tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92101754831062698592024-03-15T02:45:30.239-07:00Mike Spector's BlogThe original purpose of this blog was to share information about AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology - see http://www.aect.org) and solicit comments and feedback about the directions and activities of AECT. Now I am posting things that strike me as worthy of attention and comment. You can send me private comments at jmspector007@gmail.com or post comments to the blog.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-42775250709910648172023-10-09T12:44:00.004-07:002023-10-09T12:44:41.468-07:00It seems strange to me …<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">While
driving from Round Rock to Denton this morning, I listening to Texas A&M
radio host discuss the war in Israel. By and large, those radio hosts blamed
Biden and Israel for Hamas killing probably more than 1,000 Israelis</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">who were celebrating </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Simchat Torah which marks the end of the
annual readings from the Torah ending with Devarim (Deuteronomy) </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and starting anew with Bereshit (Genesis)… a
renewal festival … while Hamas attacked party goers and </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">launched more than a 1,000 rockets into
Israeli suburbs … mass murder amid a religious celebration … and Texas news
casters were busy blaming Biden and not saying much about Hamas … perhaps funded
by Iran … perhaps … but perhaps all those innocent persons killed while
celebrating a religious holiday were really planning a secret attack on Gaza … unlikely
…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I am
sickened by what happened and have sent funds to the IDF … Israeli Defense
Forces … but I am more sickened by those Texas newscasters and fellow Texans who
blame Biden for the deaths of those 1.000+ innocent Israelis … I am so sick of
American stupidity … I am ashamed to be an American … If could, I would escape
to Bali … <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Why is there
so much hate and killing among so-called civilized people in this lost planet?
Hate and self-promotion … hate and greed … hate and violence … so much hate …
and now I am hating those stupid people … what can be done to bring more peace
and a little more harmony into such an evil place as these dystopian states??? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have no
clue … I bury my thoughts in words read long ago but not totally forgotten:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“The desert is not remote in Southern tropics</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, </span><span style="color: #5e5e5e; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The desert is not only around
the corner,</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The desert is squeezed in the tube-train next to
you” … echoes from The Rock (T. S. Eliot)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: #5e5e5e; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And Shelley had the rock (named Ozymandias) speak: </span><span class="long-line"><span style="background: white; color: #343434; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Look on
my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’</span> Nothing beside remains. Round the
decay</span> Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and
level sands stretch far away”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: #5e5e5e; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And as usual I turn to Bob Dylan for insight:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: #5e5e5e; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">From All Along the Watchtower: </span><span style="background: white; color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Clarendon FS Light",serif;">“There must be some
way out of here,” said the joker to the thief</span> “There’s too much
confusion, I can’t get no relief Businessmen, they drink my wine,
plowmen dig my earth None of them along the line know what any of it is
worth”<span style="color: #5e5e5e; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: #5e5e5e; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">From Frankie Lee: </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">when
you see your neighbor carrying somethin'</span> Help him with his load<span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br aria-hidden="true" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">And don't go mistaking Paradise</span> “”For that home across
the road</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">I want to climb on every rung
of that ladder but I fell off and landed on my face … <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Lost<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Mike Spector</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">October 2023</span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-13040141052271190722023-09-06T12:53:00.001-07:002023-09-06T13:04:23.315-07:00Growing old gracefully<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">I first thought I would title this “growing old with dignity”
as that seemed somewhat lacking in my own professional life with the exception
of a few people including a Harvard profession, a college chair, and perhaps a
few others. In any case, when I think of growing old gracefully, I think of my
grandmother when she was in her 90s in a hospital room on IVs and oxygen who
took the opportunity when no hospital personnel were around to unhook herself
and try to walk several miles to her farm in LA … lower Alabama. When my aunt
found her, the decision was to not keep her in the hospital and my aunt cared
for her for a while, which was a burden. </p><p class="MsoNormal">I then volunteered to take her to UA …
upper Alabama … as I was the only one of my cousins whom my grandmother called
by the correct name. So we traveled North to my home and took care of her there.
We managed that for a few months but it was a serious burden for my wife so we
took her back to LA. While that does not sound so graceful, she actually was. My
aging grandmother wanted to take care of herself and not be a burden to others.
She had strong opinions and could still curse up a storm in her 90s. Why I was the
only one of my cousins whose name she remembered is beyond me. Maybe it was
because my mother was supposed to give birth to a girl and have no more children but I was not a girl
although my mother did give birth to two girls after me. Because my grandmother
was expecting me to be a girl, she had made several baby dresses for me which I
wore the first year or two of my life. I have not been a cross-dresser since
those early days, though. Just to keep the record straight.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But as I am growing older, I am discovering differences that
I had not noticed when I was younger. Professionally, I see people seeking out
younger colleagues and overlooking the older folks as if their knowledge and
experience is no longer relevant. Perhaps I was like that when I was younger although
at present my professional colleagues whom I most respect are all retired and
most are older than me. Why do I keep working is a question my kids sometimes
ask me. My answer is that I do not know what else to do. I have no real hobbies
and I do like teaching students … some of them … some of the time.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> Many of my
students apparently think I am too old to know anything useful, which might
well be true. Anyway, I admit to having old fashioned ideas and thinking that
the scholars I most admire are long gone … I mean Socrates, Plato, Maimonides,
Hillel, Gagné, and so many others … and there are still a few around who still
inspire me such as Dave Merrill and Paal Davidsen. What have I learned in all
these years? Two things: (1) I do not know very much, and (2) Most others think
they know more than they actually know. So it goes. Humility is a lost art. Hubris
is the theme of the times. Meanwhile, I shall adopt the ways of J. Alfred and
wear my trousers rolled and long for those days as a pair of ragged claws
scuttling across the floors of silent seas. Forgive the lack of quotations …
look up the reference. Libraries and books are still useful. No one is too old to learn, it seems.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Mike Spector</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">September, 2023</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 300%;"><o:p></o:p></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-90034493647806959802023-09-03T09:15:00.005-07:002023-09-03T09:15:51.211-07:00One Commandment<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One
Commandment<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I once had a
professor who argued that one could conceive of a religion in terms of just one
commandment and he said that for Christians that commandment was “thou shalt
love” whereas for Jews it was “thou shalt obey.” I politely disagreed as I knew
he was indirectly attacking my religion, and I thought it was a gross
oversimplification. I still think it is a gross oversimplification, but I also
recall my father, Rabbi Spector, teaching me that the fundamental lesson I
should learn was “thou shalt question.” So I have come to think that one might
ask a person which of the following is most important to guide one’s life in
order to gain an understanding of that person:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thou shalt love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thou shalt obey.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thou shalt question.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thou shalt inquire.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thou shalt listen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thou shalt not hate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thou shalt not despise.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thou shalt not belittle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thou shalt not discriminate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thou shalt not marginalize.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You could
add other choices. What choices would you add? Which choice would you make? I
tend to follow my father’s advice … at least I try to follow that advice. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jonathan Michael Spector</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-18428582330339526852023-08-24T09:17:00.002-07:002023-08-24T09:17:42.454-07:00The news is so disturbing these days<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I did not
watch the first Republican debate but did see much of it replayed and then
analyzed by various pundits. Most said Nikki Haley was the standout performer
although she voted with the majority to acquit Trump if he was found guilty of
any of the four indictments against him. The two dissenters to that vote were
Christie and Hutchinson … not Haley. My impression is that Christie and Haley were
the most serious, consistent and persuasive but it is unlike that either will
be the nominee. Haley may become a running mate for a nominee to go against
Trump though.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Anyway, that
was quite disturbing to see the candidates flail and talk nonsense and be so
venomous for so long against each other and Trump and Biden and democrats …
what a mess this nation is in. We are afraid to condemn those who organized those who invaded the
Congress, suffering from continuing gun violence, unable to limit the sale of
automatic weapons of death, seeing hate-filled attacks on those with whom someone
disagrees, lack of respect or tolerance for different views on basic things
like free speech and healthcare, unable to admit the dark history of this
country’s founders, keeping students away from selected books including classics
in literature … even in Plato’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Symposium</i>
there is an undercurrent of homosexuality which would lead some to ban that
classic work … where are we headed and what can be done to put us on a more humane
course ??? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have no answer and am struggling to retain a sense of pride in
being an American, a distinguished graduate from a military academy, and a
university scholar. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I am so
depressed. As the donkey said in a Shrek movie, I think I need a hug. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Mike Spector</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">late August, 2023</span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-15771710263762080912023-06-13T10:49:00.007-07:002023-06-14T06:31:46.291-07:00Learning Facilators <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Learning Facilators </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(remarks by J. Michael Spector in 2023 and many times previously)</span><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What do many research reports
show that contributes to learning and performance? Here are three of the
recurrent and often cited factors:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Prior performance and learning. Those
who have done well in the past are likely to keep doing well. However, we
cannot control who comes to our course and what prior experiences they have.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Time on task tends to result in
improved performance. So, how can instructors get students to spend more time
on learning tasks? Motivation seems a likely answer, along with compelling real
world tasks. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Timely, informative and supportive
feedback. Of course, but now there is a frequent tension between institutions increasing
class size which tends to limit how much and what quality of timely and
informative and supportive feedback an instructor can provide. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>If these learning facilitators are known to support and
promote desired learning outcomes, then the nearly ubiquitous fascination with
new technologies should be related to those known learning facilitators,
IMLTHO.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>We have to take and support learners regardless of their
backgrounds or prior experience in the subject area of with technology. Those
with strong backgrounds and significant prior experience perhaps need reminders
of how little they understand about some aspects of learning and could perhaps
benefit from being challenged to step outside their typical belief boundaries.
Those with limited knowledge and experience need and deserve our continuing
support.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>If motivation results in more time on task and that can then
result in improved learning, then perhaps some new technologies and innovative
instructional techniques can be motivating to some learners.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Less we forget, learners, all learners, need time,
informative and supportive feedback … especially weaker learners and even high
performing learners. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>These reminders amount to emphasizing the learning in the
vast domain of learning technologies rather than the technologies themselves.
It is about learning. It is about using technology to support learning. It is
about putting learners and learning first and using technologies that work as a
supportive issue.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>But this is just an old man’s opinion based on lessons
learned haphazardly and by coincidence. Technologies will not revolutionalize
learning. What is likely to revolutionalize learning is for society to place
high value on learning for all consistently and for sustained periods of time.
Rather than place one’s faith in a specific learning technology, one might
consider placing one’s path in a specially dedicated teacher, trainer, or
educator. A question of consciousness … does our society genuinely value and
support learning for all its citizens? I am inclined to believe we can do
better … much better.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>New technologies have a kind of seductive aura that draws in
many … but what about that lonely voice that asks: what do you want to learn,
why do you want to learn that, how will you know you have made progress, what
do you not know or understand, what are you doing about those deficits? If not
now, then when? Get on with the learning and be surprised at what you do not
know or understand. It is not about the technology … it is about learning. It
is not about the technology … it is about using technology to support learning.
It is about learning.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">References</span></b></p><p class="xmsonormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="xmsonormal"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Ambrose,
S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M.C., Norman. M.K.
(2010). </span><em><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">How Learning
Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching</span></em>. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="xmsonormal"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">National
Research Council (2000). </span><em><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">How
People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition</span></em>.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.17226%2F9853&data=05%7C01%7CMike.Spector%40unt.edu%7C2cf01d989a6e4578516a08db6cd8fb3c%7C70de199207c6480fa318a1afcba03983%7C0%7C0%7C638223451405130275%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=MqKNr2URHRAmV3DwPun8V%2F%2BxVp3Zh%2B4bvi1isgH0HOg%3D&reserved=0" originalsrc="https://doi.org/10.17226/9853" shash="SkpOjZKz9SqsZErx1niLdKveyn3veLsO3npcVjKhNVMwr75l8RvP+SwV8SlICAgReVSLPRoDzwNdC/jp//XlYbuqnV5p0MM/+4JnL6dzNoNmkLqebG4h6CJPT3T8wUFZEqR9imqiOZMjpeDBkaA7ke8cCaj5XvWwlOVSjyQRTRM=" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.17226/9853</a>
<o:p></o:p></p><p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Shute, V. J. (2008). Focus
on formative feedback. Review of Educational Research, 78(1), 153-189. doi:
10.2307/40071124 </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> By the way, IMLTHO – in my less than
humble opinion … I lack humility … among other deficits </span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-59249923954206685252023-04-10T15:16:00.003-07:002023-04-10T15:19:37.384-07:00 Mass Stupidity<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">There were 21 National Merit Finalists in my high
school graduating class … and I was one of those 21. With so many high
performing students, there was a real sense of competition to learn and perform
among many. I graduated 8</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> in my class at the Air Force Academy …
among more than 500. Again there was a sense of competition to learn and perform
and graduate with honors as I managed to do in spite of a challenging second
year, broken arm and being friends with some who were expelled. That is why my
motto is onward through the fog … stolen from Oat Willie’s in Austin.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Will
Rogers said: “<span style="background: white; color: #333333;">The short memories
of the American voters is what keeps our politicians in office.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Mark Twain said: “No amount of evidence will
ever persuade an idiot.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Albert Einstein said: “Weak people revenge.
Strong people forgive. Intelligent people ignore.” I wish I were intelligent. I think Einstein
also said that only two things were infinite – the universe and human stupidity
and he was not sure about the former. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Mahatma Ghandi said: “There are two days in the
year when we cannot do anything. Yesterday and tomorrow.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Hillel said: “If I am not for me, who will be?
If I am only for me, what am I? And if not now, when?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I think I heard someone say that stupidity is
contagious so you should be careful with whom you associate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Michel Montaigne
said: “Stubborn and ardent clinging </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.5in;">to
one’s opinion is the best proof of stupidity.”</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Claude
Henri Jean Chabrol, director of <i>Madame Bovary</i>, said: “Stupidity is infinitely
more fascinating than intelligence; intelligence has its limits while stupidity
has none.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I was looking for some deep insights in various
quotations on stupidity. I found little. I simply do not understand how so many
people in this country and elsewhere can have their actions driven by stupidity
and hate. The sages encourage wisdom and religious leaders encourage tolerance
and kindness. Yet I see too little wisdom, tolerance and kindness in my state
and my country ‘tis of the… wealthy and privileged. And, yes, I admit to having
become intolerant of stupidity although I do not see myself as hateful or
unkind. I could be mistaken. I often am. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Like Ferlinghetti, I am waiting … do see <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42869/i-am-waiting-56d22183d718a">https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42869/i-am-waiting-56d22183d718a</a>. Where is that rebirth of wonder???<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I am still waiting and wondering if I dare disturb the
universe … so see <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/44212/the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock">https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/44212/the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock</a>
... I have disturbed many of my colleagues over the years … I have no sense of
tact … I am like that “pair of ragged claws, scuttling across the floors of
silent seas."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">And of course there is Bob Dylan who said: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Clarendon FS Light",serif;">“Half of the people can be part right all of
the time</span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Clarendon FS Light",serif;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; white-space: pre-line; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; white-space: pre-line; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Some of the people can be all right part of the time</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; white-space: pre-line; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; white-space: pre-line; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But all of the people can’t be all right all of the time</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; white-space: pre-line; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; white-space: pre-line; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I think Abraham Lincoln said that</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; white-space: pre-line; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; white-space: pre-line; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“I’ll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours”</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; white-space: pre-line; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; white-space: pre-line; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I said that</span>.” (Talking World War III Blues:</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-12456459799712181272023-03-05T15:12:00.002-08:002023-03-05T15:12:30.810-08:00 An open letter to people I love and cherish (i.e., children, grand-children, nephews, cousins, etc.):<p> <b>An open letter to
people I love and cherish</b> (i.e., children, grand-children, nephews,
cousins, etc.):</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It has occurred to me that many of you are growing up in a
country that is troubled and different from the one in which I was raised. You
are blessed with loving families and friends but the world you inhabit is quite
troubled … much more so than the one in which I matured so many years ago that
was troubled by a war in Vietnam founded on lies and greed … those were
troubling times but much much less so than today. I survived my time as an
Intelligence Officer in the USAF in spite of my opposition to the war, first working
to help others get honorable discharges, and I eventually managed to later work
for an Air Force research laboratory and conduct research at my alma mater, the
USAF Academy. Ironically, in today’s troubled times, it is quite often military
leaders who seem to have the best grip on reality and what is happening around
the world. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What is happening around the world? Well, we are
systematically destroying the climate, and changes in weather patterns and
erosion of glaciers and other phenomena are worrisome and getting worse and
more frequent. Animal species are disappearing. Coral reefs are disappearing.
Sea levels are rising. Oh well. Change is inevitable, some say.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Is the survival of the human species inevitable? Well, let’s
leave this question aside for now. Looking through lists of endangered species,
it seems that most are sea creatures or birds. We are killing off what lives in
the seas and in the air we breathe. Or is it just humans who are doing the
killing? <br />
There is the issue of loss of habitat for some animals … as the ice melts,
polar bears are having a harder time and as villages invade forests, animals
are losing ground. Still birds and fish among the most endangered. Why is that?
Okay … no more salmon or duck for me. Can I survive on kumquats?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is no doubt that threats to the environment pose many
threats to living creatures. Oh yes, then there is that one threatening
creature called homo sapiens … not such a wise being after all but he did come
after homo erectus … that being who could stand upright and spot prey at a
distance. A wise hunter will find prey anywhere and everywhere … that is what
we do, is it not?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I almost forgot … I am making these notes for people I love
and cherish … my real worry is that many of them will live in a world much
different from the one in which I managed to survive and even thrive … there is
war and hate and violence all around and people who think those with whom they
disagree should be banished from the earth … so much hate and violence all
around … I do not think it was so pervasive when I was growing up and chasing
butterflies. The advice I have heard others give is to find a little corner or
space where there is not so much hate and violence and spend your time loving
and cherishing those close to you. But that space is getting smaller and
smaller and those you are able to love and cherish are moving on or moving away
into their own safe spaces. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What can I possibly say to encourage you to live and love
and find as much happiness as you can while doing as little harm to others as
possible … including all those fish and
fowl … plant a fig tree and watch it grow … plant a little forgiveness and
watch it grow … give a little … take a little less … smile at strangers … talk
to those you regard as different or even deplorable … that takes courage … be
strong and live long … sing a song along the way. <o:p></o:p></p>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I am so discouraged by what I see all around the
world these days … I am old and tired … but making these notes and thinking
about those about whom I care has lightened my load … paraphrasing the last
stanza of Bob Dylan’s Frankie Lee and Judas Priest … <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Svltq6LxoI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Svltq6LxoI</a> .</span><div><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">March madness, 2023</span></div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-34043063154352590142023-01-30T06:11:00.001-08:002023-03-05T15:00:05.341-08:00The Truth They Are Telling<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is my
second take on the subject of this piece … the first was when I was in graduate
school in the philosophy department at UT-Austin. I think I was protesting the
war in Vietnam back then. Now things seem much worse. I do not have a copy of
that first piece but I imagine it was much better than this short one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The truth
they are telling may only be the truth that is selling. “What is truth?” Ruth
asked Naomi in the <i>Megilath Ruth</i>, and truth showed itself in Ruth
following Naomi. Truth shows itself in actions and decisions … it is what we do
that matters … not what we say. <b>Truth shows itself.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Is the near
death beating of Paul Pelosi a democratic conspiracy? Was what happened at the
capitol an invasion or a peaceful demonstration? Who lied about having
forbidden documents? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are immigrants
rapists and criminals or are they seeking a better life in this troubled land?
How much worse must their home countries be?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">While it is
freezing in Dallas can climate warming be true? Is sea level rising? Are
species being killed off? Is racism alive and well? Are rain forests
disappearing? Is there balm in Gilead. “Quoth the raven, nevermore”(my
apologies to Edgar Allan). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Truth shows
itself to those willing to look and think. But in the metaverse, what seems to
matter is what is being sold rather than what is actually happening. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">On a side
note, I recall my esteemed colleague, Prof. Norbert Seel, criticizing efforts
to turn education into entertainment – called edutainment. Norbert was a
serious scholar. My reaction to his criticism was to invent what I call
edunishment – educational punishment. My argument was that effective learning
often required hard effort … the punishment of serious and sustained inquiry associated
with attaining deep understanding. I even told about when I was publicly humiliated
but then realized deep truths I had overlooked. That kind of punishment by my
favorite Professors, Spicker and Bouwsma, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>led me to deep truths about myself and my lack
of respect for what was happening in those two instances and what others present
were thinking. I am such a slow learner … so often reacting rather than
thinking. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Thought is
not properly respected or rewarded these days in some many instances. Edutainment
rules over edunisment. So be it. Laugh a lot and learn a little. Love more and
hate less. It is so hard to live up to all of those ten commandments. Living up
to one or two is not sufficient. It is all ten that matters … especially the
second five, which seem the most difficult to respect and follow. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">What is
truth? Is it what they are telling and selling or is it something else? I have more
questions than answers. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Mike Spector, January 30, 2023</p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-38845060646238502792023-01-22T15:11:00.005-08:002023-01-22T15:11:54.548-08:00A violent world<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">We live in a violent world as the daily news in many
places easily documents. In Europe, Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine
and mass killings of innocent civilians continues. In the USA, mass shootings
of innocent people occur daily and pepper the evening news frequently. One can
find examples of people killing other people in every corner of this planet, on
every continent and in nearly every country. It is no secret that the human
species has a long history of violence against other humans dating back to
recorded time and stories of the origin of the species. That tree of knowledge
in the Garden of Eden turned out to be the tree of knowledge of war and acts of
inhumanity.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our species is now exploring space and the possible
existence of civilizations in other parts of the universe. If advance organisms
are found, I am curious to learn if they engage in such brutality against others
and other members of their own species. Along with Edgar Allen Poe, I wonder if
there is balm in Gilead as promised in the Jewish bible (Jeremiah 8:22). The Raven’s
answer was “nevermore.” I honestly do not know.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">However, the focus on people killing other people
overlooks a larger threat to us all. Namely, the environment in which we live
and occasionally thrive is deteriorating and threatening us all. Efforts to
reduce gun violence and bring peace to our species overlooks the larger problem
of our continued existence on this planet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While I personally detest human violence and would
like to see gun violence in my country and the state of Texas greatly reduced,
I wonder at our inability to control or influence things within our potential
control, such as gun violence and war, and our continued disregard to the environmental
factors that influence our very existence. While the climate is at the far
extreme of things we can influence, there are some things that could be done
but are not even seriously considered. We are fighting the wrong enemy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p>Mike Spector, January, 2023</o:p></span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-47759151115445169212022-12-29T14:01:00.006-08:002022-12-29T14:01:58.158-08:00And then I thought<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have been wondering about all the heroes and villains
I have identified in recent times. First I thought that perhaps some of the
heroes had done things not well known or advertised that were perhaps not so
laudable. Perhaps, and I believe that some of their opponents are busy digging
up such dirt to disturb or disrupt our beliefs. Then I came to realize that it
is patterns of behavior and misbehavior that should be noted but that present trends
and good deeds perhaps outweigh misdeeds of the past. At least I hope that is
the case with retard to my own misdeeds. With that hope my attention turned to
the ones I put into the villains groups … and there are many … including some
noted politicians and entrepreneurs. I recall writing in an essay penned when I
was in graduate school on truth that it is at times the truth that is selling
that matters … at least to some of those unwilling to smell anything beyond
their noses. It was then that the notion of patters of behavior re-entered my
thoughts … it is who we have been and what we</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">have done that define who we are and who we are becoming. And I seem to
recall Nietzsche’s criticism of Socrates that one is never in a position to
judge oneself. Still, we hear very little of any misdeeds that Socrates might
have committed, although there is a tendency to lionize and praise heroes and
belittle and disparage villains. The truths they are telling about an ex-president
leave me thinking I may have much less money and many fewer admirers, but I do
have a relatively clear and clean conscience in spite of many misdeeds that
seem small and minor in comparison to some I have seen in recent years by the
one I still consider villains.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Mike<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">December 2022 with best wishes to all the many heroes for a better and happier 2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-41575742929839251752022-12-01T12:30:00.000-08:002022-12-01T12:30:39.137-08:00Are the Russian people really that stupid?Can it be that Russians do not see the horror that Putin has unleashed against
the innocent people in the Ukraine?
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-43924603391460597742022-10-31T18:54:00.000-07:002022-10-31T18:54:00.712-07:00The Shema – Hear O’ Israel …<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Shema
is a cornerstone prayer for Jews and it is why we put a mezuzah (see </span></b><a href="https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/256923/jewish/The-Mezuzah-Scroll-and-Case.htm"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/256923/jewish/The-Mezuzah-Scroll-and-Case.htm</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">) on our doorposts … but the words
that have stuck with me are these: </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<span style="background: white;">teach them
thoroughly to your children</span></span></b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">”</span><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> … </span><b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">but what shall we teach our
children … all of the commandments in the Torah? That was my father’s answer,
and he made an effort, I suppose, but my recollection is that the focus of my
parents was more narrow … focused on the 10 commandments and a few other things
… and then there is the Al Chet prayer (see https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/confessing-our-sins/)
on Yom Kippur in which each person asks forgiveness for any transgression that
any member of the community has committed. I also asked my father, the Rabbi,
why we ask for all and he answered that is what makes a community. If anyone
commits that transgression, then the community has failed. Those thoughts from
my upbringing have outlived my parents and are still with me.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;">Hear, fellow Americans, fellow
worlizens, hear ye, hear ye … we must rise about hate and violence … we must,
or our community will not survive … we must end poverty and prejudice, we must,
or our community will not survive, we must tolerate and respect each other, we
must, or our community will not survive … we are losing our community … our
humanity … we are losing to the purveyors of hate, violence, poverty,
prejudice, intolerance, and ill will … we are losing, we are lost. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Hear ye,
hear ye. The silence is deafening. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-81859757127727368542022-10-26T07:56:00.000-07:002022-10-26T07:56:57.078-07:00Thoughts That Come And Go<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thoughts That Come And Go<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 155.8pt;" valign="top" width="208">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Hillel<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 155.85pt;" valign="top" width="208">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Trump<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 155.85pt;" valign="top" width="208">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Anyone Else<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 155.8pt;" valign="top" width="208">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">If I am not for me, who will be?<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 155.85pt;" valign="top" width="208">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">I am for me … <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 155.85pt;" valign="top" width="208">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Family, friends, free people<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 155.8pt;" valign="top" width="208">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">If I am only for me, what am I?<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 155.85pt;" valign="top" width="208">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">It is who I am … <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 155.85pt;" valign="top" width="208">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">A selfish bigot<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 155.8pt;" valign="top" width="208">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">If not now, when?<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 155.85pt;" valign="top" width="208">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Me first … always … <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 155.85pt;" valign="top" width="208">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Yesterday <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My get up and go moved to Bali about five years ago …
unfortunately, my body was left behind…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My brother used to say that the history of humankind could
be told as the history of war … of course he was right but my personal
understanding is that the history could also be told as the history of self-interest
starting with that first apple and all those who not only followed the money
but grabbed as much as they could for themselves along the way … <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are born innocent … few remain in that pristine state … <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Where was I when the mountains were formed … “a pair of
ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas” … <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How does hatred develop?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why are we suspicious of those who seem different from us?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Is there balm in Gilead? Tell me, tell, I implore. Quoth the
raven … nevermore.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Who would win a debate between DJT and Abou Ben Adhem?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Which comes first – self-awareness, self-interest, greed,
ego-mania? Which comes last? Which can last?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why can I not stop these thoughts from trickling out? I bite
my fingernails but not my fingers … ouch.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Who am I? Someone who denies facts? Denies elections? Who
admits to doing no wrong? Admits to limited knowledge? Admits to being all too
human? I once got lost in a large department store? I am still lost … no
direction-home-finder.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I was thirteen, I read these words in front of the
congregation … comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith the lord … well, I read
them in Hebrew … na-hamu, na-hamu, ahmee, omar el-lo-hay-hem … of course with a
Southern accent and four part harmony … <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My professor asked, after discussing and dismissing the
notion of substance as what properties got stuck in, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">what is love</b>? I said it was what people got stuck in and others
laughed … he said he thought it was the glue that binds us together … no one
laughed …<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What do I know about learning, technology and teaching? Not
a lot … nearly everyone else in this department and other similar places knows
a lot more about such things … I just try to ask questions and search for
answers and tidbits of meaning … crumbs are what I usually find … old and
forgotten crumbs … perhaps remnants of a big bang long ago … crumbs in a
crumbling world … in the beginning there was chaos and the void and not much
has changed since … just more stuff for a privileged few … more stuff and less
substance … <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I know so little yet I wanted to know so much … what has happened
along that wayward path? Many a friend has come and gone and I am left with one
hand waving free … the other hand pounding on a keyboard … it is all I know how
to do … <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Mike Spector</p><p class="MsoNormal">October 2022</p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-70736972552369561442022-10-15T12:10:00.002-07:002022-10-15T12:10:57.745-07:00Voting Advice<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What advice might I give to those prior to the 2022
elections. Here it is, plain and simple: Do NOT vote against someone or
something … Vote FOR someone or something in which you have confidence and deep
agreement. Avoid bias and prejudice and vote what you genuinely believe is right
… especially in the long run.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mike Spector</span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-83673176310610298212022-10-03T09:30:00.003-07:002022-10-03T09:30:15.362-07:00Untimely Reflections<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">An unexpected
thought just occurred to me … I may have learned more from my students than
they have learned from me. Once that thought entered, it was followed by many
more, confirming the original thought. What a surprise for this old man. Then I
started thinking about my kids and grandkids and had a very similar thought.
What have I been doing all these many years as a teacher and parent??? Learning
it would seem. What a surprise.</span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-12980534898112460602022-09-17T11:12:00.000-07:002022-09-17T11:12:26.722-07:00Civil War Redux – An Uncivil Uprising<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Seems like folks are all in for another civil war …
this war even less civil than the last one. North versus South. White versus
non-white. Richer versus poorer. Self-centered versus selfless. Who will win? Who
won the last one? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Odds are on those who lie the most and lie the least
believably. Odds are we will all lose. The bigots are on the rise and the fall
of the shining city on the hill is imminent. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I am so sorry to say that my older
and wiser brother, rest his soul, was right: what happened in Nazi Germany can
happen here … is happening here. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I feel so helpless to do anything. And then I
remember Franz Jäggersätter … see In Solitary Witness by Gordon Zahn – see <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1500357.In_Solitary_Witness">https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1500357.In_Solitary_Witness</a>. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I want to do something positive beyond contributing to the campaigns of those
dedicated to peace, love and kindness but I am not sure what I have to offer at
this late stage of my life. </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">Three
governors who manipulate those seeking asylum in this country from tyrants
have treated innocent persons to a taste of American tyranny. Woe is me.</span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-68176714837522058192022-09-02T08:07:00.003-07:002022-09-02T08:07:46.943-07:00Memories<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I find phrases popping into my mind as I reluctantly
(habitually) listen to the news, which is generally quite disturbing. Phrases
like “civil war” and “war between the states” came to mind as I listened to the
President’s address yesterday.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But those
phrases seemed totally out of place … out of tune. More appropriate would be
“uncivil war” and “war within the states.” It is not north versus south or free
states vs. slave states. Maybe it does involve the soul, or more simply,
character. Whatever happened to other phrases that also came to mind, such as
“love your neighbor” and “be kind to strangers.” It did not matter if your
neighbor was black or white or stranger than Corporal Klinger. I was taught
that love and kindness should be boundless and, while trying to live up to
boundless love and kindness is often a challenge or even repugnant, that is
what we are charged to do … my father was referring to a higher power, of
course. I found those sentiments embedded in writings that led up to the
founding of today’s western democracies, and implied in the President's repeated use of "we the people." And yet … and yet … I am feeling old
and my thoughts seem stale and passé. I have a grandson who is fascinated by
dinosaurs … I will have to let him know that I am among those lost beasts.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mike Spector</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">2 Sep 2022</span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-46209801388067620252022-08-26T09:32:00.000-07:002022-08-26T09:32:44.325-07:00What does being presidential mean?<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have witnessed the public behavior of a number of previous
US presidents and have acquired an informal understanding of what it means to
be presidential. The current ex-president does not seem to fit easily into my
understanding of being presidential.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, I started thinking about presidents in other
contexts … presidents of a congregation, of an enterprise, of a university, of
a professional organization, and so on. I also have some experience with some
of those kinds of presidents. My father was president of our congregation in
Oak Ridge, Tennessee prior to becoming an ordained Rabbi. I wrote the
president of IBM when I worked at the SDD Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado
expressing my disagreements with the war in Vietnam and hoping IBM would also
express similar disagreement, and he wrote back in agreement. Surprising. I
posted his response on my office cubicle bulletin board, which bothered at
least one of my co-workers who complained to my supervisor. My university
president is also a model of presidential behavior and walks a thin line
between Texas politics and maintaining a humanistic campus. I have heard a
previous CEO of a political organization express strong disagreement but always
in a civil and reasonable tone. None of those persons ever used nasty language
nor did I ever hear any of them curse at anyone or anything. Oh yes … I have to
admit to having been the president of a professional organization and I have
expressed strong discontent publicly while in that role but without cursing or
personally attacking anyone. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It seems reasonable to expect the president and ex-presidents
of our country to act presidential at all times, especially in public. One
ex-president fails to meet my expectations of presidential behavior … only one.
It seems so unusual that so many others do not seem bothered by that person’s
public discourse and behavior. Do I need to reconsider what it means to be
presidential?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Mike Spector<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">August, 2022<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-22453633803361485222022-08-17T18:14:00.000-07:002022-08-17T18:14:12.379-07:00Classified Clearances<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;">With all the news on the recent search of #45’s home at
Mar-a-Lago and the boxes of documents classified as Top Secret Sensitive
Compartmented Information, I have been recalling my years as an Air Force
Intelligence Officer during the Vietnam conflict and the Top Secret SCI
clearance that I had. We simply called it a coded clearance and it required a
serious background investigation even though I already had a top secret
clearance when I </span>arrived<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;"> at Clark Air Base as a recent
graduate of the nine-month Intelligence School at Lowry AFB (now closed). I
worked in a secure facility … 12 hour shift work, 3 shifts on and 4 days off …
not so bad … lots of time to get into trouble which I managed to do … not on
purpose, though. I read many highly classified texts … </span>my job<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;"> was to summarize and synthesize
what I read during my shift to pass along to the high ranking officers the next
day. Most or the time it was just the number of people </span>killed although<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;"> I read about John McCain’s capture
and detention in North Vietnam during my tenure. I vaguely recall there being
levels of TS SCI clearance and I think mine was at the third level – relatively
low level … there were many more levels … at least eight, I believe … probably
more than that. In addition, I learned that one could not share </span>TS SCI information<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;"> even with someone with the
appropriate clearance if that person did not have a clear need to know. I even
originated a rare few of those highly classified documents. I detested the war
and hated my job but it was better than dropping bombs on people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At one point, I hosted an Air Force Captain – he became a
Major while there - who was headed to Hong Kong to co-lead a highly classified
intelligence monitoring operation along with a British officer. He had to await
his TS SCI clearance which took months to get. We became friends and on one of
my breaks I decided to visit him in Hong Kong. He even took me to that
classified facility in the New Territories on a mountain ridge and introduced
me to the British co-commander and his wife. I learned that one task at that
facility was monitoring all of the air traffic in that part of the world … from
southern China down to Indonesia and east and west likewise. The system was not
yet perfected so that transmission of information was not yet automated but was
being tested with hand developed messages that were not timely. When back at
Clark Air Base I was on my third day of duty on a swing shift (4 pm to
midnight) with a fresh second lieutenant coming on duty after me. He had not
been briefed on the Hong Kong facility (that was not my job) and got one of
those dummy messages and believing it to be serious sent it to PACAF HQ as if
it was the real thing ... classified as a war message… it reported unusual air
traffic conditions in Indonesia and PACAF HQ thought it was real and timely and
called him that night and told him to retransmit it to the Pentagon … as a
level 8 message which I could not have read even if I wanted to … but I was off
to Bagio on my days off. That was the beginning of my troubles. When I came
back to work, The Colonel called me in and read me the riot act as if I was
responsible. The Colonel was fired that same day for incompetence and I was
blamed for that as well, although I had nothing to do with the matter. That was
when the powers that remained at CLARK AB decided to punish me and send me to
Thailand to be in charge of a group of enlisted misfits who had to build a
fence around Ubon Air Base. </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Well, the end of the story was that Al Gore senior
eventually came to my rescue and I came back to Clark AB three months later to
be with my wife and newborn son who just three months old … born just before I
was sent to Thailand. So much for my TS SCI clearance. I did manage to escape
the Air Force with an honorable discharge. </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-87573168907661915752022-08-13T10:02:00.002-07:002022-08-13T16:27:10.230-07:00Uncivil War<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I think of my older and wiser and departed brother
often. His academic studies involved war and international relations. He has
more entries in the Sage </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Encyclopedia of War</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> than anyone else. I recall when
we were in high school a family visit to Gettysburg. I was fascinated by trees
as we walked around that sacred place while Danny was interested in the battle and
how it progressed. I also recall talking with him about that war and I said it
could never happen again, and he said do not be so sure. He was nearly always
right. As I listen to the news, which I seem unable to avoid, I am thinking how
right he was. We seem to be on the verge of what I call an uncivil war. It is not
a regional north versus the south affair. It is a fair versus fear affair. Fear
seems inclined towards intolerance and violence whereas fair seems inclined
towards openness and understanding. History suggests that fear will prevail. My
training suggests that the future may not resemble the past. But my brother was
smarter and steeped in history. I worry.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">What bothers me most is that I have no control of what
is happening or likely to happen in the future. I can vote, but it may not
count. I can contribute to those I support, but my funds are limited unlike the
deep pockets of the true believers and truly crazed supporters of the new
uncivil war that is waging in this troubled land of the freely betrayed and
home of the mentally wounded. What can I do? I feel hopeless. The few times I
have strayed outside a small circle of similarly concerned people, I have been
told to shut up and stay away … even by some family members. I am troubled.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I am so troubled that I seem to find it hard to focus
on work. I did manage to submit a grant proposal to the National Science
Foundation and teach a summer course but it was a struggle. I even volunteered
to be considered to serve another term as the doctoral program director at UNT,
but I am feeling less than competent to continue as a professor due to having
such a troubled mind. Retirement is not attractive as that would only increase
the amount of time I would be consumed by the troubling states of disarray in
this troubled land.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“It takes a worried man to sing a worried song” echoes
in my mind. What to do? Eat more ice cream? More watermelon and fried chicken?
I grew up in the South. I have lived and worked and spent much time in the
North, South, East and West, and in other countries. There seems no escaping the madness that has
gripped this troubled land. Where will it lead? How many more will die and be assaulted?
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Worse than those concerns is that the madness seems
not just prevalent in this troubled land but across the globe. Still, against
all odds, there is grit and resilience in Ukraine, hope in Hong Kong and
Taiwan, and sanity in New Zealand. But many are fleeing madness in South
America and Africa. In spite of isolated instances of humanity, the overall
state of the planet might be considered endangered … not just by global climate
change but by global intolerance and inhumanity. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A still small voice in a dark cave is asking, when
will it end? How will it end? Who can end the madness? The still small voice
goes silent. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-9544133336095965232022-07-31T12:41:00.003-07:002022-07-31T12:50:03.734-07:00Amazing Disgrace<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">How bittersweet the sound. Gather around, children,
come and listen to things I have heard, but there are some discouraging words. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was taught when I was younger that the Confederacy lost the Civil War and
that slavery had eventually been abolished in this land of the free to be as
greedy as you please. But apparently the defeated are rising again … and of
course it helps to keep many from voting. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Meanwhile, they send the least
advantaged to war only to withhold support for their wounds when they return.
It does not help to befriend dictators who invade other countries with the
hopes of building a hotel or casino in the dictator's land. I used to think this
was the land of innovation and invention and opportunity and optimism. But division
and dissimulation have become the norm and form of discourse and decision-making.
The tired, the poor, the huddled masses would love to breathe free … or just
breathe … but the air is not clean and the water not safe in areas where those
tired and poor and huddled masses happen to live. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">This nation of immigrants is saying
no to more immigrants and punishing many of those already here, except for models
and wives of the wealthy. The media used to be trustworthy in reporting facts
and analyzing complex situations but so many media people are now playing the
gotcha game favored by politicians. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why do some people expect bumper sticker
simple solutions to complex and challenging problems? Why do some people expect
something simple to resolve something complex? Why do some people prefer slogans
to solutions? A slogan will not solve the climate crisis or the gun violence
crisis or the racial prejudice crisis or the health crisis or any other crisis
condemning our children to a dark and dismal future. What is amazing are not
the rare and few acts of kindness one might cite in response. What is amazing
is how low we have fallen and how far our species is from the grace many used
to praise and seek. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The desert is not in some remote location. It is in the heart
of your neighbor and even in yourself. Myself.</span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-27564138322850526532022-07-16T10:30:00.005-07:002022-07-16T10:57:48.908-07:00Short vs. Long<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">No, I am not
thinking about Marc Short or Shelley Long. I am thinking about what a person
values and what interests a person pursues. Of course, I first experimented on
myself, which is not always a good or representative point of departure … but
it is hard to avoid. In general, I found huge gaps between the two and noticed
that when I was younger I tended to focus and act primarily on short term
interests and values. I wanted to be a pilot, so I managed to get admitted to
the Air Force Academy where my eyes started to deteriorate and I was not able
to go to flight school and developed a strong interest in philosophy and was
named the outstanding cadet in philosophy at ISAFA1967... yes, I am older than
dirt. I opted for becoming an intelligence officer after graduation as I
thought I would get to remain in the USA … this was during the Vietnam conflict
in which about half of my Academy classmates died … and work on building an
intelligence database … but then I was given a choice of learning Vietnamese or
going to the Philippines as an intelligence officer. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As I valued my life, I
chose Clark Air Base in the Philippines. I think it was there that I began to
shift from short term pursuits to a focus on long terms values and interests,
such as acting in accord with that honor code we followed at USAFA. Truth … the
truth began to be more important than being promoted or finding a better
position in the Air Force. And, speaking truthfully in intelligence briefings
and debriefings got me sent to Thailand and put in charge of airmen who were convicted
of various offences and sent there to build a fence around the base along with machine
gun bunkers … and I was put in charge of those people??? Surprisingly, I found
many of them interesting and serious and managed to develop a working relationship
in which I became Sergeant Mike to them in spite of my officer status. That
might have been the result of my trading many roles of concertina wire for a
box of steaks which we cook on the perimeter fence we had built. The person I
replaced had built a machine gun bunker facing inside the base rather that
outside the base. We had to rebuild it although we all thought it was an
interesting way of protesting that officer’s mistreatment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Anyway, I
was saved from my own mistreatment by Senator Al Gore senior who managed to get
me out with an honorable discharge as I was being treated as if I had committed
an offence without a hearing or evidence and offered an honorable discharge or
reassignment elsewhere. My choice of the discharge marks my shift from short
term pursuits to a stronger focus on long term values. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Of course things got
worse after my discharge with unemployment and a divorce. I wandered about and
managed to find a position with an IBM research and development lab outside
Boulder, Colorado. I learned a lot at IBM, including being first in my
programming class, but I found the work boring and wanted to do something that might
have a more directly positive impact. So I got a leave of absence and went to
Israel as a volunteer teacher for a year, where I reverted to short term
interests and pursuits … i.e., girls. When I returned to IBM I really felt
lost. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">My older and wiser brother was completing his PhD in history at the University
of Texas and said I should apply to study there, which I did. I was admitted
with a year delay due to a cap on admissions and lack of funding. At UT, I was
initially a teaching assistant for an ethics course. I found the students uninterested
although the professor was very supportive of me. In my second year there, the
department had a dilemma as none of the faculty wanted to teach logic so I
spoke up and said I could do that. I then became a lecturer for the remainder
of my studies being paid half the salary of a beginning assistant professor. Teaching
logic was easy for me but boring for most of the students. I was a little
frustrated and I now know that part of the problem was me … I expected students
to find logic relevant and useful but few did. Initially I blamed them, but the
fault was mine as I later realized years later. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Anyway, I
wanted to say something meaningful about focusing on long term values and interests
rather than just pursuing short term interests. The discrepancy became obvious
to me while watching and listening to such folks as Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger and
Chris Murphy, and then contrasting their behavior and interests with those of
such folks as Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham and Joe Manchin. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It seems all
too easy to differentiate those who emphasize long terms values and interests
over short term gains and pursuits, yet the short termers seem to gain the
support of so many others. Why is that? What am I not understanding? How could
anyone belittle Liz’s heroic leadership on the Jan. 6 Committee or Adam’s
willingness to say what he believes rather than pursue another term as Senator
of Chris’ long time efforts to rectify the conditions that led to Sandy Hook
and Uvalde. How? Yet they are continually attacked by small-minded people
supported by a few with deep pockets and strong interests in deepening those
pockets. But so many of those mindless followers fail to see that their own
short term interests are being marginalized by the deep pocket people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Whew … I had
to get that off my mind and out of my fingers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Mike Spector</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">July 2022<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-50456580862870255612022-07-01T10:46:00.001-07:002022-07-02T13:49:08.248-07:00So much evil in so many places<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Due to the advice of family and friends, I am limiting the
time I watch or listen to the news. However, it is impossible for me not to see
so much evil in so many places, including our own supremely pernicious court.
Putin reeks of evil, and it shows in his snake eyes. But more worrisome are the
insurrection and climate deniers in my own country. What seems to matter to so
many people are their own views and personal gain. When I was younger, I was
somewhat like that, but I do not think I ever tried to deny obvious truths. My
views on the war in Vietnam got me into trouble when I was an intelligence
office in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Al Gore senior came to my rescue and
I managed to escape from that madness. Gore senior later urged me not to lose
faith in my country in spite of some faults that I saw. Gore senior was a rare
politician … not many like him these days. There used to be men and women of integrity
on both sides of the aisle. Not so many these days. A few come to mind,
including Liz Cheney, whose father I abhorred, and Amy Klobuchar, for whom I
voted, and perhaps a dozen more, mostly on the left side of that aisle of
despair that threatens our democracy. That supremely divided court seems
determined to return the country to the unhappy days of an imaginary past. I am
slowly coming to understand one thing in the Jewish bible that my father could
not adequately explain to me – namely why the sins of the fathers will be
visited upon the children and children of the children for several generations
to come. I seem to recall my father telling me that was simply a description of
human behavior … what was likely to happen based on human behavior. <span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The point was to be a beacon of good as
a parent so that one's children would do good all their days. </span>Perhaps
my father was right. I cannot recall anything wrong he ever did … I cannot even
recall him ever cursing although my mother could curse up a storm when upset. So
I wonder about the childhood of Donald Trump and Valdimir Putin and Clarence
Thomas and teens with AR-15s and so many others who seem determined to spread
hatred and violence in what I used to think of as a beautiful planet in my
youthful backpacking days. I have seen much natural beauty and met some amazing
individuals, but as I age I worry that those sights and special people are
being systematically lost and put down and destroyed. I really wish I could ignore
all that is happening these last few years, but it seems to me that what I
regarded as beautiful in nature and righteous in people is being destroyed by a
minority of misguided bigots. I write to try and rid my self of these thoughts …
to no avail. <span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">What gives
me hope are my children and grandchildren ... the children are our future. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mike Spector<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">July the first and hopefully not the last, 2022<o:p></o:p></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-68724105731826463592022-06-24T15:09:00.000-07:002022-06-24T15:09:07.538-07:00Higher Order Hypocrisy<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Supremely Hypocritical Court ruled against Roe v. Wade
because abortion was not mentioned in the Constitution. Of course airplane travel
was also not mentioned in the Constitution yet we have a Federal Aviation
Authority. The right to bear arms was given to state militia, not to teenagers …
oh, I almost forgot, AR-15s were also not mentioned in the Constitution, nor
was the right to safely attend elementary school without fear of hiding from
weapons of war in the hands of teenagers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">We have lost our democracy to bullies, billionaires, intolerant
and hateful religious groups, far-right-wing anarchists, holier-than-God bigots,
white nationalists, and others comprising a powerful and highly vocal and
volatile minority of citizens. I am guessing that AR-15s are owned mostly by men
and many in Texas where an 18 year old person can purchase multiple AR-15s and
untold boxes of death yielding bullets. According to ownership data, most gun
owners are while, male, and Republican. Let’s simply say that assault rifle owners
are mainly white males. According to medical reports, [most] abortions are
performed on women … of all races and political orientations. If men decide
gun-ownership issues, then women should decide abortion rights issues. Yet,
that is not how democracy in these divided and misguided states works. The supremely
stupid opinion removing the 50 year old Roe v. Wade ruling was made with the
premise that abortion was not mentioned in the Constitution and Roe v. Wade was
dividing Americans, in spite of polling evidence suggesting that the overwhelming
majority of Americans were in favor of keeping Roe v. Wade. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Who is dividing Americans? The gun-righteous fanatics who
want to allow AR-15s in the hands of teenagers? The righteous-</span> <span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">religious
fanatics who want to completely ban abortions of all kinds everywhere in
America? One can no longer believe that anyone being nominated to the court
will tell the truth when being vetted by Senators. One can no longer believe
many Senators, although the minority righteous leader does seem to usually tell
the truth even wallowing in his beloved nickname, Moscow Mitch. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">I now have tremendous respect for Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger
who seem truth-oriented without appealing or yielding to popular far-right
sentiments. And there are hollow regrets at the court’s ruling offered by such
lawmakers as Susan Collins and Joe Manchin and a lame vote by John Roberts not to
over-turn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Divide and denigrate are the watchwords of the
Trumplicans and the Mitch-McDuckheads … meanwhile Roger Stone and Steve Bannon
and many minor facilitators and shadow boxers it is easy but not best to forget
are tearing down the weak walls of our constitution… the facilitators of the
decline and fall of the American Republic are numerous and unfortunately surprisingly
successful. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Well, it should not be a surprise and the regrets will
only accumulate after the lost of a shining city upon a hill. America was not
meant as a citadel for Christians … it was not meant as a citadel for
gun-owners … it was not meant as a citadel for billionaires and bigots, as they
require so much more than a citadel. America is not a shining light for other
nations or societies. New Zealand may be that shining light … or perhaps Norway
where there are so many immigrants wanting to come to American according to #45.
How stupid can some people be???<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">And there is Lady Liberty with these words welcoming
visitors to our shores:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 135.0pt; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Give me
your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the
wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed
to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Those who are destroying
this fragile democracy might propose the following words to replace those
sacred words:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.5in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">“Give us your rich,
your privileged, your massive egomaniacs yearning for more wealth and power.
Send then to our polluted shores. We lift a lamp beside this golden goose-egg
Republic!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">I know … too much
sarcasm and too little action on my part to help preserve our fragile
democracy. I have donated what I can to a few worthy politicians … mostly democrats
but I will will support Cheney and Kinzinger if they run again. I cannot walk far
due to back pain and no one reads my blog so small donations are about all I
can muster at present. I wish I could do more to repay the education I received
as an Air Force Academy distinguished graduate. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Mike Spector<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">June 2022<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210175483106269859.post-53855791953520566342022-06-17T07:12:00.000-07:002022-06-17T07:12:00.328-07:00I admit it ... <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">I </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">have been
told that I am spending too much time watching or reading the news, and that is
causing me stress and detracting from my professional and personal responsibilities.
That advice has come from multiple persons including family members. I admit
it. They are right. However, all the things that have been happening occupy my
thoughts much of the time, and I simply cannot purge those thoughts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
long-time agony of Trump’s presidency and the deplorable … despicable …
behavior of so many Trumplicans has been with me for years already. Then came
the insurrection and the deniers of what we all saw. And the continuing sad saga
of those unable to speak out publicly about the ongoing attacks on our
democracy. So damned deplorable.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What could
be worse? The insane Putin the Pretender invading Ukraine … but then there is
at least the bravery and persistence of freedom lovers resisting that maniacal
invasion. A glimmer of hope by some people with integrity and internal strength.
How different would the world be if the Polish people had been able to muster
the courage and persistence exhibited by Zelensky and so many brave Ukrainians?
Now there is a new Hitler menacing the world – Putin, who will eventually receive
his just desserts … hard to be just when so many have been killed due to his
egomaniacal rule. We had a former President who was heading down the same dark
tunnel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And a
teenager purchased two AR-15s and several boxes of ammunition and walked into
an elementary school in Uvalde and murdered 19 children and two teachers. And
that deadly massacre is now almost forgotten due to other senseless murders and
violent acts. And the leaders of Texas and the gun lobby see nothing wrong with
allowing any 18 year-old kid to buy a weapon of war that most police officers
have to be trained to use and only allowed to carry when needed in special
circumstances. Arm the maniacs and send them to Ukraine … or, better yet, send
them to Russia.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We are
losing the war with civility … and it appears we have already lost the war with
the climate. Stick your head in the sand … hold your nose … collect your obscene
profits … let others struggle and starve … no need to change your minds or
hearts … the times are not changing after all of that … so damned depressing …<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.75pt;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I admit it ... I am so depressed I
often find it hard to concentrate and work ... <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Mike Spector<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">June 2022<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706975943568012067noreply@blogger.com0