2012: One Roller Coaster of a Year

It’s late December, and once again, it’s time to take part in what is fast becoming an annual ritual: reflecting on the events of the almost completed year. Among media pundits, the customary annual consensus that the concluding year will go down as one the most extraordinary and momentous in history has almost become cliché. However, in my opinion, only a handful of years during my lifetime, 1963, 1968 and 2001, meet that standard. While eventful, 2012 falls a tad short. But that’s not to say that this past year hasn’t been one colossal roller coaster ride.

On a personal level, 2012 will leave several memories of enormous happiness countered with one devastatingly painful and grief-stricken experience…the passing of my beloved mother who died last spring at the age of 84. I suppose I’ll always associate 2012 with her death, just as I associate 1988 with my father’s passing. From the opposite end of the emotional continuum, I’ll forever remember 2012 for the birth of my first grandchild. It’s also the year I earned a second bachelor’s degree after graduating from DeVry University.

From a communal perspective, I believe 2012 will be most remembered for the following news stories:

• The Supreme Court ruling that, more or less, made the Affordable Care Act or ‘Obamacare’ a fact of life.
• The reelection of President Barack Obama.
• The reopening of the gun control debate following the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
• The growing acceptance of gay rights.

The Supreme Court upholds 'Obamacare'.

In my humble opinion, this surprising development of 2012 will have the most lasting impact on future generations. The law has sweeping implications, providing coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans in an attempt to improve the nation's health and bring down health care costs, and in a 5-to-4 vote, the Supreme Court made it clear: ‘Obamacare is here to stay’. Eventually, the Affordable Care Act will become part of the national fabric as Social Security is now. Folks in future decades will have a difficult time imagining life without it. Eventually, the Affordable Care Act will become as much the accepted national fabric as Social Security is now. Folks in future decades will hard have a difficult time imagining life without it.

President Obama wins reelection.

The results of a presidential election almost always have a substantial impact on people’s lives and shape the course of history. I believe 2012’s clash between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will embody this fact more than most elections. The competing platforms from both campaigns indicated decidedly different approaches to preserving capitalism. Obama and Democratic Party appeared to be moderate adherents to Keynesian economics, while Romney and the Tea Party-inspired GOP wanted a more hands off government approach advocated by Milton Friedman and his philosophy that places the interests of stockholders above all else. Americans chose the former course, and in the process, reelected the nation’s first African-American president.,

Gun control debate reopens.

I inject this development partly out of wishful thinking that the debate arising from the tragic shooting massacre of 20 children and 7 adults including the shooter at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, might bring about some meaningful gun control legislation and measures. As of this writing, this story continues to rivet the national psyche, and some politicians, including President Obama, are offering possible solutions that might make a difference. Let’s hope that our collective short attention spans don’t take over and compel us to drop the ball as we have so many times in the past. I really have a sense, however, that the wickedness of this crime is stimulating this old debate to a new level.

Tolerance for Gay rights grows.

The 2012 elections brought historic victories for gay-rights supporters. Maine, Maryland and Washington became the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote. These developments followed President Obama’s announcement earlier in the year supporting laws that enable same-sex couples to marry. Obama’s hand was forced apparently when Vice President Joseph Biden declared in an interview several days before with NBC's “Meet the Press" that he was "absolutely comfortable" with gay marriage. These incidents appear to be a reflection of a larger national trend where polls indicate a rapidly growing tolerance of Americans toward gays and lesbians. This new political landscape is in stark contrast to the one from just four years ago.



Not all the trends of 2012 were encouraging. The war in Afghanistan raged on into its 11th year, and in the process, became America's longest in its storied history. Sadly, President Obama has given no indication of it ending any sooner than 2014. Moreover, our foreign policy is becoming more militaristic. Even so-called 'liberals' seem to be chomping at the bit to begin unprovoked wars in Iran and Syria. We almost seem destined to be in a perpetual state of war. Tied into this disturbing trend is our continued use of robot technology (drones) against innocent civilians, and the continued surrendering of our civil liberties with our continued preservation of the "Patriot Act" and its draconian surveillance measures that can be imposed on civilians.

In the balance, however, 2012 was a good year. As we begin 2013, let us hope we see a further broadening of human rights and fair play, and a lessening of the insane violence that seems to plague so much of the planet. Happy New Year!

America Loses a Decent, Selfless Champion for the People

R.I.P. George McGovern (1922-2012)

It is truly upsetting to learn about the passing of Senator George McGovern, the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee who lost to President Richard Nixon in a landslide of epic proportions. McGovern’s death resonates directly with me because at the age of 15, I became actively involved in politics for the first time while working for his campaign. (It wasn't until Obama's 2008 campaign when I did so again.)

I was only a handful of students who wore McGovern buttons to an overwhelmingly conservative and Republican junior high school in Kirkwood, Missouri, an upper middle class and ‘waspish’ suburb of St. Louis. I was routinely called a ‘commie’ by other kids, and had one teacher ask me why I wore that “awful” button to her algebra class.

Perhaps, the highlight to an otherwise dismal election campaign was the McGovern rally held during October, 1972 in the parking lot of the then newly-constructed West (St. Louis) County Shopping Center. Missouri U.S. Senator Stuart Symington was the headline speaker at the event, which I believe was subdued because of McGovern’s decision just months earlier to drop Missouri’s other U.S. Senator, Thomas Eagleton, as his vice presidential running mate. Nonetheless, the rally did provide some brief positive reinforcement after seeing so many like-minded folks in one gathering. I attended the rally with my sister and my parents. (The picture above shows my mother, who sadly passed away earlier this year, my sister and me. We are carrying homemade signs.)


It baffles me to this day how such a decent man could be so resoundingly rejected by the American people for a man who history later showed was one of our country’s most corrupt leaders. McGovern was a patriotic war hero who served as a World War II bomber pilot. As the son of a Methodist minister, he was a humble and religious man. He was custom-built for seeking political office, it seemed. Yet his opponents were successful in marketing this man as some wild-eyed, anti-American radical hell bent on destroying the country. The Nixon campaign and a compliant media unjustly hung the tag, 'amnesty, abortion and acid” on McGovern and his campaign supporters.


Yes, McGovern wanted to end the Vietnam War, but as I recall in 1972, so did most of America. He had not yet publically stated his position on abortion on demand at the time as it was still a full year before the Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling on Roe v. Wade. And McGovern only favored decriminalizing marijuana. He was, however, opposed to legalizing both it and LSD.

George McGovern was a rare breed in politics. He was a noble man whose intentions were truly altruistic. He knew the definition of being a public servant. McGovern lost disastrously lost to Nixon, but his legacy lives on in a more-inclusive Democratic party, which enabled future leaders like Barack Obama to rise to the top. Moreover, his policies regarding Vietnam proved to be correct. We are sorely in need of leaders who tirelessly fight for peace, justice and civil rights. George McGovern’s honesty and sense of decency will be missed.

A Reject Letter

Human Resources Department
ABC Widgit Company
Doodleville, MN 56743

September 15, 2012

Dear Personnel Manager:

Thank you for your letter of September 12th. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me an technical writing position in your company.

Since my recent graduation, I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.

Despite ABC Widgit's outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at this time. Therefore, I will assume the position of technical writer at your company in October. I look forward to seeing you then.

Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.

Sincerely,
Joel A. Wells

It Might Be Crazy Enough to Work

I've had this idea in the inner recesses of my mind that I've always dismissed as unfeasible and, for lack of a better term, 'nutty'. But after reading an internet story predicting that human garbage output is expected to double by the year 2025, I thought it time to reexamine my idea: using the sun as a giant trash vaporizer.

Yes, I'm mostly putting this notion out there as a 'trial balloon' as they say in the political game. But, I think it, at least, merits some serious consideration.

According to research from Worldwatch.com, the amount of garbage produced by the world's cities will increase from 1.3 billion tons today to 2.6 billions tons in 2025. The U.S. leads the world in municipal solid waste or (MSW) output at about 621,000 tons a day, but China is quickly catching up at 521,000 tons a day.

Where are we going to put all this trash? Landfills, once thought to be the most practical solution, are using up increasingly scarce amounts of land. They're also becoming bigger health hazards. Moreover, landfills have become vast repositories for MSW consisting of plastics and Styrofoam products that takes years and even centuries to break down or become biodegradable.

Earthbound incineration doesn't appear to be the answer either. They can release large amounts of air pollution, and worse, become a source for carcinogenic and other toxic materials. Burning trash really doesn't get rid of the waste; it converts into another form.

However, solar vaporization will not pose any of the above risks to humans. All we need is the technology to simply sling the toxic refuse out of the Earth's gravitational field and aim it in the general direction of the Sun. We've had the rocket technology and knowledge of physical laws that would enable this action for decades.

Now, mind you, I'm not completely sold on this idea either. First, the costs of sending trash to the Sun would be enormous and probably prohibitive. But, I believe these kinds of problems can be ironed out with time. A second risk I foresee is the possibility of flung trash failing to make out of the Earth's orbit and blanketing the planet with toxic waste. The impact of such an error could be mitigated by regulating the amount and type of MSW that is sent in each solar delivery. Perhaps, there's small enough amount that our environment could safely withstand in such a mishap. Finally, solar vaporization turns waste into unrecoverable resources. Once the sun vaporizes it, the idea of recycling goes completely out the window.

Once again, I'm just throwing this out there. But, sometimes it pays to think outside the box.

The Partier, the New Renter and the Partier's Friends

Once upon a time, a partier rented and moved into a beautiful house whereupon he began holding a huge, never-ending party that lasted during the next eight years. At first, the neighbors thought the man was charming and cool. However, the partier refused to clean up the messes left from the constant debauchery. Soon, leftover trash became towering piles of garbage, which emanated an awful stench all over the neighborhood.

During his eighth year of living there, the partier announced that his lease was up. He was moving out, and a new renter was moving in. However, just before moving out, one of the trash piles ignited. Soon, a monstrous blaze was raging. It was on the verge on consuming the entire place. The partier moved out.

The new renter moved in and began working immediately on putting out this fire, which neighborhood old-timers said was the worst the neighborhood had seen during the last seven decades. The new renter attached his hose to the next-door neighbor’s outdoor water spigot and began fighting the out-of-control fire. His decision to use the neighbor’s faucet began to payoff. The growth of the fire, at first, slowed down. Then, the new renter began to make progress as the blaze was starting to show signs of abating.

At this time, the nice neighbors letting the new renter use their spigot moved out. Friends of the partier moved in. These new neighbors resented the fact that the new renter was making progress on fighting the fire. They would like nothing more than to see him fail and be evicted. They even said as much. The partier’s friends turned off the spigot. That left new renter to battle the blaze by himself.

Because he had no access to water, the new renter’s headway on the fire stalled. The partier’s friends soon began complaining about how the new renter hadn’t put the fire out yet. The new renter repeatedly asked the new neighbors if he could continue tapping into their water supply, and repeatedly, he was turned down.

Months passed. The smoldering ashes started to show signs of flaring up again. Despite having the support of most of the people in the neighborhood, the partier’s friends living next door exercised their power, once again, of blocking use of the their spigot. Soon, they began clamoring for the new man’s eviction. They said he’s had three and a half years to put out the fire. Moreover, they said he should quit blaming it on the partier who lived there before.

How will this story play out? Will the new renter get evicted? Will the partier's friends move out? Stay tuned...

Newspaper Stains

It seems that web designers have inherited a significant amount of their technical lingo and terminology from the world of print.

I think this circumstance has resulted mostly because web design has its origins in graphic design, which folks have been using for centuries in newspaper and magazine design.

I think it's all a frame of reference. Before the arrival of web design, graphic design was the closest activity people had that bore any resemblance to it. Adopting terms like 'column' or even 'page' made web design more clear and tangible.

While the capabilities of web design has evolved far beyond graphic design, so has its terminology. The old newspaper terms still being used now have added meaning, and I believe, remain relevant. Language has never been static.

Browsing Wars?

I don't have an iPad yet. However, I'd like to get one just to see what it's all about. I recently took a round-trip flight with a couple of stopovers. I noticed that iPads, along with smartphones and Kindles seem to have become prerequisite gear for airport travelers.

From what I've read, the quality of one's browsing experience on an iPad depends greatly on what browser he or she uses. And apparently developers in Silicon Valley are fiercely competing for a piece, if not all, of this burgeoning and increasingly lucrative market. Mozilla, Microsoft, Verizon, Samsung, and around 25 other companies are favoring a W3C group that establishes mobile web browser guidelines. While other tech giants, such as Google and Yahoo, are taking a more hands off approach.

Manning's leaving Indy...and I Don't Really Care.

So, the Indianapolis Colts have cut Peyton Manning. Perhaps, I'm becoming too world-weary as I grow older...but I'm at the point where I, frankly, don't give a shit. Sorry. It's been something I've been increasingly experiencing the last few years. Today's news about Manning coupled with the St. Louis Cardinals recently losing Albert Pujols to free-agency just seems to amplify my growing indifference toward big-time, corporate sports.(The Cardinals winning it all last year kind of forestalled that feeling temporarily.)

I realize big $$$ is nothing new in sports, but its presence has become increasingly blatant these days. I love sports but I think our civilization has lost something by placing too much priority and importance to it. Billions of dollars to build stadia? Multi-million dollar contracts for someone who can pass a football or hit a hardball? I mean...is it really that important?

Telecommuting (Okay...Working At Home!)

Being somewhat of a latecomer to digital technology, I never really thought about 'telecommuting' or working from home via the internet as a condition for evaluating a potential job offer. And telecommuting,it appears, is an option that many companies are offering with jobs in my chosen profession of technical writing.

On first consideration, telecommuting seems like an ideal way to work as a technical writer. This mode of working would enable me to work for almost anyone in the world at almost any given time. Telecommuting would eliminate much of the need for expensive transportation and the concurrent headaches of dealing with traffic jams. Moreover, working at home in this manner would enable me to set my own schedule.

Nevertheless, I believe telecommuting has a downside that would, in my opinion, offset all of the above benefits. I fear eventually that I'd develop a feeling of isolation and alienation. I like to deal with people directly and have a sense that I'm a part of the world. Telecommuting, I believe, would cut me off from those dynamic forces.

(For the record, the person in the above picture isn't me. I 'googled' an image search for telecommuters...and this is one that came up.)

Opening Pandora's Box?

If you’ve been on Facebook lately, you might have noticed numerous posts denouncing Monsanto Corp., an agribusiness giant who appears to be spearheading an effort that enables consumers to buy foods cultivated from genetically-engineered crops, which experts call genetically modified organisms or (GMOs).

So what’s the fuss? GMOs are crops that people have altered in a laboratory with the intent of improving such traits as nutritional content or resistance to herbicides. Traditionally, scientists used the rather lengthy process of selective breeding to enhance crops. However, genetic engineering has proven to be much quicker and more accurate.

Potentially, GMOs could prove to be a windfall for humanity. Scientists could develop crops that can endure droughts and frost. In addition, genetic engineering could enable farmers to grow crops that are resistant to many destructive fungi and viruses.

However, many folks are troubled that GMOs might cause unintended harm to other organisms. One recent study indicated that genetically altered corn caused increased mortality rates among monarch butterfly caterpillars. Another concern many people have is that genetically modified crops could produce a dangerous allergen, which in turn, would be ushered into the world with little or no warning. Moreover, many people fear the new technology simply because so much about its consequences remain unknown.

I tend to agree with the above sentiment. I think we should tread lightly before we open a potential Pandora’s Box that unleashes a whole host of ugly things.

Joel Pondering Peyton

What does the future hold for Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts? Joel sheds absolutely no new light on the subjects as he continues to experiment with his webcam.

An Offline Game That Lurks Inside....

Because I don't live in a Wi-Fi hotspot, I'll lose internet service once in a while due to foul weather conditions or poor cable bill management. When this happens, I find myself at the mercy of an offline laptop where I rediscover the fun of of playing the Microsoft Windows version of Free Cell. (I'm thinking that Bill Gates himself must be a Free Cell aficionado because the game is offered on every Windows operating system I've ever encountered.)



Free Cell (the Windows version) includes the following items:

• One standard 52-card deck

• Four open cells

• Four open foundations (one for each suit) to build upon

• Eight randomly dealt card cascades in stacks of either seven or six cards

• One player

The player wins Free Cell when he or she moves all the cards to the foundation piles. I find the game quite addicting. I get peeved when I lose especially when conventional wisdom says all Free Cell games are winnable expect one.

Looking For a Radio Gig When Digital Meant Relating to a Finger or Toe

I used to be in radio broadcasting, and there were many occasions where I directly contacted a company without prior knowledge of whether they were hiring. Since I made these contacts about 20 years ago, I had to rely on 'snail' mail and land line telephones. And since there was no internet, I had to use resources at the public library to find out the telephone numbers to out-of-town radio stations.

My unsolicited search would begin with a cold call to a radio station where I'd ask the receptionist the name of person responsible for hiring air talent. Then, I'd send a cassette recording of an aircheck and a resume in a padded envelope to that station calling attention to the name I obtained from the previous phone call. If I knew I little more about the company or the market, I'd include a cover letter.

This approach failed about 99 percent of the time. But that 1 percent of the time it was successful more than made up for the rejections. I landed some decent radio jobs in Columbia, MO, and Lafayette, IN, using this method.

My Two Cents on Jim Caldwell's Firing...

Yes, the Colts were 2-14 last season, and yes, Caldwell made some questionable calls during his stint here. However, I don't believe he should have been fired. I believe the reason that the Colts played so badly last season without Peyton is because they refused to draft or trade for a decent backup QB. They have had ample opportunity to do so.

While I despise the New England Patriots, I have to admire how they continued to play well when they lost their star quarterback, Tom Brady, to injury back in 2008. They still won 11 games with backup QB Matt Casssel.

There's no reason the Colts couldn't have drafted someone like Cassel. So, I think Caldwell's firing is mostly window dressing and a bit misguided.

Can Technology Exist Without Science?

I believe it’s possible, but only on a singularly and fleetingly rare occasion. In many instances throughout history, people have discovered a new technology by accident and its first use came about without any prior scientific research.


I believe prehistoric cave dwellers may have discovered the benefits of cooking in such a way. Tens of thousands of years ago, perhaps, some cave people were sitting around a fire eating raw meat from a fresh kill. Suddenly, one of the hunters accidentally dropped their slab into the fire. After fishing the food painstakingly and cautiously out of the blaze, the cave person soon discovered that the meat was easier to chew and tasted better.


The above example is a one-time example where people used a technology without science. From then on, the cave dwellers relied on the observed knowledge or ‘research’ that fire makes food tastier and easier to eat and purposely began using the fire to cook their meat.


Yes, I believe technology can exist without science, but only by accident!