26 May 2008
Happy 8th Birthday, Kaleb!
Over the past year, your defense helped your basketball team win a championship while going undefeated, you drew (and sold) comic books, you became a huge fan of Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Albert Einstein, read something like 20 books (and told Me all about them) and blazed through second grade with a straight-A average. But I also noticed you laughed less. Maybe I'm not funny (I doubt that) or maybe you're getting more sophisticated in your sense of humor or maybe it's that you're seeing the world around you in a larger context, and the joyful laugh of 6 has given way to the tight smile of--now--8.
It hasn't been an easy time for you, as the changes you saw last year have become a working pattern. You haven't said anything, but you were hoping the new house would make a difference. It hasn't. If anything, it seems as if the house has taken on a life and weight like that of a surly uncle, squatting through daily activities as a shadow. Sad to say, but there's nothing you can do about that.
You've started "tuning out" as a defense mechanism. It's not the best tool, but it's the only one you have at hand right now and I know that barring a miraculous leap in self-awareness that I never saw and don't expect, you'll simply perfect it and the cause of it will choose to blame Me rather than see and acknowledge who the real culprit is. That's okay, so long as you and I make sure you learn to use other tools equally well.
And that should be easy because you're learning that it is up to you to learn. You are trying to navigate the difficulties created by your home environment by tackling some of them head-on rather than waiting for them to keep pushing you. You see that school isn't the only teacher, that you can and must teach yourself. So now your questions range from history to science, from Spain's hero to Franklin's kite, from a meteor in Siberia to how metals are mined. You ask and expect an answer. I'm happy to say I've never stopped you from asking, no matter how many questions you come up with (and that I've almost never had to say "I don't know.")
This year, you face going to a new school, My expanded working schedule and I foresee--with deep sadness--that your closeness with your cousins will barely be a part of your 9th birthday, as their interests diverge from yours. At that point, you will be alone in a way that pains Me, and no matter what I do, that sense of loneliness will remain. When that happens, I'll do My part and I know you will do yours. I'm confident you will do yours better than I will deal with Mine.
Basketball season returns, We have the summer to swat baseballs and tennis balls, We'll go to the beach, We'll explore new places and new topics and ever so often, maybe when I least expect it, you will laugh. I hope We laugh often together, now and in the coming years. You're a wonderful boy, a wonderful son and may your laughter be generous and kind forevermore.
Happy Birthday, Kaleb. I love you.
Dad
It hasn't been an easy time for you, as the changes you saw last year have become a working pattern. You haven't said anything, but you were hoping the new house would make a difference. It hasn't. If anything, it seems as if the house has taken on a life and weight like that of a surly uncle, squatting through daily activities as a shadow. Sad to say, but there's nothing you can do about that.
You've started "tuning out" as a defense mechanism. It's not the best tool, but it's the only one you have at hand right now and I know that barring a miraculous leap in self-awareness that I never saw and don't expect, you'll simply perfect it and the cause of it will choose to blame Me rather than see and acknowledge who the real culprit is. That's okay, so long as you and I make sure you learn to use other tools equally well.
And that should be easy because you're learning that it is up to you to learn. You are trying to navigate the difficulties created by your home environment by tackling some of them head-on rather than waiting for them to keep pushing you. You see that school isn't the only teacher, that you can and must teach yourself. So now your questions range from history to science, from Spain's hero to Franklin's kite, from a meteor in Siberia to how metals are mined. You ask and expect an answer. I'm happy to say I've never stopped you from asking, no matter how many questions you come up with (and that I've almost never had to say "I don't know.")
This year, you face going to a new school, My expanded working schedule and I foresee--with deep sadness--that your closeness with your cousins will barely be a part of your 9th birthday, as their interests diverge from yours. At that point, you will be alone in a way that pains Me, and no matter what I do, that sense of loneliness will remain. When that happens, I'll do My part and I know you will do yours. I'm confident you will do yours better than I will deal with Mine.
Basketball season returns, We have the summer to swat baseballs and tennis balls, We'll go to the beach, We'll explore new places and new topics and ever so often, maybe when I least expect it, you will laugh. I hope We laugh often together, now and in the coming years. You're a wonderful boy, a wonderful son and may your laughter be generous and kind forevermore.
Happy Birthday, Kaleb. I love you.
Dad
Labels: personal
23 May 2008
Today's 25
It's not all lemon sour pickles at Chez Jenius. There are some moments of sweetness and light. Here's one, from the ever-growing Zen Habits blog. It's not the best list, but it's better than nothing and you can make it best of all.
25 Ways to Help a Fellow Human Being Today
...(S)trike back against the selfishness and greed of our modern world, and help out a fellow human being today. Not next month, but today.
Helping a fellow human being, while it can be inconvenient, has a few humble advantages:
--It makes you feel better about yourself;
--It connects you with another person, at least for a moment, if not for life;
--It improves the life of another, at least a little;
--It makes the world a better place, one little step at a time;
--And if that kindness is passed on, it can multiply, and multiply.
So take just a few minutes today, and do a kindness for another person. It can be something small, or the start of something big. Ask them to pay it forward. Put a smile on someone’s face.
Don’t know where to start? Here’s an extremely incomplete list, just to get you thinking — I’m sure you can come up with thousands more if you think about it.
1) Smile and be friendly. Sometimes a simple little thing like this can put a smile and warm feeling in someone else’s heart, and make their day a little better. They might then do the same for others.
2) Call a charity to volunteer. You don’t have to go to a soup kitchen today. Just look up the number, make the call, and make an appointment to volunteer sometime in the next month. It can be whatever charity you like. Volunteering is one of the most amazing things you can do.
3) Donate something you don’t use. Or a whole box of somethings. Drop them off at a charity — others can put your clutter to good use.
4) Make a donation. There are lots of ways to donate to charities online, or in your local community. Instead of buying yourself a new gadget or outfit, spend that money in a more positive way.
5) Redirect gifts. Instead of having people give you birthday or Christmas gifts, ask them to donate gifts or money to a certain charity.
6) Stop to help. The next time you see someone pulled over with a flat tire, or somehow in need of help, stop and ask how you can help. Sometimes all they need is a push, or the use of your cell phone.
7) Teach. Take the time to teach someone a skill you know. This could be teaching your grandma to use email, teaching your child to ride a bike, teaching your co-worker a valuable computer skill, teaching your spouse how to clean the darn toilet. OK, that last one doesn’t count.
8) Comfort someone in grief. Often a hug, a helpful hand, a kind word, a listening ear, will go a long way when someone has lost a loved one or suffered some similar loss or tragedy.
9) Help them take action. If someone in grief seems to be lost and doesn’t know what to do, help them do something. It could be making funeral arrangements, it could be making a doctor’s appointment, it could be making phone calls. Don’t do it all yourself — let them take action too, because it helps in the healing process.
10) Buy food for a homeless person. Cash is often a bad idea if it’s going to be used for drugs, but buying a sandwich and chips or something like that is a good gesture. Be respectful and friendly.
11) Lend your ear. Often someone who is sad, depressed, angry, or frustrated just needs someone who will listen. Venting and talking through an issue is a huge help.
12) Help someone on the edge. If someone is suicidal, urge them to get help. If they don’t, call a suicide hotline or doctor yourself to get advice.
13) Help someone get active. A person in your life who wants to get healthy might need a helping hand — offer to go walking or running together, to join a gym together. Once they get started, it can have profound effects.
14) Do a chore. Something small or big, like cleaning up or washing a car or doing the dishes or cutting a lawn.
15) Give a massage. Only when appropriate of course. But a massage can go a long way to making someone feel better.
16) Send a nice email. Just a quick note telling someone how much you appreciate them, or how proud you are of them, or just saying thank you for something they did.
17) Show appreciation, publicly. Praising someone on a blog, in front of coworkers, in front of family, or in some other public way, is a great way to make them feel better about themselves.
18) Donate food. Clean out your cupboard of canned goods, or buy a couple bags of groceries, and donate them to a homeless shelter.
19) Just be there. When someone you know is in need, sometimes it’s just good to be there. Sit with them. Talk. Help out if you can.
20) Be patient. Sometimes people can have difficulty understanding things, or learning to do something right. Learn to be patient with them.
21) Tutor a child. This might be difficult to do today, but often parents can’t afford to hire a tutor for their child in need of help. Call a school and volunteer your tutoring services.
22) Create a care package. Soup, reading material, tea, chocolate … anything you think the person might need or enjoy. Good for someone who is sick or otherwise in need of a pick-me-up.
23) Lend your voice. Often the powerless, the homeless, the neglected in our world need someone to speak up for them. You don’t have to take on that cause by yourself, but join others in signing a petition, speaking up a a council meeting, writing letters, and otherwise making a need heard.
24) Offer to babysit. Sometimes parents need a break. If a friend or other loved one in your life doesn’t get that chance very often, call them and offer to babysit sometime. Set up an appointment. It can make a big difference.
25) Love. Simply finding ways to express your love to others, whether it be your partner, child, other family member, friend, co-worker, or a complete stranger … just express your love. A hug, a kind word, spending time, showing little kindnesses, being friendly … it all matters more than you know.
The Jenius Has Quoted.
25 Ways to Help a Fellow Human Being Today
...(S)trike back against the selfishness and greed of our modern world, and help out a fellow human being today. Not next month, but today.
Helping a fellow human being, while it can be inconvenient, has a few humble advantages:
--It makes you feel better about yourself;
--It connects you with another person, at least for a moment, if not for life;
--It improves the life of another, at least a little;
--It makes the world a better place, one little step at a time;
--And if that kindness is passed on, it can multiply, and multiply.
So take just a few minutes today, and do a kindness for another person. It can be something small, or the start of something big. Ask them to pay it forward. Put a smile on someone’s face.
Don’t know where to start? Here’s an extremely incomplete list, just to get you thinking — I’m sure you can come up with thousands more if you think about it.
1) Smile and be friendly. Sometimes a simple little thing like this can put a smile and warm feeling in someone else’s heart, and make their day a little better. They might then do the same for others.
2) Call a charity to volunteer. You don’t have to go to a soup kitchen today. Just look up the number, make the call, and make an appointment to volunteer sometime in the next month. It can be whatever charity you like. Volunteering is one of the most amazing things you can do.
3) Donate something you don’t use. Or a whole box of somethings. Drop them off at a charity — others can put your clutter to good use.
4) Make a donation. There are lots of ways to donate to charities online, or in your local community. Instead of buying yourself a new gadget or outfit, spend that money in a more positive way.
5) Redirect gifts. Instead of having people give you birthday or Christmas gifts, ask them to donate gifts or money to a certain charity.
6) Stop to help. The next time you see someone pulled over with a flat tire, or somehow in need of help, stop and ask how you can help. Sometimes all they need is a push, or the use of your cell phone.
7) Teach. Take the time to teach someone a skill you know. This could be teaching your grandma to use email, teaching your child to ride a bike, teaching your co-worker a valuable computer skill, teaching your spouse how to clean the darn toilet. OK, that last one doesn’t count.
8) Comfort someone in grief. Often a hug, a helpful hand, a kind word, a listening ear, will go a long way when someone has lost a loved one or suffered some similar loss or tragedy.
9) Help them take action. If someone in grief seems to be lost and doesn’t know what to do, help them do something. It could be making funeral arrangements, it could be making a doctor’s appointment, it could be making phone calls. Don’t do it all yourself — let them take action too, because it helps in the healing process.
10) Buy food for a homeless person. Cash is often a bad idea if it’s going to be used for drugs, but buying a sandwich and chips or something like that is a good gesture. Be respectful and friendly.
11) Lend your ear. Often someone who is sad, depressed, angry, or frustrated just needs someone who will listen. Venting and talking through an issue is a huge help.
12) Help someone on the edge. If someone is suicidal, urge them to get help. If they don’t, call a suicide hotline or doctor yourself to get advice.
13) Help someone get active. A person in your life who wants to get healthy might need a helping hand — offer to go walking or running together, to join a gym together. Once they get started, it can have profound effects.
14) Do a chore. Something small or big, like cleaning up or washing a car or doing the dishes or cutting a lawn.
15) Give a massage. Only when appropriate of course. But a massage can go a long way to making someone feel better.
16) Send a nice email. Just a quick note telling someone how much you appreciate them, or how proud you are of them, or just saying thank you for something they did.
17) Show appreciation, publicly. Praising someone on a blog, in front of coworkers, in front of family, or in some other public way, is a great way to make them feel better about themselves.
18) Donate food. Clean out your cupboard of canned goods, or buy a couple bags of groceries, and donate them to a homeless shelter.
19) Just be there. When someone you know is in need, sometimes it’s just good to be there. Sit with them. Talk. Help out if you can.
20) Be patient. Sometimes people can have difficulty understanding things, or learning to do something right. Learn to be patient with them.
21) Tutor a child. This might be difficult to do today, but often parents can’t afford to hire a tutor for their child in need of help. Call a school and volunteer your tutoring services.
22) Create a care package. Soup, reading material, tea, chocolate … anything you think the person might need or enjoy. Good for someone who is sick or otherwise in need of a pick-me-up.
23) Lend your voice. Often the powerless, the homeless, the neglected in our world need someone to speak up for them. You don’t have to take on that cause by yourself, but join others in signing a petition, speaking up a a council meeting, writing letters, and otherwise making a need heard.
24) Offer to babysit. Sometimes parents need a break. If a friend or other loved one in your life doesn’t get that chance very often, call them and offer to babysit sometime. Set up an appointment. It can make a big difference.
25) Love. Simply finding ways to express your love to others, whether it be your partner, child, other family member, friend, co-worker, or a complete stranger … just express your love. A hug, a kind word, spending time, showing little kindnesses, being friendly … it all matters more than you know.
The Jenius Has Quoted.
Labels: idea, productivity, society
21 May 2008
Ignore This Too
There's a tendency We have in Puerto Rico to very selectively ignore issues that are eating Us alive. Some examples:
--Our status vis-á-vis the U.S: The only ones who really focus on this issue are the Fools. However, they focus on it so badly and to such a laughable degree of idiocy that We would be better off if they simply dropped the matter altogether.
--Our deteriorating infrastructure: From schools to roads to public facilities, We're going to hell in a (broken) handbasket. The efforts We make are largely patchwork: What We need is wholesale redevelopment, beginning with communications.
--A monolithic economy: From a Third World-type banking system (one huge central bank and wanna-bes as satellites) to an "all eggs in the pharmaceutical (broken) basket," Our economy has the trappings of a poker game played with ice cubes as chips: It's just a matter of time before the game is all wet...then ends with everyone broke.
--A rising tide of tech-savvy youth: Why is this bad? We have nothing to offer them to keep them involved with Us. We bore them with inadequate resources at school, We oversell them in all media while underselling their talents and We curtail their entrepreneurial spirit with enough red tape to choke a whale. When they start leaving--a trickle in 2010, a flood by 2015--you'll wake up in tardy dismay.
--A political system so warped it actually represents outside interests better than Our interests. Who is "outside"? Check where the money trail leads to. Here's a hint: It doesn't stay in Puerto Rico.
Ignorance is bliss. No wonder We're so happy as a people. At least most of Us are. The minority that sees and feels these issues cannot ever rest easy, but toss restlessly wondering how We came to lay in this (broken) bed.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
--Our status vis-á-vis the U.S: The only ones who really focus on this issue are the Fools. However, they focus on it so badly and to such a laughable degree of idiocy that We would be better off if they simply dropped the matter altogether.
--Our deteriorating infrastructure: From schools to roads to public facilities, We're going to hell in a (broken) handbasket. The efforts We make are largely patchwork: What We need is wholesale redevelopment, beginning with communications.
--A monolithic economy: From a Third World-type banking system (one huge central bank and wanna-bes as satellites) to an "all eggs in the pharmaceutical (broken) basket," Our economy has the trappings of a poker game played with ice cubes as chips: It's just a matter of time before the game is all wet...then ends with everyone broke.
--A rising tide of tech-savvy youth: Why is this bad? We have nothing to offer them to keep them involved with Us. We bore them with inadequate resources at school, We oversell them in all media while underselling their talents and We curtail their entrepreneurial spirit with enough red tape to choke a whale. When they start leaving--a trickle in 2010, a flood by 2015--you'll wake up in tardy dismay.
--A political system so warped it actually represents outside interests better than Our interests. Who is "outside"? Check where the money trail leads to. Here's a hint: It doesn't stay in Puerto Rico.
Ignorance is bliss. No wonder We're so happy as a people. At least most of Us are. The minority that sees and feels these issues cannot ever rest easy, but toss restlessly wondering how We came to lay in this (broken) bed.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: commentary, politics, self-image, society
19 May 2008
Employers "Find" Puerto Rico
Ha.
That's the most this headlined article from The Atlanta Constitution deserves. Here are the chucklers:
"Puerto Rico is part of the United States, so its residents are American citizens." Yes, let's explain to them good ol' boys what Puerto Rico is, shan't We? And while We're at it, can We also explain why nobody gives a tinker's damn?
"...the latest trend includes a greater variety of industries, such as hotels and resorts, hospitals, and meat-processing operations." Oh, yeah, definitely a brain drain issue We should all be worried about, considering that "hospitals" means "nurses" and everything else is "maintenance and factory floor."
"Cargill Meat Solutions, a pork processor in Beardstown Ill., began recruiting workers from Puerto Rico last year. They now have dozens of workers from the island, according to various news reports." Yeah, don't ask what's in your sausage... or who's making them.
About the Aspen Skiing Company recruitment: "About 20 Puerto Rican men and women were recruited to work as maids, maintenance workers, and other hotel jobs." I rest My "brain drain" case...
"The unemployment rate on the island is about 10 percent, twice as high as on the U.S. mainland, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics." Oh, please. Lies, damn lies and statistics, people, and unemployment statistics take the cowcake. Real unemployment in Puerto Rico is not 10%, or even a hideous 20%: It's closer to 25% and if you chuck in welfare tapeworms and Fools it could be as high as 35%.
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Kiss My black ass. The numbers you purport to sling around are bogus, and when it comes to Puerto Rico, they would need God's blessing to rise to bogus. And Atlanta Constitution, you're so far out to sea on this issue that you just hit land and called it "The New World." Employers didn't "find" Puerto Rico: We found them. Even your own article tells the redneck region how it happens: "The effort started through a Meadowbrook employee in the human resources department from Puerto Rico who helped the company make contacts through her family on the island."
So wise up, Atlanta (Morning) Constitution(al): Employers haven't "found" Puerto Rico since Jesse Fewkes wrote about Our people in the early 1900s. We go to where they--the employers--are and We make the connections. Stop acting like We're some secret stash of menial labor and that your article is some sort of "news" item. Just because you can't hack it anymore or have a history of "whitey-first" superciliousness doesn't mean you can come into My bailiwick and act all snooty and stupid.
Although I'm willing to bet gold chunks to Dixie grits that that's the best you can do. And I hate grits.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
That's the most this headlined article from The Atlanta Constitution deserves. Here are the chucklers:
"Puerto Rico is part of the United States, so its residents are American citizens." Yes, let's explain to them good ol' boys what Puerto Rico is, shan't We? And while We're at it, can We also explain why nobody gives a tinker's damn?
"...the latest trend includes a greater variety of industries, such as hotels and resorts, hospitals, and meat-processing operations." Oh, yeah, definitely a brain drain issue We should all be worried about, considering that "hospitals" means "nurses" and everything else is "maintenance and factory floor."
"Cargill Meat Solutions, a pork processor in Beardstown Ill., began recruiting workers from Puerto Rico last year. They now have dozens of workers from the island, according to various news reports." Yeah, don't ask what's in your sausage... or who's making them.
About the Aspen Skiing Company recruitment: "About 20 Puerto Rican men and women were recruited to work as maids, maintenance workers, and other hotel jobs." I rest My "brain drain" case...
"The unemployment rate on the island is about 10 percent, twice as high as on the U.S. mainland, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics." Oh, please. Lies, damn lies and statistics, people, and unemployment statistics take the cowcake. Real unemployment in Puerto Rico is not 10%, or even a hideous 20%: It's closer to 25% and if you chuck in welfare tapeworms and Fools it could be as high as 35%.
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Kiss My black ass. The numbers you purport to sling around are bogus, and when it comes to Puerto Rico, they would need God's blessing to rise to bogus. And Atlanta Constitution, you're so far out to sea on this issue that you just hit land and called it "The New World." Employers didn't "find" Puerto Rico: We found them. Even your own article tells the redneck region how it happens: "The effort started through a Meadowbrook employee in the human resources department from Puerto Rico who helped the company make contacts through her family on the island."
So wise up, Atlanta (Morning) Constitution(al): Employers haven't "found" Puerto Rico since Jesse Fewkes wrote about Our people in the early 1900s. We go to where they--the employers--are and We make the connections. Stop acting like We're some secret stash of menial labor and that your article is some sort of "news" item. Just because you can't hack it anymore or have a history of "whitey-first" superciliousness doesn't mean you can come into My bailiwick and act all snooty and stupid.
Although I'm willing to bet gold chunks to Dixie grits that that's the best you can do. And I hate grits.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: commentary, media, self-image
16 May 2008
Dis Incentives
Local business leaders tell Me that what We're cooking in terms of a new Incentives Law is going to make Puerto Rico the most-attractive business spot in the world. They talk about tax-free this and subsidy-based that and not once have I heard any of them tackle the single most important point in the whole discussion:
Why would Uncle Sam allow it?
I'm talking about the Uncle Sam who's facing a recession and a lame president with the leadership skills and moral compass of roadkill. I'm talking about the Uncle Sam who sees his business leadership base eroding faster than a sand castle in a Katrina-ravaged levee. I'm talking about the same Uncle Sam who didn't give a rat's ass about corporate profits under Treasury Section 936 when it came time to choose between "votes" and "Puerto Rico."
What makes these business and industry leaders think that Puerto Rico is going to be able to craft a set of incentives that leave Singapore, Ireland and the other current investment hotspots in Our dust without having the U.S. of part of A. either (a) Rejecting it under federal statutes; (b) Rejecting it under established commercial statutes or (c) Simply slapping it down at the congressional level and doing it themselves?
I'd call these leaders naive if it weren't for the fact that they aren't: They are ignoring the point because if they stop to think about it, We'd have no apparent solution to Our crisis. And delusion is better than despair.
So the words fly, the banalities are uttered and the 800-pound moose in the breakfast nook snuffles all over the doughnuts and We pretend it's the morning breeze. Should We continue to develop new ideas and potential solutions? Of course. Should We do it in a vacuum, in a bubble of Our limited self-interest that refuses to acknowledge the real world?
No. That's what got Us here in the first place.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Why would Uncle Sam allow it?
I'm talking about the Uncle Sam who's facing a recession and a lame president with the leadership skills and moral compass of roadkill. I'm talking about the Uncle Sam who sees his business leadership base eroding faster than a sand castle in a Katrina-ravaged levee. I'm talking about the same Uncle Sam who didn't give a rat's ass about corporate profits under Treasury Section 936 when it came time to choose between "votes" and "Puerto Rico."
What makes these business and industry leaders think that Puerto Rico is going to be able to craft a set of incentives that leave Singapore, Ireland and the other current investment hotspots in Our dust without having the U.S. of part of A. either (a) Rejecting it under federal statutes; (b) Rejecting it under established commercial statutes or (c) Simply slapping it down at the congressional level and doing it themselves?
I'd call these leaders naive if it weren't for the fact that they aren't: They are ignoring the point because if they stop to think about it, We'd have no apparent solution to Our crisis. And delusion is better than despair.
So the words fly, the banalities are uttered and the 800-pound moose in the breakfast nook snuffles all over the doughnuts and We pretend it's the morning breeze. Should We continue to develop new ideas and potential solutions? Of course. Should We do it in a vacuum, in a bubble of Our limited self-interest that refuses to acknowledge the real world?
No. That's what got Us here in the first place.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: business, economy, government
14 May 2008
Government (Non)Employees
A couple of things that are bothering Me:
---Despite a binding vote, the local legislature--Fool's Paradise--has moved with the blazing speed of snail poo on the issue of unicamerality. The real issue of that vote, early in the current governor's useless term, was not that We wanted to be like Nebraska, but that We wanted a reduction in the number of idiots running amok. As such, the Fools have no incentive to work on this, Our collective will seldom coalesces for anything other than voting on "talent" shows and the whole exercise becomes one that defines futility.
Here's an idea: Let's shelve the whole unicameral issue and have the Jellyfish governor and the Fool's Paradise request an across-the-board 20% reduction in the number of government employees. THAT will get attention, start a useless debate (useless because them firings ain't gonna happen) and consume another four years of non-action.
---Speaking of government employees, Let's cancel the unions they have. Uh-huh, I said cancel. As in eliminate, terminate and expunge. Why are employees who can't be fired unless they are butt-buddies with another convict in their eighth month in jail "protected" by unions? The government gives these essentially underachieving dolts a level of protection that practically carries their inertia from Day One to Pension, so what are unions doing in the mix? Here's what: Creating another level of widespread graft.
That's it. They have no other function. None. It's all about graft. Unions create a political barrier that is used to extort money and privileges, by politicians, government officials and union leadership. If you think The Jenius is sounding neo-con loony, here's a question: How many judicial cases have local government unions won in defense of their positions?
Here's the answer: None since the 1970s, when the last Employee Protection Act laws were implemented. Coincidence? Hell no. Just the objective (or at least, judicial) confirmation that the local government union is a fiction without a shred of utility... except for quasi-legal and even illegal purposes.
Get rid of the unions and let government employees spend their soft-earned money on other wastes of time and money. Like political campaigns.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
---Despite a binding vote, the local legislature--Fool's Paradise--has moved with the blazing speed of snail poo on the issue of unicamerality. The real issue of that vote, early in the current governor's useless term, was not that We wanted to be like Nebraska, but that We wanted a reduction in the number of idiots running amok. As such, the Fools have no incentive to work on this, Our collective will seldom coalesces for anything other than voting on "talent" shows and the whole exercise becomes one that defines futility.
Here's an idea: Let's shelve the whole unicameral issue and have the Jellyfish governor and the Fool's Paradise request an across-the-board 20% reduction in the number of government employees. THAT will get attention, start a useless debate (useless because them firings ain't gonna happen) and consume another four years of non-action.
---Speaking of government employees, Let's cancel the unions they have. Uh-huh, I said cancel. As in eliminate, terminate and expunge. Why are employees who can't be fired unless they are butt-buddies with another convict in their eighth month in jail "protected" by unions? The government gives these essentially underachieving dolts a level of protection that practically carries their inertia from Day One to Pension, so what are unions doing in the mix? Here's what: Creating another level of widespread graft.
That's it. They have no other function. None. It's all about graft. Unions create a political barrier that is used to extort money and privileges, by politicians, government officials and union leadership. If you think The Jenius is sounding neo-con loony, here's a question: How many judicial cases have local government unions won in defense of their positions?
Here's the answer: None since the 1970s, when the last Employee Protection Act laws were implemented. Coincidence? Hell no. Just the objective (or at least, judicial) confirmation that the local government union is a fiction without a shred of utility... except for quasi-legal and even illegal purposes.
Get rid of the unions and let government employees spend their soft-earned money on other wastes of time and money. Like political campaigns.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: corruption, Fools, government
12 May 2008
Damning Lies
According to a National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse Center study, done in 2005, prescription drugs cause more deaths than a whole slew of other causes:
Cause of Death Annual Death Toll 2005
Prescription Drugs 32,000
Suicide 30,622
Car Accidents 26,347
Firearms 29,000
Homicide 20,308
Sexual Behavior 20,000
HIV/AIDS 17,011
Illegal Drugs 17,000
Anti-Inflammatory 7,600
Terrorism 310
I looove the round numbers, the idea that "Sexual Behavior" is a top cause and did you notice where "Terrorism" ranks? Seems there's more American deaths in Iraq "preventing" terrorism and waaay more Iraqi killed by "protection" efforts than Americans killed by prescription drugs and firearms combined.
Okay, where's the Puerto Rico angle, Jenius? Simple: We made most of those prescription drugs.
So, technically, We're accessories to these deaths, right? And see that "Firearms" number? If I remember correctly, We contributed about 785 of those deaths that year. "Suicide"? We put up about 520 of those. "Accidents"? Close to 730.
"AIDS"? About 230. "Illegal drugs?" Anywhere from 240 to 1,600, depending on whether you count just identified illegal drug overdoses or illegal drug-related deaths, like drive-bys and turf wars. "Anti-Inflammatory"? Don't know. "Sexual Behavior"? Who knows? And under "Terrorism," I wonder if they count the F.B.I. killing a bomb-maimed (his own fault) local criminal fugitive?
Now considering that We're one of 54 States and Territories comprising roughly 1.4% of the U.S. of part of A.'s population, We seem to be on the high end of contributing dead people. (You can ignore My "prescription drug deaths accessory" quip since you already have.) And because the range goes from lies to damn lies to statistics, you'd be wrong, because the study quoted above didn't include Puerto Rico. I did, for comparison purposes.
But in terms of the dead in aforementioned Iraq, We've lost 35 of Our own and counting, 35 out of over 4,077...and counting.
Are We contributing "Our fair share" to the current Iraq war? Nobody is. There is no "fair share." There's only the pain of lies leading to the pain of death.
Lies, damn lies, statistics... and murderous moron lies.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Cause of Death Annual Death Toll 2005
Prescription Drugs 32,000
Suicide 30,622
Car Accidents 26,347
Firearms 29,000
Homicide 20,308
Sexual Behavior 20,000
HIV/AIDS 17,011
Illegal Drugs 17,000
Anti-Inflammatory 7,600
Terrorism 310
I looove the round numbers, the idea that "Sexual Behavior" is a top cause and did you notice where "Terrorism" ranks? Seems there's more American deaths in Iraq "preventing" terrorism and waaay more Iraqi killed by "protection" efforts than Americans killed by prescription drugs and firearms combined.
Okay, where's the Puerto Rico angle, Jenius? Simple: We made most of those prescription drugs.
So, technically, We're accessories to these deaths, right? And see that "Firearms" number? If I remember correctly, We contributed about 785 of those deaths that year. "Suicide"? We put up about 520 of those. "Accidents"? Close to 730.
"AIDS"? About 230. "Illegal drugs?" Anywhere from 240 to 1,600, depending on whether you count just identified illegal drug overdoses or illegal drug-related deaths, like drive-bys and turf wars. "Anti-Inflammatory"? Don't know. "Sexual Behavior"? Who knows? And under "Terrorism," I wonder if they count the F.B.I. killing a bomb-maimed (his own fault) local criminal fugitive?
Now considering that We're one of 54 States and Territories comprising roughly 1.4% of the U.S. of part of A.'s population, We seem to be on the high end of contributing dead people. (You can ignore My "prescription drug deaths accessory" quip since you already have.) And because the range goes from lies to damn lies to statistics, you'd be wrong, because the study quoted above didn't include Puerto Rico. I did, for comparison purposes.
But in terms of the dead in aforementioned Iraq, We've lost 35 of Our own and counting, 35 out of over 4,077...and counting.
Are We contributing "Our fair share" to the current Iraq war? Nobody is. There is no "fair share." There's only the pain of lies leading to the pain of death.
Lies, damn lies, statistics... and murderous moron lies.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: murderous moron
09 May 2008
Cloud Humans
Under what circumstances would a cyborgian "human-cloud computing society" emerge?
The general thrust of that question has a few notions implied:
(1) That cloud computing will grow pervasive, if it hasn't already done so.
(2) That humans would want to "meld" with that capacity.
(3) That the "melding" would be possible for long-term interaction.
The basis of My question is that cloud computing is not so much about technology as it is about the services and benefits that technology provides. Because it is based on the idea of gain rather than an idea of "tools", it would seem natural to see people evolving towards wanting to have those benefits all the time.
(Yes, I'm headed into science fiction territory. Not the first time, you know.)
Here's My checklist:
--A society that sees benefits more than technology, i.e., isn't focused on "the newest gadget," but rather on "what's in it for Me."
--A society that is restricted in some way, either geographically, economically or less likely, politically. (Political restrictions usually limit technology severely.)
--High population density leading to increased social interactions and higher levels of competition.
--A society with a sense of "looseness" or--better term--an indifference to rigidity in terms of what's acceptable. Open-minded.
--Economic incentives based on either marginal income, limited opportunities and/or an impetus to get ahead/get out.
Based on that, one could say that My proposed "human-cloud" hybrid would emerge in big cities that serve as technology, economic and social hubs. Think mega-cities such as New York, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, or maybe San Francisco what with Silicon Valley tech-heads and venture capital running loose. But there's another potential incubator: Islands. Singapore comes to mind.
And Puerto Rico.
Before you scoff: Thousands of marginalized youths, mostly competitive males, with access to technology, a burning desire to get ahead to get out and a very "open" mind based more on need and greed than on rationale. Access to the deep pool of information and leverage offered by the cloud would be seen as a godsend, if not a basic right.
How many of them would it take--walking human-cloud go-getters hooked into noteworthy levels of success--before the fringe trend starts converting more mainstream folks into hybrids?
Assuming the human-cloud hybrid is possible, of course. And you know it is possible.
All it takes is the desire to move from clod to... cloud.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
The general thrust of that question has a few notions implied:
(1) That cloud computing will grow pervasive, if it hasn't already done so.
(2) That humans would want to "meld" with that capacity.
(3) That the "melding" would be possible for long-term interaction.
The basis of My question is that cloud computing is not so much about technology as it is about the services and benefits that technology provides. Because it is based on the idea of gain rather than an idea of "tools", it would seem natural to see people evolving towards wanting to have those benefits all the time.
(Yes, I'm headed into science fiction territory. Not the first time, you know.)
Here's My checklist:
--A society that sees benefits more than technology, i.e., isn't focused on "the newest gadget," but rather on "what's in it for Me."
--A society that is restricted in some way, either geographically, economically or less likely, politically. (Political restrictions usually limit technology severely.)
--High population density leading to increased social interactions and higher levels of competition.
--A society with a sense of "looseness" or--better term--an indifference to rigidity in terms of what's acceptable. Open-minded.
--Economic incentives based on either marginal income, limited opportunities and/or an impetus to get ahead/get out.
Based on that, one could say that My proposed "human-cloud" hybrid would emerge in big cities that serve as technology, economic and social hubs. Think mega-cities such as New York, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, or maybe San Francisco what with Silicon Valley tech-heads and venture capital running loose. But there's another potential incubator: Islands. Singapore comes to mind.
And Puerto Rico.
Before you scoff: Thousands of marginalized youths, mostly competitive males, with access to technology, a burning desire to get ahead to get out and a very "open" mind based more on need and greed than on rationale. Access to the deep pool of information and leverage offered by the cloud would be seen as a godsend, if not a basic right.
How many of them would it take--walking human-cloud go-getters hooked into noteworthy levels of success--before the fringe trend starts converting more mainstream folks into hybrids?
Assuming the human-cloud hybrid is possible, of course. And you know it is possible.
All it takes is the desire to move from clod to... cloud.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: future, society, technology
07 May 2008
Them, Me and Not Us
Another Thank You to Janine Mendes-Franco for picking up a Jenius post again. Someday, I have to meet her.
They gather just outside the fence that separates the Presbyterian church from the school area. Their ages range from late-40s/early 50s to mid-70s. They greet each other lightly, casually and after routine preliminaries, they begin their conversation. And lord love a duck are they a banal bunch.
The heat. Or the rain. Or yesterday's heat/rain. The price of gas. One or two headlines from a local daily, most often some hideous crime. The governor and how useless he is. The legislature and how useless some of them (usually the governor's men and women) are. Taxes. And whatever happened years ago to one of them that has a passing connection to today's insipidness.
They used to greet Me. They don't bother anymore, for I never answered. Now they refuse to acknowledge My presence, which serves Us all fine. For almost two years, their group hasn't varied very much, the parents and grandparents of My son's classmates. They know I always show up with something to read or jabbering away on My cell phone. I sit near them because there is no space far from them. I wish they'd dry up and blow away. They probably wish Me the same or worse.
My disgust with them is based on the bright children they come to pick up. Fun-loving, sweet kids who ask Me if it's My birthday every day (as I claim) or if My hat was in a movie (as I also claim.) They know I'm kidding. The way I see it, school's out! Time to have fun! But the adults around Me are ass-deep in their own ruts, incapable of a new thought, a new idea or a new way of seeing things. They see Me (most likely) as an alien, a clown, a bad influence and/or someone who's clear proof that not everyone who is a parent should be.
Maybe I'm making too much of these brief encounters, these half-hours of mid-afternoon avoidance We engage in. But I bet I'm right, for after all, their kids and grandkids ask Me if I read so much because I'm in college (because "they" say reading is only for those in school, perhaps?), if I show up early because I lost My job (self-employed professionals only exist in movies, right?) and if My son likes being with Me (I kid you not, pun intended.)
Now you tell Me: Is that the kind of question a kid thinks up to ask an adult all by himself?
I don't think so either. "They," the rut dwellers, can't figure Me out. Maybe I haven't nailed them either. But one thing We're sure of: We don't give a damn for each other.
And yet, that probably means We lose more than We might gain, right?
The Jenius Has Spoken.
They gather just outside the fence that separates the Presbyterian church from the school area. Their ages range from late-40s/early 50s to mid-70s. They greet each other lightly, casually and after routine preliminaries, they begin their conversation. And lord love a duck are they a banal bunch.
The heat. Or the rain. Or yesterday's heat/rain. The price of gas. One or two headlines from a local daily, most often some hideous crime. The governor and how useless he is. The legislature and how useless some of them (usually the governor's men and women) are. Taxes. And whatever happened years ago to one of them that has a passing connection to today's insipidness.
They used to greet Me. They don't bother anymore, for I never answered. Now they refuse to acknowledge My presence, which serves Us all fine. For almost two years, their group hasn't varied very much, the parents and grandparents of My son's classmates. They know I always show up with something to read or jabbering away on My cell phone. I sit near them because there is no space far from them. I wish they'd dry up and blow away. They probably wish Me the same or worse.
My disgust with them is based on the bright children they come to pick up. Fun-loving, sweet kids who ask Me if it's My birthday every day (as I claim) or if My hat was in a movie (as I also claim.) They know I'm kidding. The way I see it, school's out! Time to have fun! But the adults around Me are ass-deep in their own ruts, incapable of a new thought, a new idea or a new way of seeing things. They see Me (most likely) as an alien, a clown, a bad influence and/or someone who's clear proof that not everyone who is a parent should be.
Maybe I'm making too much of these brief encounters, these half-hours of mid-afternoon avoidance We engage in. But I bet I'm right, for after all, their kids and grandkids ask Me if I read so much because I'm in college (because "they" say reading is only for those in school, perhaps?), if I show up early because I lost My job (self-employed professionals only exist in movies, right?) and if My son likes being with Me (I kid you not, pun intended.)
Now you tell Me: Is that the kind of question a kid thinks up to ask an adult all by himself?
I don't think so either. "They," the rut dwellers, can't figure Me out. Maybe I haven't nailed them either. But one thing We're sure of: We don't give a damn for each other.
And yet, that probably means We lose more than We might gain, right?
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: personal
05 May 2008
THE Technology for Puerto Rico
What technology--applied wholesale to Puerto Rico--would have the greatest positive impact?
I asked that question (or one very much like it) in My lunch with Gabriel Pagán, of I Can't Spell fame. In any case, the question posed above is the one I'll answer.
My first ideas on this were that the technology in question would have to cover three basic characteristics:
1) User-friendly: Think "cell phone" versus "computer."
2) Economical: Same example.
3) Capable of "trendiness." Harder to define, but the same example applies. Cell phones come out more often with a variety of options and personalizations, much more so than a computer.
That's when I noticed (as you have) that what We're looking for here is "the new cell phone." It's debatable if the cell phone has had a great positive impact, but an opponent to them would have a very hard time arguing against the value of their ubiquitous presence.
I gave this more thought than I estimated I would. In fact, I may have spent more time with this question than with practically anything else I've posted as The Jenius. (Make of that what you will.) I even confirmed the definition of technology to make sure I would leave no stone unturned.
Those of you familiar with My writings and/or personality would assume I went down a few strange side-streets... and I did. And through it all, I kept coming back to one concept:
Accelerated learning.
You can pick your jaw off the desk now. I mean it: Accelerated learning. Here's why.
---Puerto Rico has a stronger tendency to short-term thinking than long-term. Now that's certainly a human trait, but We generally evince it to a higher degree than most. Accelerated learning, if it hits the tripartite sweet spot noted above, would radically alter Our society. The bad side of short-term thinking is opportunism, which We have in spades and nearly idolize as a lifestyle. That's where accelerated learning makes its largest impact: It makes (can make) opportunism an incentive to learn, instead of an incentive to "slide by." The more you know--or the more you can learn--the more you can take advantage of the circumstances.
---Handled by business, it would take the process of education out of the government's hands, also reducing Our witless over-reliance on that Fool's Paradise. Accelerated learning would move education from "class" to "individual," from "sub-standard" to "results-based" and from "propaganda" to "empowerment." How else would it be successful, if it didn't tailor the service and product to Me, gave Me My money's worth and made Me feel better about who I am and what I can do? The positive benefits of that kind of impact are almost staggering to behold.
---And in the ideal world where accelerated learning comes to be as I envision, the simple truth of "The more you learn, the more you can learn" could lift Us to seek Our true place on the world stage, beyond a pretty face wearing a sash, a pair of hips swiveling on a stage or a sweaty hand raised in victory. A place on the world stage where the mind matters, where thoughts make a fundamental difference and Our talents as a People--all Our talents, not just those to entertain--are made manifest.
Okay, Gabriel, MC Don Dees, Soldier and anyone else who wants to jump in: What's your answer? I'm sure they'll be well worth the effort.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
I asked that question (or one very much like it) in My lunch with Gabriel Pagán, of I Can't Spell fame. In any case, the question posed above is the one I'll answer.
My first ideas on this were that the technology in question would have to cover three basic characteristics:
1) User-friendly: Think "cell phone" versus "computer."
2) Economical: Same example.
3) Capable of "trendiness." Harder to define, but the same example applies. Cell phones come out more often with a variety of options and personalizations, much more so than a computer.
That's when I noticed (as you have) that what We're looking for here is "the new cell phone." It's debatable if the cell phone has had a great positive impact, but an opponent to them would have a very hard time arguing against the value of their ubiquitous presence.
I gave this more thought than I estimated I would. In fact, I may have spent more time with this question than with practically anything else I've posted as The Jenius. (Make of that what you will.) I even confirmed the definition of technology to make sure I would leave no stone unturned.
Those of you familiar with My writings and/or personality would assume I went down a few strange side-streets... and I did. And through it all, I kept coming back to one concept:
Accelerated learning.
You can pick your jaw off the desk now. I mean it: Accelerated learning. Here's why.
---Puerto Rico has a stronger tendency to short-term thinking than long-term. Now that's certainly a human trait, but We generally evince it to a higher degree than most. Accelerated learning, if it hits the tripartite sweet spot noted above, would radically alter Our society. The bad side of short-term thinking is opportunism, which We have in spades and nearly idolize as a lifestyle. That's where accelerated learning makes its largest impact: It makes (can make) opportunism an incentive to learn, instead of an incentive to "slide by." The more you know--or the more you can learn--the more you can take advantage of the circumstances.
---Handled by business, it would take the process of education out of the government's hands, also reducing Our witless over-reliance on that Fool's Paradise. Accelerated learning would move education from "class" to "individual," from "sub-standard" to "results-based" and from "propaganda" to "empowerment." How else would it be successful, if it didn't tailor the service and product to Me, gave Me My money's worth and made Me feel better about who I am and what I can do? The positive benefits of that kind of impact are almost staggering to behold.
---And in the ideal world where accelerated learning comes to be as I envision, the simple truth of "The more you learn, the more you can learn" could lift Us to seek Our true place on the world stage, beyond a pretty face wearing a sash, a pair of hips swiveling on a stage or a sweaty hand raised in victory. A place on the world stage where the mind matters, where thoughts make a fundamental difference and Our talents as a People--all Our talents, not just those to entertain--are made manifest.
Okay, Gabriel, MC Don Dees, Soldier and anyone else who wants to jump in: What's your answer? I'm sure they'll be well worth the effort.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: future, self-image, technology
02 May 2008
Time for CeaseFire
The local statistic is staggering: Puerto Rico has more murders per 100,000 residents than any State in the U.S. of part of A.
Spanning the past 15 years, Puerto Rico's murder rate looks more like guerrilla warfare or a putative civil war than just a "crime statistic." The reason it hasn't galvanized a rush to action is because most of the dead are gang members related to the illegal drug trade. They come from the fringes of mainstream society and thus, illogically, their deaths are ignored.
The illogic stems from the incompatibility between the indifference to their deaths as opposed to the vivid reality of their "unperceived" existence. The correlation between illegal drugs and overall crime is beyond discussion and a short drive down any residential street in Puerto Rico shows the reality of that connection: Our houses look like cages. Metalwork all around a house, no matter how elaborate, makes cages.
Current efforts to reduce the murder rate are best described as "lip service," where the lips are frequently applied to some ass, whether it's Uncle Sam's, a Fool's or a media member. And yet, since 1995, the City of Chicago has implemented a successful program called CeaseFire that has dramatically reduced the murder rate amongst gang members. The overall benefits to the communities--and thus the City--are quite likely impossible to define, but are indisputably positive.
The five pillars of CeaseFire are:
--Street-level outreach: Street-smart leaders, often ex-gang members, being vocal and visible leaders for options beyond gang life and death.
--Public education: Not just schools, but communities posting and conveying the messages of change, growth, responsibility and non-violence.
--Community mobilization: Not just the gang-ridden communities, but all communities, coming together to discover "their problem" is "My problem" and "their future" is "Our future."
--Faith leader involvement: Spiritual guidance can often teach what otherwise would never be learned. Churches have held a healing role throughout history, but must be proactive to make a program like CeaseFire work well.
--Police participation: The gang member's enemy is not the policeman, but the idea that a gang is the best way to thrive. It is the police force, as part of the justice system, that has first contact with gangs. It is through them that the first steps for change are made.
How difficult would it be to adapt the CeaseFire program platform to Puerto Rico? After all, there are plenty of Puerto Rican gang members and gangs in Chicago; it's not like We'd be importing more culture shock. And as a response to the cynics who say "You want Us to rely on Our police, Our schools, Our clergy and Our government to get this done?" I say "Of course. We don't need to change everything at once. One gang at a time can be managed by a few good people. And if you don't think We have at least a few good people in all these institutions, then you're no longer a cynic: You're defeated."
The rest of Us, are not defeated. But We have to put up a better effort.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
30 April 2008
Change the Rewards
In terms of patient care, here's a basic problem with the modern "medical" system: There's more money in treatment than curing. Therefore the system's rationale rewards long-term "control" of the patient's condition rather than outright elimination of the condition. Consequently there's no real incentive to cure, but there's a huge incentive to "manage".
Now I know there are some conditions, primarily congenital, that cannot be cured. But if there's something We've learned over the past century it's that what often slows down or impedes a "cure" is not based on facts, but on perceptions. And perceptions are highly-influenced by the rewards and penalties already in place.
Every system creates its own framework, establishing rewards and penalties as part of a value balance in order to provide support, management and control of its intended processes. So when the system is subverted--by accident, good intentions or malice--the problem isn't necessarily with the system itself, but with the value balance it provides.
Using the pharma-medical system as an example, the value balance is obviously "Cure better than treatment and prevention better than cure." If the system's value balance were in direct accord with this basic truth, We would have a radically different health-care system and a much healthier population.
Of course, the factors impinging on the whole pharma-medical-health care system are widely diverse and a simple value balance adjustment is not going to fix the entire system in one fell swoop. But a system is composed of sub-systems and by dropping to the sub-system level and adjusting the value balance there you can eventually fix the entire system. Do the mental exercise and you will see that the only sub-system that needs adjusting and--guaranteed--will intrinsically fix the larger system is called "the individual." You. And Me.
At the individual level, adjusting My value balance away from "Treatment first" to focus "Prevention first" automatically adjusts the entire system to My benefit. What "prevention" the system provides is now a priority in My favor--as it should be--while whatever "prevention" is missing can be properly identified and tended to. Does this place a greater burden on you or Me than the current system? Not at all. It openly places the ultimate control of the system where it has always been: In Our hands.
Will the entire "medical" system collapse under the combined weight of "too many individuals?" No. Good health is not an individual (unique) set of conditions, but a commonality of conditions. Smoking is bad for everyone, exercise is good, low-fat foods are better for you, etc. Achieving a wider range of benefits with less effort means a system is more efficient. The current system is far from efficient; in fact, it is notably far from even being effective.
A system works better--for the common good--when its value balance is aligned with the actual benefits, the ideal benefits, and not the self-serving "benefits" of a mere handful.
That applies to the health care system. And to government as well, where the sub-system boils down to the same point: You. And Me.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Now I know there are some conditions, primarily congenital, that cannot be cured. But if there's something We've learned over the past century it's that what often slows down or impedes a "cure" is not based on facts, but on perceptions. And perceptions are highly-influenced by the rewards and penalties already in place.
Every system creates its own framework, establishing rewards and penalties as part of a value balance in order to provide support, management and control of its intended processes. So when the system is subverted--by accident, good intentions or malice--the problem isn't necessarily with the system itself, but with the value balance it provides.
Using the pharma-medical system as an example, the value balance is obviously "Cure better than treatment and prevention better than cure." If the system's value balance were in direct accord with this basic truth, We would have a radically different health-care system and a much healthier population.
Of course, the factors impinging on the whole pharma-medical-health care system are widely diverse and a simple value balance adjustment is not going to fix the entire system in one fell swoop. But a system is composed of sub-systems and by dropping to the sub-system level and adjusting the value balance there you can eventually fix the entire system. Do the mental exercise and you will see that the only sub-system that needs adjusting and--guaranteed--will intrinsically fix the larger system is called "the individual." You. And Me.
At the individual level, adjusting My value balance away from "Treatment first" to focus "Prevention first" automatically adjusts the entire system to My benefit. What "prevention" the system provides is now a priority in My favor--as it should be--while whatever "prevention" is missing can be properly identified and tended to. Does this place a greater burden on you or Me than the current system? Not at all. It openly places the ultimate control of the system where it has always been: In Our hands.
Will the entire "medical" system collapse under the combined weight of "too many individuals?" No. Good health is not an individual (unique) set of conditions, but a commonality of conditions. Smoking is bad for everyone, exercise is good, low-fat foods are better for you, etc. Achieving a wider range of benefits with less effort means a system is more efficient. The current system is far from efficient; in fact, it is notably far from even being effective.
A system works better--for the common good--when its value balance is aligned with the actual benefits, the ideal benefits, and not the self-serving "benefits" of a mere handful.
That applies to the health care system. And to government as well, where the sub-system boils down to the same point: You. And Me.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: commentary, government
28 April 2008
Brick Wall
---I've been having one of those months where it feels like I'm running hell-bent-for-leather into a brick wall. Several times. With no helmet on.
The worst part is that I keep running at breakneck speed in the belief that the brick walls won't be there. Blind optimism or ferocious will: You make the call. All I know is that My head hurts either way.
---Had a chat with a young mother of two who could have been the mother of three, but lost the baby during the early stages of her pregnancy. She tells Me that the two fathers of her children couldn't put up with her because she's "difficult to deal with." Her example? "Things don't have to be done as I say, but they have to be done as they should be." When I asked her who defines "how things should be" she gave Me a wide-eyed look and said "Me, of course." During that conversation, putative Father #3 was dumped over the phone for going to wash his clothes at his ex-girlfriend's house. Within half an hour I went from reading about the future of media to "reality trailer-trash TV". Pass the mayo, somebody.
---Made Me wonder: Who is the actual father of this woman's children? She's certainly a hard worker, holding down a full-time job while studying to become a respiratory therapist, so she isn't a visible burden on society. But given her situation as a single mother of two, the tendency is to (a) Latch onto a man, any man, so long as he provides something, preferably money or (b) Latch on to the government who does provide money. In effect, govvy is hubby.
Now you might argue that the kids don't need a father... and you would be wrong. Studies from different fields of academia prove that children are much better off with fathers than without them. But what do these studies say--if anything--when govvy is hubby and daddy isn't "needed"? Wouldn't that constitute a disincentive for men to stick around and be fathers? Wouldn't the women have an incentive to have children 4-6 years apart in order to keep govvy-hubby's money around? Doesn't the whole govvy-hubby movement undermine the family and openly discriminate against men, since after all, the major program is called Women and Infant Children and men--even single fathers--are virtually excluded from receiving benefits?
---Talked to a local organization that wants to "improve the social and economic opportunities of housing project residents." Their plan? Secure funds to help single mothers provide for their children by making them more capable of requesting and receiving State and Federal funds. In essence, teaching the dependent to become (better) beggars.
I suggested that there were ample funds to help improve the father-child relationship and that by strengthening the family, the socioeconomic opportunities would gradually improve over the long-term. The lady gave Me a stinkeye and said, with mustard gas floating over her words, "Men are the problem and women have to solve it."
"By becoming beggars?" I asked.
She slammed her folder closed and humphed. We shared the same thought: A wasted hour.
But at least I knew I'd bounced off a brick wall. She just added another brick.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: commentary, government
25 April 2008
Our Basket Factory
Over at Dondequiera, one of only a handful of blogs in Puerto Rico with brains, wit and charm, MC Don Dees skewers the rantings of Rogelio "Puff Dead-y" Figueroa, erstwhile gubernatorial candidate for the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico faux-party. I can't improve on it, so go read it there.
The motivating factor for both Figueroa's mirages and MC's hammer (hahaha) is Puerto Rico's outright crappy economy. (Crappy in comparison to industrialized nations; We kick Third World ass, but most of Us couldn't define "Third World" in any terms other than "I dunno.") Much has been made of Our tendency to go for a "silver bullet" solution, largely based on laziness, island mentality and overall ignorance.
Let Me explain:
--Laziness: We want all We can get with minimal effort. See also: Welfare mentality.
--Island mentality: Small country, small goals. What a crock.
--Overall ignorance: "They" are the experts and We don't want to learn.
(No, I'm not in a funk: I'm simply rehashing ancient history.)
The problem with "silver bullet" thinking can be illustrated by the proverbial basket with all one's eggs in it... and having the basket smashed by thugs. Some of the thugs are Ours, but most aren't. And therein lies the problem, for you see, the eggs may be Ours, but the basket isn't. And unless you have your own basket, or better yet, your own basket factory, the thugs will smash your eggs whenever it suits them best.
If you read through the Jenius, you'll notice I'm all for the basket factory. But that makes Me a distinct minority. I see no reason why 3,600 square miles is some sort of intellectual or achievement limit. Athens was smaller than San Juan and changed humanity. The Vatican fits in some of Our barrios and it dominates 850 million lives. And if technology has shown anything it's that a handful of people can alter almost any aspect of daily life.
So forget Our island's size: It's irrelevant. The true economic solutions need to focus only in a space of about about 550 cubic inches: Our brains. Yes, We need alternative energy sources, but first We need to replace thugs with workers and apathy with enthusiasm. Yes, We need to replace drug companies, but first We need to envision multiple solutions as possible and that unless We act in Our best interests--Our best interests--Our progress will always be limited by thugs.
Of course, what I'm proposing is exponentially more difficult than mere punditry, sophistry and empty stat blather. That's part of the problem, for We are easily taken in by the low road, the easy path and the cushy solution. We range from "idealistic" brain bubbles to 19th century head burial, but We never seem to look at Ourselves as truly capable and truly worthy of taking Our place on the world stage.
Our economic future is not--and never has been--about of the size of Our shores: It's about the size of Our will, of what We think and what We burn to accomplish. It's about hearts and minds seizing the greatest potential and working to make it a reality. It's about the high hard road because We need to earn Our best future instead of settling for the next handout.
It's about time.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: commentary, economy, self-image
23 April 2008
One Man, One Woman, No Vote
Imagine this scenario: In the midst of the largest rejection of a seated president in modern U.S. history, the opposing party's presidential primary is a choice between a black man and a woman. And as that choice comes down to a bitter wire, the possibility exists that the deciding votes to secure either candidate's nomination could come from a faction of delegates--melding both Republicans and Democrats--that cannot vote for either one in the Presidential election.
Don't imagine: It's becoming more likely than most of the U.S. of part of A. would care to think about.
As Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to bash Sen. Barack Obama and the balance of delegate numbers hovers at "insufficient" to secure the nomination, the June Democratic primary in Puerto Rico looms larger as a deciding factor. And in this local primary, you will find the comical spectacle of open Republicans joining slimy paws with Democrats to lobby local support for "the candidate of choice." And at this point, that support leans closer to Sen. Clinton.
Why? Former First Lady of a two-term President, international reputation and let's not discount her skin color. (I've covered a similar notion here.) But at the delegate level, it boils down to "connections": The local Fools have more connections to Sen. Clinton than they do to Sen. Obama, and connections equal power. Local políticos will not turn their back on that power--most of it illusory--unless they have a greater power (or illusion of it) elsewhere.
Does that mean that Sen. Obama courts local delegates with promises, promises, promises? No. It means the Democratic party works its ass off to make sure a nomination is locked up without resorting to Our muddled delegates. The point isn't "who's chosen", but "chosen in time."
It can't be any other way. Imagine the most-watched election in history, one that breaks long-standing political barriers, being framed by a people who live under political barriers such that they can't even vote directly for the candidate they put over the top.
It's one thing for stateside candidates to take Our money: That's the deal. It's another thing entirely to have Our primary votes actually mean something. That's so not part of the deal.
Is this some veiled argument for statehood? Hell no. There is no argument "for" statehood aside from "The U.S. of part of A. wants Us," and that's not happening ever. What The Jenius writes here is an argument for "Get over yourselves" aimed at Fools and missing the mark not from a lack of perspicacity on My part, but from a lack of intelligence on the part of the well-monikered Fools.
As for the rest of Us, Our choices range from guffaws to grunts. Guess how long I'll laugh...
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Don't imagine: It's becoming more likely than most of the U.S. of part of A. would care to think about.
As Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to bash Sen. Barack Obama and the balance of delegate numbers hovers at "insufficient" to secure the nomination, the June Democratic primary in Puerto Rico looms larger as a deciding factor. And in this local primary, you will find the comical spectacle of open Republicans joining slimy paws with Democrats to lobby local support for "the candidate of choice." And at this point, that support leans closer to Sen. Clinton.
Why? Former First Lady of a two-term President, international reputation and let's not discount her skin color. (I've covered a similar notion here.) But at the delegate level, it boils down to "connections": The local Fools have more connections to Sen. Clinton than they do to Sen. Obama, and connections equal power. Local políticos will not turn their back on that power--most of it illusory--unless they have a greater power (or illusion of it) elsewhere.
Does that mean that Sen. Obama courts local delegates with promises, promises, promises? No. It means the Democratic party works its ass off to make sure a nomination is locked up without resorting to Our muddled delegates. The point isn't "who's chosen", but "chosen in time."
It can't be any other way. Imagine the most-watched election in history, one that breaks long-standing political barriers, being framed by a people who live under political barriers such that they can't even vote directly for the candidate they put over the top.
It's one thing for stateside candidates to take Our money: That's the deal. It's another thing entirely to have Our primary votes actually mean something. That's so not part of the deal.
Is this some veiled argument for statehood? Hell no. There is no argument "for" statehood aside from "The U.S. of part of A. wants Us," and that's not happening ever. What The Jenius writes here is an argument for "Get over yourselves" aimed at Fools and missing the mark not from a lack of perspicacity on My part, but from a lack of intelligence on the part of the well-monikered Fools.
As for the rest of Us, Our choices range from guffaws to grunts. Guess how long I'll laugh...
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: Fools, government, politics
21 April 2008
Do We Teach Stupidity?
Duh.
Although very tempted to make that the shortest (and sharpest) Jenius post ever, I feel compelled to elaborate. Yes, We teach stupidity. But far worse than that is that We seemingly can't do anything but teach stupidity.
Let's be literal and start with what is laughingly called the educational system. Decades of studies show that despite ever-increasing amounts of money and hand-wringing theorizing ad nauseum, We are getting dumber by the minute. By any measure--self-comparative, cross-comparative or observational--We are institutionalizing stupidity in a systematic way:
---Self-comparative: Take any U.S. educational system academic test from before World War II and notice how often you haven't even got a clue to the answer...but the answer is still relevant today.
---Cross-comparative: The U.S. has dropped from a Top 5 leader in student academic performance to barely being in the Top 20...and is falling behind faster now than ever before.
---Observational: There's a murderous, criminal moron in the Oval Office, surrounded by a few characters that make him look like Little(-Brained) Bo Peep. The rise of the stupid to the top of the pyramid is the system's crowning achievement and Our horrendous failure.
The basic premise of "The Marching Morons," the Cyril Kornbluth science ficton classic, is that the future is framed by five billion morons under the unknowing care of three million intellectuals who keep the whole planet from turning into a barren rock covered with rotting corpses. Here We have an anti-scenario: a cadre of vicious, amoral morons engaged in turning the planet into a barren rock soon to be covered with rotting corpses.
But why has stupidity triumphed--I use the word in disgusted irony--to such a degree? It's simple: Stupid is what stupid does and it knows no other way. In other words, stupid wins by being stupidly consistent.
Even a blind squirrel eventually finds an acorn is another way of putting it. Stupidity--individualized or systematic (think the murderous moron and the Republican party)--wins over the long run through sheer force of repetition. Just as a small group of fanatical armed goons can take over a country, so can a relatively small group of unthinking fatheads do the same. All it takes is for a majority to accept their existence and ignore their efforts...until it's too late.
And what happens when the fatheads and Fools take over? They try to build others in their same image in a sort of "Frankenstein's monster clones himself" kind of way. Is it a conspiracy? No, it's simply the concatenation of intellectual conformity and indifference, stretched out in time. The stupid don't really outnumber Us, but they do outact Us.
For in the end, teaching stupidity will have and has had a far greater impact than the countless hours of idly discussing ways to overcome, thwart or conquer its existence. It is the fundamental difference between doing and saying. The stupid have done, and continue to do, while We primarily carp in Our free time, lamenting the downfall of Our level of existence and theorizing to Our mind's content.
Yes, We teach stupidity. Sometimes by omission.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Although very tempted to make that the shortest (and sharpest) Jenius post ever, I feel compelled to elaborate. Yes, We teach stupidity. But far worse than that is that We seemingly can't do anything but teach stupidity.
Let's be literal and start with what is laughingly called the educational system. Decades of studies show that despite ever-increasing amounts of money and hand-wringing theorizing ad nauseum, We are getting dumber by the minute. By any measure--self-comparative, cross-comparative or observational--We are institutionalizing stupidity in a systematic way:
---Self-comparative: Take any U.S. educational system academic test from before World War II and notice how often you haven't even got a clue to the answer...but the answer is still relevant today.
---Cross-comparative: The U.S. has dropped from a Top 5 leader in student academic performance to barely being in the Top 20...and is falling behind faster now than ever before.
---Observational: There's a murderous, criminal moron in the Oval Office, surrounded by a few characters that make him look like Little(-Brained) Bo Peep. The rise of the stupid to the top of the pyramid is the system's crowning achievement and Our horrendous failure.
The basic premise of "The Marching Morons," the Cyril Kornbluth science ficton classic, is that the future is framed by five billion morons under the unknowing care of three million intellectuals who keep the whole planet from turning into a barren rock covered with rotting corpses. Here We have an anti-scenario: a cadre of vicious, amoral morons engaged in turning the planet into a barren rock soon to be covered with rotting corpses.
But why has stupidity triumphed--I use the word in disgusted irony--to such a degree? It's simple: Stupid is what stupid does and it knows no other way. In other words, stupid wins by being stupidly consistent.
Even a blind squirrel eventually finds an acorn is another way of putting it. Stupidity--individualized or systematic (think the murderous moron and the Republican party)--wins over the long run through sheer force of repetition. Just as a small group of fanatical armed goons can take over a country, so can a relatively small group of unthinking fatheads do the same. All it takes is for a majority to accept their existence and ignore their efforts...until it's too late.
And what happens when the fatheads and Fools take over? They try to build others in their same image in a sort of "Frankenstein's monster clones himself" kind of way. Is it a conspiracy? No, it's simply the concatenation of intellectual conformity and indifference, stretched out in time. The stupid don't really outnumber Us, but they do outact Us.
For in the end, teaching stupidity will have and has had a far greater impact than the countless hours of idly discussing ways to overcome, thwart or conquer its existence. It is the fundamental difference between doing and saying. The stupid have done, and continue to do, while We primarily carp in Our free time, lamenting the downfall of Our level of existence and theorizing to Our mind's content.
Yes, We teach stupidity. Sometimes by omission.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: commentary, self-image
18 April 2008
Itemized List
#601 and counting...
Item the First: A senator invites a known drug dealer to participate in a senatorial inspection visit to jails. The visit is recorded by video, photographs, multiple witnesses and the drug dealer's own signature on the Visitor Registry. The whole deal is ratcheted up a notch when the drug dealer is subsequently killed by gunfire in a typical hit and the senator—along with three of his chamber colleagues—intercede to have the hoodlum get preferential treatment at the hospital. Now, given all that, what are the odds that the senator will not be investigated by the hideously misnamed senate ethics committee? (Okay, I gave that away…) Zero. No chance. None. Even when the senator is said to call himself “Macaracachimba,” which loosely translates as “Pinhead with tiny manhood”…
Item the Second: A school in the western region of the Island, famed for its high standards and elite clientele, has slightly less than 1,000 students. What are the odds that amongst those students none are black? This isn’t Mississippi or New Hampshire: It’s Puerto Rico, where darker skin tones greatly outnumber paleness. Except at this “elite” school that doesn’t even have a teacher with darker skin than Daisy Fuentes.
Item the Third: The problem with flipping TV channels at random is that you run into the vast stupidity. In this case, it is a musical montage of bongos and maracas suddenly interrupted by a white-haired lumpy Southern dumbbell named Paula who has the unmitigated gall to host a show on the Food Network centered on Latino-style cooking. What the hell is this spastic fatback doing jumping on a bandwagon and what the f*#% is the Food Network doing by allowing this? There aren’t any Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican or south-of-the-border real cooks and chefs to handle this show? Of course there are, but for some godforsaken reason that pushes beyond the boundaries of stupidity and idiocy, the Food Network figures any old bag can sling mojito.
Item the Fourth: A rising tide of noise is being made about the Federal government’s “persecution” of the governor, Aníbal “Busted Jellyfish” Acevedo, and its subsequent forays into more members of the inappropriately-named Popular Democratic Party. Boo-freaking-hoo, people. Here’s a stat for you: 98.4% conviction rate. That’s the current level of whoopass a Grand Jury unleashes on a suspect. That rate doesn’t happen by accident—hence the conspiracy theories—but the wild-hare maniacs don’t grasp that (A) Evidence is carefully verified in order to stack the deck before the indictments and (B) The game is played by Federal rules, not local. Here’s the kicker: We can’t avoid B, having abrogated that level of dignity long ago, but We can avoid feeding A—by dint of Our own choices. The Busted Jellyfish and his cronies ignored A and now wail like banshees about B. Boo-freaking-hoo, you pathetic losers.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Item the First: A senator invites a known drug dealer to participate in a senatorial inspection visit to jails. The visit is recorded by video, photographs, multiple witnesses and the drug dealer's own signature on the Visitor Registry. The whole deal is ratcheted up a notch when the drug dealer is subsequently killed by gunfire in a typical hit and the senator—along with three of his chamber colleagues—intercede to have the hoodlum get preferential treatment at the hospital. Now, given all that, what are the odds that the senator will not be investigated by the hideously misnamed senate ethics committee? (Okay, I gave that away…) Zero. No chance. None. Even when the senator is said to call himself “Macaracachimba,” which loosely translates as “Pinhead with tiny manhood”…
Item the Second: A school in the western region of the Island, famed for its high standards and elite clientele, has slightly less than 1,000 students. What are the odds that amongst those students none are black? This isn’t Mississippi or New Hampshire: It’s Puerto Rico, where darker skin tones greatly outnumber paleness. Except at this “elite” school that doesn’t even have a teacher with darker skin than Daisy Fuentes.
Item the Third: The problem with flipping TV channels at random is that you run into the vast stupidity. In this case, it is a musical montage of bongos and maracas suddenly interrupted by a white-haired lumpy Southern dumbbell named Paula who has the unmitigated gall to host a show on the Food Network centered on Latino-style cooking. What the hell is this spastic fatback doing jumping on a bandwagon and what the f*#% is the Food Network doing by allowing this? There aren’t any Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican or south-of-the-border real cooks and chefs to handle this show? Of course there are, but for some godforsaken reason that pushes beyond the boundaries of stupidity and idiocy, the Food Network figures any old bag can sling mojito.
Item the Fourth: A rising tide of noise is being made about the Federal government’s “persecution” of the governor, Aníbal “Busted Jellyfish” Acevedo, and its subsequent forays into more members of the inappropriately-named Popular Democratic Party. Boo-freaking-hoo, people. Here’s a stat for you: 98.4% conviction rate. That’s the current level of whoopass a Grand Jury unleashes on a suspect. That rate doesn’t happen by accident—hence the conspiracy theories—but the wild-hare maniacs don’t grasp that (A) Evidence is carefully verified in order to stack the deck before the indictments and (B) The game is played by Federal rules, not local. Here’s the kicker: We can’t avoid B, having abrogated that level of dignity long ago, but We can avoid feeding A—by dint of Our own choices. The Busted Jellyfish and his cronies ignored A and now wail like banshees about B. Boo-freaking-hoo, you pathetic losers.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: commentary, corruption, media, politics
16 April 2008
Suddenly
3:28 p.m. -- I'm standing in line at the external branch of Banco Popular, across from the supermarket, at the Mayaguez Mall. There's an elderly woman in front on Me, her left hand clutching several checks and money orders. There are more tellers than clients on this slow Wednesday afternoon. A half-scream makes Us turn.
A man, masked, wearing uniform-like clothes, is clubbing another man over the head with a gun. One, two, three smashes as a woman's scream rises in intensity. The robber turns and flees from the bank.
I am with My son, watching this scene unfold thirty feet from where We stand.
I turn to him, to protect him. To My right, a woman and her daughter are crouched against the wall. The wall isn't their protection: I am. They are hiding behind Me.
I ask My son if he's okay. Wide-eyed, he nods. "What was that?" he asks. I start to tell him and he answers his own question. We watch as the assaulted man is tended to, the screaming woman, the bank officer closest to the beating, is escorted away by her colleagues. She is crying hysterically. The bank tellers, many of whom had hidden in different corners, now emerge to follow protocol. The bank is closing down.
I ask My son again if he's okay. He says yes. I dial 911 and report the incident and request an ambulance. The dispatcher asks Me if it's needed. I tell him I'm looking at a man who was beaten on the skull in a robbery at the bank: Yes, send the ambulance. "One moment," he says and seems to walk away. "It's been reported, sir," he tells Me. "Please send the ambulance," I tell him.
"What's the skull?" asks My boy. I tell him, then tell the nearest bank officer that I requested an ambulance. He looks confused. "We asked for one," he tells Me. The crime victim, a man in his 50s, is being helped into a chair, blood dripping onto his polo shirt from three head wounds. He is dazed and in pain.
My son and I sit down, Our backs to the milling scene as cell phones abound, murmurs echoing around a somber chamber. A woman sits at the desk where I'm chatting with My son. She has tears in her eyes and makes a low-voiced phone call. I call a friend, a local newsdaily editor and tell him the basics. He chuckles as I tell him I didn't knock off the bank.
Police arrive, and suited men who don't look like police. My son asks Me about them and I say they could be Special Investigations or F.B.I. Suddenly, a dozen policemen and policewomen are milling outside the bank. I learn the identity of the victim, and My speculation that the crime was carried out by a stalking thief who followed the businessman from outside Mayaguez is pretty much confirmed. I call the editor again and add these details, noting that the local public TV newsvan and cameraman had arrived.
The bank manager hands out paper cones of water and offers My son candy. His ill-fitting suit is swallowing him up with every passing minute. I tell My son that even in Puerto Rico, all bank robbers are caught. We hear about the crime, oh yes We do, but that all of these vermin get caught just seems to slip through the cracks.
I notice people are being allowed to leave. No statements, no questions. As My son finishes his cherry lollipop (I got butterscotch), We walk past the ambulance. I overhear the driver and paramedic mention they were responding to a 911 call, not the police or the bank.
In My car, I ask My son if he was afraid. "Not now. I was afraid when it happened." He wants to keep it from his mom, but I gently explain that's not correct. She needs to know and he needs to be able to talk to her if he starts feeling anxious or afraid later.
We talk about police work, news, who My editor friend is and why I made one last call to decribe the assailant. "Because you helped Me with the details," I answer. "You saw things that could help catch him." He smiled a little.
Ten minutes later a, at another bank, as We walk out with a crisp $5 bill with the new purple ink that We had gone to Banco Popular for, a woman at the second bank reassures the security guard that the bank wasn't robbed, a customer was, inside the bank. He seems nervous. She repeats the news to him. He shakes his head. "We were there when it happened," I tell them. "It was a customer." The guard nods.
My son slips his hand into Mine as We talk about the purple ink and the intricate design of the five bucks he just made off of Me. I hope I've done well by him.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
A man, masked, wearing uniform-like clothes, is clubbing another man over the head with a gun. One, two, three smashes as a woman's scream rises in intensity. The robber turns and flees from the bank.
I am with My son, watching this scene unfold thirty feet from where We stand.
I turn to him, to protect him. To My right, a woman and her daughter are crouched against the wall. The wall isn't their protection: I am. They are hiding behind Me.
I ask My son if he's okay. Wide-eyed, he nods. "What was that?" he asks. I start to tell him and he answers his own question. We watch as the assaulted man is tended to, the screaming woman, the bank officer closest to the beating, is escorted away by her colleagues. She is crying hysterically. The bank tellers, many of whom had hidden in different corners, now emerge to follow protocol. The bank is closing down.
I ask My son again if he's okay. He says yes. I dial 911 and report the incident and request an ambulance. The dispatcher asks Me if it's needed. I tell him I'm looking at a man who was beaten on the skull in a robbery at the bank: Yes, send the ambulance. "One moment," he says and seems to walk away. "It's been reported, sir," he tells Me. "Please send the ambulance," I tell him.
"What's the skull?" asks My boy. I tell him, then tell the nearest bank officer that I requested an ambulance. He looks confused. "We asked for one," he tells Me. The crime victim, a man in his 50s, is being helped into a chair, blood dripping onto his polo shirt from three head wounds. He is dazed and in pain.
My son and I sit down, Our backs to the milling scene as cell phones abound, murmurs echoing around a somber chamber. A woman sits at the desk where I'm chatting with My son. She has tears in her eyes and makes a low-voiced phone call. I call a friend, a local newsdaily editor and tell him the basics. He chuckles as I tell him I didn't knock off the bank.
Police arrive, and suited men who don't look like police. My son asks Me about them and I say they could be Special Investigations or F.B.I. Suddenly, a dozen policemen and policewomen are milling outside the bank. I learn the identity of the victim, and My speculation that the crime was carried out by a stalking thief who followed the businessman from outside Mayaguez is pretty much confirmed. I call the editor again and add these details, noting that the local public TV newsvan and cameraman had arrived.
The bank manager hands out paper cones of water and offers My son candy. His ill-fitting suit is swallowing him up with every passing minute. I tell My son that even in Puerto Rico, all bank robbers are caught. We hear about the crime, oh yes We do, but that all of these vermin get caught just seems to slip through the cracks.
I notice people are being allowed to leave. No statements, no questions. As My son finishes his cherry lollipop (I got butterscotch), We walk past the ambulance. I overhear the driver and paramedic mention they were responding to a 911 call, not the police or the bank.
In My car, I ask My son if he was afraid. "Not now. I was afraid when it happened." He wants to keep it from his mom, but I gently explain that's not correct. She needs to know and he needs to be able to talk to her if he starts feeling anxious or afraid later.
We talk about police work, news, who My editor friend is and why I made one last call to decribe the assailant. "Because you helped Me with the details," I answer. "You saw things that could help catch him." He smiled a little.
Ten minutes later a, at another bank, as We walk out with a crisp $5 bill with the new purple ink that We had gone to Banco Popular for, a woman at the second bank reassures the security guard that the bank wasn't robbed, a customer was, inside the bank. He seems nervous. She repeats the news to him. He shakes his head. "We were there when it happened," I tell them. "It was a customer." The guard nods.
My son slips his hand into Mine as We talk about the purple ink and the intricate design of the five bucks he just made off of Me. I hope I've done well by him.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
14 April 2008
Time to Do Good
The local Treasury department, a popular source of attention these days, keeps reporting that tax revenue is falling short of expectations. In fact, the government is taking out additional loans from its own bank to keep their vacuum of anti-progress sucking the life out of Us.
Sure, oil is skyrocketing because We're beholden to a cretin, a murderous moron with the morals of crack skank and a posse where he's "the virgin". Sure food prices are rocketing upward as transportation and ill-conceived policies make the fewer crops grown more expensive to move from Point A to garbage dump. And sure, Our bubble-wrapped economy, a form of I.V.-pricked bloated blood-baby feeding corporate and bureaucratic greed may have reached a crisis point, but it's an election year and what can We expect when everything here grinds to a angst-stuffed halt as The Fools cavort like simian lunatics?
We can expect to make a change.
Uh-huh. As you wallow in the black depression these words blanket you with (your choice, I might add) note that the true underlying sentiment to that dark mood is not "But how do I make a change? " but "Let others make the change."
You know I'm right. Shake your head, get miffed at Me, but as the old Archie Bunker poster used to (almost) say: In your heart, you know I'm right.
You don't want to make a change, you really don't. You want the change to happen, to your benefit and without any messy effort on your effort. Messy as in "Actually do anything."
So listen up, hermanos y hermanas of Our Island: Making a change starts with actually wanting a change. Wanting. Not wishing. Not waiting. Wanting. What's the difference between a wish and a want? A wish is someday. A want is now.
And by that single, vital difference, now is the time to make the change. And before you get all pissy again, here's the key: Pick whatever you want to change. You don't have to fix Us across the board, you just have to help fix something. A rutted street? Good. Too many strays in your neighborhood? Good. Making drug addicts move away from your street or the kid's playground? Good. Start a campaign against a crooked Fool? Good. Clean up your favorite beach? Good. Help schoolkids get better grades? Good. Point out good deeds and heroes? Good. Spread some cheer at retirement homes? Good. Join a volunteer group to bring attention to a particular problem? Good.
It's all good; what makes it excellent is your focused effort. Many small changes add up to monumental change and where We are right now is not the waiting room. But small changes, and large ones, have to begin somewhere, sometime and with someone. You're that someone.
And if you're sitting there asking yourself stuck on "Well what's in it for me?" you're exactly the kind of numbskull Our society has specialized in creating and the primary reason We are stuck as We are now.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Sure, oil is skyrocketing because We're beholden to a cretin, a murderous moron with the morals of crack skank and a posse where he's "the virgin". Sure food prices are rocketing upward as transportation and ill-conceived policies make the fewer crops grown more expensive to move from Point A to garbage dump. And sure, Our bubble-wrapped economy, a form of I.V.-pricked bloated blood-baby feeding corporate and bureaucratic greed may have reached a crisis point, but it's an election year and what can We expect when everything here grinds to a angst-stuffed halt as The Fools cavort like simian lunatics?
We can expect to make a change.
Uh-huh. As you wallow in the black depression these words blanket you with (your choice, I might add) note that the true underlying sentiment to that dark mood is not "But how do I make a change? " but "Let others make the change."
You know I'm right. Shake your head, get miffed at Me, but as the old Archie Bunker poster used to (almost) say: In your heart, you know I'm right.
You don't want to make a change, you really don't. You want the change to happen, to your benefit and without any messy effort on your effort. Messy as in "Actually do anything."
So listen up, hermanos y hermanas of Our Island: Making a change starts with actually wanting a change. Wanting. Not wishing. Not waiting. Wanting. What's the difference between a wish and a want? A wish is someday. A want is now.
And by that single, vital difference, now is the time to make the change. And before you get all pissy again, here's the key: Pick whatever you want to change. You don't have to fix Us across the board, you just have to help fix something. A rutted street? Good. Too many strays in your neighborhood? Good. Making drug addicts move away from your street or the kid's playground? Good. Start a campaign against a crooked Fool? Good. Clean up your favorite beach? Good. Help schoolkids get better grades? Good. Point out good deeds and heroes? Good. Spread some cheer at retirement homes? Good. Join a volunteer group to bring attention to a particular problem? Good.
It's all good; what makes it excellent is your focused effort. Many small changes add up to monumental change and where We are right now is not the waiting room. But small changes, and large ones, have to begin somewhere, sometime and with someone. You're that someone.
And if you're sitting there asking yourself stuck on "Well what's in it for me?" you're exactly the kind of numbskull Our society has specialized in creating and the primary reason We are stuck as We are now.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: commentary, government, self-image
11 April 2008
A Prism and a Plan
As Our non-governor Aníbal “Busted Jellyfish” Acevedo plays the limpet, the wings are filled with stage whispers of the willie-nilly kind, namely, that Caguas mayor Willie “Here I Am” Miranda should step in and—chortle—save the party.
Heehee.
Let’s dump this one from the start: Willie isn’t white enough to win. And I don’t mean it in the sense of having a clean political record: I mean his skin color. It’s about the color of good mahogany and not the pale “flesh” tone so favored by Our collective unconscious.
And before you slam into The Jenius for racism, look back at the last 60 years of Our political history and you will notice two things: In a country where roughly 65% of the population is non-white, every governor was pale-faced (and the governess was damn near albino-white) and NO viable candidate was darker than Fred Flintstone.
Dig deeper and you’ll eventually see that all those folks came from upper middle-class or outright upper class backgrounds. Willie? He’s normal. And normal just don’t cut it here.
But say you want to deny this colorful argument and focus on “Willie Wonka’s” wide-ranging development of the city of Caguas, a former urban dumpheap transformed into a sprawling techno-city. “See?” you’d say in your gratingly annoying nasal whine, “Willie can do this for Puerto Rico!”
No. Not really. The difference in Caguas over the past 12 years is the same as the difference between Orlando in 1957 and Orlando in 1969. In ’57, Orlando was a Florida mudhole; in ’69, it was a Florida mudhole with a well-funded, well-focused plan for development. Mickey Mouse himself could have developed Orlando in 1969, but it took a Walt Disney to do that in 1957.
The Caguas Walt was Angel O. Berríos, a head-down, determined, bureaucratic slogger who had something no one else had: vision. To get Caguas there, he knew he had to have the city well-prepared. So Angel set out to prepare Caguas for the future.
But he died. And some time later, “Willie Maze” stepped into the breach and began a tortuous path to making Caguas what it was foreseen to be three decades ago.
Now “Willie Pete” has had some bright ideas, such as the municipal tax (it does free up municipalities from total dependence on the central government) and lump-sum federal funding management (if only because it reduces Our D.C. Dance of Begging). So he isn’t just a factotum carrying out programmed orders.
But a savior? No, that he isn’t. A savior needs to have vision and passion, whereas “Willie Stein” has will, an indomitable thrust that is valuable in itself, but is far from being what his downtrodden and ravaged party needs.
In the end, “Willie Brown” will remain on the sideline, a poignant footnote to the main text of Our election year. And his party will survive because parties come together and are sustained by opinions formed without due examination of their causes, by biases, by rejection of alternate positions based on incomplete knowledge or through unreasoned arguments. In essence, his party will survive by its own prejudices.
The same ones that keep Willie Miranda Marín on the outside looking in.
The Jenius Has Spoken
Heehee.
Let’s dump this one from the start: Willie isn’t white enough to win. And I don’t mean it in the sense of having a clean political record: I mean his skin color. It’s about the color of good mahogany and not the pale “flesh” tone so favored by Our collective unconscious.
And before you slam into The Jenius for racism, look back at the last 60 years of Our political history and you will notice two things: In a country where roughly 65% of the population is non-white, every governor was pale-faced (and the governess was damn near albino-white) and NO viable candidate was darker than Fred Flintstone.
Dig deeper and you’ll eventually see that all those folks came from upper middle-class or outright upper class backgrounds. Willie? He’s normal. And normal just don’t cut it here.
But say you want to deny this colorful argument and focus on “Willie Wonka’s” wide-ranging development of the city of Caguas, a former urban dumpheap transformed into a sprawling techno-city. “See?” you’d say in your gratingly annoying nasal whine, “Willie can do this for Puerto Rico!”
No. Not really. The difference in Caguas over the past 12 years is the same as the difference between Orlando in 1957 and Orlando in 1969. In ’57, Orlando was a Florida mudhole; in ’69, it was a Florida mudhole with a well-funded, well-focused plan for development. Mickey Mouse himself could have developed Orlando in 1969, but it took a Walt Disney to do that in 1957.
The Caguas Walt was Angel O. Berríos, a head-down, determined, bureaucratic slogger who had something no one else had: vision. To get Caguas there, he knew he had to have the city well-prepared. So Angel set out to prepare Caguas for the future.
But he died. And some time later, “Willie Maze” stepped into the breach and began a tortuous path to making Caguas what it was foreseen to be three decades ago.
Now “Willie Pete” has had some bright ideas, such as the municipal tax (it does free up municipalities from total dependence on the central government) and lump-sum federal funding management (if only because it reduces Our D.C. Dance of Begging). So he isn’t just a factotum carrying out programmed orders.
But a savior? No, that he isn’t. A savior needs to have vision and passion, whereas “Willie Stein” has will, an indomitable thrust that is valuable in itself, but is far from being what his downtrodden and ravaged party needs.
In the end, “Willie Brown” will remain on the sideline, a poignant footnote to the main text of Our election year. And his party will survive because parties come together and are sustained by opinions formed without due examination of their causes, by biases, by rejection of alternate positions based on incomplete knowledge or through unreasoned arguments. In essence, his party will survive by its own prejudices.
The same ones that keep Willie Miranda Marín on the outside looking in.
The Jenius Has Spoken
Labels: commentary, economy, politics
09 April 2008
Puzzling Thoughts
I just finished a desk calendar of USA Today puzzles, a year's worth of 6 per week, for a total of 312 puzzles, including crosswords, word ladders, 4X4 word tables, word searches and sudoku.
I missed 7 of them, for a 98% success rate. I'm not satisified with that.
That makes Me very different from most of you for a number of reasons:
1) I did 311 puzzles in about 14 weeks.
2) I actually enjoyed doing that many puzzles in so short a time.
3) I get a kick out of challenging My brain. Most of My readers do too. The rest of humanity is lazy in that sense.
4) I fully expected to get all 312 puzzles right. Not as a wish: as a certainty.
5) That I missed 7 (three crosswords, a word table, a word search, a word ladder and a sudoku puzzle) really bothers Me, especially when 3 of those failures were by one letter.
6) Unlike My younger self, I can actually accept being imperfect and enjoyed the effort anyway.
But I'm still competitive enough to feel chagrined about falling 7 short.
There's a combination of good (intellectual focus, brain stimulation, enjoyment of solitude) and bad (competitiveness over fun, perfectionism, hubris) in this puzzle exercise, but even the bad has its value in helping Me achieve goals. (Nothing good about hubris, though; it's there because I'm being honest.) I wonder why I see so few people evince these traits, for they are not the result of heroic or superhuman efforts: They are simply tools for growth.
Could be I'm too self-centered, or too busy reading, or too busy writing, or too busy doing puzzles to notice other people's good points. Could be. I hope so. I'm already a bit top-heavy with hubris. Don't need more of that.
And why 311 completed puzzles? One crossword puzzle was repeated. Stupid USA Today.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
I missed 7 of them, for a 98% success rate. I'm not satisified with that.
That makes Me very different from most of you for a number of reasons:
1) I did 311 puzzles in about 14 weeks.
2) I actually enjoyed doing that many puzzles in so short a time.
3) I get a kick out of challenging My brain. Most of My readers do too. The rest of humanity is lazy in that sense.
4) I fully expected to get all 312 puzzles right. Not as a wish: as a certainty.
5) That I missed 7 (three crosswords, a word table, a word search, a word ladder and a sudoku puzzle) really bothers Me, especially when 3 of those failures were by one letter.
6) Unlike My younger self, I can actually accept being imperfect and enjoyed the effort anyway.
But I'm still competitive enough to feel chagrined about falling 7 short.
There's a combination of good (intellectual focus, brain stimulation, enjoyment of solitude) and bad (competitiveness over fun, perfectionism, hubris) in this puzzle exercise, but even the bad has its value in helping Me achieve goals. (Nothing good about hubris, though; it's there because I'm being honest.) I wonder why I see so few people evince these traits, for they are not the result of heroic or superhuman efforts: They are simply tools for growth.
Could be I'm too self-centered, or too busy reading, or too busy writing, or too busy doing puzzles to notice other people's good points. Could be. I hope so. I'm already a bit top-heavy with hubris. Don't need more of that.
And why 311 completed puzzles? One crossword puzzle was repeated. Stupid USA Today.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: commentary, personal
07 April 2008
The Murderous Moron in History
Some things don't need consensus. The Ten Commandments are pretty good rules to live by, if you downplay the egotistical Top 3 a tad. (Egotism being such a turn-off, you know.) Being rich is better than being poor, even if the poor grossly outnumber the rich. And the murderous moron in the Oval Office is a historical jackass.
Beyond question.
Harper's magazine, that historical cul-de-sac of an Americana that existed really only its pages, writes about George Mason University’s History News Network report where 109 historians were polled and 61% called the murderous moron the worst president ever, and 98% of them call his moronic regime the worst presidency ever.
Geez, ya think? Shredded and "wiped his ass" with the Constitution, lied the country into a damaging war, ravaged the budget, raped the economy, acted time and again above the law, denied basic legal and human rights, destroyed the country's international support base, strafed the environment, subverted government processes, conspired against his own citizens, as well as severely undermining U.S. power and influence and thus created such a suckiferous black hole it could take decades for the country to recover...if it can.
In terms of unpopularity, the murderous moron is often compared to Nixon-during-Watergate. There is no comparison: Nixon was beseiged for lying and trying to cover up a "third-rate burglary." The murderous moron makes that look like a Sesame Street boo-boo. That this, the worst president ever, a murderous moron rampaging like a demented drunkard through the most powerful country in the world, is still in office means that the worst president ever exists because the U.S. between 1999 and the present is, without question, the stupidest U.S. there has ever been.
Made for each other, as history is already attesting.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Beyond question.
Harper's magazine, that historical cul-de-sac of an Americana that existed really only its pages, writes about George Mason University’s History News Network report where 109 historians were polled and 61% called the murderous moron the worst president ever, and 98% of them call his moronic regime the worst presidency ever.
Geez, ya think? Shredded and "wiped his ass" with the Constitution, lied the country into a damaging war, ravaged the budget, raped the economy, acted time and again above the law, denied basic legal and human rights, destroyed the country's international support base, strafed the environment, subverted government processes, conspired against his own citizens, as well as severely undermining U.S. power and influence and thus created such a suckiferous black hole it could take decades for the country to recover...if it can.
In terms of unpopularity, the murderous moron is often compared to Nixon-during-Watergate. There is no comparison: Nixon was beseiged for lying and trying to cover up a "third-rate burglary." The murderous moron makes that look like a Sesame Street boo-boo. That this, the worst president ever, a murderous moron rampaging like a demented drunkard through the most powerful country in the world, is still in office means that the worst president ever exists because the U.S. between 1999 and the present is, without question, the stupidest U.S. there has ever been.
Made for each other, as history is already attesting.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: commentary, murderous moron
04 April 2008
A Son's Love
Photographs of My son dot My office and crown My sports-mad TV set. That's normal behavior for a doting dad. What isn't normal, in the sense of being truly special, is that My son dotes on Me.
It is a truth of life that parents love their children more than their children love them. It's simply the difference between responsibility and familiarity: To parents, children are gifts We choose to embrace as affirmers of Life; to children, parents are "facts of Life", as valuable as air, food and water, but with a better vocabulary and money.
I assure you, there's nothing wrong with this scenario. Nature knows what it's doing. But when the roles are reversed, even for a brief period, it isn't often that it can improve on Nature. Think of the children whose parents lean on them for emotional or even financial support and how that adversely affects the emotional state of both sides.
So imagine My surprise when I watch My son weave his way in words and actions to support Me, to help Me, though I am as active and able as almost every caring parent out there in supporting him. He does this by talking about what I do, by asking Me to explain where I'm headed, and by expressing his concerns. He seeks ways to connect to Me, to learn what I know and to share his insights to My interests.
Maybe all children do this and I don't remember doing it with My parents. Maybe I didn't do this at all, or to a far lesser extent than My son. His actions surprise Me because I encourage him to explore, to branch out and question everything, never thinking for a second he'd take that encouragement and reflect it back on Me. Maybe this happens because I don't fathom how important I am to him, or I refuse to look too closely into that for fear the answer would overwhelm Me.
I'm aware that what I'm describing is most likely not unique, that I am, in fact, living a period of parental life that is quite common. It doesn't feel that way. No matter how common the pattern, it is unique simply because it is Mine.
My son will grow up and there will come a day when My encouragement to explore and challenge will place him farther away from Me, maybe even as antagonist instead of supporter. It seems to Me I'm more prepared for that than I am for what is happening now. But I know now that having felt his loving support, the days of distancing will be colder than I thought. And at that time, I will have to remember that the best example of My love for him will be his example of his love for Me.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
It is a truth of life that parents love their children more than their children love them. It's simply the difference between responsibility and familiarity: To parents, children are gifts We choose to embrace as affirmers of Life; to children, parents are "facts of Life", as valuable as air, food and water, but with a better vocabulary and money.
I assure you, there's nothing wrong with this scenario. Nature knows what it's doing. But when the roles are reversed, even for a brief period, it isn't often that it can improve on Nature. Think of the children whose parents lean on them for emotional or even financial support and how that adversely affects the emotional state of both sides.
So imagine My surprise when I watch My son weave his way in words and actions to support Me, to help Me, though I am as active and able as almost every caring parent out there in supporting him. He does this by talking about what I do, by asking Me to explain where I'm headed, and by expressing his concerns. He seeks ways to connect to Me, to learn what I know and to share his insights to My interests.
Maybe all children do this and I don't remember doing it with My parents. Maybe I didn't do this at all, or to a far lesser extent than My son. His actions surprise Me because I encourage him to explore, to branch out and question everything, never thinking for a second he'd take that encouragement and reflect it back on Me. Maybe this happens because I don't fathom how important I am to him, or I refuse to look too closely into that for fear the answer would overwhelm Me.
I'm aware that what I'm describing is most likely not unique, that I am, in fact, living a period of parental life that is quite common. It doesn't feel that way. No matter how common the pattern, it is unique simply because it is Mine.
My son will grow up and there will come a day when My encouragement to explore and challenge will place him farther away from Me, maybe even as antagonist instead of supporter. It seems to Me I'm more prepared for that than I am for what is happening now. But I know now that having felt his loving support, the days of distancing will be colder than I thought. And at that time, I will have to remember that the best example of My love for him will be his example of his love for Me.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: personal
02 April 2008
Barnacle Boy
Aníbal "Former Jellyfish" Acevedo, embattled governor of this here Isle of Ours, facing 19 charges covering tax fraud, electoral fraud and perjury, has gone from softie to crusty. In a show of utter egotistical tomfoolery and some lame-brain attempt at defiance, "Jellyfish" has morphed into "Barnacle Boy," clinging without thought to his position in the hope that the whole storm will wash over.
And yes, "Barnacle Boy" is a character in SpongeBob Squarepants. But you gotta admit it fits.
Just like the cartoonish sidekick, Our "Barnacle Boy" is more whiny than heroic, more pathetic than proactive and makes the issue of his potential guilt or innocence a mere sideshow to the general "will he or won't he" speculation. Sure, it's called spin and frame management, but it all amounts to so much crap.
It would seem that the strategy "Barnacle Boy" is using is that of dragging out the proceedings until a moment of positive drama can be extracted from his seamy melodrama. Given time, even a wuss can be seen as a hero if he just lasts long enough. That's the mindset of the pusillanimous, of the wimp, of the yellow-bellied feeb who thinks he has a chance if he merely lives until past high noon. It's also the mindset of the guilty who wish to postpone the consequences they never cared about in the first place.
Here's a heads-up. "Barnacle Boy": High noon ain't coming this year. You're playing a different game, one of politics over policy and of "me" over "we." No, high noon will come next year, when the federal charges you kept telling Us you were never worried about are read in a court and the point-by-point evidence that led to your indictment is spelled out. That's high noon, "Barnie Baby." That will be your time to stop being a softie or a lump, the time to man up or shut up.
My bet's on you shutting up, because heaven knows you've never manned up in your life.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
And yes, "Barnacle Boy" is a character in SpongeBob Squarepants. But you gotta admit it fits.
Just like the cartoonish sidekick, Our "Barnacle Boy" is more whiny than heroic, more pathetic than proactive and makes the issue of his potential guilt or innocence a mere sideshow to the general "will he or won't he" speculation. Sure, it's called spin and frame management, but it all amounts to so much crap.
It would seem that the strategy "Barnacle Boy" is using is that of dragging out the proceedings until a moment of positive drama can be extracted from his seamy melodrama. Given time, even a wuss can be seen as a hero if he just lasts long enough. That's the mindset of the pusillanimous, of the wimp, of the yellow-bellied feeb who thinks he has a chance if he merely lives until past high noon. It's also the mindset of the guilty who wish to postpone the consequences they never cared about in the first place.
Here's a heads-up. "Barnacle Boy": High noon ain't coming this year. You're playing a different game, one of politics over policy and of "me" over "we." No, high noon will come next year, when the federal charges you kept telling Us you were never worried about are read in a court and the point-by-point evidence that led to your indictment is spelled out. That's high noon, "Barnie Baby." That will be your time to stop being a softie or a lump, the time to man up or shut up.
My bet's on you shutting up, because heaven knows you've never manned up in your life.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: corruption, politics
31 March 2008
Pointing in Reflection
This won't take long...
A recent local newspaper article blamed most, if not all, of all Our social ills on the government.
Now, really.
It's obvious that I am not the local government's rah-rah boy, but to say that most of Our failings are due to those Fools is to be willfully oblivious to three simple, undeniable facts:
A) We elect most of the Fools and of those who retain their positions after proving themselves unworthy, all of them are there because of Us.
B) Government represents a minority of Us, both in number and in fact. There are more people outside of the government than in and the Fools speak for a minority of special and personal interests, not for a majority. That they get away with it consistently is Our fault.
C) Paraphrasing, the government can only help those who help themselves, who take a proactive interest in building beyond nearsightedness, greed and convenience. Letting the government run things amidst a wave of indifference is like letting monkeys run a china shop: It's only a matter of time before they break everything and bankrupt the place.
Although asking the media to see a larger context is a waste of time, I will suggest this: Blame the government, sure, but leave a good chunk of that blame for the rest of Us. And that, you clueless weasels of paper and airwaves, includes you.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
A recent local newspaper article blamed most, if not all, of all Our social ills on the government.
Now, really.
It's obvious that I am not the local government's rah-rah boy, but to say that most of Our failings are due to those Fools is to be willfully oblivious to three simple, undeniable facts:
A) We elect most of the Fools and of those who retain their positions after proving themselves unworthy, all of them are there because of Us.
B) Government represents a minority of Us, both in number and in fact. There are more people outside of the government than in and the Fools speak for a minority of special and personal interests, not for a majority. That they get away with it consistently is Our fault.
C) Paraphrasing, the government can only help those who help themselves, who take a proactive interest in building beyond nearsightedness, greed and convenience. Letting the government run things amidst a wave of indifference is like letting monkeys run a china shop: It's only a matter of time before they break everything and bankrupt the place.
Although asking the media to see a larger context is a waste of time, I will suggest this: Blame the government, sure, but leave a good chunk of that blame for the rest of Us. And that, you clueless weasels of paper and airwaves, includes you.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Labels: commentary, government, media
28 March 2008
Busted Jellyfish
* Governor Aníbal "Busted Jellyfish" Acevedo is rung up on 19 federal charges, including campaign fund fraud, tax fraud and perjury. Reports are that he (allegedly, ho-hum) pocketed campaign monies, even to the extent of taking trips with his family with those funds.
* The local F.B.I. office and lead prosecutor put on a 25-minute display of evidence, tracing people, actions, funds and possible crimes across several states and over a 7-year period.
* For the first time in Our history, a governor is brought up on criminal charges. Should have happened sooner, but what the heck, better late than never, right?
* One of the arrested, Miguel "I Am Not Guilty" Nazario, is a former Ponce Cement and El Nuevo Día executive. Both companies are owned by the Ferré Rangel cartel and guess which leading local newspaper did NOT mention this?
* The initial talk after the early morning arrests was that the governor's lawyers were "negotiating his surrender/arrest." Bullpuckey. Arrests are non-negotiable. What was being negotiated was his possible sentence IF he loses his case. (I say "if" only out of courtesy.)
* Federal Grand Jury conviction rates run at about 97%. Place your bets now.
* The Busted Jellyfish's choices on how to face this crisis boiled down to two options: Lead or play victim. By 11 a.m. local time, We knew the answer: He was wailing "political persecution."
* That the murderous moron and his addled cronies have made a mockery of the U.S. justice system is beyond debate. That Busted Jellyfish is sooo important a target--even to the idea that in persecuting him they are somehow "attacking" Sen. Barack Obama--is sooo laughable as to be nitrous oxide.
* I'll simplify for the party faithful: No, it isn't political persecution.
* Caguas Mayor Willie "Money Market" Miranda quickly staked out his political position as "Loyal soldier ready to carry the standard." In real-world terms: crafty weasel.
* The (Un)Popular (Anti)Democratic Wake--er, Party--went with "The Battle for (to defend) Puerto Rico" ("dar la batalla por Puerto Rico") spinning the Busted Jellyfish's idiocy into some heroic fight for a dignity the party itself doesn't have.
* The opponents took a high road laced with contempt. Stupidest rumor: That Pedro Stupid Rosselló knew the charges were coming and "deliberately" lost the primary. Yeah, and Moses won the Kentucky Derby running backwards. Stupid Rosselló doesn't know squat about the case and if he did know, his best strategy was clearly to run, kick the stuffing out of Luis "Waldo Boy" Fortuño and thus become the prohibitive front-runner for governor in November.
* Really, really pissed off by the charges: The independentista "leadership", who given the wide-open nature of the upcoming election, are now forced to spend an extra wad of money in ads and "electoral efforts." Hey! That cuts into their profits!
* The evening appearance by the Busted Jellyfish was his moment of truth. It was a moment. He had no truth to offer. He opened with "It's a weak economy" followed by a weak "I'm the victim of political persecution" and closed 3 minutes later with a weak "I will continue to lead you." Wake up call, Fool: You have never led us, except to shame.
* A long time ago I wrote that these Fools take the position of "I'm innocent because I stay in my position." Busted Jellyfish, who isn't resigning immediately, is adopting the same cretinous pose.
* Most people opine that the Busted One should resign "to best manage his defense," "for the welfare of his family" or "for the good of Our Island." Here's a reason: He should resign because he has been formally accused of crimes. Sure, there's the presumption of innocence. But there's also the assumption that Our leaders should be law-abiding. To consider his defense a distraction is fatuous: The Busted Jellyfish was never any good at doing his supposed job, anyway. To say he should think of his family is to ignore the evidence that he (allegedly, ho-hum) did these things without considering his family's ultimate welfare. And to ask a Busted Jellyfish, or any Fool, to think of the country before him- or herself is to ask a dungheap to whistle Beethoven's Ninth.
* Why the Jellyfish and not Stupid Rosselló? The difference between a bank robber and a drug lord. The bank robber directly touches the money; the drug lord has other people touch all the money and lets them develop his interests. He gives them initial access
* The local F.B.I. office and lead prosecutor put on a 25-minute display of evidence, tracing people, actions, funds and possible crimes across several states and over a 7-year period.
* For the first time in Our history, a governor is brought up on criminal charges. Should have happened sooner, but what the heck, better late than never, right?
* One of the arrested, Miguel "I Am Not Guilty" Nazario, is a former Ponce Cement and El Nuevo Día executive. Both companies are owned by the Ferré Rangel cartel and guess which leading local newspaper did NOT mention this?
* The initial talk after the early morning arrests was that the governor's lawyers were "negotiating his surrender/arrest." Bullpuckey. Arrests are non-negotiable. What was being negotiated was his possible sentence IF he loses his case. (I say "if" only out of courtesy.)
* Federal Grand Jury conviction rates run at about 97%. Place your bets now.
* The Busted Jellyfish's choices on how to face this crisis boiled down to two options: Lead or play victim. By 11 a.m. local time, We knew the answer: He was wailing "political persecution."
* That the murderous moron and his addled cronies have made a mockery of the U.S. justice system is beyond debate. That Busted Jellyfish is sooo important a target--even to the idea that in persecuting him they are somehow "attacking" Sen. Barack Obama--is sooo laughable as to be nitrous oxide.
* I'll simplify for the party faithful: No, it isn't political persecution.
* Caguas Mayor Willie "Money Market" Miranda quickly staked out his political position as "Loyal soldier ready to carry the standard." In real-world terms: crafty weasel.
* The (Un)Popular (Anti)Democratic Wake--er, Party--went with "The Battle for (to defend) Puerto Rico" ("dar la batalla por Puerto Rico") spinning the Busted Jellyfish's idiocy into some heroic fight for a dignity the party itself doesn't have.
* The opponents took a high road laced with contempt. Stupidest rumor: That Pedro Stupid Rosselló knew the charges were coming and "deliberately" lost the primary. Yeah, and Moses won the Kentucky Derby running backwards. Stupid Rosselló doesn't know squat about the case and if he did know, his best strategy was clearly to run, kick the stuffing out of Luis "Waldo Boy" Fortuño and thus become the prohibitive front-runner for governor in November.
* Really, really pissed off by the charges: The independentista "leadership", who given the wide-open nature of the upcoming election, are now forced to spend an extra wad of money in ads and "electoral efforts." Hey! That cuts into their profits!
* The evening appearance by the Busted Jellyfish was his moment of truth. It was a moment. He had no truth to offer. He opened with "It's a weak economy" followed by a weak "I'm the victim of political persecution" and closed 3 minutes later with a weak "I will continue to lead you." Wake up call, Fool: You have never led us, except to shame.
* A long time ago I wrote that these Fools take the position of "I'm innocent because I stay in my position." Busted Jellyfish, who isn't resigning immediately, is adopting the same cretinous pose.
* Most people opine that the Busted One should resign "to best manage his defense," "for the welfare of his family" or "for the good of Our Island." Here's a reason: He should resign because he has been formally accused of crimes. Sure, there's the presumption of innocence. But there's also the assumption that Our leaders should be law-abiding. To consider his defense a distraction is fatuous: The Busted Jellyfish was never any good at doing his supposed job, anyway. To say he should think of his family is to ignore the evidence that he (allegedly, ho-hum) did these things without considering his family's ultimate welfare. And to ask a Busted Jellyfish, or any Fool, to think of the country before him- or herself is to ask a dungheap to whistle Beethoven's Ninth.
* Why the Jellyfish and not Stupid Rosselló? The difference between a bank robber and a drug lord. The bank robber directly touches the money; the drug lord has other people touch all the money and lets them develop his interests. He gives them initial access