When You Come to a Fork in the Road ... Take It. -- Yogi Berra
The death of country singer Johnny PayCheck at age 64 brings a world of significant life-event feelings for me and reflection on choices made, good and bad. Johnny was born almost exactly one year before me. In one story from the AP wire, Johnny is described as the hard-drinking hell-raiser best known for his 1977 working man's anthem "Take This Job and Shove It, ..." <http://www.salon.com/ent/wire/2003/02/19/paycheck/index.html>
Johnny spent some time in prison. The story reports that: "He and another ex-convict, country star Merle Haggard, performed at the Chillicothe Correctional Institute in Ohio while PayCheck was imprisoned there."
Now that gets close to home for me. Merle Haggard and I are about the same age, we are both from Oklahoma and while I was spending time being an honor student at Oklahoma University in Norman, OK, Merle was spending time as an inmate in the Oklahoma State Prison at McAlester, OK. Now look where we both are after nearly 50 years. Merle is a multi-millionaire country singer recording star living in the Redding, California, area. And Jack is a retired chemical engineer of modest means living in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
Now don't get me wrong. I wouldn't trade places with Merle. I just find it fascinating that what seemed to be a "losing" start for Merle evolved into a career path that made him fabulously famous and rich. And what by all reckonings was a "winning" start for me resulted in an enjoyable career - and I am quite comfortable but, well, I am also of quite modest means. And so far I have not even seen the minimum "15 minutes of fame" we all supposedly are destined to have.
I'm not complaining. It just makes a fun story to tell from time to time; for example, at class reunions. A story about two boys growing up the same time in Oklahoma, taking much different forks in the road and now knowing the interestingly different outcomes for each of the boys.
February 20, 2003
Old College Memories - Respect for Turkish Soldiers
If I am in combat with Turkish soldiers present, I want them on my side!
Perhaps surprisingly, I came by this feeling as part of my college education.
When I attended the University of Oklahoma in 1955-1960, I had many Korean War veteran friends attending the university on the GI Bill and living in the dormitory with me. I got along good with them in large part because they were older and more mature. For example, when they asked for help in chemistry, math, etc., they were sincere and appreciative - not always the case with other students. And they helped me. In general, they were serious students and I learned a lot about good study habits from them. Also, most veterans were trustworthy and what they spoke could be earnestly believed.
Well, some times it's funny what brings back memories. The news of negotiations for a multi-billion dollar U.S. aid package in return for U.S. use of military facilities in Turkey reminds me of stories told by many of my Korean War veteran friends of the fierce Turkish soldiers who fought in Korea as our allies under aegis of the U.N.
It is told that North Korean and Chinese units made special efforts to stay out of the way of Turkish units because of their earned respect as fierce fighters.
And what I remember most vividly is stories of how the Turks were legendary for resisting the "psychological warfare" applied by North Korea to prisoners of war. Training for resisting "psychological warfare" was lacking for U.S. troops and overall their resistance to it was poor. Later when I went in the army in 1960-1962 after graduation from college and ROTC, "psychological warfare" training was intense - and very realistic! I got terrified a couple of times during the training. Fortunately, I never needed to make use of the training as an actual POW.
I have since carried with me the highest respect for Turkish soldiers and an overall good feeling about having Turkey as an ally. And I hope we treat Turkey fairly in the negotiations for use of their military facilities and maintain good relations with them whatever the outcome of the negotiations.
As I said at the start - If I am in combat with Turkish soldiers present, I want them on my side!
If I am in combat with Turkish soldiers present, I want them on my side!
Perhaps surprisingly, I came by this feeling as part of my college education.
When I attended the University of Oklahoma in 1955-1960, I had many Korean War veteran friends attending the university on the GI Bill and living in the dormitory with me. I got along good with them in large part because they were older and more mature. For example, when they asked for help in chemistry, math, etc., they were sincere and appreciative - not always the case with other students. And they helped me. In general, they were serious students and I learned a lot about good study habits from them. Also, most veterans were trustworthy and what they spoke could be earnestly believed.
Well, some times it's funny what brings back memories. The news of negotiations for a multi-billion dollar U.S. aid package in return for U.S. use of military facilities in Turkey reminds me of stories told by many of my Korean War veteran friends of the fierce Turkish soldiers who fought in Korea as our allies under aegis of the U.N.
It is told that North Korean and Chinese units made special efforts to stay out of the way of Turkish units because of their earned respect as fierce fighters.
And what I remember most vividly is stories of how the Turks were legendary for resisting the "psychological warfare" applied by North Korea to prisoners of war. Training for resisting "psychological warfare" was lacking for U.S. troops and overall their resistance to it was poor. Later when I went in the army in 1960-1962 after graduation from college and ROTC, "psychological warfare" training was intense - and very realistic! I got terrified a couple of times during the training. Fortunately, I never needed to make use of the training as an actual POW.
I have since carried with me the highest respect for Turkish soldiers and an overall good feeling about having Turkey as an ally. And I hope we treat Turkey fairly in the negotiations for use of their military facilities and maintain good relations with them whatever the outcome of the negotiations.
As I said at the start - If I am in combat with Turkish soldiers present, I want them on my side!
February 17, 2003
.... An old African parable states:
Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle: When the sun comes up you had better be running.
----
I've been intrigued by this bit of wisdom from Africa since reading it in the February Lion's Club monthly magazine. It appeared in the context of urging Lion's Club members to get up every day running to be active as volunteers in their community service projects - part of the lifeblood of a small communities such as Weatherford. This is especially so for small communities in the north-south tier of states from Texas to North Dakota, all of which are losing population in areas that encompass the High Plains - roughly between the 97 deg. meridian (west of I-35 in Oklahoma) and the Rocky Mountains.
Being a High Plains Oklahoman, there is a love of the land not easily put into words that is brought to mind by this African parable. Residents of Oklahoma were hit uniquely hard by the Great Depression and the "Dust Bowl" in the 1930's. Drought, wind and depressed economy made many "Okies" run for survival - like gazelles - traveling Route 66 westward to California. The novel "Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck tells what this was like. The gritty, strong remaining folk are like lions clawing out a living from a harsh land - and they continue clawing to this day. It shows dramatically in the faces, mannerisms, talk, body language, etc., of the elder generation. And to a large degree it shows in the younger generations. Just as dramatic to me are the high moral and ethical standards prevalent among these folk. And there is pride in high standards of providing education for young people. I could go on. I can sum up by saying "I am proud to be an Oklahoman!"
Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle: When the sun comes up you had better be running.
----
I've been intrigued by this bit of wisdom from Africa since reading it in the February Lion's Club monthly magazine. It appeared in the context of urging Lion's Club members to get up every day running to be active as volunteers in their community service projects - part of the lifeblood of a small communities such as Weatherford. This is especially so for small communities in the north-south tier of states from Texas to North Dakota, all of which are losing population in areas that encompass the High Plains - roughly between the 97 deg. meridian (west of I-35 in Oklahoma) and the Rocky Mountains.
Being a High Plains Oklahoman, there is a love of the land not easily put into words that is brought to mind by this African parable. Residents of Oklahoma were hit uniquely hard by the Great Depression and the "Dust Bowl" in the 1930's. Drought, wind and depressed economy made many "Okies" run for survival - like gazelles - traveling Route 66 westward to California. The novel "Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck tells what this was like. The gritty, strong remaining folk are like lions clawing out a living from a harsh land - and they continue clawing to this day. It shows dramatically in the faces, mannerisms, talk, body language, etc., of the elder generation. And to a large degree it shows in the younger generations. Just as dramatic to me are the high moral and ethical standards prevalent among these folk. And there is pride in high standards of providing education for young people. I could go on. I can sum up by saying "I am proud to be an Oklahoman!"
February 16, 2003
Hey Folks, I'm back from a "breather." Certainly no one will accuse me of "spamming" you all with blog posts. :-) So what better way to resume posting than to talk about Spam luncheon meat and its place in the evolution of the word "spam" for junk e-mails.
First - Happy 2003 to all my fine readers! My last post was on November 18, 2002. Suffice it to say I got very busy and I was further distracted by a computer upgrade that has not gone smoothly, but is gradually "getting there." I am using my backup computer for over a month now.
With a little Web searching I find that Spam luncheon meat is just two years older than me - the first can was produced by George Hormel & Co. in 1937 (it was invented in 1936.) Spam was a new "treat" of its time and I see it now as a forerunner of the many "convenience foods" of today. My mom often served Spam in various dishes and sandwiches, and I still like Spam. And - Oh Boy! Was it really good in the World War II era C-Ration kits when eating in a foxhole during Army ROTC field training in 1959 at Ft. Hood, Texas. In one case a rattlesnake tried to share the Spam. But that is another story. ;-)
And I guess I am not the only Spam fan - the six billionth can of Spam was produced by Hormel Company in Austin, Minnesota in July 2002.
Now to e-mail spam. I recently found a website to my liking - www.word-detective.com - and there I find the evolution of the word meaning of spam from "spiced ham, a.k.a. Spam," to spam as computer jargon for crashing a computer by overloading it with too much data, to an incident in 1994 involving two lawyers;the two lawyers, named Canter and Siegal, dumped obnoxious ads into every usenet discussion group on the internet. "The resulting ruckus popularized an expanded sense of the computer jargon use of spam - it became a slang term meaning "dumping unwanted and/or provocative junk all over the place."
The full www.word-detective.com explanation for spam is found at:
<http://www.word-detective.com/061300.html#spam>
In closing, I find interest in the trend of Internet servers providing filters to keep e-mail spam out of customer e-mail mailboxes - but in so doing causing rejection of much wanted e-mail. I am involved in a close-to-home example case. Last year I joined the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce and came up with a need to send e-mail to the Chamber Director. Yup! At first my e-mail was rejected as spam. So I hand carried a copy of my first e-mail the few blocks away to the Chamber office. The problem is since corrected. The Chamber people decided I am not a rascal spammer. :-)
First - Happy 2003 to all my fine readers! My last post was on November 18, 2002. Suffice it to say I got very busy and I was further distracted by a computer upgrade that has not gone smoothly, but is gradually "getting there." I am using my backup computer for over a month now.
With a little Web searching I find that Spam luncheon meat is just two years older than me - the first can was produced by George Hormel & Co. in 1937 (it was invented in 1936.) Spam was a new "treat" of its time and I see it now as a forerunner of the many "convenience foods" of today. My mom often served Spam in various dishes and sandwiches, and I still like Spam. And - Oh Boy! Was it really good in the World War II era C-Ration kits when eating in a foxhole during Army ROTC field training in 1959 at Ft. Hood, Texas. In one case a rattlesnake tried to share the Spam. But that is another story. ;-)
And I guess I am not the only Spam fan - the six billionth can of Spam was produced by Hormel Company in Austin, Minnesota in July 2002.
Now to e-mail spam. I recently found a website to my liking - www.word-detective.com - and there I find the evolution of the word meaning of spam from "spiced ham, a.k.a. Spam," to spam as computer jargon for crashing a computer by overloading it with too much data, to an incident in 1994 involving two lawyers;the two lawyers, named Canter and Siegal, dumped obnoxious ads into every usenet discussion group on the internet. "The resulting ruckus popularized an expanded sense of the computer jargon use of spam - it became a slang term meaning "dumping unwanted and/or provocative junk all over the place."
The full www.word-detective.com explanation for spam is found at:
<http://www.word-detective.com/061300.html#spam>
In closing, I find interest in the trend of Internet servers providing filters to keep e-mail spam out of customer e-mail mailboxes - but in so doing causing rejection of much wanted e-mail. I am involved in a close-to-home example case. Last year I joined the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce and came up with a need to send e-mail to the Chamber Director. Yup! At first my e-mail was rejected as spam. So I hand carried a copy of my first e-mail the few blocks away to the Chamber office. The problem is since corrected. The Chamber people decided I am not a rascal spammer. :-)
November 18, 2002
Honoring Magpie
I'm pretty busy recently. Besides home projects, I attended the Washita Battlefield 2002 Symposium Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 15-17, in Cheyenne, Oklahoma, 90 miles to the west. I'll write more about it.
An emotional part was a special ceremony at the nearby National Monument for grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Magpie - a Cheyenne Indian who as a youth was present at the Battle of the Washita. Troops under General George Armstrong Custer attacked the Cheyenne camp beside the Washita River. It was early morning, in a blinding snowstorm, on November 27, 1868. Much oral history, considered honest and accurate, etc., was given by Magpie in his older years.
Beside the many pleasant family memories expressed, two elderly men spoke well of Magpie as a caring and friendly "grandfatherly" figure in their lives. Each lived on farms near Magpie's farm in their youth. I was born in 1939 close to the time Magpie died in the mid-1930's. Amazing! My life and Magpie's life nearly overlap.
I'm pretty busy recently. Besides home projects, I attended the Washita Battlefield 2002 Symposium Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 15-17, in Cheyenne, Oklahoma, 90 miles to the west. I'll write more about it.
An emotional part was a special ceremony at the nearby National Monument for grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Magpie - a Cheyenne Indian who as a youth was present at the Battle of the Washita. Troops under General George Armstrong Custer attacked the Cheyenne camp beside the Washita River. It was early morning, in a blinding snowstorm, on November 27, 1868. Much oral history, considered honest and accurate, etc., was given by Magpie in his older years.
Beside the many pleasant family memories expressed, two elderly men spoke well of Magpie as a caring and friendly "grandfatherly" figure in their lives. Each lived on farms near Magpie's farm in their youth. I was born in 1939 close to the time Magpie died in the mid-1930's. Amazing! My life and Magpie's life nearly overlap.
November 14, 2002
Top Secret
I've used once "Top Secret" U.S. Navy equipment the past two days! This started when I decided to put wood paneling on my basement walls and obtained a Remington® Powerhammer to nail furring strips to the masonry - then finish by nailing paneling to the furring strips. The Powerhammer uses a 22 caliber load fired by hitting a firing pin with a hammer.
So what is "Top Secret"?
Well, I find that Powerhammers were developed during World War II for frogmen to do underwater repairs of battle damage to the hulls of warships. Wartime Powerhammers were bigger and used a larger caliber charge. Steel panels to cover holes in the ship hull were cut. The frogmen positioned the steel panel and nailed it to the ship's hull with a Powerhammer. The repair job was finished by applying a sealing compound around the steel plate "patch." The source of this information is the father of local plumber Dave Dresser. Dave's dad was a wartime frogman and was only allowed to tell about using the Powerhammer after the war ended, at which time the "Top Secret" clearance was lifted.
Putting two and two together, I expect Powerhammers were kept "Top Secret" during the war to keep the enemy in the dark about U.S. Navy capability to make repairs of major hull damage at sea, and about the ensuing ability for quick return to combat.
For me, this nicely demonstrates how the winning edge in naval warfare, and in all warfare, is not always having the biggest guns, the latest in "smart missiles", and so on. Winning wars is dependent also on the ingenuity of people who develop tools such as the Powerhammer, who develop the techniques for using the tools - and is also dependent on the skill and bravery of the men who use tools in trying conditions such as repairing a ship hull underwater. I salute the frogmen who did this work during World War II.
I've used once "Top Secret" U.S. Navy equipment the past two days! This started when I decided to put wood paneling on my basement walls and obtained a Remington® Powerhammer to nail furring strips to the masonry - then finish by nailing paneling to the furring strips. The Powerhammer uses a 22 caliber load fired by hitting a firing pin with a hammer.
So what is "Top Secret"?
Well, I find that Powerhammers were developed during World War II for frogmen to do underwater repairs of battle damage to the hulls of warships. Wartime Powerhammers were bigger and used a larger caliber charge. Steel panels to cover holes in the ship hull were cut. The frogmen positioned the steel panel and nailed it to the ship's hull with a Powerhammer. The repair job was finished by applying a sealing compound around the steel plate "patch." The source of this information is the father of local plumber Dave Dresser. Dave's dad was a wartime frogman and was only allowed to tell about using the Powerhammer after the war ended, at which time the "Top Secret" clearance was lifted.
Putting two and two together, I expect Powerhammers were kept "Top Secret" during the war to keep the enemy in the dark about U.S. Navy capability to make repairs of major hull damage at sea, and about the ensuing ability for quick return to combat.
For me, this nicely demonstrates how the winning edge in naval warfare, and in all warfare, is not always having the biggest guns, the latest in "smart missiles", and so on. Winning wars is dependent also on the ingenuity of people who develop tools such as the Powerhammer, who develop the techniques for using the tools - and is also dependent on the skill and bravery of the men who use tools in trying conditions such as repairing a ship hull underwater. I salute the frogmen who did this work during World War II.
November 13, 2002
Call me Ahab
I have a keen interest in Melville's Moby Dick and besides reading the book itself, I've read many articles about the book.
Every time I read something new, it adds new angles for understanding the subtle messages of Moby Dick. Now I've found the "mother of all Moby Dick articles" for me. It is a book review on Moby-Dick entitled Call me Ahab (covering four books) by Jeremy Harding in the London Review of Books Vol. 24 No. 21 - 31, October 2002.
For me, it is an article that cannot be put down - and not only that, I've read the article three times and I'll probably read it several more times. I made a copy for my files. It is long. An especially captivating part is its tying in the Ahab and Ishmael characters, and events in the novel, as parallels to the events of 9/11/2001 and their aftermath, including parallels to the main players in each case.
Books reviewed:
-------------------------------------------
Moby-Dick, or, The Whale by Herman Melville ed. Harrison Hayford and Hershel Parker
Mariners, Renegades and Castaways: The Story of Herman Melville and the World We Live in by C.L.R. James
Hunting Captain Ahab: Psychological Warfare and the Melville Revival by Clare Spark
Lucchesi and the Whale by Frank Lentricchia
-------------------------------------------
"The American whaleman was a kind of prospector, the ancestor of the oilman, while the New England whaling industry itself . . . was killed off by the refining of kerosene from fossil fuel. Ishmael is an active participant in the process of extraction for profit, turning the wheels of production at home while extending the frontier abroad. " [ read more . . . ]
I have a keen interest in Melville's Moby Dick and besides reading the book itself, I've read many articles about the book.
Every time I read something new, it adds new angles for understanding the subtle messages of Moby Dick. Now I've found the "mother of all Moby Dick articles" for me. It is a book review on Moby-Dick entitled Call me Ahab (covering four books) by Jeremy Harding in the London Review of Books Vol. 24 No. 21 - 31, October 2002.
For me, it is an article that cannot be put down - and not only that, I've read the article three times and I'll probably read it several more times. I made a copy for my files. It is long. An especially captivating part is its tying in the Ahab and Ishmael characters, and events in the novel, as parallels to the events of 9/11/2001 and their aftermath, including parallels to the main players in each case.
Books reviewed:
-------------------------------------------
Moby-Dick, or, The Whale by Herman Melville ed. Harrison Hayford and Hershel Parker
Mariners, Renegades and Castaways: The Story of Herman Melville and the World We Live in by C.L.R. James
Hunting Captain Ahab: Psychological Warfare and the Melville Revival by Clare Spark
Lucchesi and the Whale by Frank Lentricchia
-------------------------------------------
"The American whaleman was a kind of prospector, the ancestor of the oilman, while the New England whaling industry itself . . . was killed off by the refining of kerosene from fossil fuel. Ishmael is an active participant in the process of extraction for profit, turning the wheels of production at home while extending the frontier abroad. " [ read more . . . ]
November 11, 2002
Shifting Weather Pattern?
News Item: String of tornadoes kill at least 30 in U.S.
[Deutsche Welle e-mail newsletter, 11/11/02]
"............ The weather service's Storm Prediction Center said it had reports of at least 45 tornadoes, since early Sunday morning across a half-dozen states. The U.S. National Weather Service said it was the worst outbreak of tornadoes in living memory."
I haven't researched this, people, but street talk in Oklahoma speaks about the meeting of cold air fronts from the north with moist, warm air fronts off the Caribbean happening east of Oklahoma more often. Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are often spawned along the line of these clashing air fronts.
I see a tie-in to yesterday's weather events, right or wrong, with an unusual two-week warm period in Oklahoma with drizzling rain nearly every day from Halloween week through last week. We said to each other: "Is this the Pacific Northwest, or New Orleans, or what?" My simple-minded layman's view is that cold air flow from the north is presently shifted east leaving Oklahoma and environs prone to a "Caribbean rainy climate", and areas in the eastern United States subject to tornado-producing clashes of northern cold air with moist Caribbean air. There appears to be a pattern of this sort for the last several years.
This all carries into the realm of layman science speculation about shifting weather patterns caused by global warming, by El Niños, by La Niñas ...... you name it. For the time being, I tread no further into this matter so subject to pitfalls of oversimplification, to overdependence on apocryphal information, misapplication of probability conjectures, etc.
News Item: String of tornadoes kill at least 30 in U.S.
[Deutsche Welle e-mail newsletter, 11/11/02]
"............ The weather service's Storm Prediction Center said it had reports of at least 45 tornadoes, since early Sunday morning across a half-dozen states. The U.S. National Weather Service said it was the worst outbreak of tornadoes in living memory."
I haven't researched this, people, but street talk in Oklahoma speaks about the meeting of cold air fronts from the north with moist, warm air fronts off the Caribbean happening east of Oklahoma more often. Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are often spawned along the line of these clashing air fronts.
I see a tie-in to yesterday's weather events, right or wrong, with an unusual two-week warm period in Oklahoma with drizzling rain nearly every day from Halloween week through last week. We said to each other: "Is this the Pacific Northwest, or New Orleans, or what?" My simple-minded layman's view is that cold air flow from the north is presently shifted east leaving Oklahoma and environs prone to a "Caribbean rainy climate", and areas in the eastern United States subject to tornado-producing clashes of northern cold air with moist Caribbean air. There appears to be a pattern of this sort for the last several years.
This all carries into the realm of layman science speculation about shifting weather patterns caused by global warming, by El Niños, by La Niñas ...... you name it. For the time being, I tread no further into this matter so subject to pitfalls of oversimplification, to overdependence on apocryphal information, misapplication of probability conjectures, etc.
Did I Mean Veterans Day? Yes.
Friendly readers, you better look out for old Jack. My Joyce Kilmer post talks about Memorial Day as if it is today. Hey, I'm trying to turn the clock forward (or backwards :)) to May. Did I Mean Veterans Day? Yes.
It took a stop at my friend Fred's furniture refinishing store to get straightened out. Fred is a retired Connecticut highway patrolman and we go together to target shoot with our pistols. I wished him a good Memorial Day. Fred says "Huh"! "It is Veterans Day. Oh No! I just told my blog readers wrong.
There is always a silver lining. I found the official Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Day website and there is a link to a 16-page Teachers Resource Guide, in Adobe Acrobat format, entitled "Honoring All Who Served" with information given about proper handling and respect for the flag. I looked for something like this before and now I found it to print out and save.
Friendly readers, you better look out for old Jack. My Joyce Kilmer post talks about Memorial Day as if it is today. Hey, I'm trying to turn the clock forward (or backwards :)) to May. Did I Mean Veterans Day? Yes.
It took a stop at my friend Fred's furniture refinishing store to get straightened out. Fred is a retired Connecticut highway patrolman and we go together to target shoot with our pistols. I wished him a good Memorial Day. Fred says "Huh"! "It is Veterans Day. Oh No! I just told my blog readers wrong.
There is always a silver lining. I found the official Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Day website and there is a link to a 16-page Teachers Resource Guide, in Adobe Acrobat format, entitled "Honoring All Who Served" with information given about proper handling and respect for the flag. I looked for something like this before and now I found it to print out and save.
Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886 - 1918) - Author of Trees and Other Poems
With the arrival of Memorial Day, I am doing my second day in a row of raking leaves and I find myself abruptly reminded of pleasant days spent in the New Brunswick area of New Jersey. I think of the poem "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer who was born in New Brunswick.
Tragically, Joyce Kilmer is one of the many young poets killed in World War I. Today Kilmer is memorialized in many ways in the New Brunswick area and is specially remembered, along with all veterans, on Memorial Day. I came to deeply appreciate Joyce Kilmer in my twelve years spent near his birthplace.
Also, speaking as a person who loves hiking, I am pleased to learn that Kilmer is the namesake of Joyce Kilmer National Forest in Graham County, North Carolina. I can't think of a more wonderful tribute to Joyce Kilmer.
Trees
by Joyce Kilmer
I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks to God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
With the arrival of Memorial Day, I am doing my second day in a row of raking leaves and I find myself abruptly reminded of pleasant days spent in the New Brunswick area of New Jersey. I think of the poem "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer who was born in New Brunswick.
Tragically, Joyce Kilmer is one of the many young poets killed in World War I. Today Kilmer is memorialized in many ways in the New Brunswick area and is specially remembered, along with all veterans, on Memorial Day. I came to deeply appreciate Joyce Kilmer in my twelve years spent near his birthplace.
Also, speaking as a person who loves hiking, I am pleased to learn that Kilmer is the namesake of Joyce Kilmer National Forest in Graham County, North Carolina. I can't think of a more wonderful tribute to Joyce Kilmer.
Trees
by Joyce Kilmer
I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks to God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
November 08, 2002
A Website for Action
My good friend Jerry in New Jersey read my "I am Pushed to the Limit" post about my next door burned out house. And Jerry sends me a great quote from Blaise Pascal, the French philosopher and mathematician who is considered "one of the great minds in Western intellectual history." (from Encarta)
"A long time ago, Blaise Pascal said that the world is in disarray because people no longer know hoe to sit quietly in their homes."
Oh, does that hit home for me! I have trouble saying "No" and I want to do it all myself - including rectifying inaction of government, citizens, corporations, etc., where action is called for; or visa-versa. And I want to do it NOW!
Well, thanks to Jerry and Blaise :-), an idea came forth for me to use the Internet to make a decisive move concerning disposition of the burned house ... and do it while sitting in my house. I built a one-page website for the "Citizen's Committee", made up of neighbors on my block, stating what we are doing while the house still stands and actions planned to facilitate demolishing the house. It is easily accessible to whoever may be concerned, including newspapers, radio and TV. And printouts make handy handouts at city council meetings, etc.
The "Citizen's Committee" website is at:
http://www.geocities.com/jackinwestok/East_Arapaho_200_Block_Committee.html
The website includes a picture of the burned out house. This is a case where a picture IS worth a thousand words.
My good friend Jerry in New Jersey read my "I am Pushed to the Limit" post about my next door burned out house. And Jerry sends me a great quote from Blaise Pascal, the French philosopher and mathematician who is considered "one of the great minds in Western intellectual history." (from Encarta)
"A long time ago, Blaise Pascal said that the world is in disarray because people no longer know hoe to sit quietly in their homes."
Oh, does that hit home for me! I have trouble saying "No" and I want to do it all myself - including rectifying inaction of government, citizens, corporations, etc., where action is called for; or visa-versa. And I want to do it NOW!
Well, thanks to Jerry and Blaise :-), an idea came forth for me to use the Internet to make a decisive move concerning disposition of the burned house ... and do it while sitting in my house. I built a one-page website for the "Citizen's Committee", made up of neighbors on my block, stating what we are doing while the house still stands and actions planned to facilitate demolishing the house. It is easily accessible to whoever may be concerned, including newspapers, radio and TV. And printouts make handy handouts at city council meetings, etc.
The "Citizen's Committee" website is at:
http://www.geocities.com/jackinwestok/East_Arapaho_200_Block_Committee.html
The website includes a picture of the burned out house. This is a case where a picture IS worth a thousand words.
November 07, 2002
I am Pushed to the Limit
December 28, 2001. A horrifying night I cannot get out of my mind ... nearly a year ago. My neighbor's house catches fire and a mother, age 41, and her two children, ages 11 and 12, are dead. The husband jumps off the roof and survives. These are my neighbors. These are my friends. And the burned shell of a house still stands - a reminder of the horror. I am pushed to the limit.
I am a patient person. Legal matters among family members cause delays. I don't want to add to their grief. The mayor and city council make promises and serve a 30-day notice to demolish the condemned building. Then the council serves another 30-day notice. Then the council serves another 30-day notice. ... etc. I am pushed to the limit.
I start organizing a block committee to show up in force at the next city council meeting and demand closure - that being demolishing the burned house. I find we are all pushed to the limit. I try to organize my thoughts, I try to write down things, ... and I am sitting here with writer's block, a headache and shaking hands. I am pushed to the limit.
I have to be realistic. I am heavily medicated for bipolar disorder - manic depression. Decompensation is always "just a step away" and I feel the aura that precedes losing stability. I am close to crossing the Rubicon. Do I risk harm to myself? I think I must take the risk because my neighbors need leadership. I notice a feeling among all of us of empowerment just from the few conversations about organizing a block committee. We need to make our position known. I am pushed to the limit.
December 28, 2001. A horrifying night I cannot get out of my mind ... nearly a year ago. My neighbor's house catches fire and a mother, age 41, and her two children, ages 11 and 12, are dead. The husband jumps off the roof and survives. These are my neighbors. These are my friends. And the burned shell of a house still stands - a reminder of the horror. I am pushed to the limit.
I am a patient person. Legal matters among family members cause delays. I don't want to add to their grief. The mayor and city council make promises and serve a 30-day notice to demolish the condemned building. Then the council serves another 30-day notice. Then the council serves another 30-day notice. ... etc. I am pushed to the limit.
I start organizing a block committee to show up in force at the next city council meeting and demand closure - that being demolishing the burned house. I find we are all pushed to the limit. I try to organize my thoughts, I try to write down things, ... and I am sitting here with writer's block, a headache and shaking hands. I am pushed to the limit.
I have to be realistic. I am heavily medicated for bipolar disorder - manic depression. Decompensation is always "just a step away" and I feel the aura that precedes losing stability. I am close to crossing the Rubicon. Do I risk harm to myself? I think I must take the risk because my neighbors need leadership. I notice a feeling among all of us of empowerment just from the few conversations about organizing a block committee. We need to make our position known. I am pushed to the limit.
November 05, 2002
Carrying in the Coal
Sitting in Goldmann's Main Street Hardware I am privileged to hear oral history from citizens often over 80 years old who still remember the life of pioneers settling the High Plains.
An older woman today saw a coal bucket for sale in the hardware store to use as decor near a fireplace. She reminisced how she had the chore to bring in a bucket of coal every evening. And with a broad smile she recalled that her parents never had to worry about her getting home late. She was afraid of the dark! So she always made sure to bring in the coal before sunset. The coal was carried from a coal crib around the back of the house into the house where it was used for heating and cooking.
With a laugh, my new found friend said that her brother who is six years younger claims he always carried in the coal. Well, she said, her brother distorts facts. She carried in a lot of coal before her brother reached an age where he could do it. I sensed that her brother is prone to an attitude that "women can't do men's work." She counters her brother's exaggerated memory of his own "male strength" by saying that for her carrying in coal was an easy job. As long as she did it before dark!
I got to thinking that on a remote plot of land with coyote howling, bobcats prowling, snakes slithering, ... etc., it is not a bit unreasonable that she was afraid of the dark.
Great lady! Great tales!
Sitting in Goldmann's Main Street Hardware I am privileged to hear oral history from citizens often over 80 years old who still remember the life of pioneers settling the High Plains.
An older woman today saw a coal bucket for sale in the hardware store to use as decor near a fireplace. She reminisced how she had the chore to bring in a bucket of coal every evening. And with a broad smile she recalled that her parents never had to worry about her getting home late. She was afraid of the dark! So she always made sure to bring in the coal before sunset. The coal was carried from a coal crib around the back of the house into the house where it was used for heating and cooking.
With a laugh, my new found friend said that her brother who is six years younger claims he always carried in the coal. Well, she said, her brother distorts facts. She carried in a lot of coal before her brother reached an age where he could do it. I sensed that her brother is prone to an attitude that "women can't do men's work." She counters her brother's exaggerated memory of his own "male strength" by saying that for her carrying in coal was an easy job. As long as she did it before dark!
I got to thinking that on a remote plot of land with coyote howling, bobcats prowling, snakes slithering, ... etc., it is not a bit unreasonable that she was afraid of the dark.
Great lady! Great tales!
November 04, 2002
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Jack finds these words of Emerson spellbinding. I think: "It doesn't get any better than this."
-----------------------------------------
"To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends,
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a better place,
Whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition.
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived,
This is to have succeeded."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Jack finds these words of Emerson spellbinding. I think: "It doesn't get any better than this."
-----------------------------------------
"To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends,
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a better place,
Whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition.
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived,
This is to have succeeded."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
November 01, 2002
The Turkey Shot Out of the Oven
The turkey shot out of the oven
and rocketed into the air,
it knocked every plate off the table
and partly demolished a chair.
It ricocheted into a corner
and burst with a deafening boom,
then splattered all over the kitchen,
completely obscuring the room.
It stuck to the walls and the windows,
it totally coated the floor,
there was turkey attached to the ceiling,
where there'd never been turkey before.
It blanketed every appliance,
It smeared every saucer and bowl,
there wasn't a way I could stop it,
that turkey was out of control.
I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure,
and thought with chagrin as I mopped,
that I'd never again stuff a turkey
with popcorn that hadn't been popped
by Jack Prelutsky
The turkey shot out of the oven
and rocketed into the air,
it knocked every plate off the table
and partly demolished a chair.
It ricocheted into a corner
and burst with a deafening boom,
then splattered all over the kitchen,
completely obscuring the room.
It stuck to the walls and the windows,
it totally coated the floor,
there was turkey attached to the ceiling,
where there'd never been turkey before.
It blanketed every appliance,
It smeared every saucer and bowl,
there wasn't a way I could stop it,
that turkey was out of control.
I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure,
and thought with chagrin as I mopped,
that I'd never again stuff a turkey
with popcorn that hadn't been popped
by Jack Prelutsky
October 31, 2002
The Invaluable Common Sense I Learned in a Farm Country Upbringing
Over the years I told many people I owed much of my success working in industry to the common sense I learned from my Oklahoma farm country upbringing: having farmer friends, working weekends on farms - shocking oats, loading bales of hay, picking cotton, helping to build a pig feeder, safely driving a tractor; work hard - "put in a day's work for a day's pay"; be trustworthy - "do what you say you will do, and do it on time if humanly possible"; show respect for the "boss" and for fellow workers; have pride in work; etc.
I got "book learning" at Weatherford High School and then the University of Oklahoma and Rutgers University - all wonderful schools for education in my chosen field of science. And my science education was essential for my success. But the common sense from my upbringing in farm country also led to success in science in ways too numerous to count.
In the magazine Successful Farming - Voice of the people on the land I find an article that is so reminiscent of the "down home" gift of common sense I owe to farm people and farm knowledge. There is a "ring" of the Scientific Method to the subject of collecting and using data to optimize farm production - and to the resourcefulness needed to gain knowledge from research and data handling with minimum effort (think cost.) A summary of the article is included with this post.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
The call of the wild data
Article in Successful Farming - Voice of the people on the land by Katie Thompson
@agriculture online
2002-10-18 19:39:28.0
http://www.agriculture.com/default.sph/agNotebook.class?FNC=ArticleList__Aarticle_html___8249___800
Yours for the taking:
Data
It takes time to start using your data, and it should.
Step One: Look
"I always recommend to start with yield maps," says Robert [Pierre Robert, professor of precision agriculture at the University of Minnesota]. Get to know your fields. "Some may have more variability than others."
Step Two: Triage
Select 'management zones'. The best targets for improvement will be the fields with the most variability.
"Within the field, when he has several years of data, then he may start defining zones," says Robert. You have to narrow down your targets for a good reason: Money.
"Grid sampling is expensive," says Robert.
Step Three: Get more data
Grid sampling is soil testing done at intervals over an entire field, so that each 2.5 acres (or so) is tested separately. Soil testing can also be done on smaller areas -- management zones of a few acres, for example. The tests look at nutrients and pH of the soil.
"I would always look at pH," says Robert. Why? Because pH can have a big impact on plant growth.
Step Four: Use the data
Now you can do precision application of nutrients or precision liming, for example.
"Liming is always a good candidate for variable application for benefits," says Robert. "We have many examples where that works."
And beyond
The next step might be variable planting, where the planter automatically plants more or less seeds, depending on the quality of the soil at each position in the field.
"But that really requires some experiments," says Robert. It may not be the best solution for all fields.
Over the years I told many people I owed much of my success working in industry to the common sense I learned from my Oklahoma farm country upbringing: having farmer friends, working weekends on farms - shocking oats, loading bales of hay, picking cotton, helping to build a pig feeder, safely driving a tractor; work hard - "put in a day's work for a day's pay"; be trustworthy - "do what you say you will do, and do it on time if humanly possible"; show respect for the "boss" and for fellow workers; have pride in work; etc.
I got "book learning" at Weatherford High School and then the University of Oklahoma and Rutgers University - all wonderful schools for education in my chosen field of science. And my science education was essential for my success. But the common sense from my upbringing in farm country also led to success in science in ways too numerous to count.
In the magazine Successful Farming - Voice of the people on the land I find an article that is so reminiscent of the "down home" gift of common sense I owe to farm people and farm knowledge. There is a "ring" of the Scientific Method to the subject of collecting and using data to optimize farm production - and to the resourcefulness needed to gain knowledge from research and data handling with minimum effort (think cost.) A summary of the article is included with this post.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
The call of the wild data
Article in Successful Farming - Voice of the people on the land by Katie Thompson
@agriculture online
2002-10-18 19:39:28.0
http://www.agriculture.com/default.sph/agNotebook.class?FNC=ArticleList__Aarticle_html___8249___800
Yours for the taking:
Data
It takes time to start using your data, and it should.
Step One: Look
"I always recommend to start with yield maps," says Robert [Pierre Robert, professor of precision agriculture at the University of Minnesota]. Get to know your fields. "Some may have more variability than others."
Step Two: Triage
Select 'management zones'. The best targets for improvement will be the fields with the most variability.
"Within the field, when he has several years of data, then he may start defining zones," says Robert. You have to narrow down your targets for a good reason: Money.
"Grid sampling is expensive," says Robert.
Step Three: Get more data
Grid sampling is soil testing done at intervals over an entire field, so that each 2.5 acres (or so) is tested separately. Soil testing can also be done on smaller areas -- management zones of a few acres, for example. The tests look at nutrients and pH of the soil.
"I would always look at pH," says Robert. Why? Because pH can have a big impact on plant growth.
Step Four: Use the data
Now you can do precision application of nutrients or precision liming, for example.
"Liming is always a good candidate for variable application for benefits," says Robert. "We have many examples where that works."
And beyond
The next step might be variable planting, where the planter automatically plants more or less seeds, depending on the quality of the soil at each position in the field.
"But that really requires some experiments," says Robert. It may not be the best solution for all fields.
October 30, 2002
Video of A VERY BIG Electrical Discharge :-)
Natural History online (September 2002) offers a free videotape of a humongous "electrical flash phenomena."
http://www.amnh.org/naturalhistory/
Since I was a kid I am fascinated by things like the movie props used in Frankenstein movies, serious scientific apparatus such as Tesla coils, etc., with dramatic display of electrical discharges.
So WOW! The online video from Natural History showing an electrical discharge "that stretches from the tops of thunderclouds (about ten miles above Earth) to the bottom of the ionosphere (about forty miles up) just about "knocks my socks off."
The electrical flash phenomena was videotaped for the first time by researchers working at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. (Video courtesy of Victor P. Pasko, Mark A. Stanley, John D. Mathews, Umran S. Inan, and Troy G. Wood.)
Note: In order to view the video clip, software that supports the MP3 file format such as the RealPlayer is needed. A link is given to install RealPlayer free at the RealNetworks website.
http://www.real.com/realone/index.html?src=player_redct
(Additional Note: Unless wanted, a "for-pay" subscription for "RealOne RadioPass" need not be turned in.)
Natural History online (September 2002) offers a free videotape of a humongous "electrical flash phenomena."
http://www.amnh.org/naturalhistory/
Since I was a kid I am fascinated by things like the movie props used in Frankenstein movies, serious scientific apparatus such as Tesla coils, etc., with dramatic display of electrical discharges.
So WOW! The online video from Natural History showing an electrical discharge "that stretches from the tops of thunderclouds (about ten miles above Earth) to the bottom of the ionosphere (about forty miles up) just about "knocks my socks off."
The electrical flash phenomena was videotaped for the first time by researchers working at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. (Video courtesy of Victor P. Pasko, Mark A. Stanley, John D. Mathews, Umran S. Inan, and Troy G. Wood.)
Note: In order to view the video clip, software that supports the MP3 file format such as the RealPlayer is needed. A link is given to install RealPlayer free at the RealNetworks website.
http://www.real.com/realone/index.html?src=player_redct
(Additional Note: Unless wanted, a "for-pay" subscription for "RealOne RadioPass" need not be turned in.)
October 29, 2002
QUOTE OF THE WEEK --------
"A series of failures may culminate in the best possible result."
-- Gisela Richter
(in www.DiabetesinControl.com newsletter)
"A series of failures may culminate in the best possible result."
-- Gisela Richter
(in www.DiabetesinControl.com newsletter)
October 27, 2002
Hypotheses of the Origin of Life
One of the exciting moments of my early scientific career in chemistry was reading the monograph "The Origin of Life on the Earth" published in 1957 by the Russian biochemist Aleksandr Ivanovich Oparin (known only to me at the time as A.I. Oparin) 1894-1980. This was my first exposure to the hypothesis that chemicals with the potential to form replicative life, including amino acids, proteins, DNA, etc., can form in nature under conditions of the primordial earth.
So I am excited again like I was as a young man to read recent scientific research supportive of Oparin's ideas. News about the research appears in an article "Trapping DNA Through Thermophoresis" in the American Institute of Physics Physics News Update Number 610 #1, October 22, 2002 by Phil Schewe, James Riordon, and Ben Stein.
In experiments conducted by Dieter Braun and Albert Libchaber, fluorescent-tagged DNA molecules in a water media are repelled by a laser-generated hot spot and then "come back." Close observation showed a convection cell pattern about 20 microns across and with the DNA concentration enhanced by a factor of 1000.
These findings are especially interesting for me because the theory and application of non-equilibrium processes, including convection cell formation, are concepts commonly used in chemical engineering - and during my career I had the good fortune of working both in research chemistry and later in chemical engineering. Boy, that was enjoyable!
In summarizing the research, the authors of the Physics News Update article state: "Demonstrating a mechanism for confining early metabolic and replicative life forms in a far-from-equilibrium environment such as localized heat sources (e.g., hydrothermal vents) immersed in a cold ocean, should be of interest to biologists who ponder the advent of life."
One of the exciting moments of my early scientific career in chemistry was reading the monograph "The Origin of Life on the Earth" published in 1957 by the Russian biochemist Aleksandr Ivanovich Oparin (known only to me at the time as A.I. Oparin) 1894-1980. This was my first exposure to the hypothesis that chemicals with the potential to form replicative life, including amino acids, proteins, DNA, etc., can form in nature under conditions of the primordial earth.
So I am excited again like I was as a young man to read recent scientific research supportive of Oparin's ideas. News about the research appears in an article "Trapping DNA Through Thermophoresis" in the American Institute of Physics Physics News Update Number 610 #1, October 22, 2002 by Phil Schewe, James Riordon, and Ben Stein.
In experiments conducted by Dieter Braun and Albert Libchaber, fluorescent-tagged DNA molecules in a water media are repelled by a laser-generated hot spot and then "come back." Close observation showed a convection cell pattern about 20 microns across and with the DNA concentration enhanced by a factor of 1000.
These findings are especially interesting for me because the theory and application of non-equilibrium processes, including convection cell formation, are concepts commonly used in chemical engineering - and during my career I had the good fortune of working both in research chemistry and later in chemical engineering. Boy, that was enjoyable!
In summarizing the research, the authors of the Physics News Update article state: "Demonstrating a mechanism for confining early metabolic and replicative life forms in a far-from-equilibrium environment such as localized heat sources (e.g., hydrothermal vents) immersed in a cold ocean, should be of interest to biologists who ponder the advent of life."
Dining in Baku, Azerbaijan
My blog readers know I sometimes take interest in cuisine that is off the "beaten track." An example is my post [9/4/2002 8:20:32 PM] about cherryburgers made with 10% minced tart cherries mixed with lean burger meat. Unfortunately, fresh cherries are currently out of season in Oklahoma. But, not to be a "quitter", I got the idea of making cherryburgers with canned cherry pie filling. Bad idea! :-) I managed to make a "muckburger" that was barely edible.
Now my interest is perked by a "Tales From the Caucasus" column in the October 22 Moscow Times entitled "You Can't Beat the Taste: This Tomato's for Real" by Chloe Arnold in Baku, Azerbaijan. For example, my taste buds are whetted for Azeri cuisine by learning: "If you ask for a salad, the waiter will bring you a plate with two tomatoes, two cucumbers and a fistful of fresh herbs torn straight from the garden. Sometimes they're still clinging to clods of earth with perhaps a worm or two struggling to get away."
Continuing the description: "Because they taste so good, there's no need to char-grill them or roast them or smother them in fancy dressings. Azeris just sprinkle on a little salt and a dried herb called sumakh, which looks like fine red tobacco."
From the article, it sounds as if the real dining fun starts on leaving the capital Baku for the countryside. Evidently the basic menu choices are mutton, mutton and barbecued mutton served in the ubiquitous kebab style. :-) But there is a mutton delicacy for special occasions called khash that is worth reading about. Suffice it to say - "Tradition has it that the khash must be eaten before sunrise -- and accompanied by jugfuls of vodka." Hmmm. Now that sounds daring to try. ;-)
My blog readers know I sometimes take interest in cuisine that is off the "beaten track." An example is my post [9/4/2002 8:20:32 PM] about cherryburgers made with 10% minced tart cherries mixed with lean burger meat. Unfortunately, fresh cherries are currently out of season in Oklahoma. But, not to be a "quitter", I got the idea of making cherryburgers with canned cherry pie filling. Bad idea! :-) I managed to make a "muckburger"
Now my interest is perked by a "Tales From the Caucasus" column in the October 22 Moscow Times entitled "You Can't Beat the Taste: This Tomato's for Real" by Chloe Arnold in Baku, Azerbaijan. For example, my taste buds are whetted for Azeri cuisine by learning: "If you ask for a salad, the waiter will bring you a plate with two tomatoes, two cucumbers and a fistful of fresh herbs torn straight from the garden. Sometimes they're still clinging to clods of earth with perhaps a worm or two struggling to get away."
Continuing the description: "Because they taste so good, there's no need to char-grill them or roast them or smother them in fancy dressings. Azeris just sprinkle on a little salt and a dried herb called sumakh, which looks like fine red tobacco."
From the article, it sounds as if the real dining fun starts on leaving the capital Baku for the countryside. Evidently the basic menu choices are mutton, mutton and barbecued mutton served in the ubiquitous kebab style. :-) But there is a mutton delicacy for special occasions called khash that is worth reading about. Suffice it to say - "Tradition has it that the khash must be eaten before sunrise -- and accompanied by jugfuls of vodka." Hmmm. Now that sounds daring to try. ;-)