This morning I was listening to a Feb. 3 podcast of Sverige Radios "God Morgon, Världen" (Swedish Radio's "Good Morning, World). It had a bit from a reporter in Timbuktu. She quoted one of the residents with something like "Who are these Islamic radicals to teach us about Islam?"
Timbuktu is known for its Koranic University, madrases, and mosques. See UNESCO's World Heritage List on Timbuktu.
The invasion of the radical Islamists seems to me akin to some militant Christian sect forcing everyone to believe Revelations to the exclusion of everything else in the Bible and church history.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Another "free marketer" avoiding "free markets", or attorneys chasing fees?
Suits have been brought against AB InBev for watering down Bud Lite. See "Budweiser Sued for Watering Down Its Beer".
If true, this is another case of proponents of free markets not really believing in free markets. The free market principle in question here is that both buyer and seller should have sufficient information to make a decision. If AB InBev is indeed watering its beer to an alcohol content less than on the label, that is not only hiding information from the consumer but providing false information.
HOWEVER, in an interview by CNBC, plaintiff attorney Josh Boxer can only cite claims by former employees, not by independent testing.
Who do you believe? Who can you believe? All I can say is that I admire the tenacity of the CNBC on-camera journalists for trying to get a straight answer from Boxer.
Generally, one can believe that "liberal" NPR. They had tests performed and found that the beers in question did have the alcohol level stated on the can. See "Budweiser May Seem Watery, But It Tests At Full Strength, Lab Says".
My own guess is that Bud tastes watery is that it does not contain the amount of hops that craft beers contain.
If true, this is another case of proponents of free markets not really believing in free markets. The free market principle in question here is that both buyer and seller should have sufficient information to make a decision. If AB InBev is indeed watering its beer to an alcohol content less than on the label, that is not only hiding information from the consumer but providing false information.
HOWEVER, in an interview by CNBC, plaintiff attorney Josh Boxer can only cite claims by former employees, not by independent testing.
Who do you believe? Who can you believe? All I can say is that I admire the tenacity of the CNBC on-camera journalists for trying to get a straight answer from Boxer.
Generally, one can believe that "liberal" NPR. They had tests performed and found that the beers in question did have the alcohol level stated on the can. See "Budweiser May Seem Watery, But It Tests At Full Strength, Lab Says".
My own guess is that Bud tastes watery is that it does not contain the amount of hops that craft beers contain.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Dred Scott and the Second Amendment
What does Dred Scott have to do with the Second Amendment? The non-permanent status of Supreme Court decisions.
Dred Scott was a slave brought to Northern States by his owner and went to a Missouri Court to gain his freedom. The case was taken all the way to the Supreme Court where the case was decided 7-2 against Scott; he was regarded as property and not a citizen. See "Dred Scott v. Sanford".
The case was essentially overturned by the Fourteenth Amendment, which included "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
Furthermore, there was a 8-1 Supreme Court decision supporting segregation: Plessy v. Ferguson. The lone dissenter, Justice John Marshall Harlan "wrote that the majority's opinion would 'prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott case.'"
"Plessy v. Ferguson" was overturned by the Supreme Court in "Brown v. Board of Education" in 1954 unanimously 9-0!
The Second Amendment was interpreted to apply specifically to individuals in "District of Columbia v. Heller". The case was decided 5-4 with the expected votes each way.
This is a case of "activist judges" interpreting the Constitution to match their political beliefs. From the "District of Columbia v. Heller" Wikipedia page we have:
Richard Posner, judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, compares Heller to Roe v. Wade, stating that it created a federal constitutional right that did not previously exist, and he asserts that the originalist method – to which Justice Antonin Scalia claims to adhere – would have yielded the opposite result of the majority opinion.
The text of the amendment, whether viewed alone or in light of the concerns that actuated its adoption, creates no right to the private possession of guns for hunting or other sport, or for the defense of person or property. It is doubtful that the amendment could even be thought to require that members of state militias be allowed to keep weapons in their homes, since that would reduce the militias' effectiveness. Suppose part of a state's militia was engaged in combat and needed additional weaponry. Would the militia's commander have to collect the weapons from the homes of militiamen who had not been mobilized, as opposed to obtaining them from a storage facility? Since the purpose of the Second Amendment, judging from its language and background, was to assure the effectiveness of state militias, an interpretation that undermined their effectiveness by preventing states from making efficient arrangements for the storage and distribution of military weapons would not make sense.[64]
End of extract.
Wikipedia has a good entry on the Second Amendment at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution.
So, how do these cases tie together? The decisions of the Supreme Court are no more permanent than the terms of office of politicians or the "to and fro" of public opinion. Some years for now, "District of Columbia v. Heller" may be overturned by a different court or another Constitutional Amendment.
Dred Scott was a slave brought to Northern States by his owner and went to a Missouri Court to gain his freedom. The case was taken all the way to the Supreme Court where the case was decided 7-2 against Scott; he was regarded as property and not a citizen. See "Dred Scott v. Sanford".
The case was essentially overturned by the Fourteenth Amendment, which included "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
Furthermore, there was a 8-1 Supreme Court decision supporting segregation: Plessy v. Ferguson. The lone dissenter, Justice John Marshall Harlan "wrote that the majority's opinion would 'prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott case.'"
"Plessy v. Ferguson" was overturned by the Supreme Court in "Brown v. Board of Education" in 1954 unanimously 9-0!
The Second Amendment was interpreted to apply specifically to individuals in "District of Columbia v. Heller". The case was decided 5-4 with the expected votes each way.
This is a case of "activist judges" interpreting the Constitution to match their political beliefs. From the "District of Columbia v. Heller" Wikipedia page we have:
Richard Posner, judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, compares Heller to Roe v. Wade, stating that it created a federal constitutional right that did not previously exist, and he asserts that the originalist method – to which Justice Antonin Scalia claims to adhere – would have yielded the opposite result of the majority opinion.
The text of the amendment, whether viewed alone or in light of the concerns that actuated its adoption, creates no right to the private possession of guns for hunting or other sport, or for the defense of person or property. It is doubtful that the amendment could even be thought to require that members of state militias be allowed to keep weapons in their homes, since that would reduce the militias' effectiveness. Suppose part of a state's militia was engaged in combat and needed additional weaponry. Would the militia's commander have to collect the weapons from the homes of militiamen who had not been mobilized, as opposed to obtaining them from a storage facility? Since the purpose of the Second Amendment, judging from its language and background, was to assure the effectiveness of state militias, an interpretation that undermined their effectiveness by preventing states from making efficient arrangements for the storage and distribution of military weapons would not make sense.[64]
End of extract.
Wikipedia has a good entry on the Second Amendment at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution.
So, how do these cases tie together? The decisions of the Supreme Court are no more permanent than the terms of office of politicians or the "to and fro" of public opinion. Some years for now, "District of Columbia v. Heller" may be overturned by a different court or another Constitutional Amendment.
Pondering while wandering led to floundering
As I returned from a University for Seniors class this morning at UMD, walking on snow-packed and icy sidewalks, I thought of how parental advice can be problematic in these situations: "Stand up straight" and "Watch where you're walking!"
If you stand up straight, by looking farther ahead, you might not see a slippery spot at your feet.
If you watch where you're walking, you'll get a sore back and might walk into an overhanging tree branch or protruding shrubbery.
As I pondered these profound thoughts, I stepped off a curb at an alley, my boot skidded on some ice, and I went down on one knee and then to one forearm. I didn't damage anything, but I soaked a knee of my jeans and my gloves.
Nobody saw me that I know of. I picked myself up and continued the couple hundred feet to my house without any soreness.
I don't remember which advice I was following - "Stand up straight" or "watch where you're walking!" Whatever, one of them didn't serve me well.
If you stand up straight, by looking farther ahead, you might not see a slippery spot at your feet.
If you watch where you're walking, you'll get a sore back and might walk into an overhanging tree branch or protruding shrubbery.
As I pondered these profound thoughts, I stepped off a curb at an alley, my boot skidded on some ice, and I went down on one knee and then to one forearm. I didn't damage anything, but I soaked a knee of my jeans and my gloves.
Nobody saw me that I know of. I picked myself up and continued the couple hundred feet to my house without any soreness.
I don't remember which advice I was following - "Stand up straight" or "watch where you're walking!" Whatever, one of them didn't serve me well.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Spotting a non-Italian playing an Italian
Tonight we watched "Inspector Morse 23: The Death of the Self". Chief Inspector Morse and Sgt. Lewis go to Italy to check on a suspicious death. They work with an Italian detective who spoke Italian now and then to other Italians. His Italian seemed to be Italian.
Then he answered a phone. The Italian custom is to say "Pronto", that is "Ready". However, he said, "Prahntoh", like we say it in the U. S. We learned it as "Prohntoh" in Italy.
It could be that they say the former in Vicenza were the movie took place, but …
Well, I checked the cast and found Georges Corraface as the detective. He is French and
"A classically trained and versatile actor, his gift for languages and his multi-cultural background has enabled him to work in eight languages and an even wider variety of accents."
Is "Prahntoh" used in Vicenza or did his extensive use of English make him lapse into the English pronunciation? Non so! (I don't know!)
Then he answered a phone. The Italian custom is to say "Pronto", that is "Ready". However, he said, "Prahntoh", like we say it in the U. S. We learned it as "Prohntoh" in Italy.
It could be that they say the former in Vicenza were the movie took place, but …
Well, I checked the cast and found Georges Corraface as the detective. He is French and
"A classically trained and versatile actor, his gift for languages and his multi-cultural background has enabled him to work in eight languages and an even wider variety of accents."
Is "Prahntoh" used in Vicenza or did his extensive use of English make him lapse into the English pronunciation? Non so! (I don't know!)
Less tax for little work
I've started doing our income taxes for the year and had a pleasant surprise. If I calculate the tax in a straightforward way, we will owe a few hundred dollars. If I calculate the tax with the worksheet for capital gains and dividends, we will get a refund of a few hundred dollars!
This is surprising because our income consists of Social Security, IRA withdrawals, two teensy-weensy pensions, and capital gains and dividends. Capital gains and dividends are less than a quarter of our total income. Social Security is about half, but it isn't all taxable.
An interesting thought: Social Security is considered an entitlement, but the capital gains and dividends are considered our due.
We worked for decades paying Social Security withholding; we buy and sell stocks with a click of the mouse. The capital gains are a form of gambling and really don't contribute to the economy other than providing liquidity for the market and fees for the brokerages. The dividends are based on the profits created by thousands and thousands of workers providing goods and services. And again, we didn't provide the capital for these companies; we bought it from someone else. For providing market liquidity, we supposedly are "makers". As Social Security recipients we are "takers".
This is surprising because our income consists of Social Security, IRA withdrawals, two teensy-weensy pensions, and capital gains and dividends. Capital gains and dividends are less than a quarter of our total income. Social Security is about half, but it isn't all taxable.
An interesting thought: Social Security is considered an entitlement, but the capital gains and dividends are considered our due.
We worked for decades paying Social Security withholding; we buy and sell stocks with a click of the mouse. The capital gains are a form of gambling and really don't contribute to the economy other than providing liquidity for the market and fees for the brokerages. The dividends are based on the profits created by thousands and thousands of workers providing goods and services. And again, we didn't provide the capital for these companies; we bought it from someone else. For providing market liquidity, we supposedly are "makers". As Social Security recipients we are "takers".
Medical care: Free market or fee racket?
Today I found some links to stories about those who have no insurance pay for medical care many times what Medicare would pay. A trite example is charging more for a single over-the-counter pill than the hospital's own pharmacy would charge for a whole bottle.
If you have a few hours to gnash your teeth, read
"Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us", Steven Brill, Time, 2013-02-20
"Healthcare Isn't a Free Market, It's a Giant Economic Scam", Mike Masnick, tech dirt, 2013-02-22
If you have a few hours to gnash your teeth, read
"Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us", Steven Brill, Time, 2013-02-20
"Healthcare Isn't a Free Market, It's a Giant Economic Scam", Mike Masnick, tech dirt, 2013-02-22
More fun with English orthography
The sow could not be a farmer because she cannot sow seeds.
The sow could not be a homemaker because she cannot sew beads.
As long as Robin Hood had his bow, he would bow before no man.
The Viking stood in the bow with his bow.
The sow could not be a homemaker because she cannot sew beads.
As long as Robin Hood had his bow, he would bow before no man.
The Viking stood in the bow with his bow.
Fun with English orthography
Though he went through the trough...
For my readers around the world who might only read English but not listen to it, the above could be written (not officially)
Tho he went thru the troff…
For my readers around the world who might only read English but not listen to it, the above could be written (not officially)
Tho he went thru the troff…
Quote of the day - the Suzuki method
"Though the Suziki method has shown amazing musical achievements, Dr. Suzuki's primary purpose is not to produce professional musicians, but to develop every child to his or her highest potential, giving each individual a sense of self worth and sensitivity to others."
From the program for the Senior Benefit Concert presented by the Lake Superior Suzuki Talent Education Program, UMD Fine Arts Academy, 2013-02-03.
From the program for the Senior Benefit Concert presented by the Lake Superior Suzuki Talent Education Program, UMD Fine Arts Academy, 2013-02-03.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Bring on the sequester
I really would rather not say so, but I think the sequester might be a good idea in the long term. It might really put an end to the arguments about smaller government.
Think about it. If the number of air traffic controllers and checkin security people are cut back, it might make air travel by business people even longer. If the amount of money allocated to states to clear the Interstate system of snow was reduced, it might make shipping by truck more expensive. If the number of FDA inspectors were cut back, it might cut into the sales and profits of food processing companies. If the number of customs agents were cut back, it would reduce the volume of imported goods that so many merchants depend on. If the number of patent examiners were cut back, it would take even longer for companies to get patents. If the number of Federal court employees were cut back, it would take even longer for companies to make their billion-dollar suits against their competitors.
Too many people ignore all the important services that government provides for people and corporations alike. A sequester might lead to rude awakening that we can't do without government.
Solitary Confinement - George Will a Liberal?
I often disagree with George Will, but he generally shows a reasonableness in his writing and doesn't take an automatic dogmatic position on many issues. He did so with his column "The Torture of Solitary Confinement", Washington Post, 2013-02-20 and republished in today's Star Tribune.
Will points out how psychologically damaging solitary confinement can be. Ironically, it was the Quakers who were influential in creating solitary confinement as a way to help prisoners gain some penance (thus, penitentiary). The colloquial "pen" wound up being more descriptive. Will also compares the three known water boarding cases to the tens of thousands who are put in solitary confinement.
I used to think that the conclusion of "El Secreto de sus Ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes)" was quite appropriate for the crime. Now I have second thoughts, especially considering the number of people sentenced for crimes they did not commit.
Will points out how psychologically damaging solitary confinement can be. Ironically, it was the Quakers who were influential in creating solitary confinement as a way to help prisoners gain some penance (thus, penitentiary). The colloquial "pen" wound up being more descriptive. Will also compares the three known water boarding cases to the tens of thousands who are put in solitary confinement.
I used to think that the conclusion of "El Secreto de sus Ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes)" was quite appropriate for the crime. Now I have second thoughts, especially considering the number of people sentenced for crimes they did not commit.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Reminders from George Washington
Tomorrow, if tradition is followed, a U. S. Senator will read George Washington's "Farewell Address". Correction: the reading is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Monday, 2013-02-25. .Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, read it last year, and so a Republican Senator will read it this year. Click here for more about this tradition.
No matter the party of whomever reads it, from Congresses past and current actions, I feel that Congress, and many others, politicians or not, ignore some very important parts of Washington's address. Click here for the full text from the Library of Congress.
Here are some of my selections that I feel we as a nation have ignored:
"Hence likewise they will avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments, which under any form of government are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty. "
"To the efficacy and permanency of your Union, a government for the whole is indispensable. No alliances, however strict, between the parts can be an adequate substitute."
"The very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish government pre-supposes the duty of every individual to obey the established government."
"However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion."
"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism."
[The spirit of party] "serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.'
To facilitate to them the performance of their duty, it is essential that you should practically bear in mind that towards the payment of debts there must be revenue; that to have revenue there must be taxes; that no taxes can be devised which are not more or less inconvenient and unpleasant…"
"…permanent, inveterate antipathies against particular nations and passionate attachments for others should be excluded and that in place of them just and amicable feelings towards all should be cultivated. The nation which indulges towards another an habitual hatred, or an habitual fondness, is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest."
No matter the party of whomever reads it, from Congresses past and current actions, I feel that Congress, and many others, politicians or not, ignore some very important parts of Washington's address. Click here for the full text from the Library of Congress.
Here are some of my selections that I feel we as a nation have ignored:
"Hence likewise they will avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments, which under any form of government are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty. "
"To the efficacy and permanency of your Union, a government for the whole is indispensable. No alliances, however strict, between the parts can be an adequate substitute."
"The very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish government pre-supposes the duty of every individual to obey the established government."
"However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion."
"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism."
[The spirit of party] "serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.'
To facilitate to them the performance of their duty, it is essential that you should practically bear in mind that towards the payment of debts there must be revenue; that to have revenue there must be taxes; that no taxes can be devised which are not more or less inconvenient and unpleasant…"
"…permanent, inveterate antipathies against particular nations and passionate attachments for others should be excluded and that in place of them just and amicable feelings towards all should be cultivated. The nation which indulges towards another an habitual hatred, or an habitual fondness, is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest."
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Synced calendars on Apple devices – the long chore is over
I don't know how many hours I put in over the last few weeks trying to get the same calendar events on my Mac, iPhone, and iPad, but it seemed one set back after another. The latest was that iTunes gave a message that "the sync server failed to sync" a device.
I scoured the Apple discussion groups and other forums. I finally got my final clues from one discussion and now have all my calendars with the same events (well almost, the iPhone has some extra, but that's another story).
My post when I got it working is:
I posted the following to "iTunes could not sync calendars to the iPhone "xx" because the sync server failed to sync the iPhone. What does this mean??" at
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15820680#15820680
I haven't seen it mentioned but the secret [in iTunes] is to
Sync only selected calendars
Select "Remove Calendars" from the popup window
(This is ambigous: from where are the calendars removed? From the device being synced to)
Click apply.
Oops! My memory is already gone stale. I think I left no calendars selected, then clicked apply. Then I selected the calendars that I wanted, then clicked apply.
In any case, I had a blank calendar on my iPad and then I had all the updated events that I wanted on my iPad.
Thanks to all who provided some of the essential clues to resolving this problem.
I scoured the Apple discussion groups and other forums. I finally got my final clues from one discussion and now have all my calendars with the same events (well almost, the iPhone has some extra, but that's another story).
My post when I got it working is:
I posted the following to "iTunes could not sync calendars to the iPhone "xx" because the sync server failed to sync the iPhone. What does this mean??" at
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15820680#15820680
I haven't seen it mentioned but the secret [in iTunes] is to
Sync only selected calendars
Select "Remove Calendars" from the popup window
(This is ambigous: from where are the calendars removed? From the device being synced to)
Click apply.
Oops! My memory is already gone stale. I think I left no calendars selected, then clicked apply. Then I selected the calendars that I wanted, then clicked apply.
In any case, I had a blank calendar on my iPad and then I had all the updated events that I wanted on my iPad.
Thanks to all who provided some of the essential clues to resolving this problem.
Video of the day - Elizabeth Warren on prosecuting big banks
In this undated video, Elizabeth Warren asks government regulators when they last prosecuted a big bank for violating the law. They answer by saying that they settle with the banks who pay some penalty. I recommend that you view this to the end for her zinger comparison to other situations.
Quote of the day - Corporate political contributions
"All contributions by corporations to any political committee or for any political purpose should be forbidden by law."
- Theodore Roosevelt
Posted on Facebook by the Coffee Party.
For more, see the Wikipedia article "Tillman Act of 1907".
- Theodore Roosevelt
Posted on Facebook by the Coffee Party.
For more, see the Wikipedia article "Tillman Act of 1907".
Monday, February 18, 2013
G.O.P. – The revenge of the Confederacy
Last week I mentioned to my wife that the Republican Party has been taken over by those still fighting the Civil War. Imagine my surprise and delight when I say Harry Welty's latest snow sculpture - an elephant holding a Confederate flag in its trunk. Harry also wrote a blog entry about the Southern takeover of the Republican Party.
Harry Welty is a local, maverick, wannabe politician. He was a Republican Party member for a long time, but his independent mindset couldn't take the dogmatism any longer. He now calls himself a Lincoln Democrat.
See also "Elephants sue GOP".
Harry Welty is a local, maverick, wannabe politician. He was a Republican Party member for a long time, but his independent mindset couldn't take the dogmatism any longer. He now calls himself a Lincoln Democrat.
See also "Elephants sue GOP".
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Elephants sue GOP
Elephants have sued the Republican Party for defamation of character because of its use of an elephant as its symbol. The elephants' reason is they know it takes a village to raise their young.
Two snowflakes alike is possible...
…but how probable is it that any one person will see two snowflakes alike.
A snowflake consists of a finite number of molecules in a finite number of fractal hexagons. A finite number times a finite number is still a finite number. Maybe somebody has worked out just how large this number is. Writing this at our cabin with a seemingly infinitely slow interconnection, I don't want to check it.
If we assume that there are a finite number of snowflakes, the next question is what is the probability that they will fall where one individual will see them together. Or have photographed a large number and found two alike.
My guess is that if a person sees a snowflake today in Minnesota, maybe somebody in the Andes saw an identical snowflake over a hundred years ago.
In advertising parlance, the possibilities are endless:)
A snowflake consists of a finite number of molecules in a finite number of fractal hexagons. A finite number times a finite number is still a finite number. Maybe somebody has worked out just how large this number is. Writing this at our cabin with a seemingly infinitely slow interconnection, I don't want to check it.
If we assume that there are a finite number of snowflakes, the next question is what is the probability that they will fall where one individual will see them together. Or have photographed a large number and found two alike.
My guess is that if a person sees a snowflake today in Minnesota, maybe somebody in the Andes saw an identical snowflake over a hundred years ago.
In advertising parlance, the possibilities are endless:)
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Notoriety not good for memory
It's a bit embarrassing when people say "Hi, Mel!" and I can't respond with their names. I know I have memory lapses, and sometimes I should have known a greeter's name. But with a little bit of hubris, I like to think that others have more reason to remember my name than I have to remember theirs. My name is in print more often.
That doesn't mean that everybody in Duluth knows who I am. I do know a couple of movers and shakers and they know my name, but there are probably many more movers and shakers who have no idea who I am.
I did write a column for the Reader Weekly, a regional freebie, for a few years, and once in a while I submit a letter or an opinion piece to the Duluth News Tribune. I've led a few classes for University for Seniors. And I do speak up in class a lot. I think this combination makes it easier for others to remember my name than for me to remember theirs.
When people ask if I'm still writing, I hand them my card with the URL of this blog. I think I've handed out far more cards than there are readers of this blog. I guess most people find it easier to read the newspaper than to type a URL in their browser.
That doesn't mean that everybody in Duluth knows who I am. I do know a couple of movers and shakers and they know my name, but there are probably many more movers and shakers who have no idea who I am.
I did write a column for the Reader Weekly, a regional freebie, for a few years, and once in a while I submit a letter or an opinion piece to the Duluth News Tribune. I've led a few classes for University for Seniors. And I do speak up in class a lot. I think this combination makes it easier for others to remember my name than for me to remember theirs.
When people ask if I'm still writing, I hand them my card with the URL of this blog. I think I've handed out far more cards than there are readers of this blog. I guess most people find it easier to read the newspaper than to type a URL in their browser.
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