October 30, 2012

1. I think changing the value of the dollar is immoral. It is stealing. As our national debt grows, the value of the dollar will inevitably be reduced. It is time we as citizens hold all politicians accountable for spending policies that violate one of the 10 Commandments.

2. I’m praying for the east coast. “Sandy” appears to be a terrible and disruptive storm.

3. I think the San Francisco Giants franchise is the most impressive one I have seen so far this decade in sports. To win with the adversity they have faced, and to have the “common men” outhit the opponents’ superstars is staggering. They are the true definition of "team."

4. I think college education is changing at light speed.

            TIME recently had a good article about this subject. One anecdote concerned an 11-year-old Pakistani girl who was taking a final exam of an online college physics course (yes, physics!)

            The course was offered by a Stanford professor through a private consortium. For this reason, people all over the world had been enrolled in it. During the exam, the Pakistani government closed down all national access to YouTube, which was broadcasting the course.

            Devastated, the girl wrote on her class’s discussion board, “I am very angry, but I will not quit.” Students from all over the world pitched in to help. Ultimately, other students found a way to bypass the government censors and the girl passed her final.

            I found this story insightful, inspirational, and indicational (I made that word up so I could have another one that began with the letter “i”) of the future of education.

5. I don’t like the movie MY FAIR LADY. Through the years, my girls have periodically watched it. Overhearing the musical (I slept through it the first time I tried to watch it) yet again last night, I never cease tiring of it.

*Thanks to Peter King for the inspiration for this title.

October 23, 2012

1. At the beginning of the baseball season, I picked the Tigers and Giants to play in the World Series. NOT!

            Even though I did not pick them, I am still unsurprised. Both teams have good pitching and hitting.

            I refuse to pick a winner in this series. Every team I selected in the post season has lost. Boy am I confused.

2. “Oh what a tangled [social] web weave”-or words to that effect-can be used to apply to Facebook and Twitter these days. I read in TIME where Americans are engaging in a massive “de-friending” movement. It seems that people are getting so upset at what their social network friends are saying/liking/tweeting concerning the election, they are cutting off the social friendships. I think I now know where to take the next conversation I have with a telemarketer.

3. I think perhaps the most interesting thing said about last night's debate was uttered by George Will. As a follow up, Will wrote in his syndicated column, “The death of George McGovern on the eve of the presidential candidates' foreign policy debate underscored a momentous political reversal spanning four decades.

            “McGovern's nomination for president in 1972, a consequence of the Democratic Party's recoil against the Vietnam War and the riotous convention four years earlier, made the country uneasy about his party regarding national security. Four decades later, however, voters may be more ambivalent about America's world role than at any time since the 1930s.”

            I was too young to vote in 1972, but I definitely did not want George McGovern to win. I was not alone. Practically the entire United States wanted Nixon to defeat McGovern. Yet, in light of Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East, and now, Iraq and Afghanistan, Americans are tired of sending her boys overseas. And that is what both candidates are campaigning on.

4. Should I admit to having seen ABC’s drama (soap opera!) NASHVILLE?

5. Our public library just came out with a copy of the hot (for Dallas Cowboys fans) new book THE DALLAS COWBOYS: THE OUTRAGEOUS HISTORY OF THE BIGGEST, LOUDEST, MOST HATED, BEST LOVED FOOTBALL TEAM IN AMERICA. It is written by national freelance writer, Joe Nick Patoski, who lives in the Texas Hill Country.

            The book breaks little new ground in the area of football. In fact, I was surprised by the relatively low amount of interviews Patoski did. Some books of this genre will draw from interviews with over a hundred people.

            Where OUTRAGEOUS adds to the category of Cowboy literature is in the social and cultural field, especially when it comes to the city of Dallas. I have read a lot of books on the Cowboys since childhood, and Patoski offers some context that I have not seen anywhere. This material makes for a good read.

            On the other hand, regarding the football team itself, Patoski makes so many factual errors that it borders on the egregious. In one brief section, I began recording some of the mistakes:

• ·      The week of the 1968 regular season matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys, Don Meredith was hospitalized with pneumonia—the consequence of broken ribs. Nevertheless, Meredith led the Cowboys to victory: 28-7. (Wrong: Meredith was hospitalized during the 1967 season.)
• ·      Frank Ryan led the Cleveland Browns to an upset playoff victory over the Dallas Cowboys in 1968 (it was Bill Nelson.)
• ·      After the 1968, the Cowboys received tight end Mike Ditka from the Pittsburgh Steelers in a trade. (It was the Philadelphia Eagles.)
• ·      Dallas won Super Bowl VI 23-3. (It was 24-3.)
• ·      On New Years Day, 1972, the University of Texas clobbered Penn State in the Cotton Bowl. (Penn State defeated Texas 30-6.)

            These are just a few of the mistakes I found. Now, for me, this amount would represent an average day. But you would think a major publishing company like LITTLE BROWN could hire a fact checker who could eliminate these errors.

            Enough with the negative, though—check the book out. It’s a fun read.

*Thanks to Peter King for the inspiration for this title.

October 16, 2012

1. I think public schools should not force students, who refuse to learn, to stay in the classroom. It is disruptive for the students who desire to learn, impairs the teacher's ability to educate, and ultimately destroys the future of the rebellious student.

            The only hope of impacting the student’s attitude is consequences. Consequences can be very good for the student, and for society.

            Here are some consequences that I propose for students who insist upon disrupting the classroom. Under supervision:

            1) they could engage in community service such as beautification works for the community

            2) they could perform the labor tasks that typical workers do not want to act upon. (One of the reasons we have so many undocumented workers in the United States is because they are doing jobs that people who are American citizens do not want to do.)

            3) place them resurrected vocational programs (Not every child is cut out for college, and many of our trades—such as welding—are in crisis because few people are qualified to work in these fields)

            I propose that students always be given the chance to reenter the classroom. Sometimes the greatest motivation for study is the discovery that one does not want to spend the rest of his life digging ditches.

            Others find motivation in seeking redemption in the classroom. I would not have my doctorate today were it not for the fact that I was seeking redemption in the classroom. I lamented my earlier wasted opportunities.

            This is a more realistic approach when it comes to human nature. Unlike the materialistic philosophy of the federal government's Department of Education, this approach recognizes the spiritual component of training people to be good citizens. It is a win-win: the students become more responsible and we will ultimately produce more students who score higher in the classroom.

2. I think the Dallas Cowboys lack the physical talent and intelligence to be a good football team. When you have an enormous amount of physical talent, you can overcome the stupid mistakes. When you have intelligent football players, you can overcome the lack of physical talent. But when you have a shortage of both, you find yourself 2-3 on the season. These are the realities that Jerry and Jason must address.

3. I think BATMAN BEGINS is one of the best movies of all time. My daughter, Abby, recently gave it to me for my birthday; I watched it again for the umpteenth time. A classic.

4.I just completed the book THE SNOWBALL: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder. Is a good-sized book–over 800 pages–but it reads very well. She offers a fascinating and detailed account of Warren Buffett’s path to riches, within the context his times, life and relationships. Schroeder perhaps offer the best conclusion I have ever read. She is a master at summarizing the events of a person's life and placing them in perspective. I definitely give this biography a thumbs up.

5. Both of the teams I picked to make to the World Series lost last week in the first full round of the baseball playoffs. After seeing the Cardinals against the Nationals, I feel a lot better about the pain I experienced last year watching the Texas Rangers lose the World Series. I don't know who to pick now to win the series, but I'm hoping Detroit does. I like Jim Leyland and I respect Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera.

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

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.

October 2, 2012

1. Today is the birthday of the love of my life. Happy Birthday, Judy Lynne Denman Edge!

2. “‘Dad was a hard man to know,’ says John S. D. Eisenhower, who just turned 90. ‘But the balance that Thomas achieves between Eisenhower the public servant and Eisenhower the man is, in my opinion, as close to the mark as we are likely to see.’

--From the VANITY FAIR review of Evan Thomas’ new book, IKE’S BLUFF. I have just begun reading the book, and, so far, it is very engaging. Thomas’ premise is that Eisenhower used his skill to bluff, as demonstrated all his life in games such as bridge and poker, to get the United States out of the Korean War and shield the U. S. from War World III. I will offer a brief review when I finish the book.

3. I think that three interesting quotes from the current issue of WORLD MAGAZINE’s are very telling:

            a. The first is from Rupert Everett, an actor from Great Britain who is well known for practicing homosexuality—“I can’t think of anything worse than being brought up by two gay dads.”

            b. The second is offered by Nick Cassavetes, a Hollywood director whose credits include THE NOTEBOOK, “Love who you want. Isn’t that what we say?” The context for that quote is a new movie his is directing that includes in its plot line an incestuous relationship between a brother and sister. I doubt Cassavetes believes in incest; he is probably trying to provoke buzz for what he knows will be a controversial movie. Still, the most interesting aspect of Cassavetes’ conversation with the media is this: a major principle undergirding gay marriage—adults should be able to love who they want—could also be used in an argument supporting adult incestuous relationship.

            c. The last quote is from the Chief Inspector in North Yorkshire England. He addressed it to Sarah Catt, who had pled guilty to ingesting poison so as to cause her child to miscarriage—one week before the due date of the child’s birth, “What you have done is rob an apparently healthy child, vulnerable and defenseless, of the life which was about to commence.”

4. How many songs released in 1962 can you name? My two teen-age daughters can name at least one: “Moon River.” They learned to enjoy the music of that piece from a movie called BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S.” The young singer, Andy Williams, wanted to record that song, but his record company would not let him. They thought young listeners would not understand some of the lyrics. So Williams changed companies to Columbia and recorded the song on a concept album of movie themes. I was shocked to learn that the song was never released as a single, yet it endures to this day. Fifty years and still playing makes a good song. When I think of Andy Williams, I think of “Moon River.” RIP Andy Williams.

5. Around ten years ago, ESPN Classics ran a show called LOST TREASURES. It was produced by NFL FILMS. We did not get the channel, but some friends of mine did. I took the unusual step of asking them to record a particular episode. You may wonder why.           

            I did so because it featured a retrospective of a program that NFL FILMS produced way back in 1967. The show was called NFL ACTION.

            In this particular episode, producers had miked the middle linebacker of the Pittsburgh Steelers (the late Bill Saul) during a game with the Washington Redskins. You could hear every sound made on a typical NFL play: the grunts, the snarls, and, yes, the profanity. Meanwhile, the camera followed the middle linebacker everywhere he went.

            On a normal play, Redskin Quarterback Sonny Jurgenson would clearly and audibly call offensive signals; Saul would call defensive signals. Jurgenson would hand off to a running back. Saul would tackle the ball carrier and a pile up would ensue. Saul’s microphone, underneath the pile, transmitted sounds akin to a thundering herd of buffalo.

            I will never forget as a grade schooler watching this very episode one Sunday afternoon on CBS. I was mesmerized. It was during this time that I fell in love with pro football.

            Through the years, I have regularly watched NFL Films. In the third grade, local boys in the neighborhood and I would play a game called “Joe Kapp”, named for the then quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, whom we admired greatly.

            We would have a wide receiver, a pass defender, and a quarterback, who pretended to be Joe Kapp. Sometimes, we would run plays in slow motion. Although we called this game “Joe Kapp”, really what we were doing was trying to act out what we were seeing on NFL Films.

            So several years ago, when I asked my friends to record the program, I was not simply asking them to videotape a documentary. I was asking them to hand over to me a VHS tape that could potentially transport me back to my childhood.

            Steve Sabol, who along with his dad, Ed, was responsible for NFL Films, passed away last month, a victim of cancer. I never met Steve Sabol, yet I've had a long-distance friendship with him for almost 50 years.

            I am not alone. Say the words “John Facenda” and any long-time NFL fan will know I am talking about the voice of NFL Films. Steve Sabol utilized Facenda’s vocal talents and wrote his scripts.

            To this day, the music of NFL Films motivates me. I still have CDs of the music of NFL Films dating back to the sixties. My children have even grown to appreciate it after hearing it for so many years on family trips. Although Steve Sabol did not write that music, he was the one who inspired it and fit it to film.

            How do you maintain excellence in art, entertainment, and inspiration for fifty years? Steve Sabol did. Some of Hollywood’s finest directors learned from and were motivated by NFL Films.

            But I return to my own experiences. It is hard to move and inspire a child. Steve Sabol somehow did.

            Thanks for everything, Steve.

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

September 25, 2012

1. This week I turn 52; hence, two factoids that I think may only interest me: 50 and 54. The ages of bear Bryant Bryant and John Wooden, respectively, when each won his first NCAA national championship— Bryant in football, and Wooden in basketball.

2. Just when I thought I was finished writing about Neil Armstrong, I encountered another fascinating insight, this time from WORLD magazine. Armstrong was never known to be a dedicated Christian. Thomas L. Friedman, no conservative Christian himself, wrote about Armstrong taking a tour of Jerusalem's Old City. He was taken to some of the locations where Jesus walked. Friedman quotes Armstrong as saying, “I have to tell you… I am more excited stepping on these stones than I was stepping on the moon.”

            That is an interesting quote from one who claimed to be a deist.

3. TIME had interesting article last week regarding the convergence of technology and austerity, which is producing a large number of renters. More people than ever are renting everything from clothes to caskets (the caskets are rented few viewings only, not for burial… in case you were wondering.)

            Statisticians have even entered into the dialogue, “Better to buy an $800 stroller if you use it more than 400 times,” according to one. On the other hand, I suppose, they have figured out that if a stroller is to be used 378 times, it is cheaper to rent.

4. Have you heard of Lecrae? He is a rapper whose new album, GRAVITY, stands at the top of the iTunes charts this month. What makes this interesting is he is a Christian, and many of his lyrics are very explicit–talking about God, Jesus, and the Christian life. May his tribe increase.

5. I think Texas citizens must radically rethink the way we educate children in our public school system. When Judy and I were training for foster care, we heard a resource speaker, who was the founder of the most successful daycare centers in Abilene. She said something to us that day that I have never forgotten, “We will not lose all of the children (in a day care center) for the sake of one child (who would not be won).”

            That was a novel way of saying: were her workers to continue to accommodate one incorrigible child, it would disrupt their relationships with all the other children to such an extent that proper childcare would be unattainable.

            This is precisely the problem with education in Texas; schools do so much to accommodate children who refuse to be accommodated, other children who are serious about learning cannot learn. The result is frustration on a massive scale and test scores, which continue to descend.

            I have taught in a private Christian university and in a private Christian high school, and was very blessed to have administrative support to the extent that, if a student was disruptive in class, I could easily dismiss him (or her) from my class for the day so as not to negate the learning of the other students.

            My father was a public school teacher for 20 years, and my mother taught in public schools for over 20 years, and both faced fewer disciplinary problems than exist today; moreover, they were able to discipline students in a timely manner.

            On the other hand, my wife, Judy, has taught the last few years in a public junior high school in Tyler. In Tyler public schools, should a student become unruly in class, teachers have to follow a version of the following procedure:

1. Verbally warn the student.

2. If the behavior continues, call a parent and document the time, the student’s bad behavior, and the parent’s response in a behavioral log (a notebook located on the teacher’s desk). In the call to the parent, the teacher informs the parent that if the behavior continues, the student will be sent to detention.

3. If the behavior continues, the teacher sends the student to detention.

4. The teacher then emails the appropriate principal and the teacher in charge of the detention hall.

            All of this is taking place… while the teacher is attempting to teach class! Furthermore, try following procedure when more than one student is misbehaving.

            I have been thinking a lot about public education. I will express more of what I think in the future. Today, suffice it to say, we as a community must empower teachers and administrators with more freedom to address disciplinary problems in a timely manner.

            This is best for the students who desire to learn.

            Equally important, this is best for the students who do not desire to learn.

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

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.