Amy Dickinson - A Story in the Times

Through the years of journalism school, professors regularly mention writing obituary columns and wedding columns. It is different ends of the spectrum. It is writing about the worse day of a person’s life and one of the best day of a person’s life. Both sections demand accuracy and sensitivity. More than a few professors recommended continuing the habit of reading the wedding columns. It is a reminder that there is a counter to some of the horrific news in the rest of the paper.

Online, it is easy to find a good wedding section. The weekend section of The New York Times is consistently good. And this week, Amy Dickinson, a columnist, is the subject of a vows article:

“…”I’m an advice columnist, and I see how people do marriage and I see how badly they do marriage,” she said.”

link: Amy Dickinson and Bruno Schickel

The New York Times ran a story about Ms Dickinson’s wedding. Congratulation to Ms Dickinson and Mr Schickel. - This is exceptional writing. It is not just writing about a wedding. It is writing about a love story; and Michelle York writes superbly.

Catherine Forsythe

Three Reasons That the Asus Eee 900 Is Not for Students

I am writing this on an Asus Eee 900. I have had it since Thursday to do a review. I will preface these remarks by saying that I have been a fan of the Asus Eee line. It is a terrific idea, if the little machine is used in the right setting. Unfortunately, this is not a machine for students. Here are three basic reasons why I would not recommend this Asus Eee 900 for academic work:

• the keyboard remains a problem. It is fine for making a brief note or two. However, if this is for a lecture setting, then it becomes a problem. It is tiring to use. And, if you know how to type by touch, this will lead to multiple errors. If you are a hunt-and-peck typist, this will be a tiring machine to use. Posture will be a problem. There may be a few surprising aches and pains with long term use of this machine.
• the battery life is an unpleasant surprise. The battery on this machine that I am using is relatively new. It has been ‘out-of-the-box’ for less than two weeks. If a student is intending to use this machine for two consecutive one hour classes, then it would be problematic. The battery life on this machine would be struggling as the two hour mark approaches. That is disappointing. - I did check to see if this was a problem specific to this machine. Six other people with the Asus Eee 900 report that is this approximately the expectations from the battery.
• the costs remain high. The costs of the Asus Eee 900 may be dropping. Any price point that I could quote here would not be valid in a few days. The price range, though, is comparable to a full sized laptop - or close enough that it bears serious consideration.

The Asus Eee line has many positive attributes, like the speed of boot up and the security of the solid state disk. In some settings, the Asus Eee machines would be ideal. However, there are too many basic fundamental concerns to recommend this to students for use in an academic setting.

Catherine Forsythe

Governor Sarah Palin as a Sports Announcer

Thanks to the readers of this DogReader space who have sent me this link of Governor Sarah Palin. This is a sports cast, supposedly from 1988:

link: Governor Sarah Palin

It seems that, on that night, the Knicks lost. And the Clippers lost. Some things just don’t change that much.

Catherine

Kacy Stuart Just Wants to Kick

Kacy Stuart has an unusual athletic ambition. She wants to be a kicker on a high school football team. Kacy Stuart is fourteen years old and she appears to have been doing fine. Then, it seems, the chairman of the football league discovered that Kacy was a female:

“…For two months, Kacy practiced with the school team, the Crusaders, at New Creation Center, a private Christian academy in McDonough. She participated in drills and even played a scrimmage game Aug. 23.

“He said she can’t play simply because she’s a girl,” Stuart said.”

link: Girl kicker booted off school football team

Sometimes, battles have to be refought - again and again. Katie Hnida - a female - played for the University of Colorado and the University of New Mexico. The NCAA allowed a female kicker. Apparently the Georgia Football League does not.

Catherine Forsythe

Airlines Schedule Another Round of Fare Increases

It seems inevitable. The airlines are planning another fare increase. United Airlines, for example, will be increasing domestic tickets. The price hike may be as much as twenty dollars. Again, the increase is being justified by the price of fuel:

“…Executives acknowledge that despite the economic downturn, fares will rise, discounts currently available will be scarce, and routes and frequencies of flights will be reduced as domestic capacity is cut through the end of the year.

The changes starting in September come on top of a litany of new charges - for luggage, drinks, pillows and other amenities - announced by some airlines earlier this year.”

link: Airlines poised to bring down the sword

The data indicate that, for just this year, some fares have increased thirty seven per cent - for just this calendar year. On top of that, there are the additional charges that the airlines have imposed. Air Canada is removing life vests from some of its flights.

The airlines are involved in a gamble. The industry is counting on the public to maintain the traffic volume and absorb the rising costs. However, for many people, air travel will be simply cost prohibitive and people will re-examine whether that trip is essential. And when businesses do a similar assessment, the airlines will have very few options left.

Catherine Forsythe

Governor Sarah Palin Faces Republican Perils

Governor Sarah Palin has had a long term fondness for sports. She would appreciate that she has stepped into the Superbowl / World Series of politics. The media scrutiny has been intense and will intensify even more. It is part of the mandate of the media to hold candidates to the highest offices in the country to acute public inspection. However, the introduction of Governor Palin to a national stage means fresh stories and new bylines. And the press will be relentless.

Already there are stories critical of Governor Palin from Republican officials:

“…State Senate President Lyda Green said she thought it was a joke when someone called her at 6 a.m. to give her the news.

“She’s not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?” said Green, a Republican from Palin’s hometown of Wasilla…”

link: Choice stuns state politicians

Further, the choice of Governor Palin has meant that other possible Republican candidates were deemed not as suitable. It has meant some bruising to big political egos. There are many within the Republican party who disagree with Senator McCain’s choice. The criticism will be louder and much more public should Governor Palin stumble.

Senator McCain has taken a high risk / high reward choice in his running mate. He may be familiar with the rough-and-tumble of presidential politics. Obviously, he must think that Governor Palin can handle all that being a presidential running mate entails. Nevertheless, one must question how fair this is to Governor Palin who, a week ago, was far from a familiar name to American households.

Catherine Forsythe

Hari Puttar Is No Joke

Really, there is a movie about Hari Puttar. It is a Bollywood movie, made by a film corporation in India. And Warner Brothers is suing:

“The makers of Bollywood film Hari Puttar, which has prompted a lawsuit by Hollywood studio Warner Bros, say the flick has nothing in common with the Harry Potter movie series.

The Hollywood studio, which owns the rights to the boy wizard movies, has taken the Indian producers to court over the film’s title, which it says sounds like Harry Potter.”

link: Indian producers defend Hari Puttar film

Imitation may be a form of flattery. However, in this case, it also generates world wide press coverage and free publicity. It would seem that any Harry Potter fans who cannot distinguish Hari Puttar from J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard deserve to be parted from their money. A sure way to stop this form of exploitation of Harry Potter is for people to decide with their dollars. Nevertheless, such spoofs ’sound like’ trouble to Hollywood and it means more work for lawyers.

Catherine Forsythe

Dogs and Pack Leadership: Part 1

Consider it dog politics. From the very first day that you bring pup home to the last day that your senior citizen canine spends with you, there is an ongoing leadership issue. Pup will want to know three things:

• what am I allowed to do
• what can I have you do for me
• who sets the rules in this relationship

These will be questions that pup will revisit for a lifetime. It is in his/her DNA. It is part of the innate programming of that dog whose ancestors survived by being pack animals. Those dogs’ very survival depended on pack leadership and following the wisdom of that hierarchy. The question for the dog owner is ‘are you the pack leader or not?’. There is no ‘in-between’; a relationship with a dog is not an exercise in democratic ideology.

The owner’s pack leadership is challenged constantly - and subtly. Here is an example. Your dog may want to go out. So, the dog goes to the back door and barks. As a conscientious owner, you immediately go and open the door to let the dog go and do whatever bladder / bowel things are necessary. You go back a few minutes later and call the dog. And then you perhaps wait. [By the way, you have just ruined your "come" / recall command.] And you wait. In a few minutes, the dog comes and you go about with whatever you were doing. It is a regular household routine to which you do not give much thought now.

Through the dog’s perspective, you are the ‘door servant’. A bark at the door means ‘open the door for me’. Your call from the door means that you are ready to open the door when the dog decides to join you.

*** At this point, you will be objecting. You will be saying to yourself: ‘Catherine, that is what we want the dog to do. The bark at the door tells us when the dog needs to go outside’.

Let me address that with an imaginary human example. - Your employer wants you in the room. You may be needed. You excuse yourself to visit the rest room. Some time goes by and your employer goes to look for you. You are wandering about, perhaps looking out the window. Your employers tells you that you are needed. You reply that you will be there when you ‘feel like it’. Such behaviour would not be the wisest decision for job security.

However, that is exactly what the dog is doing. The dog is controlling its environment and telling you, in dog terms, who is the pack leader. And, unfortunately, it is not you.

Catherine Forsythe

Part 2 of this series will offer some solutions.

Governor Sarah Palin Quote

“What is it exactly that the vice president does every day?”

Governor Sarah Palin

Manu Ginobili Scheduled for Surgery

Coach Gregg Popovich must hate that he was right. The coach of the San Antonio Spurs had urged Manu Ginobili not to participate in the Beijing Olympics. There was concern about an ankle injury that needed rest and needed to heal completely. Nevertheless, Manu Ginobili played and reinjured himself. The result is surgery:

“Ginobili has ligament damage in his heel. He suffered the injury during the NBA playoffs and aggravated it during the Beijing Olympics.

“It’s the same as it was two months ago, when they did the first exam,” said Ginobili. “It’s not worse, which is important. Now, the thing is, it’s not better either, and it seems like the only way to repair it completely is arthroscopic surgery.”"

link: Spurs’ Ginobili going under the knife

Professional basketball franchises know that the Olympics and international play present a risk to them. Their most valuable business assets - their star players - may be injured. And even if the players avoid injury, it means additional intense basketball during the off season.

As Indiana Jones said to Marion Ravenwood in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’: “It’s not the years, honey; it’s the mileage”. And by the spring of 2009, during the NBA playoffs, many of the franchise stars will have played meaningful ball games for a sustained length of time, with just a very abbreviated off-season.

Catherine Forsythe