A “Did You Know?” About Tennis

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I recently subscribed to a great daily email newsletter called Now I Know that delivers a seemingly random piece of information each day.  Today's was about tennis, and more specifically, about the gold medalist in tennis at the 1896 Olympic Games in Greece.  What fascinated me about this was:

  • Tennis was one of the nine athletic events at the first modern Olympic games
  • The guy who won the gold medal started out as a spectator but was convinced to play and, having no proper gear, played in dress shoes with heels.
  • The gold medalist also won the gold in doubles by partnering with a guy from another country he'd defeated in singles, meaning the gold medal for doubles is shared by two countries.

I highly recommend you subscribe to the newsletter. It hasn't disappointed me yet and I've learned something new every day.

Medicare Reform

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Health care reform ain't for the faint of heart, and it's also an issue that I think will define the modern era of American politics.  Having just renewed our small group health insurance with BCBSNC to the tune of a 28% increase in premiums I'm going to throw my two cents in and say that I agree that this is a defining issue for our country.  Unfortunately I'm nowhere near smart enough to know what the solution to our health care issue is, but I also suspect that such a person doesn't exist considering the issue is so complex.  Thus I think we're destined for an extended period of sausage making as we try to figure out a better mouse trap and that's why I'm not exactly surprised at what's going on in Washington these days. 

From this Tax.com article on Rep. Ryan's proposed changes to funding for Medicare:

So what happens if we buy the Ryan plan? For those age 55 and older, not so much. But a lot changes starting in 2022, when today's 54-year-olds turn 65, through 2084, the end of the 75-year period covered by Social Security trustee projections.

David Rosnick and Dean Baker, economists at the Center for Economic Policy and Research, crunched the numbers. Whether you like their liberal views or hate them, Rosnick and Baker are just spreadsheet mechanics in this exercise.

Reduced to net present value, Ryan's plan would save $4.9 trillion in taxes from 2022 through 2084, the numbers reveal. That's not chicken feed. In fact, it is within range of the close to $6 trillion shortfall in Social Security between now and 2084…

So for every dollar Americans would save in taxes, they would shell out $5 more from their own pockets using Ryan's preferred baseline, and nearly $8 using the standard baseline. When you stack a plan in favor of its advocate and the additional costs are five times the savings, like the story of the mechanic trying to keep getting paid for fixing up a clunker, the plan should be greeted with laughter, derision, or disgust. I go for all three — in that order.

Rosnick and Baker call this net extra spending of between $20 trillion to $34 trillion waste. That's their political judgment. I'll stick to the facts: The Ryan plan shifts costs and raises them at the same time. Spending $5 to save $1 is nuts. Spending $8 to save $1 is lunacy. (Emphasis mine).

I've become so accustomed to getting smacked in the side of the head with healthcare expenses that I can't really say the numbers shock me at all, but I do find them disheartening. My family pays what I consider a healthy chunk of change just to insure ourselves against medical disaster, and we've been blessed with relatively good health so I don't even want to think about what that insurance would cost if we had real issues.  That said I was hoping that I could pay the piper now and then some day have a "Medicare" party so that I'd at least be able to enjoy "Cadillac benefits" in my waning years, but I'm beginning to think that's a pipe dream.

 

Dad is from Mars, Mom is from Venus

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This morning was an anxious one for our family, but I won't get into the details since it involves one of the kids and I'm not into airing the kids' personal stuff (unless of course they tick me off).  Anyhow the morning began with visit to a doctor and while everything isn't perfect the diagnosis ended up being a relief.  What made the rest of the day interesting was the difference between mine and my wife's perceptions of the doctor's words.

Basically what Iheard was that the doctor had run a battery of tests, found a small anomaly that was nothing to worry about and that he also suspected a related issue he was going to refer us to another doctor to check out, but that issue wasn't very serious either.  On the other hand my wife heard that there's an anomaly and our child is headed for a lifetime of appointments with specialists.  

It would probably be easier to explain how we might come to such different perspectives if I did go into details, but that's a no-go so what I will say is that this is a very common occurence in our house.  We joke all the time about what an optimist I am and what a pessimist she is, and we also joke about how she is so detail oriented and how I can forget three items from a four item shopping list.  If we spend ten minutes in a room she can tell you how many pictures are on the wall, the color of the furniture, the color of the carpet, etc. and I could tell you it had four walls and a ceiling.  On the other hand I can tell you which TV show is based on an Elmore Leonard short story (Justified – a show I highly recommend), give you a quick rundown of the day's news and perhaps even tell you what was trending on Twitter, but Celeste couldn't give a tinker's damn about any of that.  

The plain and simple truth is we've been married for over 19 years but I'll be damned if I can figure out how we get anything done.  Actually that's not true; I know that our strengths and weaknesses are complementary and that means we're quite effective at getting stuff done, but I'd be lying if I didn't say it also means that we've had our moments of non-Zen.  I can drive her to distraction with my distraction, and her determination to do things systematically can make my eyes cross. 

What this means for the kids is that they have to deal with a two headed monster made out of Kevlar.  When I'm left to my own devices with them (happens a couple of times a year), things tend to break down around the house.  In laymans terms life becomes a crapfest.  Children subsist on Pop-Tarts, dogs eat cat food and no one sleeps for more than four hours.  On the other hand if I'm out of town the household runs fine, but the kids end up telling tales of the house being invaded by a mad (mad as in pissed off) woman who can't understand why they won't do what they're supposed to do.  Put the two of us together though and we're one well adjusted parent.

Back to this morning. After the fun trip to the doctor was over we both updated our Facebook statuses (yeah, I know). Mine basically said, "The kid's all right and now we just have to see another doctor and we'll be good to go."  After reading that my wife wrote, "I wish I could be as positive as my husband. My glass is empty – not even half full."  I read that and called her so we could compare notes and make sure I hadn't "misremembered" what the doctor said.  I hadn't, and neither had she, but our interpretations were polar opposite and that's just how we roll.  What that means for our son is that he'll have one parent keeping an eagle eye on him to make sure nothing goes squirrely and the other telling him to relax and eat a Pop-Tart. I think that's a good thing.

I Wonder if Osama Ordered the Meat Lover’s?

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You can safely assume that the head of PR for Pizza Hut didn't wake up today thinking "I wonder what we should do about one of our stores' phone numbers being found sewn into the clothes that Osama bin Laden was wearing when he was killed?"

Writers of PR textbooks around the globe are busy doing revisions so they can add a chapter on "Terrorist Affiliation Response."

Hey You, 4 Hubby…

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You know you've pulled a jerk move when two different people post pictures of your parking job online and ask for comments.  Here's a tip: if you're that worried about your paint job then take up two spaces on the far end of the lot (a minimally jerky move) rather than two spaces that are right outside the entrance (a maximally aholey move).

Mission for Mason

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MissionforMason I received an email about an event, Mission for Mason, being held on May 14 at the Ten O One Sports Club in Winston-Salem to help a local boy fighting an aggressive brain cancer.  From the event website:

Our mission is to keep the magic of childhood alive and create an unforgettable day for a young boy named Mason with big dreams, unfaltering determination and rare, aggressive brain cancer. His bravery and strong spirit during his 2 1/2 year battle has inspired us.
While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt

The goal of the event is to donate 100% of profits from admission, food sales, raffle ticket sales and also a portion of the bar sales to Mason’s family of eight to offset medical costs and to provide support through the duration of his treatments. More importantly, we want to celebrate and lift up Mason, showing him that hundreds of individuals who have been touched by his firm resolve and bravery will be compelled to to rally behind him at a gigantic children's event and music festival for all ages on a sweet spring day in May ! 

No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.
~Aesop


A Thousand Words

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P050111PS-0210

I really like what Rex Hammock has written about the photo of the White House situation room during the attack on bin Laden's compound. I like it because I had exactly the same reaction when I first saw it, but I wasn't smart enough to do what he did in determining that the focus of the picture is really Hillary Clinton's expression:

But, upon further examination, I’ve decided this photo’s true power can best be understood by looking at it, as one can do on Flickr, at the original size it was posted,  4996 x 2731 pixels (click to slide show, then “view all sizes). At this size, you can see the photo as its photographer saw it through the lens — or the photo-editor who chose it might.

At 4996 x 2731, you can immediately see the photo’s focal point is Hillary Clinton — more specifically, her eyes.

The photo tells a story of an entire room of people, but this is a photograph of Hillary Clinton. And, frankly, it is one of the most powerful, honest photographs you’ll ever see of a public figure.

 

Do Not Gloat

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I do not support the death penalty, and I suspect that makes me part of the minority view here in North Carolina.  I don't support it for multiple reasons, some based on practicality and some on my faith which is rather complicated given my religious background. Boiled down to its base my belief, a belief that is rooted in my interpretation of what I've been taught about Christianity in multiple churches, is that you can't justify the taking of one man's life because he took others' lives.

As with so many things it's much more complicated to apply such a belief in real life than in a church on a sunny Sunday morning, and it's especially complicated when you're talking about a mass murderer like Osama bin Laden. When one man is responsible for the death of thousands how can you not be justified in taking his life?  In bin Laden's case I don't think we really had to struggle with that issue because according to all the news accounts I've seen he went down fighting. If he'd been captured alive we'd have had a debate about the proper course to take, but I don't think there's any doubt he'd have been executed and the only questions would have been about the process of getting him executed – where he would have been detained, how he would have been tried, how he would have been executed.  I'm not going to say that I'm feeling regret that bin Laden was killed, I'd be lying if I did, but I will say that I'm relieved that we don't have to have the spectacle of a trial and a debate about the propriety of execution.  I was struggling with these thoughts this morning when I read Esbee's post sharing a letter from her priest about bin Laden and I have to say he's expressed exactly what I've been feeling.  I'm going to share it here and I hope she'll forgive me for lifting it in its entirety (I think it's important that it be read by as many people as possible):

Dear Parishioners,

Some years ago, our national conscience was pierced with a dagger that penetrated our hearts, our minds, and our lives. Lives lost in New York City, Virginia, and Pennsylvania touched lives of people across this nation and around the world. The voids left in so many lives will never, never be filled or replaced. One can merely pray that those who suffered loss might someday know peace, and that those who died will find eternal rest in the arms of their "Creator, Redeemer and Friend," to quote from our cherished Anglican hymnody.

This evening we heard the news of the death of the mastermind and chief perpetrator of that assault on human life and the aspirations of so many to make this world a better, safer, and more godly place. Whilst, I admit, I will sleep perhaps more restfully this evening, it brings me no great joy to celebrate at the death of someone, however evil, who, from his birth was created in the image and likeness of God (even as I grapple greatly with that concept).

I recall 11th September 2001. The images of the towers collapsing, heroes, preserving our national monuments proclaiming , "Let's roll," and the sound and the stench emanating from the Pentagon into our home (in Old Town, Alexandria, at the time) will never be forgotten. The images of those in other parts of the world who would call themselves our enemies, rejoicing in our shock, sorrow, and loss are also still clear and vivid.

That said, the words of our Saviour are also enduring, "Love your enemies," "Pray for those who persecute you." We are called to be a "A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that [we] may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light." In the spirit of him who died for us and was raised from the dead to bring us life eternal, my prayer is that we might all marshal that which is good and salutary within us so that the image which others may have of us is not one of gloating over the death of one individual, but, rather, how we might employ this incident to be for us a new beginning so that all of God's creatures might now know precious they are not only in God's eyes, but in our hearts as well.

I remain, as ever

Your Rector,
Albert

St. John's Episcopal Church, Georgetown Parish

Forgiveness

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I know a lot of Christians, myself included, who struggle with forgiveness. After reading Rick Reilly's column I'd say Lewisville's own superstar Chris Paul could probably teach us a thing or two.  Not many people would seek a second chance for their grandfather's killers:

"Even though I miss my granddad," Paul told me, "I understand that he's not coming back. At the time, it made me feel good when I heard they went away for life. But now that I'm older, when I think of all the things I've seen in my life? No, I don't want it. I don't want it…"

No, what floors me about Chris Paul is his humanity. If strangers had bound my weak-hearted grandfather, beat him for no reason and killed him for the cash in his wallet — strangers who to this day have not shown a thimbleful of contrition — I'd want them in prison 100 years after they were in the dirt. 

Chris Paul once wrote that his grandfather "taught me more things than I could ever learn with a Ph.D." 

One of them must've been love.