Disneyland Closes At 35

On Food Trucks

My former wife died in 2003, leaving behind an 11 year old daughter, a daughter born when I was 45 years old.

Caty had suffered through 18 months of anguish trying to understand why her mother was dying and could not be saved. She attended Catholic School and could not understand why her prayers for her mother's recovery were not not honored. I too could not understand.

Before she died, my wife and I had many conversations regarding her wishes for our child. She wanted her to continue in Catholic School and to attend a prestigious All Girl Catholic School. I promised I would make that happen and I did.

My daughter was a good student and she met all the expectations of her rigorous education and received some scholarhsip monies to the University she attended. She received a degree in Advertising and Public Relations.

But, what does all this have to do with a Food Truck?

Not much.

When my wife died I had to learn how to cook healthy meals. Caty was involved in basketball, softball and soccer. She needed a good and wholesome diet and I needed to know how to prepare healthy foods. 

I also needed to find a way to connect to my little girl; so, we learned to cook together. We spent hours watching the food network, Diners, Drive-Inns and Dives and Chopped.

By the time she was 21 she was an excellent athlete and cook.

She is now 23, working as a Public Relations person. Know what she wants?

A Food Truck.

Guess who gets to co-sign?

"STEM"

Everywhere I go these days, at the college where I teach, in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, and in Educational Blogs, one of the most discussed initiatives and topics is STEM, which stands for Science/Technology/Engineering and Mathematics.

Students preparing for, or entering colleges and universities, are encouraged to consider a major that will allow them, upon graduation, to enter one of the fields attached to the rubric of STEM. 

The notion is that majoring in a subject that would allow entry into STEM is good planning. Getting a degree in Math, Computer Science, Engineering or Chemistry is likely to open doors that those who major in the Liberal Arts will find closed to them.

Degrees associated with STEM pay well. Liberal Arts degrees do not pay well in comparison.

All these notions are generally true. STEM opens many doors to employment that pays well with good opportunities for advancement. Liberal Arts degrees open fewer doors with less chance for significant advancement.

I advised my own children to pursue degrees that would offer the best chance for employment, good pay and advancement opportunities. I gave this advise based upon a practical assessment of the world in which they lived and a vision of what the future would bring. My assessment was in many ways correct.

My oldest child graduated fro college in the early 1990's and my youngest just last year and the world turned out to be most concerned with technology, even enamored of it.

The speed at which innovations in technology have occurred is mind-boggling and that pace will no doubt accelerate. The advances made in science from medicine, to terraforming has been equally impressive. Mathematics and engineering are integral components of both science and technology. I get it. These fields of study are incredibly important. I want to see them grow and flourish for the good of mankind now and in the future; still, I would propose that other fields of study are also important. 

I would propose another acronym. Perhaps CHEEP would be good. It would stand for Criminal Justice/History/Education/English and Philosophy. These are all disciplines that also have importance, and which if used advisably could work effectively to support STEM.

Civil unrest and discord is always a threat to creating a harmonious society; thus, the importance of having a well trained, well educated Judiciary, Justice System, Police Force etc is paramount. Scientific findings and technological advancements cannot occur in a State of Disharmony. Judges, Police, Probation and Parole Officers,Counselors etc., are important.

Historians and history teachers are important. Those who don't know the past find it difficult to find a reasonable path to the future.

Communication is of immense importance to STEM. If we are not precise in our communication STEM will suffer. English, or the primary language of any culture is important.

Education, a general education in K through 12 is important and not enough of our youth receive it. We need good, well educated, well trained and well paid teachers to provide it. Their efforts would support STEM.

Lastly we need Philosophy. I know it sounds like a dead discipline, perhaps as dead as studying Latin. I would suggest that we are all philosophers in one way or the other. It would not hurt to hone our critical thinking skills.

None of this lessens the need to learn other languages, reflect on aesthetics, or to be an anthropologist or psychologist or any other thing one wants to learn or be.

 

 

 

On Being a Federal Prison Guard

I haven't thought about it in a long time, but I was a Correctional Officer in a Federal Correctional Institution for one year from 1974 to 1975. 

I had recently exited the U.S. Army after 8 years. I owed the opportunity to a program called the Vietnam Veterans Adjustment Act. I suppose I required adjustment.

I received no training whatsoever, other than On-The-Job, for the first six or eight weeks. The formal, off-site training came later. 

My first experience in the cell block meant only walking through the front gate, going to the Control Room across from the Prison Yard to draw my keys to the Cell-House to which I was assigned. I was provided with a walkie-talkie and nothing else. I unlocked the door and the officer on duty came out and I went in. He then locked me in for the next eight hours with one hundred inmates, all of whom were dedicated to making my life unpleasant. I was what they called a FISH.

I took the job because the Readjustment Act allowed me the opportunity, although working, to go to college. 

So, I got to know the inmates. Did they like me? No. Did they hate me? No. I never abused one of them, but I never privileged one either. I just did my job. I knew the rules and I enforced those rules, none of which were draconian

After a year I transferred to a Federal Halfway House as a Counselor Intern. That job allowed me to complete my college degree and move on.

I learned more from the inmates than I learned from the staff. They all lied; thus, I learned to easily recognize a lie. 

I also learned that a lie is a lie, whether from the prisoner or the keeper. 

 

On Artificial Intelligence

Artificial. The  connotation sounds negative. Artificial means not completely real, not actually what it appears to be, something second class. A human being answering your phone call is real, while an answering machine is artificial.

So, what about Artificial Intelligence?

Dr. Henry Markram, and many other reputable scientists, believe that it is possible, and even likely, that a computer can achieve consciousness of itself, and this they contend means that such a computer would be artificially intelligent. 

Thus, such a computer would be intelligent, but not actually real, according to current understanding.

Does such an assertion conform to any of the rules of logic? What would such a logical argument look like?

Deductive Argument

P1 If a computer is aware of itself it is conscious

P2 A computer has been made that is aware of itself

P3 A computer that is aware of itself is intelligent

C There is no difference between a computer and a person

Henry Markram, and his multitude of associates, are on the way to developing such a computer. What will it mean if they succeed?

A Deductive Argument is one in which, if all of the premises are true, the conclusion that follows is also true.

Think about the same argument for humans.

P1 A human is conscious

P2 A human is aware of itself

P3 A human is intelligent ( This assertion is subject to question)

C There is no difference between a human and a computer

Both of these arguments assume a programmer. God for men I suppose, and men for computers.

So - What do you make of it?

And Who am I to Judge

I recently had occasion to have lunch with a former colleague from my years in Criminal Justice. It was not really an event that I looked forward to with enthusiasm, and, it did not end well. 

The two of us were never close, in fact we were often at considerable odds, so, why the call inviting me to lunch? I accepted simply out of curiosity.

He had been my supervisor at one time. He complained that I did not respect his leadership. He was correct. I did not.

I was later his supervisor. He complained that I did not support his promotion applications. Correct again.

So, as it turned out, the reason he called and extended the invitation to lunch was to ask me why? Why did I not respect his leadership? Why did I not endorse his promotion applications? Who, he asked, was I to make those assessments? Who was I, he asked, to promote someone with 5 years experience over someone (him) with 25? 

You didn't have 25 years of experience, I told him. You had 1 year of experience 25 times.

On my drive home from the restaurant I thought about how my former colleague must be feeling. Angry, and hurt, and resentful and on and on. What, I considered, was the point in telling him the truth? After all, it is just my version of the truth; still, I believe what I said to him was true.

Friedrich Nietzsche, the German Philosopher, talks about Life Lies, the stories we tell ourselves. He says we all do it, that our memories tend to support the best possible characterization of ourselves.

Perhaps I do that as well. I don't want to think of myself as unkind, or soft, physically or mentally, or disloyal, or certainly not dishonest.

The judgements of others may reflect a different opinion about me.

Perhaps I was wrong about my former colleague. If so, I am sorry.

 

 

The Stuff Dreams are Made Of

I am no expert on the subject of Nanotechnology; however, I continue to hear and read more about this revolutionary field.

Nanotechnology, among many other things, manufactures devices, machines, and delivery systems so tiny that a trillion nanobots can be inserted into a syringe and introduced into the bloodstream of a human or any other animal. Once in the blood, the Bots can be directed by a computer to find, isolate and kill particular cells, while leaving other cells intact and unharmed. Cancer cells,for instance, can be attacked without damaging healthy cells. 

This is of course just one example of the way in which Nanotechnology can be employed in the good and necessary work of science. I cannot imagine the multitude of cures, fixes, repairs, and innovations that might emerge from the use of this technology over time. Malignancies, clogged arteries, brain plaque, diseased tissues and areas of infection may all be treatable by use of these infinitesimally tiny bots formed into myriad medical machines and pharmacological dispensers.

Unfortunately this same technology could be utilized to kill rather than cure, to destroy rather than repair and to tyrannize rather than to serve. Bots could enter our bodies from the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. They could besiege our blood, our bones, our brain, and could be used to perform any task assigned to them by the computer designated to direct their actions.

Both the former and latter scenarios sound like the stuff of Science Fiction; still, submarines, aircraft, telephones, radios, televisions, space ships, and computers were all the subject of Science Fiction in the not so distant past.

What if computers utilized to direct the activities of Bots were truly intelligent, devices conscious of themselves? What if they had a Will of their Own?

Even as I write this entry thousands of Drones are in service or production. Some are larger than a small aircraft while others are no bigger than a model airplane, yet they can all be rigged to deliver deadly munitions, biologic agents and chemical weapons with pinpoint accuracy. The Drones are of course guided by a computer, or a system of computers.

Alan Turing, the subject of the Imitation Game ( the recent award winning movie ) predicted that computers might someday become intelligent. (Google the Turing Test) 

Stephen Hawking recently predicted that the intelligent computer will signal the end of mankind. ( I think the article was in the New York Times ) The same article referenced another reputable scientist who argued that mankind will survive computers but only by merging with them. I suppose we will all become cyborgs if he is correct.

Anything seems possible. Technology may bring about a Golden Age, a return to the Dark Ages, or something in between.

Whatever the case may be, it will be attributable to human choices and actions. We are, as Shakespeare said, The Stuff Dreams are Made Of.

 

On leaving the City

I lived in a little town some 30 miles SE of Dallas from 1953 until 1959, leaving for Kentucky when I was 13 years old. I returned to Dallas in 1974 and have lived in the city continuously for the past 41 years.

In 1953 the tallest building in town, the Mercantile Bank Building, was perhaps 12 or 13 stories tall. There were no shopping malls, hardly any chain restaurants and no Major League athletic team of any kind.

I was thrilled when the Cleveland Indians came to town to play an exhibition game against our Double A team. Bob Feller signed a ball for me.

One of my brothers made off with that prize and a fortune of Topps football and baseball cards. Neither of them will admit to it even now. 

I was also fortunate enough to watch the Chicago Bears play a preseason game at the Cotton Bowl in August of 1958. My father took me, my middle brother and three of our friends to the game. We talked about the experience, especially how huge the players were up close, for months.

When word of my father's transfer arrived I was both excited and saddened. I was about to enter High School and had wanted to do so with my classmates from the past 6 years; still, I was excited by moving to a place that actually had 4 seasons, replete with snow and trees that turned colors in the fall.

The events that later occurred and took me back to Dallas would take a long time to recount, but 15 years later I found myself back again, this time to stay.

I have thought about relocating many times. I would still like to see the leaves turn in October rather then January. I would like to experience winter for more than a few days. It would be great to have wooded mountains, green hills,  or a beach and an ocean. I would not mind leaving temperatures of 90 degrees to 113 degrees behind forever more.

I certainly would not miss the traffic. It takes me 45 minutes at a minimum to drive the 9 miles from my home to my evening classes on Monday and Wednesday.

I could do without the crowded conditions and the sheer press of people living in one of the fastest growing and largest cities in the USA. Skyscrapers abound. Huge enterprises of technology and industry dot the landscape from 35 miles south of the city limit to 45 miles north and west. One can no longer tell where Dallas ends and Ft. Worth begins even though they are reportedly more than 30 miles apart.

I liked Dallas better when it wasn't so big. I liked the old Double Rangers better than the Major League team. Going to the game was much more affordable even adjusting for the inevitable inflation compounded by all the years. 

I enjoyed the Minor League hockey team that once played at Fair Park. I've never been to a Stars game.

As for basketball - I could watch the NBA on the Dish package and keep up with the Celtics. They have always been my favorite team, and I could stick to College football and give up on ever being able to get a ticket to Jerry Jones' new Death Star Stadium.

Not to mention that it is Texas and High School football can be entertaining.

I could still leave Dallas.

I've thought about buying a house on a lake in NW Arkansas. That area has 4 seasons. The largest city is Fayetteville, which is a very nice town. The University of Arkansas is in Fayetteville. I could teach part time and get into watching the Razorbacks and all the excitement of the SEC. My youngest daughter lives in Fayetteville and has no plans to relocate.

I've considered Sacramento. The weather is generally pleasant and the mountains are close by. It is the Capitol City of California and is in proximity to San Francisco and the Bay Area. Sacramento is not nearly as populace or congested as Dallas. Both my son and eldest daughter live in the area.

Then, there is Florida. My wife has a joint interest in a family home a quarter mile from the beach outside Stuart, Florida. The area is nice in the winter, but the Senior Citizens tend to go home in the summer. I don't blame them The summers are almost as hot as Texas and the humidity is higher than anyplace I Have ever been with the exception of SE Asia. Vietnam's National Bird and the State Bird of Florida are the same. (The Mosquito)

Selling, buying, and moving would take a good deal of energy, involve a degree of stress, require patience, and cost more money than I think it would when day dreaming about a perfect home in some perfect place.

Our home here in Dallas isn't perfect, but we have, and continue to, enjoy it. Our cat and dog like it and my children like to come home to it. As I write this blog and look around my kitchen and living room I feel comfortable and content.

I may never see a game in Jerry's Death Star, but I can watch it on my DISH NFL package. They might not have that in Arkansas, or Sacramento or. . . 

 

The Check-Out Line

I began high school in Northeastern Kentucky, just across the Big Sandy River from West Virginia in Appalachia. 

My father worked for the federal government and had been transferred from Texas, but the majority of the population had been born and reared in the area. They came from families that went back several generations. The men from these families were predominantly coal miners, steelworkers, or involved in some business that supported those industries.

My family relocated each time my father received a promotion. I had previously lived in New Mexico, Colorado and two cities in Texas when I arrived in Kentucky to begin my Freshman year. I adapted to the new environment and hoped that I could actually remain in Kentucky until I graduated. That didn't happen, as we moved to yet another city in Texas during the Fall of my Junior year. I left friends, teammates, and a girlfriend behind; still, I didn't forget them.

It was fifteen years before I returned to visit, but in subsequent years I have visited many times. I have been to several reunions and have often been priviledged to stay in the home of two of my best friends.

I missed the 50 year reunion in October of 2014 but I obtained a copy of the Group Photo and the link to an ongoing website that follows the class of '64'. I enjoy keeping up with everyone, but it is disconcerting to see the number of class members declining so swiftly. Hardly a month goes by without notification that yet another person has died or is terminally ill.

All the members of the Class of '64' are 68 or 69 years old. That is hardly ancient, yet so many of them are already gone.

I researched U.S. Life Expectancy and found that the average life span for males is 76 while women can expect to live to 80; thus, it is hardly surprising that the number of obituaries is piling up. Half the males in the class can expect to be dead in 7 to 8 more years and the females in 11 or 12. They are all in the Check-Out line and getting close to the cashier.

This realization came as a shock to me. I think of myself as young. If I never had occasion to look into a mirror I would not know that I'm not still 35. But I do have occasion to look into a mirror, and I realize that I too am in the Check-Out line. 

Surely I forgot an item or two. There's more that I need or perhaps something I don't need that I can return to the shelf. If only I could just step out of the line.

 

 

Things I can no Longer Do

I have really never been much of a running enthusiast. I've done a few 10K runs over the years, mostly in order to share the experience with my children.

They went on to run in Marathons. I never did, but I do like to walk, hike and backpack. The hiking and backpacking was mostly reserved for vacations. Walking was a daily affair. I walked at least three miles per day and often logged ten or more miles on the weekends.

I particularly liked trekking all the way around White Rock Lake, a beautiful body of water smack in the middle of Dallas. Oh, I could still make it all the way around, but it would take three and a half hours rather than the two and a quarter hours it once took. I have settled on a leisurely two mile stroll with our dog. He stops to smell the roses, and everything else. We don't break a sweat.

I have enjoyed playing the guitar for the past forty five years. I'm not very accomplished,  and never compared favorably with the Army buddy who taught me the rudiments on a $15.00 Vietnamese guitar; still, I enjoyed playing a few minutes almost every day. Arthritis and something my doctor calls a "contracture" make fretting a chord impossible.

I once enjoyed fishing and hunting, and I am still physically able to do both; still, I don"t need to do either in order to put food on my table. I have no taste for killing animals gratuitously, or injuring a fish just to release it back into the water. I'm not opposed to others who do fish and hunt, particularly if they consume what they kill or catch. I just don't enjoy it anymore.

I was once a golf fanatic. It was not a good week unless I played at least once and often twice. I loved the game and all it entailed. It took strategy, coordination, technique, choosing the proper clubs as well as a degree of physical ability, all accomplished in a beautiful setting. Golf also allowed me to play with a group of friends and co-workers. We all enjoyed the joking, bantering and camaraderie. There were ten of us in the group and we could always form a four-some or two. We are all retired now. I am one of the few that still resides in Dallas proper. I haven't played in several years.

So, what is left. There is, as it turns out, many things that I can and will do.

I can teach and I enjoy doing so. I like interacting with my students, and with my colleagues.

I like old vehicles, especially those that have been restored to their former glory. I still plan on owning a refurbished 1984 Jeep Renegade just like the one I owned back then. I know where it can be found.

I love travel. I plan on seeing Prince Edward Island, Canada, Hobart,Tasmania, Christchurch,New Zealand and Quito, Ecuador. 

I want to revisit the village where I lived in Germany,  as well as Austria,England, France and Ireland. I'd like to see Washington D.C. again, visit my old address at Ft. Meade, Maryland, walk the Freedom Trail in Boston and spend a week in Maine.

I spend part of most days working on a second novel.

I read the New York Times, Harpers, the New Yorker, The New Republic and The National Review and sometimes I write about interesting things I read.

I keep up with friends, old and new, on Facebook, although I rarely post anything myself, and of course I keep up with my children and grandchildren.

As we age we are not defined by what we cannot do, or no longer do, but rather by new activities that replace the old. 

 

More From the Cheap Seats

I watched CNN today, followed up with  FOX news, and ended with MSNBC. What I learned left me confused and incredulous.

I was told that ISIS poses a threat to Europe and the U.S. that makes the problems associated with the Economy, the War on Cancer, and Global Warming pale into relative insignificance. That news came at 1:00 p.m.

At 3:00 p.m. I was told that ISIS actually poses a minimal threat to anyone in the Civilized World, wherever that may be, while the specter of Global Warming should be keeping all of us up at night in order that we can get an early start to a battery operated car dealership

At 3:15 p.m. I learned that while the Stock Market has reached an all time high (good news for investors) the general economy and the jobs markets remain in the doldrums. Ten minutes later, on another channel, I was advised that the percentage of unemployed persons is at a three year low and five seconds later was made aware that although there are more jobs they are mostly minimum wage positions.

I found it particularly ironic to find that the freezing temperatures, blizzards and ice storms that have raged across the U.S. this winter were caused by climate forces locked in a frenzied embrace with Global Warming caused, in the main, by the inconsiderate citizens of this planet both past and present.

I switched to a local channel to catch up on the weather. It has snowed all day. Global Warming has reached Texas.