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Friday, September 20, 2013

American Ineffectualism

I invite your attention to the following article which was published in the online edition of the National Review. My reaction follows, and your comments are encouraged.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2013 4:00 PM
American Ineffectualism 
Every American ally is cringing with embarrassment at the amateurishness of the last month. 
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/358480/american-ineffectualism-mark-steyn/


While I was entertained by Mr. Steyn's pugilistic style, I felt his substance was a little skewed. Admittedly, I was embarrassed at how our government appeared to be playing checkers in a chess tournament. Obviously, people like Putin and Steyn saw weakness, and pounced. 

 However, I do not fully appreciate Steyn's glorification of Putin's "blueberry" crushing skills. Putin is an opportunistic thug who completely ignored his own past so he could assume a moral high ground and mockingly lecture my President. 

 The balls! Or should I say, the blueberries!?! 

 At any rate, I admire Senator John McCain for standing up to Putin. His comeback is combative and spot-on. My country, right or wrong? No, I won't go that far. As a Nation, we must be willing to learn from our mistakes. My attitude is more like this: I can talk bad about MY family, but if YOU say one mean thing about ANY of them. I will personally knock your block off! 

 http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/19-09-2013/125705-McCain_for_pravda_ru-0/
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/world/europe/mccain-sharply-criticizes-putin.html?_r=0
http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mccain-pravda-op-ed-vladimir-putin-nyt-new-york-times-2013-9
Posted by DBDoane at 12:15 PM 0 comments
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Wise Up Ghost


Must-see TV: Elvis appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and performing live with Jimmy's band, The Roots! Mark your calendars and set your TiVOs or DVRs!

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/blogs/2013/09/web-exclusive-elvis-costello-and-the-roots-perform-wise-up-ghost/


Posted by DBDoane at 9:42 AM 0 comments
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Thursday, September 12, 2013

Do we really get wiser with age?

This wry comment from a younger colleague sent me into philosopher mode:
"Although we are getting older, I would like to think we are continually getting wiser which is a fair trade-off ... I think.  So enjoy that old age, old man, but do it wisely."


Ahem. My friend was plainly implying that I was indeed older, yet perhaps not as wise as might be expected for my advanced years.

Do we really get wiser with age? I found this proposition interesting. As I thought about the proposition more, what occurred to me is that aging is neither necessary nor sufficient for obtaining wisdom. Plenty of people get old and never seem wise to others. Likewise, some young people seem to have unusual gifts of integrity, character, and vision. So aging is not a continual, linear trade between decreasing physical ability and increasing mental, spiritual, and emotional ability. Age merely provides us with more opportunities to struggle and learn. Age opens us up, makes us pliable, and makes us more resilient (if not physically stronger).

 Psychoanalyst Erik Erikson created an eight-stage theory of the human life cycle. In each stage, a person faces an internal struggle that develops different aspects of personality. For example, an infant's struggle is the battle between trust and mistrust; when infants feel they can trust those around them, they develop a sense of hope. In maturity, this virtue of hope manifests in an appreciation for interdependence and relatedness. Erikson's last stage, old age, people grapple with the balance between their personal sense of integrity, and defeat in the face of death and physical disintegration. If integrity wins out, then the result, according to Erikson, is wisdom.  
Accessed Sep 12, 2013 from http://www.intropsych.com/ch11_personality/eriksons_psychosocial_stages.html

I like Erickson's Stage Theory because it seems to explain things well, and because it can serve as a solid framework for questions around character, maturity, and acquired wisdom. The dialogue between my younger colleague and I proceeded thusly:

We all have our struggles and our stories, and according to Erikson, we develop at different rates depending on how we respond to struggle. I know very little about your story, and you probably don't know a whole lot about mine. Our opinions of each other are based solely on our brief interactions over the last few years. 

Your words imply that you do not think much of my wisdom and that you feel yours is superior. I would like to point our that I have not come to you seeking your advice on the matter. If you want to challenge me or teach me or help me to grow in wisdom and grace, I will listen, because I am far from complete and I am sure you can teach me many things. 

However, before you start something with me, please think about where you are coming from and what you hope to achieve. I know myself very well--the good, the bad, and the ugly. What do you see that motivates you to tell me to "enjoy that old age old man but do it wisely"? 

I have learned that criticism is always about the critic. For anyone to see a flaw in me, (a) I must be doing something; (b) they must be able to recognize the flaw first in themselves; and (c) they must have a motive for bringing this flaw to my attention. The playground rejoinder applies: "It takes one to know one." I wanted to know more about the issue that motivated my colleague's unsolicited advice. I suggested a we let Erikson's model serve as a common framework for advancing the discussion.

This willingness to listen without becoming defensive is not easy for most people, myself included. The idea of a common framework like Erikson's helps to keep the discussion objective. Another thing that helps is setting a common purpose, like helping each other grow. In this light, difficult conversations can be offered and accepted in the form of constructive criticism.

So I offered the framework and the purpose as a baseline from which to build, and continued:
If this baseline works for you, I am willing to learn why you felt the need to jack me up. I will listen without arguing or attempting to defend myself until you have made your point.

I wish I could say that the ensuing conversation was productive and mutually satisfying. Unfortunately I think my somewhat indignant tone belied my willingness to listen. I am still wondering, still aware that my character is not fully perfected, and still waiting.

Questions:

1. How do you handle criticism, especially unsolicited criticism?
2. When do you decide to offer criticism?
3. What if anything would you have done differently from me in the scenario I described?
4. Are you aware of a human life cycle theory that is better than Erikson's?




For readers who are curious about the relationship between age and wisdom, here is a link to some additional resources:


Posted by DBDoane at 7:04 PM 0 comments
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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Introducing the new 2014 Harley-Davidson Motorcycles!

H-D Street 750, new for 2014

For the first time in 13 years, the Motor Company is rolling out a new frame family. Introducing Street, the new model made for young urban freedom seekers. 

In addition, PROJECT RUSHMORE produced dramatic updates to bikes in the Sportster, Dyna, and Touring families. PROJECT RUSHMORE was a top-secret, sweeping remodeling effort undertaken in response to customer feedback and market pressure from Indian and Victory.

All totaled, Harley is rolling out 2 brand new Street models, 6 updated or new Sportsters, 6 Dynas (3 new and 1 updated), 6 Softails, only 5 Touring models, 2 V-Rods, a Trike, and 4 CVO models. This list includes two bikes scheduled to be added in the middle of the model year (2014.5) and ZERO, count them ZERO Road Glides.

For the record, a relatively high number (5) of models made in 2013 were discontinued. Most notable to me was the hopefully temporary loss of both "shark nose" Road Glide models. Rumor has it that re-tooling the lines for the PROJECT RUSHMORE upgrades forced the Motor Company to delay (vs. cancel) Road Glide production. Meanwhile. the Road King Classic and Electra Glide Classic models had simply run their course.  

The links will take you to Total Motorcycle's awesome website for information and beautiful, wall-paper worthy photos of all the new bikes.

Street







Tri Glide (Motorcycle Trike)
- 2014 Harley-Davidson FLHTCUTG Tri Glide Ultra Classic - New for 2014



 Links of note 

This year's list  http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/motorcycles/2014models/2014-HarleyDavidson.htm
The 2013 list, as reported last year in PhilosFX http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2012/08/introducing-new-2013-harley-davidson.html
Our wildly popular post on the history of the Road King http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2011/09/illustrated-history-of-harley-davidson.html
Posted by DBDoane at 10:00 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A short guide to the Middle East


The Middle East Explained In One Excellent Letter To The Editor


This letter to the editor from Mr. K. N. Al-Sabah ran in the Aug 24th edition of Financial Times.  It was then picked up by BuzzFeed.
 

 
 
This Quixotic quote inspired me to attempt a drawing of the social network described in Mr. Al-Sabah's letter.
 


Assuming we do want to get involved in the Middle East, do we know enough to actually make the situation better?
 
 
Look in the comments under the article as it appears in BuzzFeed and you will find a visualization by Derpina which takes the form of a Flow Chart.
 
The first problem I have with Derpina's visualization is that the Turks are Sunni, not Shia. The second problem is that the flow chart makes the situation look deterministic, which is misleading. 
 
I believe my spaghetti chart above captures the chaos more accurately, in my never humble but always biased opinion.
 
That said, I believe this version by the Elder of Zion is even better. His is an improvement on one created by another blogger, the big Pharaoh. As the Elder of Zion states, any attempt to understand this situation will change daily.
 
I wonder if this idea of graphing the complex social networks in the Middle East would make a fun parlor game? I wonder what I will think of this post when I look back on it in 10 years?
 
 
Posted by DBDoane at 1:59 PM 0 comments
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Friday, August 23, 2013

New SHARP director says Army must defeat sexual assault to maintain public trust

Public trust in the Army is high. To maintain that trust, the Army must defeat sexual assault in its ranks.
Attribution: Photo and caption are from the original 22 Aug 2013 article by C. Todd Lopez at www.army.mil 




I just read this article and I find it encouraging. Cheers for Dr. Altendorf and the new Army SHARP Office!

Obviously bringing a General Officer-level leader to the SHARP helm raises program visibility--as well as  expectations. Fortunately, the increased attention is going to integration--horizontally with Provost Marshal General and Inspector General (as well as previously involved Criminal Investigation Command, Army Medical Command, and the Office of the Judge Advocate General), and vertically with the Department of Defense and through them with the other services. This portends well.

Lots more work to do, but the language of “defeat” sexual assault is much more productive than the unrealistic “eliminate.” I also like “maintain” trust which communicates that we are at risk of losing trust, not conceding that is already lost and must be won back. Subtle changes but powerful. We still do a lot of things right in the Army.

As a 28-year veteran, my heart burns about this problem, but I am not ready to hand the solution over to those who, like Sen. Gillibrand, would dismantle the Army to “save” it. God bless her for putting more pressure on the services, but her proposed solutions would be counter-productive in my humble and biased opinion.

Culture change is the goal, and the standard is when parents concerned about their children joining the Army are neutral on the  question of blue-on-blue sexual violence—not because the human beings in the military are suddenly angels but because rape is once again less likely to occur in the military than any other possible place where their son or daughter might go instead.  

Back in the old days, when the purpose of the Army was to fight and win our Nation's wars, parents’ biggest concern about sending their kids off to the Army was that their learning how to kill people, break things, and dodge bullets would scar them for life.  I am sure that some victims of military sexual violence would contend that not all scars are the same.

It is my hope that Dr. Altendorf will engage data-fueled, truth-seeking, action-oriented researchers and analysts to help solve this problem.


Thanks for reading.

Posted by DBDoane at 10:02 PM 0 comments
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Monday, August 12, 2013

Where will YOU be August 11-18, 2013?



It's the 5th Annual DC Beer Week! Get out and support your LOCAL brewers and have a good time!


Websites you'll need


Hashtags of note
  • #DCBW2013
  • #dcbrews
  • #DCBeerWeek

Articles in WaPo and City Paper: 
  

Recap of Main Events:

There are Flagship events for all 8 days in the week and scores of other events in venues all over town. Eight days a week? Yep, the "week" includes two Sundays. But everybody is doing SOMETHING, so just let these Flagship events serve to whet your appetite--then go wet your whistle!


  • Sunday: Brewery Ommegang & WCP Present "Hop Chef: Special Edition" - Official Opening Ceremony of DCBW '13
  • Monday: DC Heritage Night at the Howard Theater
  • Tuesday: Gordon Biersch English Summer Ale Tasting
  • Wednesday: RFD's Coast to Coast Tap Takeover
  • Thursday: Nationals Night
  • Friday: Blind & Bitter: Hop Face-Off with DCBeer, Scion, Crios
  • Saturday: Old Ebbitt Grill's Craft Brewhaha
  • Sunday: The Bluejacket Sneak Preview BBQ
    • Posted by DBDoane at 6:08 PM 0 comments
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