| Teach kids "how" to talk back, cuz they're gonna do it anyway. |
[Jul. 8th, 2009|06:13 pm] |
"And let’s face it: Our culture has lost the ability to usefully disagree. Most Americans seem to avoid argument. But this has produced passive aggression and groupthink in the office, red and blue states, and families unable to discuss things as simple as what to watch on television. Rhetoric doesn’t turn kids into back-sassers; it makes them think about other points of view."
How to Teach a Child to Argue
Why would any sane parent teach his kids to talk back? Because, this father found, it actually increased family harmony.
By Jay Heinrichs
http://www.figarospeech.com/teach-a-kid-to-argue/ |
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| call 2-1-1 for human services |
[Jun. 27th, 2009|08:40 pm] |
Some panhandlers may be simply lazy or even trying to con me, but there are many who sincerely need help -- people who are incapacitated in some way (mentally ill, physically limited, drug-addicted) or who are simply down on their luck. I feel sympathetic when I see someone begging, but I dislike giving money to panhandlers, both because I don't want to be conned and because it feels like treating a symptom rather than addressing root causes.
I don't begrudge panhandlers their right to beg as long as they don't harass me in the process, but instead of giving them money, I donate directly to local, national, and international agencies that I trust. I also want to know that the panhandlers with sincere needs have access to the help they need, including knowing how to find that help.
The vast majority of homeless people are not begging on the street. A community may need to do more or better to help the homeless, but 'How do we forestall homelessness?' and 'How do we help the homeless?' are separate questions from 'What do we do about panhandlers?' Still, whether people are panhandling or not, understanding what help is available can be a daunting task.
Is there the right kind of help and enough of it for those people in our community who need it? I don't know, but I'm happy to learn that there's a single number that one can call to find out about what's available: 2-1-1.
http://www.in211.org/about211/mission.htm
"... The goal is to create a seamless network of information and referral services that enables anyone in Indiana in need of human services to have quick referrals to those who provide them by dialing 2-1-1. ... The Indiana General Assembly passed legislation supporting 2-1-1 that became effective July 1, 2004 (I.C. 8-1-19.5). ... IN211 is actively working to implement 2-1-1 service in order to serve all Hoosiers through linked IN211 Centers."
Blueprint to End Homelessness (Indianapolis)
http://www.endhomelessnessindy.org/
Why Say No To Panhandlers? - Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) (Indianapolis)
http://www.chipindy.org/Chip.htm |
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| Andy at (almost) 13 |
[Jun. 27th, 2009|04:16 pm] |
Ever wonder what I sounded like before my voice changed?
Excerpts from Bar Mitzvah (~7 minutes)
http://www.spatzel.net/arenson/198306-AndyBarM-excerpts.wav
Bar Mitzvah (~46 minutes)
http://www.spatzel.net/arenson/198306-AndyBarM.wav
From the sermon I gave, the central point:
"... I will ... have to have faith in my leaders ... that the decisions that are chosen are correct."
HA, HA, HA, HA, HA! Whew! That's a good one, earlier-version-of-me! For a second there it sounded like you were saying that we should blindly follow our leaders, never questioning their authority.
Mind you, I _do_ think there's a point at which one needs to accept what the boss, the president, or whomever orders and just get the job done rather than back talking, but there's also a heck of a lot of points where, you know, one _doesn't_. |
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| Whiny, but awed |
[Jun. 21st, 2009|01:34 am] |
Running errands today, I drove past a part of town that I've wondered about fleetingly when driving past on other days. Today I decided to take a detour and scope it out. There were beautiful things to discover there -- stately homes, rustic charms, overhanging branches -- but the best part was simply the unexpected discovery.
It was in a high school drawing class where I learned to appreciate form and chaotic patterns. Something about learning to appreciate the complexities and beauty in even the innocuous detritus of everyday life awoke in me a sense of awe of creation, of our Universe. This frame of mind is one of my favorites -- when the world feels full of possibility and wonder.
The unexpected discovery can be a cause or effect of this frame of mind, often forming a positive feedback loop. On the surface the unexpected discovery is about doing something unplanned, creating the opportunity to discover the unexpected. Looking deeper, though, the unexpected discovery is joyful to me because it is an expression of or leads to a sense of awe and wonder and play.
Asked about the north island of New Zealand at a party this evening, I offered tubing in caves with glowworms as the coolest thing, objectively, that we'd done, but offered another adventure as having been the coolest, most exciting, most magical thing, subjectively, that we'd done. The other adventure was pretty cool, objectively, too -- we drove along the coast to a lighthouse with a sea lion colony below it -- but wins for subjective cool because of the unexpected discovery. Everything else on our trip had been meticulously planned, but going to the lighthouse and sea lions was spontaneous and extra exciting. Driving on rural roads in the dark has its risks. As before, the unexpected discovery was the vehicle that helped transport me to the frame of mind, not itself the cause of the sense of awe.
Later this evening, I found myself watching one of my favorite scenes from any movie. Courtesy of TiVo, I have Death Proof available at the touch of a button and can watch at will the gleeful interplay of Zoe Bell, Tracie Thoms, Rosario Dawson, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. I _ALSO_ have Death Proof on DVD, which affords me the ability to see the extended version of their interaction.
I have this DVD courtesy of a bit of unexpected discovery. Two summers ago, distraught from stresses at work, I indulged myself and used unexpected discovery as an escape. In Madison, WI for a conference, I walked past the local shops looking for something interesting to discover. I happened upon a movie rental store going out of business and selling its DVDs on the cheap. I purchased about two dozen, including Death Proof.
Escape is good for the soul, with the normal caveats of not overdoing it. Unexpected discovery as escape is pretty healthy -- a heck of a lot better than alcohol, for instance. In thinking about that particular instance of escapism, though, what bothers me, in retrospect, was the sense of entitlement I felt. My life sucked so I deserved to do something for me. It's one thing to heal oneself. It's another to rationalize that the universe owes you one.
And here lies the crux of my challenge for personal growth. Get rid of the sense that the world owes me anything. Get rid of the sense of entitlement. Stop being whiny. Instead, look for ways to incorporate the sense of awe of the universe that I know I can feel into my everyday life. Maybe it doesn't have to be escapism. Maybe it can be reality. |
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| China fails to hack into my workstation |
[Jun. 19th, 2009|08:30 am] |
This morning's log from my workstation shows:
Failed logins from:
218.56.61.114: 3 times
Illegal users from:
218.56.61.114: 6 times
A quick check of that IP address fails to give me a hostname, but shows that it's registered to a Chinese ISP: ns.sdjnptt.net.cn
The thing that surprises me about this, though, isn't that a machine from China sent attempts to break into my workstation, but how relatively infrequently this happens. I'd expect these sorts of probing attacks to occur constantly, but I get less than one a day. |
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| Jukebox The Ghost at the Vollrath |
[Jun. 6th, 2009|10:32 am] |
Spouse and I saw Jukebox The Ghost (@ MySpace) at the Vollrath Tavern.
We heard of them first when they opened for Ben Folds and I loved 'em. They have interesting arrangements with lots of upbeat tempos. It's three guys -- keyboard, guitar, drums, with two of them singing.
Note that they're playing in Chicago next Friday and a free show in New York City at Union Square on Jul 23rd.
The Vollrath is a bit of a pit in a good way. It's seen what I guess to be more formal and ostentatious days -- I saw some beautiful stain glass and some nice tile work on the floor -- but is set up as a no-nonsense bar and performing venue. There's no food, just drinks, and the decor is eclectic, somewhat bare, and shabby. There are a bunch of booths, but only a few with the a good view of the postage stamp stage. About 30-40 people crowded the stage, standing. We lucked out to grab a couple of stools
against a wall about five feet from the stage.
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| Rice baseball on KTRU |
[Jun. 1st, 2009|09:04 pm] |
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Remote Rice Baseball fans who don't want to fork up the money to watch the video stream, KTRU.org is radiocasting the game. |
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| Boring disc golf notes |
[May. 31st, 2009|04:42 pm] |
Few if any readers will carry about disc golf games, but in case some do and to keep this info all in the same spot, here's
the latest.
Played for the first time this summer and I don't remember playing much at all last summer or the one before, so I wasn't expecting much. True to form, I did better then I guessed I would. I think having little pressure helps. I shot a 7 over 61 with
six bogeys (1,4,5,8,9,12), one double bogey (17) and one birdie (16).That's not too bad -- only three strokes off my best round of 58. Theoretically, I should be able to throw a 53, allowing for a bogey on the super-long 9th hole, but birdies on the very short 13 and 16. |
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| Progressive win in Israel |
[May. 22nd, 2009|05:02 pm] |
"It is a very important day for Progressive Judaism and the cause of Jewish pluralism in Israel. IRAC just won a precedent setting case in the Israeli Supreme Court which says that the State has to provide equal funding for Reform and Conservative conversion classes."
I got the above from a newsletter sent out by my synagogue. This is _HUGE_. The Orthodox have long had an iron grip on certain types of government services in Israel. |
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| Massive Sleep for the Win |
[May. 21st, 2009|06:49 pm] |
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Was beat last night. Crashed around 8:30pm. Woke up at 7am. That's just a crazy amount of sleep all at once. Haven't slept that long in one go in a long time. |
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| Things that blow my mind |
[May. 11th, 2009|05:23 pm] |
Some of you may already know that as part of my work I'm involved with an international collaboration studying Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
I've learned through my involvement with this collaboration, to my surprise and consternation, that few places in the world accept the notion that maternal alcohol consumption is a danger to fetuses.
To give you the latest example of this, just today I read an article that stated that a proposal recently went before the Finnish government with strong support for warning labels on alcohol bottles about the risks of drinking during pregnancy, but was rejected.
'Travesty!', I thought, upon reading that. 'Why, after all, the US has been labeling alcoholic beverages with warnings about the risks for pregnant women for as long as I've been alive.' Nope. Not even close. The US only started doing so in 1988 via the Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act. |
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| Phone found |
[May. 4th, 2009|11:04 pm] |
Praise to the intern
Who needed a computer.
The tech found my phone.
In the detritus
of our unused equipment
it lay for two months.
Now I get to learn
about merging two phone lists.
Oh joy. What fun. Meh. |
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| Sad and happy |
[Apr. 25th, 2009|12:53 am] |
I am sad and happy and sad and happy today.
People that I care for did not win their elections today, but other people that I care for did win.
We found out that someone whom I didn't know well, but who worked in the office at our temple and was well loved was killed in a car crash.
Spouse won two awesome teaching awards. |
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| This clip is worth watching |
[Apr. 16th, 2009|10:53 pm] |
In case you don't already know this story, I'm going to let you discover it without any comments from me.
This is a link to a youtube video (~7 min) worth watching. It won't be obvious until you're well into it, but it's been seen a million times in five days, so bear with it a bit, eh? |
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| Epcot future |
[Apr. 11th, 2009|03:45 pm] |
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At this page you can find a QT movie created for spouse and me at Epcot. At the time we thought it was absolutely hilarious, though perhaps you had to be there. |
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