October 9, 2012

1. I think that our United States federal education system is materialistic. Some of you maybe thinking, "Well, duh! It's about time you catch on." I was slow because before, whenever I thought of materialism, I thought of buying and accumulating a lot of things or a lot of money.

            However, a teacher at John Tyler High School said something to me a few weeks ago that made it all click. Federal mandates emphasize the material. For example, consider the federal government’s influence concerning testing.

            The emphasis no longer is on gathering knowledge in order to become a good citizen in a democratic society. Now it is on receiving high numbers (grades) as noted on ink and paper, or through pixels.

            Education from the federal government does not care about producing good citizens; it cares about producing good testers. That means schools often deliver neither.

            A major factor preventing students today from excelling in education is the complete elimination of the spiritual from the public schools. When I use the word “spiritual” in this context, I am using it in the broad sense, in full compliance with Supreme Court decisions of Church and State.

         Without the spiritual, you lose good education and good citizens.

2. I think Texas Ranger fans are going to rue the day that Josh Hamilton signed with another team. I fear these past few years will be known as the golden years of the Texas Rangers and that the Rangers will not win a World Series for many years to come. They will be competitive, but the window of opportunity has closed.

3. I am picking Baltimore and Washington to play in the World Series. I had picked the Giants, but they are now behind Cincy 2-0. Obviously, I made a mistake. Matt Cain looked awful Game 1.

4. I saw HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA last week. It was the first 3D movie that I have seen with the new technology (that was cool!) The movie started slow for a cartoon, but it picked up about ten to fifteen minutes in. Lots of laughs.

5. I finished the book THE LAST HEADBANGERS by sportswriter Kevin Cook last week. It is a celebration of the seventies in the NFL, before major rule changes in defensive football occurred, delivering the high scorer football we still witness today.

            It is not a heavily researched book along the lines of Michael MacCambridge’s AMERICA’S GAME, but the author did conduct a few interviews, which brought some originality to the table. (My favorite interview was Roger Staubach.)

            Two interesting facts that appeared at the end of the book:

             1) How popular is the NFL? According to the THE LAST HEADBANGERS, ESPN's coverage of the annual scouting combine in Indianapolis draws more viewers than the Masters or the Indy 500. In the year 2010, the top 19 rated programs in all of television were broadcasts of NFL games (likewise were 28 of the top 30 broadcasts.) During the NFL regular season, an NFL game was the number one show on television each week. In February 2010, Super Bowl XLIV became the highest rated television program of all time. The next year, Super Bowl XLV became number one. This year, 2012, Super Bowl XLVI became the most viewed TV program of all time.

            2) I knew Johnny Unitas paid a high price for his NFL career, but I did not realize that in the last few years of his life, he had to resort to this when he played golf: using the fingers of his left hand, he would plac the deadened fingers of his right hand around the grip of a golf club to then strap into place those deadened fingers with Velcro. This was because his right arm had been damaged so much during his career, he had no feeling in his hand and fingers.

September 11, 2012

1. Today is 9/11. Hard to believe it has been eleven years.

2. On a personal and football-fan note—ten years ago today, Johnny Unitas died. He has my vote as the most influential quarterback in NFL history. I had a chance to see him play when I was a kid at the old Cotton Bowl.

3. Another influential quarterback is Peyton Manning. It warmed my heart to see him win Sunday night, and play so well. After all the adversity he has faced, he was due some good fortune. Something else that shows what a classy guy he is occurred during the coin flip before Denver’s game against Pittsburgh. Colorado resident and Olympic gold medal winner, Missy Franklin, served as an honorary captain. After the coin toss, as the captains were heading to the sidelines, Manning made it a point to stop and shake Franklins’ hand then say a few words to her. Peyton Manning: the epitome of poise and class.

4. This will probably be the last thing I'll write about Neil Armstrong. Jeffrey Kluger, who co-wrote with astronaut James Lovell the book APOLLO 13 (also known as LOST MOON) published a neat retrospective about Neil Armstrong in last week's issue of TIME magazine. He concluded with a neat story.

            Kluger emphasized that Neil Armstrong always sought to live a multidimensional life, as opposed to a life solely defined by his walk on the moon. Kluger accompanied Armstrong and other former astronauts on a tour of United States military bases located in the Middle East back in 2010.

            On the trip, Kluger knew that it was inevitable that Armstrong would be confronted with his participation in such a momentous event as the first moonwalk. On one such occasion, Kluger observed:

            “One evening during our Middle East tour, all the astronauts were on stage before an audience of service members young enough to be their grandchildren. During the question-and-answer session, one audience member asked Armstrong if he wouldn’t mind taking the mike and, well, saying the words—the famous words, those one-small-step words. I winced, and I suspect [the other astronauts] did too. This was dog-and-pony stuff of the highest order. Armstrong just smiled and reached for the mike. His hand seemed shaky, and his voice was weak—not the clear Midwestern tones that were spoken in 1969 and have been heard and heard and heard ever since. But he spoke the words all the same—and the audience roared, and the applause rained down, and it was just the coolest and grandest and finest thing you could ever hope to see….”

            That sounds awesome to me.

5. The Richer Sex: How the New Majority of Female Breadwinners is Transforming Sex, Love and Family is a new book written by WASHINGTON POST reporter Liza Mundy. In it, she documents how the percentage of women who earn more than men is rising in the U. S. The same applies regarding the amount of women who are pursuing higher education (now a higher percentage than men.)  These factors create a strong sociological impact, which she predicts will grow in future generations. The tenor of the book is that these trends are good and healthy.

            I need to be careful to finesse what I am about to say, and I freely acknowledge it is primarily sociological and subjective.

            I believe women should be paid the same as men. I am convicted that some of the legacy of feminism is good, appropriate, and overdue. Increasing women's wages is one of those items overdue in our culture.

            We live in a free nation, and women should be able to pursue their careers as they wish. Nevertheless, here is my concern: I have lived (very briefly) in an economical matriarchal society (Papua New Guinea), and I have lived in a spiritually matriarchal society (Argentina and to certain extent, Brownsville, Texas.)

            In the bush country of New Guinea years ago, one could not help but note how many men sat around and lazily did nothing—because they depended on the women to take care of the family. The impact on the culture was devastating.

            Likewise, on a spiritual level, living in Latin America and on the Texas border, one could not help but notice that the majority of men spiritually deferred to the women. Again, the impact was negative.

            I have three daughters; the last thing I desire is for them to be restricted in their economic and educational pursuits. My prayer is that my son becomes what God created him to be as well. I wish the same for all humanity.

            Throughout the years, I have observed the tendency in us males—from boys to men—to get out of whatever work and responsibility we can. From the kitchen to the classroom, if a large number of females are active in the front, too many males are passive in the rear.

            Selfish ambition is bad; godly ambition is good. When it comes to providing for the family, we need more godly ambitious men—both economically and spiritually.

*Thanks to Peter King for the inspiration for this blog's title.