Secrecy

Yesterday I was behind a beat up Honda Civic covered in bumper stickers. It was a long light so I was able to read most of them and this one grabbed me “Secrecy is the freedom tyrants dream about”. Actually they were all pretty thought-provoking. I couldn’t help but wonder why the oldest most decrepit cars post the most logical, rebellious messages while the luxury cars are broadcasting “Palin for President”. If I didn’t know any better I would assume that perceived financial success as defined by your automobile equates to blind stupidity.

Back to the quote. Government secrecy was such a hot topic during the Bush Administration and really always a concern when it comes to any government. I question though the dichotomy of a secretive government with the exhibitionism displayed by the populous web. We the people are posting photos, twittering about our whereabouts, blogging about our thoughts. No real secrecary here. Is the difference that no one really cares when its on a personal level?

Actually I don't know the right answer. Initially I am opposed to secrecy especially when it comes to Mr. Cheney's energy meetings. On the other hand I really don't need to know what Billy Boy did with a cigar. Is Jack Nicholson right "You can't handle the truth"? With full disclosure comes a responsibility. A responsibility to review, understand and understand in context exactly what is being presented to you.

Take one small part of the health care debate, the so called Death Panels. A significant amount of Americans truly feared the the government would determine who lives and who dies. I even heard Fox News' Dream team compare this part of the bill to the Holocaust. You know they did not read the bill verbiage and certainly they did not fully understand it. The passionate attacks in town meetings and the craziness displayed makes me think we would be better off not sharing all the details with the public. Seems the lack of effort in understanding the legislation just creates a circus of diversion. Don't get me wrong, I am all for freedom of speech and peaceful demonstrations. But please people, know what you are talking about first. I guess if we had trustworthy politicians we could leave that responsibility to them and wallow in our ignorance.

I think I am pretty typical. I pay attention to what interests me and I research things I care about but do not fully understand. I am trying to speak on things that I have some knowledge of and to convey an open mind to differences and disagreements. Truthfully, i want it all available to me so I can choose what I want to delve into. I know that secrecy creates elitism and prevents checks and balances and for that reason alone I am against it. But I am also against ignorance. So if we work to abolish secrecy we must also work to abolish ignorance.

Gender Equity Discrimination

Although I am not ready to give up my feminist hat,as it has served me well during many cold conversations, I am intrigued by the article on Gender Equity Discrimination found in the National Journal. Of course I want equality between men and women for all things. "Equal pay for equal work""A woman can do anything a man can do"...etc/ But considering Stuart Taylor's comments on discrimination based on gender equality.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/openingargument.php

The premise is that men and woman (hold onto your hats people) may have inert, natural differences and therefore are not truly equal. Surprise surprise we are different. That's a good thing. Equal does not mean same. Why should we make sure that the same percentage of women and men are graduating in math and science? Sure I can see that it could be a symptom of a discriminatory acceptance policy. So use that as a starting point, and investigate if the admissions policies are biased but don't stop there. Seems to me that many policies hide behind statistics when really we should be using those statistics to uncover and investigate potential concerns, but we should not stop at a number and make fundamentally unmitigated assumptions. It reminds me of the school exams and "No Child Left Behind". Evaluate on the easiest criteria - test scores_ and make all policies based on that one statistic.

Men are different from women. We should embrace the differences. Generally speaking, men are traditionally better in science and math, while women are traditionally better in the human sciences. This does not mean that ONLY men should excel as biologists and ONLY women should partake in psychology forums. First and foremost we have to allow both sexes the opportunities to excel at their desires, regardless of whether those desires are traditional or unconventional. If I want to do research in BioInformatics and gain my phD, give me the opportunity and help to excel. And if my husband wants to stay home and raise our children, provide him with a support network and help him succeed. So evaluate the person on this skills and drive not on their sex. We have seen litigation and policies intended to help women overcome gender discrimination, but are we going too far now? Are we insisting that young women must go into the sciences to up our statistical averages? Are we doing a sort of affirmative action program? I am a big fan of ending discrimination in all aspects of life but don't turn us into replicas of each other.

I cannot discuss equality versus sameness without a reference to religion. Remember when the big debate revolved around Christmas trees versus Menorahs? It was determined that school were discriminating against different religions by displaying Xmas trees and decorations without accounting for Chanuka. I was thrilled to see that some schools embraced the differences and taught about other religions. Children were learning about the Muslim holidays and the Jewish holidays. Not all schools behaved in that fashion. Some dictated a no decorations policy so as not to offend anyone. What does that teach? How about the schools that insisted that same importance be placed on Christmas and Chanuka without regard to the higher and more significant Jewish holidays. Again, equal is not same. It takes much more effort to produce equal as opposed to same.

I want to be different and I want to show my uniqueness. As the Marine's say let me be all that I can be.

Freedom from Information

Since I completed my job about three weeks ago, I have been wondering where my days are spent. Seems I am always busy but have no time. How can that be? After keeping a journal of what I do for one full day, it appears that I have found the answer. I am online for about 4 -5 hours a day! What is wrong with me? Obsessive, Adult ADD, Boredom? I apparently am obsessed with information and connectivity. Am I destined to be an information junkie, craving my next Google fix?

Fret no more, Mac has a solution: a new software product called Freedom . The main function of Freedom is to render your computer unable to access networking for up to 8 hours. Obviously I am not the only one who suffers from information addiction. Online distractions have become so insipid that we mere humans can not avoid them without the aid of yet another piece of software.

Two points immediately come to mind: one is addiction and the other is responsibility. I don't dare compare online usage to addictions such as drugs, gambling and alcohol. But let's face it, any addiction is detrimental, even if it is the uncontrollable desire to know more. Sure knowing more about your friends and acquaintances is not a new phenomenon, although the technology of Facebook and Twitter facilitate a more immediate gratification. But what about the need to gain knowledge on every question or interest you have during a day. We call children with this need precocious but what about adults?

Prior to hiring any contractor, I find myself searching the internet to understand the exact job (by the way I am a resident expert on concrete in the form of aggregate or stamped). Does this search justify not leaving the house all day during a perfectly beautiful Indian Summer? Maybe. But what about that need to know all there is to know about our recent Nobel Laureates? I was insistent on understanding the prize and criteria. Another day spent online while the laundry piled up and we had cereal for dinner. You may think that's still ok because I am improving myself. I have now trained myself to believe that anything I need to know is found on the internet. At this rate, people and nature will be simply email and google images.

Now to responsibility. So instead of simply prioritizing my day and balancing my quest for knowledge with my need to accomplish personal tasks, I have to get software to eliminate the distractions. This reminds me too much of using burkas to prevent men from being distracted by female beauty or censoring books to prevent "unclean thoughts". Maybe thats a leap, but when do we hold ourselves accountable and how do we teach our youth to avoid temptations by showing them that all temptation can be removed?

It's time to balance my online life with my actual life. Time to muster up the strength to turn this thing off and go for a walk.

Personal Assistants for College Kids?

The National News section of Sunday's Buffalo News ran an article about a college kid at Georgetown who posted an employment ad searching for a personal assistant. Apparently his course load, part time job at a financial organziation and the recent illness of a family member is making it too difficult for him to do his laundry, make a hair cut appt and update his electronic networking.

Good for him. He recognizes he needs help and now he can spend the extra time nurturing a better shot at that Ivy League Grad school acceptance or that 6 figure Wall Street job offer. All well and good for our Georgetown man. Use every advantage available to you to succeed. Not to mention offering employment to some kid less fortunate than he. He understands the value of time, and he cannot waste his on mundane tasks such as laundry or a hair appointment. He certainly cannot properly keep up his Facebook and Twitter accounts with all these distractions. Besides aren't these the jobs saved for housewives, immigrants and the poor?

College is supposedly a time to grow up, to find your own way, to challenge your mind and to push yourself to find out who you are and who you can be. Isn't it also supposed to be a level playing field where your economic background is not the advantage but your ability to think and your persistence to learn is the advantage? Can a student who is worried about paying his tuition and eating be competitive with one whose only time consumer is working on his internship or Strategic Policy paper? If only the best grades get the top grad school positions and decision making job, aren't we already using personal economic positions to discriminate? Are we leading down a path where the people who will be running our industries and governments are the people who couldn't handle everyday tasks and felt it necessary to get the less fortunate to help? We need strong, brilliant men and women to take us to the next level, not just those with the means to play the game well.

I guess I am being rather pollyanna with my view of equality and true merit in our higher education process. But I want to wear the rose colored glasses because I want my son to be one of the brilliant men who make a difference and because of that I would (not proudly) use every advantage available to him. Hypocrisy? Maybe.

First Date

Oh how I used to love the first date. All that anticipation and expectation. Once you are married, the first date is a thing of the past, unless however you consider the ever-so exciting couples first date. The couples first date is just as it sounds, the initial social outing you and your significant other have with another couple. Much like the first dates of your single life, the couples first date calls for some preparation as well as anxiety.

Last week we were fortunate enough to get asked out. We received an invitation for dinner from a couple we have run into a number of times over the past couple of years. Although our brief encounters have always been enjoyable, we hadn't ever scheduled a formal time to actually go out. It may sound crazy, but I was pretty exited. Certainly, we do not lack social interaction, and we frequently spend time with good friends. But just the thought of different people with unheard stories sent me back to my single days. Those first dates as a single person demanded so much: manicure, hair stylist, the perfect outfit, conversational preparedness. The much easier couples date requires that you remind your significant other what not to say. "Stay away from religion, sex and politics." These topics provide for the most engaging conversations with our friends - but the other adages stay true when you are first dating it.

As we enter the restaurant to meet the other couple, it occurs to me how poorly this could go. Those second thoughts creep in. Should we have a back up plan? The excuses coming pouring into my mind: new babysitter, early morning appointment and the all so useful headache.We have been on several couples first dates that have ending very badly. One of which involved me, accompanied by a number of very pointed expletives, telling our host what I thought of his constant belittling of his wife. We left during dessert and surprisingly have not had a second date. It's really difficult to find that compatible new couple once you pass into middle age. Sure you have the work friend couple. But of course that friend's husband always turns out to be a disappointment. For this to work both members of the couple have to be good, not necessarily great but definitely not horrible. Many times the husband is fascinating and the wife is a dish rag or the wife is gregarious and the husband can only discuss the latest sports scores. What about those occasions when the couple is fighting and the evening is just long, uncomfortable and embarrassing?

Once in the restaurant we are immediately at ease. No prolonged silences. Plenty of stimulating conversation. Self-deprecating laughter. In my mind the evening was a success. We have found a fabulously thoughtful, intelligent and humorous couple.

Next we do what every first dater does...wait and wonder if they'll call again.

The Site Begins

I am not sure if it is bravado or dismay that has dictated entry into the blogosphere but here I am prepared to write and rant about whatever I want. Definitely empowering and possibly cathartic.

This blog will be written with only one goal: to make me feel better. It may be that I will feel better by providing an outlet for what I am uncomfortable with or concerned about, it may be that I will feel better knowing that I have a goal regardless of how meaningless, or just maybe I will feel better by calling myself a writer. There will be no rules or restrictions to when or what or why I write. It will simply just be.

Now I have taken the first most difficult step of beginning. The rest will be easy.