6/30/14

Futbol 1 - Baseball 0

Woe be to me! I'm afraid I have angered the Baseball Gods. I did the unforgivable yesterday. Three innings into the Indians-Mariners game , I switched over to World Cup futbol (Costa Rica vs Greece). To make matters worse, I enjoyed the game.  I was impressed with the athleticism of the players. As far as I'm concerned, they put our brawny football players to shame.  I also now understand why there is such an outpouring of emotions when a goal is scored - it is damn difficult. I could become a futbol soccer fan ( once I come to terms with a penalty kick shoot off) . The low scoring doesn't bother me. After all, I'm an Indians fan. Oh yes, the Indians. The Baseball Gods had their revenge - Indians 0  Mariners 3. Indians 1 hit, Mariners 10.

6/23/14

You can't make a silk purse out of a Sow's ear

Saddam Hussein's statue came down and Bush declared, "Mission accomplished". Actually the mission was closer to demolished and Obama had to pick up the pieces. The pieces went together in a make shift fashion and Obama finally announced that the mission was as accomplished as it could be and the Iraq War was over. ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) raised its bloodthirsty head and said 'hold the fort, nothing is over until Iraq is destroyed'. And thus began another Iraq War. This one would be different . We would not have American boots on the ground ( neither would the Iraq security force). Only advisers - 300 of them. Wow! Three hundred advisers will accomplish what thousands of combat troops were unable to accomplish. Bull shit! I have to agree with Rand Paul - we should never have been involved in the first place and we should not be involved now. Iraq with its rival religious sects is a poor excuse for a country. At best it is a coalition of religious antagonists posing as politicians. As the High Primal has reminded me a number of times, when the British carved up The Ottoman Empire they used a dull knife. As other nations before us, we were unsuccessful in picking up the scraps they left. It is time to admit that as far as Iraq is concerned, you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear ( I trust that the clerics will not consider that as blasphemous). Our involvement  should be confined to making our democracy as strong as we we possibly can, both economically and militarily.

6/19/14

Thank God For Baseball

Thank God for baseball especially when a Nick Swisher steps up to the plate in the tenth inning with the bases loaded, two outs, the count 1-2, and the score Angels 3 - Indians 1. With a swing of his bat, the ball sails out to right field over the fence. Grand Slam!!!! Indians win! A walk off win! For a few brief minutes all the ills surrounding us are forgotten. All is well with life. Once the cheering ends and the fans exit the field, reality returns. There are problems to be dealt with. Problems which strive to make baseball irrelevant. Problems which have no chance of being cleared by a Grand Slam. They will be there tomorrow. So will the boys of summer when again for a few hours all will be well with the world, at least in the ball park. Thank God for baseball.

6/16/14

Religious Violence Is Incongruous!

A New York Times report about religious violence got my attention. In some of the worst religious violence in Sri Lanka in decades, three people have been killed and 78 injured in riots between Buddhists and Muslims. Apparently Buddhist monks led the riots. I am not thoroughly versed in the teachings of Buddha but from the little that I do know about them, I find it inconceivable that his followers would stoop to religious violence. Buddhism is essentially a peaceful tradition. Nothing in Buddhist scripture gives any support to the use of violence as a way to resolve conflict. Still, the words of  Buddha, like those of Christ and Mohamed, can also be twisted in order to justify religious violence. 


6/11/14

Our Achilles Heel?

Glad to see President Obama taking a more vocal stand on gun control. Unfortunately, I doubt that his call for effective gun control will move too many Congressmen off their asses. Not only are they in the NRA's pocket (or should I say dipping into the NRA's pockets) but with the defeat of Eric Cantor in the Virginia primaries we could have the spectacle of more Republican Congressmen ( and shamefully some Democrats) trying to convince the Tea Party how conservative they are by wrapping themselves in the Second Amendment. As far as wrapping goes, there is a company that has developed a bullet proof blanket which they claim is the solution to protecting our children during school shootings. Unbelievable that massacres have almost become an expected event. At least someone is developing protective devices while others develop more lethal guns.

Sad indeed that mass shootings have now defined the society of this country. Shameful that legislation for gun reform always ends up on the back burner. Frightful that a very conservative interpretation of the Second Amendment may very well become this country's Achilles heel.

6/9/14

About Genarians

Being in my eighties I sometimes refer to myself as an octogenarian. More often than not, others refer to me as an old codger. I answer to either term, but when push comes to shove , I prefer octogenarian - its much more distinguished. I do not recall being called any kind of a genarian when I was in my seventies. I can understand why. Someone in his or her seventies is a septuagenarian. That’s a mouthful and sounds more like a body part. Speaking of mouthfuls, how about quinquagenarian for someone in their fifties. The reader may have noticed that I skipped over the term for someone in his or her sixties. That one takes the cake - sexagenarian. I don’t recall that being sixty was especially sexy but its too far back for me to remember.

So what does the future hold? If one gets through their eighties they become a nonagenarian. Crossing over to a nonagenarian comes with mixed blessings. They all have to do with health and mental capacities. If he or she doesn't bring at least fair health and a lucid mind to the table, they run the risk of being called a “ pitifullgenarian”.

The crowning achievement (assuming one is not a pitifullgenarian) is being able to give your age in triple digits. All hail the centenarians! (centenarians, lend me your ears or hearing aids. If all that you are able do is recite to your age, the trip to being a centenarian wasn't worth it.)

Once a centenarian reaches the age of 110, he or she becomes a supercentenarian. Like Superman, supercentenarians are one of a kind. Unlike Superman, he or she definitely has trouble changing clothes.

No matter what kind of a genarian one is, he or she would do well to take to heart the Buddhist teaching on aging: To respect our aging at every stage is the greatest kindness we can offer to ourselves and those we love. Simply put, as you age, try not to make an ass of yourself.


6/3/14

More About Newspapers

I used to enjoy my morning paper. Actually I still do whenever The Plain Dealer sees fit to deliver one. I have noticed, however, that where once I eagerly awaited the morning paper, I now could care less. The non existence of home delivery of The Plain Dealer three times a week has weaned me away from newsprint dependence. As I plunk that cup of coffee on the table, out comes the smart phone full of all the news that's fit to be browsed. Even if it's a day that a newspaper is at the garage door, the smart phone news comes first. Once I get the newspaper indoors, it takes about ten minutes to discover that a lot of the news in print is already stale. Yes Plain Dealer, you have convinced me that news delivery is undergoing a big change. I'd cancel my subscription and get the latest smart phone but The High Primal still prefers newsprint. I must admit that we get our moneys worth as far as she is concerned. I doubt that there is a story or a classified ad that escapes her attention. Not so with her low primal spouse - even the paper's baseball news plays second fiddle to what he gets on his phone. This whole subject was discussed with my granddaughter who agreed whole heartily with her grandfather. That made me feel ten years younger. Now if I can wean The high Primal from CNN's Situation Room, I can knock off a few more years.