I’m not sure how many of you read XKCD.com. If you don’t, you should; he’s great and smart and funny.
But he’s launched a new site, a site called What If. Apparently the blogger gets email with “what if…..” questions. This new site is his way of answering those questions.
What If you don’t read What If?
Your life will be just a little less fun.
For a few days now I’ve been on the F Train here in Brooklyn. The girls are dancing in the city and the boy is sequestered with me while I work remote here in Brooklyn.
Lightness to continue through the week.
What if we could, with perfection, create a nation that provided equal opportunity?
Whatever that may mean to you, suppose it’s true. Every kid has the same chance to get to a good school and graduate from it. College? Available to all. While not important to this conversation, we could say that college could be free. There would be no need to worry about poor families being unable to send their bright children to the hallowed halls of higher eduction.
Poverty create hurdles due to inability to buy books, electricity or heat? Gone. We’ll adjust for it.
Any problem you might have that produces unequal opportunities has been answered. To your individual liking.
Everyone has the same chance.
Question:
What characteristic or quality would determine who succeeds?
Posted in Economics, Education, Government, Liberty, Life, Politics: National
I live in a contained neighborhood. That is, to get to my place you have to turn off the main road and make you way through streets and turns that are self contained. There’s only one other way out.
There is no through traffic, no concept of city blocks. Generally the only people who drive our streets are us.
Now those streets are in horrible condition and need to be redone. The county has no money and it doesn’t look like we’re gonna get resurfacing any time soon. Which led me to wonder if we couldn’t raise the money ourselves. Which, in turn, made me think about how we govern, or, how we vote to have others govern.
Should we vote for our own selfish self-interests or should we vote for the good of all?
In my example above, there are homes that literally use 30 feet of the neighborhood roads. They’re the first home off the turn and literally only use that small little section to get in and then to get out. Those at the end of the neighborhood? They use it all, every inch of that road.
Should the cost of repaving this road be borne by all or should it be proportional? I’m willing to entertain the concept that the initial home owner sees his home value degrade if homes at the end of the line can’t sell their houses due to horrible roads.
But the question remains; should people vote for their own personal self interest or for the larger good of society?
Or, is there another reason?
I came across this video the other day. Someone I know posted it on Facebook and I took the two minutes to watch it:
It turns out that it wasn’t the first time that Freemasonry, Facebook and the Shriner’s Hospitals For Kids juxtaposed.
About 3 years ago a college roommate living in North Western Minnesota shared a link on Facebook. It turns out that his brother, living in the same town as him, had a little boy; a son of about 11 years old. This brother had just posted that he was outside the emergency room where his little boy had been taken and observed.
It turns out the kid had been complaining of knee pain for several days and was now complaining that it was dramatically more severe. It became so bad that he had to be brought to the hospital. The doctors couldn’t say for sure what the problem might be without further testing. They wanted the young man to be brought back for MRI’s and some x-rays. The boy’s folks wanted the best for their kid but were unsure of what the costs might be and where that money would come from. Additionally, the strain of being away from work only added to the pressure.
By the time I saw the post it was long past “real-time” and was now of the type, “Keep my brother in your prayers.” And it was 8:30 at night.
I called the Shriner’s Hospital in Minneapolis, explained that I was a Mason and requested that I be allowed to sponsor a patient. I went on to describe the condition of the child as best I could from the information I had. The nurse made an appointment for first AM Monday morning. When I told her that the family lived near 4 hours away, she let me know that she could change it to 1:00 if that would be easier.
I hesitated but pressed on. I mentioned that the family worked and may not be able to make the trip to Minneapolis and I would have to call back to confirm. She cheerfully explained that they had arrangements with a lodge in that area of the state and that a Mason would be called and a ride, to and from Minneapolis, would be arranged. It was hard to get my head around that. Again, explaining that the family might be able to make it based on their circumstances, I asked for lodging near the hospital, the less expensive the better. Again, she had an answer, “We allow families to stay on campus, we have rooms just for that purpose.”
One last thing…money might be an issue. As she wished me a good night she reassured me that all services would be provided to the family free of charge; there wouldn’t be a financial obligation to the family.
I was reminded:
Freemasonry stands for the exercise of Faith, Hope and Charity, the three cardinal virtues in the Freemasons’ creed. These are the principal rounds of that many-staved ladder, of which every stave represents an active virtue, which links earth to heaven, and which, though invisible, is a reality to the true Mason. Indeed, no man can be a true Mason without the exercise of these virtues in his daily life, for having Faith in God and His promises, he has the Faith which banishes doubt. He has also Faith in himself. Faith in his fellow-man. Faith in the boundless possibilities for a regenerate humanity, Faith in the ultimate happiness of all mankind, Faith in the enjoyment of perfect bliss throughout an endless life. With this Faith in his soul, the consistent Mason has hope. Hope for that in which he has Faith, Hope for himself. Hope for his fellows, Hope for all mankind—Hope for the present, Hope for the future — a Hope so firmly rooted in his soul, that it is steadfast, immovable, enduring to the end. And Charity, that perfection of all virtues, the choicest, rarest of all the jewels which adorn the life of a perfect Mason, that too Freemasonry stands for, although each Brother well knows the difficulty of its full attainment in this world of conflict, error, sin and tears. To bring help to a suffering humanity, to relieve the distressed stricken in body or mind, to shelter those whom a censorious world has cast out, and to throw a veil over the faults and failings of all weak and over- tempted souls—that is the Charity placed before us in a Freemasons’ Lodge.
I so do love this noble fraternity.
Posted in Faith, Health Care, Life, Raising Men
Tagged Chrity, Free Masonry, Shriners Hospital
How must it suck to be Greece in everything Germany?
(Reuters) – Germany humiliated Greece in the Euro 2012 soccer tournament on Friday, rubbing salt in the wounds of a nation reeling from a dire economic crisis which many blame on Berlin.
Greeks were aching for at least a measure of revenge against their euro zone tormentor in the needle match of the tournament’s quarter-finals, but it ended as yet another dashed dream with Germany rolling over their underdog rivals 4-2.
The euro zone paymaster gave what many Germans see as a profligate and lazy state yet another lesson, this time on the pitch – perhaps revenge for political headache after headache in a regional debt crisis unleashed by Athens in 2009 that now threatens the survival of the entire common European currency.
Not only is Greece in the middle of a financial catastrophe, but they even have to lose to the Germans in soccer.
I love it!
I have no idea how many jobs will be created as a result of these craft breweries opening in the Triangle. I do know that they are opening as a result of North Carolina removing their restriction on “heavier” beers. Ever since North Carolina passed “Pop The Top” laws we’ve seen a veritable stampede of micro-brews and micro-breweries.
And more to come:
Haw River Farmhouse Ales (http://hawriverales.com/)
Deep River Brewing Co. (http://deepriverbrewing.com/)
Steel String Craft Brewery (http://steelstringbrewery.com/)
And law suits:
MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A New Jersey woman who was struck in the face with a baseballat a Little League game is suing the young catcher who threw it.
Elizabeth Lloyd is seeking more than $150,000 in damages to cover medical costs stemming from the incident at a Manchester Little League game two years ago. She’s also seeking an undefined amount for pain and suffering.
Lloyd was sitting at a picnic table near a fenced-in bullpen when she was hit with the ball.
Catcher Matthew Migliaccio was 11 years old at the time and was warming up a pitcher.
The lawsuit filed April 24 alleges Migliaccio’s errant throw was intentional and reckless, “assaulted and battered” Lloyd and caused “severe, painful and permanent” injuries.
A second count alleges Migliaccio’s actions were negligent and careless through “engaging in inappropriate physical and/or sporting activity” near Lloyd. She continues to suffer pain and anguish, incur medical expenses and has been unable to carry out her usual duties and activities, the lawsuit says.
And Lloyd’s husband, in a third count, is suing for the loss of “services, society and consortium” of his wife. They’ve demanded a jury trial.
What kind of special hell must we live in before people just wake up and slap those around us into reality?
By now we’ve all heard about Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to ban large sizes of drinks that are high in sugar or calories. This would include soda, energy drinks and sweetened teas.
New York City plans to enact a far-reaching ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts, in the most ambitious effort yet by the Bloomberg administration to combat rising obesity.
The proposed ban would affect virtually the entire menu of popular sugary drinks found in delis, fast-food franchises and even sports arenas, from energy drinks to pre-sweetened iced teas. The sale of any cup or bottle of sweetened drink larger than 16 fluid ounces — about the size of a medium coffee, and smaller than a common soda bottle — would be prohibited under the first-in-the-nation plan, which could take effect as soon as next March.
This has to be a clear cut example of what the government CAN do, but what it SHOULDN’T do. There’s no question that American are getting bigger and becoming obese at alarming rates. There is no question that eating/drinking less garbage and working out more often would greatly contribute to reducing this problem.
However, at some point, there has to come a time when the government oversteps its bounds. Are we really ready to accept living in a state where the state can dictate such personal freedoms? Perhaps we are. We already accept the fact that we can’t smoke in certain places. We acknowledge and accept that the government can dictate seat belts and motorcycle helmets.
As much as I’m appalled at the regulation of soda-pop, I am equally sure that most of our citizens will accept it and we can just chalk it up to another example of people eschewing personal liberty in the name of removing any semblance of personal responsibility.
Posted in Government, Idiots on Parade, Liberty, Life, Politics: National, States Behaving Badly
Tagged Michael Bloomberg, New York, Regulations, Soda