What Would Jimmy Do?

As you probably know, I just celebrated my most major of all holidays — Talk Like a Pirate Day. Another holiday has just passed — National Punctuation Day. If you were reading this blog a year ago, you know that I did celebrate the day — well, actually I just mostly complained about punctuation… or the lack of it, to be specific.
Punctuation Day always comes right after TLAP Day and I’m usually still exhausted from all that celebrating and this year we went out with a friend to celebrate her birthday, so the day got by me again without the attention it probably deserves.

But the punctuation things that annoyed me last year still do this year, so let’s review and expand on them a bit. Again, they pretty much all have to do with “texting.” Most of you, and myself, have been communicating via text for a while now. Even I have to admit it’s quick, convenient, and usually makes some amount of sense.
Often when I see it happening I wonder… is it rude to text with other people around? I guess there’s no yes or no answer to this one — it depends on the situation. Some people believe it’s always rude, inconsiderate and distracting to be on the phone sending text messages when someone else is right in front of you. Sometimes, depending on how it’s handled, the action can send a “you’re not important enough to me” vibe to the other person. A lot of people think a person should give all their attention to whoever they’re physically with and most text can wait.

Last year I indicated that I thought people’s writing skills were going down the toilet as they became proficient at texting. My opinion hasn’t really changed and my thoughts on the subject are that all things being equal, you usually come across better if your writing is well put together. However in non-professional or less formal situations fussing over every last comma, capitalization or punctuation mark may be a bit unnecessary. I’m beginning to agree that as long as the other person can grasp your meaning, it doesn’t matter that you write something like “u” instead of “you.” But — if the message is truly childishly written and incomprehensible, that’s unacceptable and the person should be encouraged to make their writing at least a bit more coherent. I realize that today a lot of people think it’s more important to fire off a message quickly, an the composing perfectly formed sentences isn’t essential.

I don’t like texts that go to a lot people — they all seem to respond, and my phone beeps with every response… I don’t like it when it suddenly gets quite and I look around and see someone (maybe more than one) in the group busy texting… I don’t like it when someone calls, and I can’t answer right then and I immediately get a text that they left me a voice mail… I don’t like it when someone responds to my text with “k” — don’t they have an “o” on their phone or is it too much trouble to punch one more key?

I read something recently that a study had concluded that the use of a period in text messages made the response sound less sincere than those responses with no punctuation. If the response is a handwritten note, people expect to see the period — but not in a text message.
The same study also indicated that if you’re apologizing for something, you should do it face to face, not in a text.

Anyhow, punctuation is important — the exact same sentence with and without a simple comma often has a very different meaning — for example: Let’s eat Grandpa! and Let’s eat, Grandpa!
English professors often ask their classes to punctuate the following sentence: Woman without her man is nothing. Usually half the class punctuates it as: Woman: without her, man is nothing. The other half usually comes up with: Woman, without her man, is nothing.
So those squiggly little marks do change things — maybe punctuation deserves more than just its own day….
— 30 —

As you probably know, I be a big fan of holidays. Me usually has a glass of wine, or other special grog on holidays — so me rarely lets any holiday go by unnoticed. But today be my most favorite of all holidays — Talk Like a Pirate Day!!! Make no mistake, me looks forward to this special day all year long — mine have trouble sleeping the nights leading up to the big day — the excitement be just too great me hearties.

First thin’ in t’ morning’, I go down t’ t’ galley where me scurvy bilge rat wench be preparing’ a proper pirate’s feast complete with a big cup o’ grog. Me wench always enjoys it when she sets me feast in front of me and me say, “well, me hearties, let’s see what crawled out of the bung hole.” Even though me refers to her as me wench, me always greets her with, “C’mere, me beauty.”

So what makes this holiday so special and different than all t’ others? Well, it gives Ye conversation a certain swagger and it usually impresses landlocked lubbers. Just sayin aarrr or weigh anchor or blimey conveys an image o’ swaggerin’ pirateness.
When we show up at ye ole’ neighbors’ house for a grog, him always say that me don’t look like a pirate — that me should have a peg leg or a patch so he’ll know what’s going’ on. Even after me explains that today be talk like a pirate day, not dress like a pirate day, t’ scurvy dog still doesn’t get it.

If ye be interested in talking like a pirate — it can be done with just a few words…
Ahoy! — this one’s very important — means hello.
Avast! — ye can use it to express surprise, use it instead of check it out, or no way! or get out of town!
Aarrrr! — the very best one to know — me uses it all the time. It can mean, that was clever, what you just said or I’m happy, enjoying this cup o’ grog, or yes, I agree, or the Redskins are going to win the Super Bowl, or just about anything else ye want it to mean.
Me mentioned bung hole earlier — booze, among other things, was stored in wooden casks on pirate ships. T’ stopper in the barrel is called t’ bung, and t’ hole be called t’ bung hole.
Shiver me timbers is another phrase me likes to use. It be an expression of surprise — and concern. Pirate ships are wooden and when the wind blows, the timbers rattle. Rattling’ ain’t so bad, but it ’tis the full shiverin’ of the masts or other ship parts, by gale winds or cannon fire, that strikes fear in the heart of a pirate….

When it be TLAP Day me take a new name — today me new name be Bubonic Skyler Screed. And just for today, me wench Claire be called Cap’n Lucy Redbeard.
So we’ll be headin’ out for our annual rounds tonight — probably into the wee hours. May even spend a few pieces of eight at our favorite restaurant — Aarrrrby’s.
Til’ next year — Aarrr!!
— 30 —

I’m certainly in no position to refer to anyone as stupid. But I’m also not running for public office — especially not the President of the United States of America. As you’ve gathered from some of my recent entries, I’m not impressed by either major candidate for president, so I think that I owe it to myself to at least learn what I can about the “third party” candidates.
Gary Johnson is running for the U.S. Presidency on the Libertarian Party ticket. As you’ve probably heard, he was asked during an interview what he would do about Aleppo if he were elected president. I’ll spare you all the bumbling — the bottom line was that he had absolutely no idea who, where, or what Aleppo is.
Maybe I shouldn’t be overly critical, but I can’t imagine anyone that’s had the news on in the past year not knowing — even if they weren’t paying attention. Did I mention this guy is running for president?

Most everyone knows that Aleppo is often (wrongly) referred to as the “capital of ISIS.” Aleppo is one of the oldest cities in not only Syria but one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
Interestingly (maybe not) I first became aware of the Aleppo when our kids were much younger and we drug them to the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival every year. One year featured exhibits about the Silk Road — because of it’s location, between the eastern Mediterranean coast and the Euphrates Valley, Aleppo was one of the key centers along the Silk Road(s).
Anyhow, I guess I’ll keep looking for someone to vote for that’s better than Popeye — maybe all these candidates should start reading my blog.
— 30 —

I watched the Commander-In-Chief Forum last night. A lot of the news coverage this morning seemed to focus on what a bad job Matt Lauer did as moderator. Maybe they weren’t watching the same forum that I was. I think “bad” pretty much described everyone’s performance — except for the questions asked by the veterans. Too bad none of the answers were as good as the questions.

Over the years I’ve interviewed a few people to fill various positions. The fact is last night was part of a job interview — for kind of an important job, by the way. It occurred to me that if I was in a position to hire someone for the job (and I am, along with all the rest of you) I wouldn’t hire either one. November is still a ways off, and I still have an “open” mind and I’ll be watching things more closely now in the home stretch… So maybe something will happen that I like — right now I’m torn between writing in Ronald McDonald or Popeye.
— 30 —

I often mention “both my faithful readers” in this space. It turns out that both of them live in Cleveland. They both work for the same company, they drive the same kind of cars. They both live in the same neighborhood and both like and own dogs. Talk about a small world — what are the odds?
BUT — if you think that’s amazing and a little creepy, get this — they have the same wedding anniversary!!

Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary to Chris and John. Here’s to many more years of marriage (and reading this blog.)
— 30 —

I’ve mentioned the olympics a few times lately and now that they’ve been over for a while, I thought I’d actually blog about them. I wound up watching more of them that I had anticipated and it was nice the see the US win so many medals.

I read that the US had a record number of LGBT olympians competing, including the first gay married couple. Although I missed it, there was apparently a proposal on the rugby field by Brazilian athlete Isadora Cerullo to her girlfriend, Marjorie Enya. The games also welcomed a team of refugee athletes and during the opening ceremonies I noticed a US athlete wearing a hijab — a first, I think.
One of the more entertaining things was watching Aly Raisman’s parents while she performed her gymnastic routines. The whole experience of watching their daughter apparently was totally nerve-wracking for them. One of the commentators said that the Raismans made an olympic sport out of watching Aly. I heard the parents performance called “adorably nervous.”
Before the games, in a bid to improve communication between taxi driver and tourists, drivers were given free English lessons. The Hey Taxi program was intended to improve the visitor experience. During all the swimming activities, legal requirements dictated that a “life guard” be at the pool — somehow I don’t think he went home at night feeling a sense of accomplishment.

I think it’s great that these athletes are (theoretically, at least) competing for pure love of the sport. Not many people work that hard at anything if there’s no cash reward at the end of the journey. Of course it’s also an opportunity to feel massively inadequate about your sports (or even life) achievements. So that’s it for me and the olympics for a couple of years. I should get started training for the winter olympics… I may have to get a new chair.
— 30 —

We attended a “Citizenship” party this past weekend — a friend became a US Citizen, and a number of people got together to celebrate.
As big days go, I suspect this must be one of the biggest for these new citizens — they become eligible to serve on a jury, run for office, vote and lots of other things we take for granted. Cathy was born in Ireland and had to become a US Citizen through a long process called naturalization. First, a person must be at least eighteen years old and must have been a legal resident for at least five years — display good moral character and loyalty to the United States. To become a citizen, people must be able to read, write and speak English, have knowledge and understanding of United States history and government and believe in the US Constitution — and be willing to take an oath of loyalty to the United States. If, and only if, they meet these requirements can they submit an application for citizenship. Then they must take an exam to prove they meet the conditions of becoming a citizen. Finally, they take an oath of allegiance in court. And then they’re Americans — Americans by choice.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, or difficulty.” I’d bet that naturalized citizens believe that.

Most of us inherited US Citizenship — we didn’t earn it. We have been bequeathed our opportunities and freedom by the deeds, commitments and spilled blood of Americans who came before us. But America is not and never will be a finished project. We have been handed a work in progress that continues evolve in the direction we choose. There is a sense — I think more so among the younger generation, that being an American Citizen is no big deal, with no obligation attached to it.

Most of us “natural born” citizens take our government for granted. If you’ve traveled extensively or lived abroad, you realize how wonderful our government really is. Certainly graft and corruption occurs, but it doesn’t happen on the scale you see in other countries. Government bribes are part of every day business in many, many countries. We have consistent, peaceful transfer of power every few of years — we don’t have coups in the US. How many countries can say that? The US has a well tested, democratic process where power is peacefully handed over to newly elected officials. This has happened consistently over the course of our 200-plus year history.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled to a lot, if not most, places in the world and once you’re out of the country for any extended period of time, you realize all the “stupid” little things that you miss that all of us take for granted every day. We have running water — hot running water, electricity, toilet paper and bathrooms, sidewalks, paved roads, cars, a bed to sleep in, a room, house or space to call our own, public schools, television and freedom — freedom of choice, whether it be in the voting booth or choosing a restaurant or a pair of shoes….
If I want to write this blog, all I have to do is log in, write what’s on my mind and hit the publish button. and you can open it and read it any time you wish — just like you can thousands of other things on the Internet. But that’s a different story in many countries —if I write something the government doesn’t agree with, it’s blocked and you can’t read it. Just another of the many freedoms we take for granted.

So as I think about all these things I’m pretty sure most of us “natural born” citizens don’t fully appreciate what it means to be an American Citizen. It means many things, but the bottom line is that we are all responsible for watching over and protecting our own democracy — making it work for all of us and passing it along to our children better than we inherited it. I think that I accept that responsibility — I’m sure our new citizen Cathy does.
— 30 —

You’ve probably noticed now that the olympics have ended, that the big olympic news wasn’t about the events, it was about some US swimmers and a late night incident at a gas station. So guess what we’re going to be talking about today — honesty. Honesty is more than just accurately reporting facts — it includes what you say and also what you don’t say. And it includes your actions. Honesty is saying and doing what is true — not false.

I won’t get into the specifics of the gas station incident — you can read the papers and watch TV just like me. If you’ve noticed what’s been going on in the world lately, you’ve heard about auto companies cheating on auto emissions results and banks that have admitted to massive fraud, governors (and other public officials) charged, or convicted, of corruption.

And of course, in this election year, let’s not forget politics… Mark Twain said that politicians would never lie “unless it was absolutely convenient.”
There are currently two candidates running for president (not counting any minority party “candidates.”) Since this blog is about honesty — be honest. Dose either candidate exude honesty as an attribute? They both say, “trust me” but neither provides much, or any, basis for doing so. Just because someone is a “politician” doesn’t give him or her a license to practice situational honesty. Honesty isn’t something that can be turned on or off in different situations. You’re either honest and trustworthy or not.

We have the presidential debates to look forward to — I’ll make a bold prediction right now. Both candidates will lie — a harsh term, maybe, but both will lie. So here’s where we stand: Both candidates are lying. Our job is to decide which one is lying less. Sad state of affairs isn’t it? We’re reduced to weighing the lies and probably wind up voting for, in our opinion, the least deceitful.

So have we reached the point, that honesty is just for suckers? Hope not — we should all remember a Thomas Jefferson quote, “Honesty is the first chapter the the book of wisdom.”
— 30 —

Just about any way you cut it, I’m a Senior Citizen — pick any criteria you want and I qualify. So I figure today is my day. On August 19, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5847 declaring August 21 as National Senior Citizens Day. Prior to 1988, some people celebrated Senior Citizens Day on August 14 because that was the day President Franklin roosevelt signed the Social Security Act (in 1935.)

But in 1988, President Reagan made it official — as he put it, “Throughout our history, older people have achieved much for our families, our communities, and our country. That remains true today and gives us ample reason this year to reserve a special day in honor of the senior citizens who mean so much to our land.” So now, every year you have an opportunity to appreciate my contribution. And — I have an opportunity to take it easy and be celebrated.

When you stop to think about it, it’s a wonder I ever got to be a senior citizen…
I rode in cars with no seat belts, no car seats, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. And I remember going lots of places riding in the back of a pick-up truck.
I don’t remember childproof lids on medicine bottles in our bathroom, or locks on cabinet doors… I rode my bike wearing a baseball cap, no helmet. I played outside — pretty much all day long in the summer — I didn’t have Play Stations, X-boxes or Nintendo’s — or — computers, DVDs, radios, cell phones — but — I had friends and I usually found them outside. I had a BB gun and, even though I was told many times that it would happen, I didn’t shoot my eye out. I ate dirt and survived.

I had a different kind of freedom than kids have today — I had failures, successes and responsibilities and somehow I learned to deal with it all….
So feel free to have a drink with me today, on my day.
— 30 —

I’ve watched more of the Olympics that I thought I would. One thing I like about them is there’s only one winner — the top three get medals, but only one wins. I suppose it’s only a matter of time before everyone that participates will be awarded a participation medal. That certainly is the trend with younger children and I’ve noticed that the practice is even spreading to some high schools.

Sports, and other activities, have been awarding trophies, plaques, certificates, etc. for as long as I can remember. No championship is complete without a trophy presentation. An award of this kind is a great way to acknowledge and celebrate victory and achievement. But somewhere along the way something has happened that devalues the impact and and appreciation of receiving these awards.

I think there is a desire to recognize the contributions of everyone that participates in an activity and one way to do that is to increase the number of awards given — even to the point of giving everyone involved an award or trophy just for participating.
Obviously, there are at least two schools of thought on the subject of awards — one side believes that an award is a powerful motivator. Another view is that nonstop recognition doesn’t inspire success. In life, people tend to lose more often than they win, even if they’re really good at something. If you come in last place and get a trophy, then what does that say? It says it’s ok to finish in last place.

Kids today are used to getting rewarded for doing practically nothing. By being rewarded for just participating, they haven’t learned that out in the real world, you don’t get rewarded for trying — even if it’s your best try. You get rewarded for winning or being the best. My thought is that if you don’t come in first, and only get second, it motivates you to try harder next time. Also, if you “lose” you often learn from the mistakes made and that helps you to do better. Any time you make a mistake, you have the chance to learn from it.

All through life you compete with other people — only one person will get that raise or promotion. And who is that? The person who is the best, who produces the best work — not the person who tried the hardest.

I know it’s tough to see kids lose, especially the little ones, but earlier rather than later they must learn that they can’t expect things to be handed to them and they need to learn that if they can’t lose, they shouldn’t play the game.
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