Cell Phone Usage and the Demise of Civility

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The photo above needs no explanation because everyone in this country has witnessed a similar scene.   Unfortunately, it symbolizes America's obsession with instant gratification and an increasing decline in face-to-face conversation.  This blogger finds it not only annoying, but also the height of rudeness, when anyone uses a cell phone at a social gathering in the midst of other attendees engaged in lively conversation with each other.  This particular brand of rudeness reveals a total lack of civility in a situation designed to promote interaction among all of the guests.

Another example of cell phone stupidity occurs when dining in a restaurant and people at neighboring tables or booths speak loudly on their phones to others as though no one else matters.  Here's a news flash for all the guilty parties.  I don't want to hear your conversation, so take it outside if it's vital for you to make the call during a meal.  That rule applies in all situations where strangers are subjected to others' personal or business communications.

Texting poses a more subtle form of rudeness.  Nothing frustrates me more than dealing with someone who is distracted by texting during dinner or a party or any other time the offender should be talking to others in the room. These clueless people feign attention, but actually have lost track of the discussion and have no idea what's going on around them.  I have witnessed many occasions where people sitting at the same table are texting each other rather than talking.  Ridiculous!  I am offended when I call someone to talk and that person is either texting or using the computer, because too many pregnant pauses are occurring during the call.  Such behavior is discourteous, impolite, and disrespectful.  Stop it!

Cell phones have proven valuable tools in emergencies, to stay in touch while traveling, and in taking and storing photos in the absence of a camera.  However, the world is not interested in minutiae, so please discern carefully which photos to post on FB or videos on YouTube.  These images take on a life of their own once they make it to the public domain, and many have faced unnecessary embarrassment by choosing unwisely. 

The next time you recharge your cell's batteries, leave the phone behind and have fun with a good friend or family member.  It works wonders for fostering solid relationships.
 

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Condoleeza Rice Advocates Sending US Troops to Syria

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Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice on Monday's CBS Evening News called for the President to send United States ground troops to Syria, because they are the only ones that can do the job.  Here we go again!  Condi must have conveniently forgotten the Iraq debacle which cast that country into chaos.  Democracynow.org reported on March 19, 2013 the cost of the Iraq War ten years later totals $2.2 trillion in US taxpayer money and amassed 189,000 in lives lost, including both civilian and military deaths from the US and Iraq.

America still has troops fighting in Afghanistan until the withdrawal begins next year.  I guess Condi believes we have an inexhaustible supply of military personnel and money to use in yet another "mission impossible."  Have you seen the number of wounded soldiers who have lost limbs and other parts of their bodies, Condi?  Who do you think they are?  The vast majority form the generation of parents raising kids that will decide our future.  We don't need any more military personnel in their teens and early to mid-twenties fighting in the Middle East.   If the Middle East in concerned about Bashar al-Assad and his supporters, let them take up arms against his regime. 

The United States is not, nor should it be, the world's police force.  Rice said the US is the only country that can do the job.  Au contraire, Condi.  Russia, China, UN forces--all of these options and more exist.  I am sick to death of the hawkish culture that has evolved around guns and munitions companies, and so are a majority of my contemporaries.  Battles fought on the ground hark back to the technology yesteryear.  If western countries have any hope of stemming the tide of dictators who think nothing of wiping out masses of their own countrymen, it will not happen on a battleground. 

Readers, if you agree, deluge Ms. Rice with messages stating your opinion.  Although she served as Secretary of State, she has little in the way of substantive accomplishments to qualify her as an expert in fighting a war successfully. 

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Leonardo DiCaprio Captures the Essence of Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby opened to mixed critical reviews, but this blogger highly recommends seeing the movie, if for no other reason than Leonardo DiCaprio's mesmerizing performance as Jay Gatsby, the eponymous character shrouded in mystery.

The film depicts the lavish excesses of the nouveau riche in the 1920's. Although the extravagant representation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's description of Gatsby's decadent parties sometimes overshadows the novel's theme, DiCaprio never fails to bring the viewer back to the love story that drives his ambition and dominates his every action.  He loves another man's wife and will stop at nothing to convince her to leave her husband and marry him.

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The narrator, Nick Carraway, tells the story as a flashback when he is in a sanatorium recovering from alcoholism.   His doctor suggests writing the story, when Carraway has difficulty articulating his memories aloud.  Tobey Maguire, as Carraway, performs his role with precision and artfully demonstrates how easily a person living during that time would succumb to the lure of alcohol and the wanton, degenerate lifestyle of the rich and famous.

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The Great Gatsby offered a perfect platform for DiCaprio to showcase the range of his talents.  Some of my friends and I recently discussed the demise of quality actors like Cary Grant, who could move seamlessly from drama to comedy and not leave viewers feeling they had been betrayed.  See the movie for yourself  and witness the kind of performance too rare in a sea of silly sequels and films that fail to demonstrate something other than gratuitous violence or sex.  Thoughtful audiences can't help but draw a parallel with some of the drawbacks of twentieth century living.

 

 

 

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Threatening Letters Sent to President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg

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President Obama today received a  suspicious letter, much like the ones sent to New York City's Mayor Bloomberg and Mark Glaze, Director/Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a non-profit group Bloomberg and Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston founded. 

All of the letters contained threats about the recipients' support for stricter gun control laws.  The FBI is investigating all three that tested positive for ricin, a poison so deadly that a few grains the size of table salt can kill an adult. 

According to ABC News, the text of the first two letters claimed that the writer has a "constitutional and God-given right and I will exercise that right 'til I die," referring to the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.  Apparently, the sender believes that God co-authored the constitution and must have forgotten one of God's commandments states, "Thou shalt not kill", and God later proclaimed, "Vengeance is mine."

Perhaps this idiot doesn't realize that the very action of threatening others with deadly poison and promising worse things than what the letter contained make a solid case for thorough background checks on all who purchase guns, no matter where the sale occurs, public or private.  The writer obviously doesn't bother to read about the proposed legislation that had nothing to do with restricting the right to own a gun for law-abiding citizens.  Congress has already approved a watered-down bill, so the writer should do more homework before sounding off.

Members of Congress, wake up!  You are ignoring your responsibility to the American people to ensure their safety as best you can.  Susan Collins, a senator from Maine, supported an amended version of the original bill that eliminated the possibility of a national gun registry.   Senator Collins, I challenge you to explain why you oppose a gun registry that would make it simpler to apprehend criminals and prevent the illegal sale of weapons across state lines.  You supposedly had concerns about guns passed down among family members. What about the private sales that don't require the seller to determine whether the buyer has a criminal record?   This blogger has grown weary of the watered-down legislation that panders to special interest groups like the NRA.  The American people did not elect them, and they often act against the best interests of citizen safety.

Join me in casting votes against any sitting member of Congress until we have elected officials that are not beholden to lobbyists and special interest groups.  Congress has forgotten its duties and responsibilities to American citizens to such a degree that its member grow fat and rich while the nation founders.  I, for one, am "mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more." (from the movie Network).

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Teachers, Modern Day Heroes in Disasters

"A picture is worth a thousand words" aptly describes the photo above and the one below.  Both pictures depict teachers from Moore, Oklahoma after a raging tornado hit Briarwood Elementary, credited to Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman, via AP.

For those who scorn teachers as unworthy of praise, the bottom of the barrel, and countless other criticisms, this blogger challenges them to find a group of people more dedicated to those they serve, other than first responders of all varieties.  How many of those critics would shield co-workers or employees with their bodies in the selfless act of putting others first?  This blogger has a cynical answer to that question--only a small percentage.

A teacher's worth is determined intrinsically by the effect each has on the students that pass through the portals of his/her classroom, not by the ubiquitous standardized tests used to measure student achievement.  How does one place value on the impact of those educators who lost their lives last December while protecting the students at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT?  No amount of money can possibly bring any of them back to life, yet they live on in the memories of all the students and parents affected by that tragedy.   

Earlier this week, a monstrous tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma, leaving a path of destruction resembling the aftermath of a major battle in war.  Again, teachers took action to protect their charges by lying on top of them, or herding them to a safer place, or shielding them in some other manner.   Briarwood Elementary suffered no casualties, in part because of the teachers' heroism.   Unfortunately, seven students died at Plaza Towers Elementary, but many more would have perished, if the teachers hadn't acted with bravery.

Most of us have heard the idiom, "those who can, do; those who can't, teach."  I suggest that we should ditch that cliché in favor of "those who can, teach; those who can't, do something less worthwhile."  It's time to give teachers their due.  Say thank you to one this week who has made a contribution in your life.

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Aguilera and Green Return to The Voice Season 5

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NBC announced the return of Christina Aquilera and CeeLo Green for the next season of The Voice, but don't lament the loss of Shakira and Usher.  They're scheduled to judge season 6 of the runaway hit, and this blogger rejoiced at the news of Shakira's return.  She brings the kind of warmth and sincerity seriously lacking in Aquilera's approach to her interactions with the other coaches.  I can't say the same for Usher.  He has offered carefully-crafted criticism to some of the contestants that unnecessarily focused on shortcomings apparent in other performers that he praised.  CeeLo's humor and camaraderie with Blake, Adam, and Christina puts contestants at ease, and I would prefer him over Usher to form a cohesive panel of judges.

The Voice scores consistently high in the ratings, leaving its competitors in the dust because it avoids the diva drama that regularly occurs on American Idol and focuses on the hopefuls, not the coaches.   X Factor also fails to impress and America's Got Talent includes all kinds of talent with more of a variety show style.

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Season Four has featured many talented performers, but, for my money, Judith Hill demonstrates the most versatility and star potential.  Hill's mother is an ethnic Korean born in Japan and her father is black, which explains her exotic appearance. She has a powerful voice with an exceptional range, but she also commands the piano with grace and style.  Her talent won her a gig as a back-up singer in Michael Jackson's comeback; however, Jackson's death ended that opportunity.  Hill is the consummate artist, and I predict that she will win the season 4 competition.

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NBC's Ratings Nosedive Continues

NBC photo/Justin Lubin

Jay Leno has made jokes about the "snakes" heading NBC's management for months, and this blogger would add "total imbeciles" to the list.  The network's downfall started years ago when it moved Jay Leno to the 10:00 time slot and replaced him with Conan O'Brien, considering the strategy a stroke of genius.  While O'Brien had a following, it didn't comprise the same audience who watched the Tonight Show regularly.  The next season, Leno returned to the late night venue, but it took two seasons to rebuild the audience after that debacle.

While other mistakes occurred in programming, nothing topped the aforementioned ratings disaster until NBC fired Ann Curry last June.  Her final appearance on the Today Show was gut-wrenching to watch.  She had exactly five minutes to say goodbye and her departure lacked the fanfare, balloons, and party atmosphere that accompanied Meredith Vieira's last day.  Curry's humiliation brought her to tears and her co-host Matt Lauer did little to comfort her.  That episode forced me to bid farewell to a morning show that previously formed part of my daily routine. 

NBC couldn't leave it at that, however.  Management forced her to report on events and human interest stories for a year.  Her torture should end soon and allow her to find a more fitting role.  She didn't perform well as Lauer's co-anchor, but she does have talent as a reporter.

The latest ax to fall cut Rock Center from the lineup.  No mystery there.  Decision makers treated the show like a pawn on a chess board, moving its day and time frequently and changing the format to include trending news.  It started as a news show that delivered straightforward reporting on important stories that didn't necessarily make the headlines.  Brian Williams should find another network after that treatment. Chalk up another decision disaster for the top dogs.

I have an idea, but it probably won't fly because it follows a sense of logic.  Since leadership has made the myriad bad choices that caused the ratings slide, fire them!  NBC needs fresh ideas and a different perspective on what will succeed than the current crop of dopes can deliver.  Consider these feckless wonders stick figures on a white board, wipe them away, and start over.

 

 

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