate in either employment or grad school.
That's 2008.
In Michigan.
And the next obvious question is:
Why hasn't a task force of educationists undertaken a pilgrimage to Hillsdale in hopes of learning how to emulate that sort of success? Fly to Cleveland, rent a car, and follow the faculty around for a month. How hard can it be?
As you read Imprimis, the reason becomes clear:
Hillsdale will not subscribe to any portion of liberal-think, and they don't care who objects.
OldSouth looks forward to every edition that arrives in his mailbox, the old-fashioned way, so he can read it, handle it, re-read it, and keep it on his coffee table.
You can subscribe by calling 800-437-2268.
*****
The floor is open for nominations. OldSouth will name a winner at year's end, and think of some creative way to honor the top three contenders.
Push back.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
ObamaCare At A Glance
This tidbit from Roll Call lets us know much about the current administration, and its Congressional allies.
They've created a Rube Goldberg contraption, called it 'health care reform', although very few have ever read the document.
Some Republicans did, however, and assembled a picture of how it actually will (or won't) function, as assemble by the Democrats in their various committees.
It's frightening, and the Democrats are the ones most frightened, because they know the picture cuts through all the verbiage. They are moving Heaven and Earth to make certain it doesn't get distributed to constituents.
So, in the meantime, here it is.
Pass it along. By the time the Dems think they have it censored, it can be on every computer desktop in the world.
Yes, health care in America must be addressed.
No, the Constitution and its guarantees of freedom of speech cannot be shredded in the process.
Let Me Tell You A Story...
Thus begins the opening of a delightful TV series in the US, Burn Notice.
The protagonist, a spy, finds himself 'burned', made a non-person, and dumped in Miami, where his mother, brother and two friends reside. He has to survive by his wits as he makes his way back to a semblance of a respectable life. Along the way, he does a lot of good for a number of people who need his particular gifts employed in their service--thus the plots of the individual episodes.
There is a certain black humor approach taken, as our protagonist narrates his way through each of the episodes, which at points are truly hilarious. Sooner or later, any viewer who has spent any time in this 'vale of tears' ends up saying, 'You know, I know these people!
It's a wonderfully written and executed piece of entertainment, the kind that lends insight to our lives. Hard to say that about much of anything on TV for the past thirty years or so.
It's also a bit of a 'canary in the coal mine' for the culture: The dark humor resonates with so many people now, as what they see on the tube corresponds with what they experience.
Here's hoping for the day when we won't need this sort of hero to narrate our lives.
The protagonist, a spy, finds himself 'burned', made a non-person, and dumped in Miami, where his mother, brother and two friends reside. He has to survive by his wits as he makes his way back to a semblance of a respectable life. Along the way, he does a lot of good for a number of people who need his particular gifts employed in their service--thus the plots of the individual episodes.
There is a certain black humor approach taken, as our protagonist narrates his way through each of the episodes, which at points are truly hilarious. Sooner or later, any viewer who has spent any time in this 'vale of tears' ends up saying, 'You know, I know these people!
It's a wonderfully written and executed piece of entertainment, the kind that lends insight to our lives. Hard to say that about much of anything on TV for the past thirty years or so.
It's also a bit of a 'canary in the coal mine' for the culture: The dark humor resonates with so many people now, as what they see on the tube corresponds with what they experience.
Here's hoping for the day when we won't need this sort of hero to narrate our lives.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Latest Visit to WalMart
No great insights to offer, except that the local WalMart superstore is in process of remodel. Confusion seems to reign, and the inventory seems to be reduced by about half.
The aisles are more spread one from the other, and space has been re-alloted towards groceries, with jewelry and electronics dramatically shrunk.
I asked an employee if I were perceiving things correctly, and she simply smiled, and made the gesture of turning the lock on her lips, saying only 'My lips are sealed.'
Most interesting...
The aisles are more spread one from the other, and space has been re-alloted towards groceries, with jewelry and electronics dramatically shrunk.
I asked an employee if I were perceiving things correctly, and she simply smiled, and made the gesture of turning the lock on her lips, saying only 'My lips are sealed.'
Most interesting...
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Unless That Narrative Changes
Ah, what a difference a day makes!
I enjoy reading the 'Inside Higher Ed' blogs, as they give insight into an often obscure corner of the culture, life inside the university walls. It is a different world, operating by its own rules, and affects us all.
Yesterday, an inspiring article about Dr. John Wilson, whose job is to assist historically black colleges and universities move forward and thrive.
His core message: Change the narrative that always places Black America as the victim in every transaction. Unless that narrative changes, nothing gets done.
So today, we are greeted with the story of Prof. Louis Henry Gates, arrested on his front porch in Cambridge, MA. Too long to recount here, but it seems the esteemed professor was more interested in berating the cops about being racists than offering his ID that established his identity and verified his residence.
He ends up arrested(you can see the arrest report at the article), and once all is sorted out, both sides decide it might be best to drop the matter, issue a joint statement, and move on.
(It's not hard to imagine that an attorney dispatched from Harvard had the quiet conversation with the esteemed professor, saying 'Henry, drop this. You don't want to do this, and we don't want you to do this either. There are donors who don't wish to be embarrassed by this sort of thing. And, a lawyer from the City of Cambridge probably had a similar conversation with the police and prosecutor. Notice how beautifully crafted that joint statement is. Someone spent some real coin on this one!)
But, there is always a silver lining to every cloud...
There are interviews to grant, apologies to demand, book deals to make, lectures to deliver!
HellsBells, Dr. Gates! You ought to send your arresting officer a case of single malt for Christmas!
So much for 'Changing the narrative'...
Here's hoping that:
1. While on lecture tour, his house really is burgled by black gang members, and
2. The neighbors, whose good-hearted concern prompted them to call the police, don't bother the next time.
I enjoy reading the 'Inside Higher Ed' blogs, as they give insight into an often obscure corner of the culture, life inside the university walls. It is a different world, operating by its own rules, and affects us all.
Yesterday, an inspiring article about Dr. John Wilson, whose job is to assist historically black colleges and universities move forward and thrive.
His core message: Change the narrative that always places Black America as the victim in every transaction. Unless that narrative changes, nothing gets done.
So today, we are greeted with the story of Prof. Louis Henry Gates, arrested on his front porch in Cambridge, MA. Too long to recount here, but it seems the esteemed professor was more interested in berating the cops about being racists than offering his ID that established his identity and verified his residence.
He ends up arrested(you can see the arrest report at the article), and once all is sorted out, both sides decide it might be best to drop the matter, issue a joint statement, and move on.
(It's not hard to imagine that an attorney dispatched from Harvard had the quiet conversation with the esteemed professor, saying 'Henry, drop this. You don't want to do this, and we don't want you to do this either. There are donors who don't wish to be embarrassed by this sort of thing. And, a lawyer from the City of Cambridge probably had a similar conversation with the police and prosecutor. Notice how beautifully crafted that joint statement is. Someone spent some real coin on this one!)
But, there is always a silver lining to every cloud...
There are interviews to grant, apologies to demand, book deals to make, lectures to deliver!
HellsBells, Dr. Gates! You ought to send your arresting officer a case of single malt for Christmas!
So much for 'Changing the narrative'...
Here's hoping that:
1. While on lecture tour, his house really is burgled by black gang members, and
2. The neighbors, whose good-hearted concern prompted them to call the police, don't bother the next time.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
What If It All Goes Right?
Driving to the golf course, doing my usual 'surf the radio dial' game. The cultural light-years span between the Urban Rap station and the Southern Gospel station bends the brain a bit...
So I switch over to one of the many country stations here, and pulling into the parking lot, I hear:
'What If It All Goes Right?'
(The link leads to a MySpace page, scroll down a bit, and the song is first on the list. I'm new to this stuff, too.)
It's a compelling question!
I've seen it happen, more than once. I live in a house full of people who work their tails off, and have seen them rewarded for their efforts. The stories are too long to detail, too painful at points, too unlikely-sounding at their happy endings.
I sat in the parking lot, and could not leave the car until I heard the whole song.
Haven't done that for years...
It was a shot in the arm, as I headed off to my hours on the practice tee.
It hummed in my head as I tried to create that little pile of balls 150 yards out.
On to the day's agenda...little tune humming in my head...
So I switch over to one of the many country stations here, and pulling into the parking lot, I hear:
'What If It All Goes Right?'
(The link leads to a MySpace page, scroll down a bit, and the song is first on the list. I'm new to this stuff, too.)
It's a compelling question!
What if you chase your dream,
And it changes your whole life?
And it changes your whole life?
I've seen it happen, more than once. I live in a house full of people who work their tails off, and have seen them rewarded for their efforts. The stories are too long to detail, too painful at points, too unlikely-sounding at their happy endings.
I sat in the parking lot, and could not leave the car until I heard the whole song.
Haven't done that for years...
It was a shot in the arm, as I headed off to my hours on the practice tee.
It hummed in my head as I tried to create that little pile of balls 150 yards out.
On to the day's agenda...little tune humming in my head...
Three Cheers Due Here
In the continuing quest for real 'green shoots'--the cultural kind that will finally lead out of the malaise--this article from Inside Higher Ed is heartening.
John Silvanus Wilson Jr., the Obama administration's director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities is very clear in an interview that he's looking for a new approach to talking about black colleges.
The standard "against great odds" narrative, he said, needs to be replaced. It suggests a focus on "survival and maybe victimization," said Wilson. "Black colleges will never be as strong as they can be unless that narrative changes.... We need to shift from how to survive to how to thrive."
The operative phrase that sticks out is 'unless that narrative changes'.
Words are powerful things. Repeat them to yourself long enough, and they take on a life of their own, for good or ill.
It's a good read. Have a bit of hope with the morning java--I just hope the Jacksons and Sharptons of this country don't discover what Dr. Wilson is up to. If he succeeds in 'changing the narrative', they're done for.
John Silvanus Wilson Jr., the Obama administration's director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities is very clear in an interview that he's looking for a new approach to talking about black colleges.
The standard "against great odds" narrative, he said, needs to be replaced. It suggests a focus on "survival and maybe victimization," said Wilson. "Black colleges will never be as strong as they can be unless that narrative changes.... We need to shift from how to survive to how to thrive."
The operative phrase that sticks out is 'unless that narrative changes'.
Words are powerful things. Repeat them to yourself long enough, and they take on a life of their own, for good or ill.
It's a good read. Have a bit of hope with the morning java--I just hope the Jacksons and Sharptons of this country don't discover what Dr. Wilson is up to. If he succeeds in 'changing the narrative', they're done for.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Welcome to the Future, Bailout Nation
Watching the Open this morning, and Tom Watson is inspiring! More on all that another time.
While surfing during ads, ran into the story on CBS about United Breaks Guitars.
It's one man's poetical revenge, posted on YouTube, on United Airlines, who negligently destroyed a prized guitar, and offered NO (that means ZERO) compensation.
With over three million views, and growing, this is a public relations disaster for United.
However, since it is one the growing number of zombie firms bailed out (during the Bush Administration), it can be confidently predicted that:
1. No one will be fired as a result of this humiliation.
2. The shareholders will not demand a change in management, even though it is patently incompetent.
3. When United bleeds more red ink(because the customers stay away in droves), Tim Geithner, with his $700 billion credit card, will send more money its way. After all, it's too big to fail, and it has a unionized work-force, whose votes need to be bought, and it's based in Chicago (now, who else do we know in Washington from Chicago?).
What this means, also, is that the 29-year-old lower-middle-management employees, who shake their heads in frustration at the stupidity of their employers at United, will not likely have the chance to create the next (functional!) incarnation of an airline, because Uncle Sam, Cousin Timmy, and Godfather Barack won't let United go under, as it should.
This is our future in Bailout America. The future is now, actually, since Flying Guitars are actually a common occurrence, and there are few victims of airline negligence and stupidity with the resources to push back with such imagination.
The airlines(and banks, and auto companies, and insurers, etc.) know this, and they know they have unlimited access to Federal largesse.
November 2010 is now fifteen months away. It's our first big opportunity to push back.
While surfing during ads, ran into the story on CBS about United Breaks Guitars.
It's one man's poetical revenge, posted on YouTube, on United Airlines, who negligently destroyed a prized guitar, and offered NO (that means ZERO) compensation.
With over three million views, and growing, this is a public relations disaster for United.
However, since it is one the growing number of zombie firms bailed out (during the Bush Administration), it can be confidently predicted that:
1. No one will be fired as a result of this humiliation.
2. The shareholders will not demand a change in management, even though it is patently incompetent.
3. When United bleeds more red ink(because the customers stay away in droves), Tim Geithner, with his $700 billion credit card, will send more money its way. After all, it's too big to fail, and it has a unionized work-force, whose votes need to be bought, and it's based in Chicago (now, who else do we know in Washington from Chicago?).
What this means, also, is that the 29-year-old lower-middle-management employees, who shake their heads in frustration at the stupidity of their employers at United, will not likely have the chance to create the next (functional!) incarnation of an airline, because Uncle Sam, Cousin Timmy, and Godfather Barack won't let United go under, as it should.
This is our future in Bailout America. The future is now, actually, since Flying Guitars are actually a common occurrence, and there are few victims of airline negligence and stupidity with the resources to push back with such imagination.
The airlines(and banks, and auto companies, and insurers, etc.) know this, and they know they have unlimited access to Federal largesse.
November 2010 is now fifteen months away. It's our first big opportunity to push back.
Friday, July 17, 2009
A Green Shoots Week
It's been a good week, spent with 50 young music students, faculty and parent volunteers.
No time to detail it all, as the final rehearsal is underway, but here is a quick Facebook page set up to document the week.
Best moment for me was watching choral conductor Tim Sharp mold 50 non-singing kids into a respectable-sounding choir in less than two days.
Real green shoots here.
No time to detail it all, as the final rehearsal is underway, but here is a quick Facebook page set up to document the week.
Best moment for me was watching choral conductor Tim Sharp mold 50 non-singing kids into a respectable-sounding choir in less than two days.
Real green shoots here.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Hats Off To Mish
Mish Shedlock proves his worth once again.
If my obscure corner of the avalanche of opinion serves to direct a few more people to his page, then I've performed a public service.
He documents unemployment numbers that the 'official' reports don't mention.
The truth is ugly, but we need the truth told in order to make our way out of this mess.
His final paragraph bears quoting here:
Look at the average age of baggers in grocery stores or greeters at Walmart. These people are not working because they want to; they are working because they have to. Demand for jobs is at an all time high while the number of available jobs and the pay scales of those jobs have both collapsed. The employment situation is not only an unmitigated disaster, things are about to get even worse with pending state cutbacks.
What I've noticed here, anecdotally: I make deposits at two banks at least once a week. Often, mine seems to be the only customer car in the parking lot. The employees, who by the way are lovely folks, seem to be looking for things to do.
My little town was hit hard in the wake of 9/11, and began to climb back out. A major fire subsequently hit the downtown business block, and the lot now stands vacant, as the insurer has gone to the wall to avoid paying any claim on the loss. The local radio station ceased broadcasting last fall. The local paper seems to be shrinking in both size and scope of coverage. The district congressman sends in op-eds to tell us that voting for massive spending will cure the massive federal deficit.
So, we're in for a long ride. Let's work on the culture in the meantime.
And, let's listen to Mish.
If my obscure corner of the avalanche of opinion serves to direct a few more people to his page, then I've performed a public service.
He documents unemployment numbers that the 'official' reports don't mention.
The truth is ugly, but we need the truth told in order to make our way out of this mess.
His final paragraph bears quoting here:
Look at the average age of baggers in grocery stores or greeters at Walmart. These people are not working because they want to; they are working because they have to. Demand for jobs is at an all time high while the number of available jobs and the pay scales of those jobs have both collapsed. The employment situation is not only an unmitigated disaster, things are about to get even worse with pending state cutbacks.
What I've noticed here, anecdotally: I make deposits at two banks at least once a week. Often, mine seems to be the only customer car in the parking lot. The employees, who by the way are lovely folks, seem to be looking for things to do.
My little town was hit hard in the wake of 9/11, and began to climb back out. A major fire subsequently hit the downtown business block, and the lot now stands vacant, as the insurer has gone to the wall to avoid paying any claim on the loss. The local radio station ceased broadcasting last fall. The local paper seems to be shrinking in both size and scope of coverage. The district congressman sends in op-eds to tell us that voting for massive spending will cure the massive federal deficit.
So, we're in for a long ride. Let's work on the culture in the meantime.
And, let's listen to Mish.
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