Everything I needed to know 

about politics I learned in the sixth grade

When I was in the sixth grade, Craig Comer ran for student body president. For some reason he asked me to be his campaign manager, which in the sixth grade means you help paint signs and hang them around school. It was quite an honor.

Craig was a good-looking, athletic kid who was popular with everyone. He was running against a girl who was less popular, a little nerdier and probably a lot smarter.

The big event in a sixth grade election is the day when the candidates make a brief speech before the student body outlining their platforms. It’s really the whole ball of wax, my clever signs not-withstanding.

My guy’s speech was great, he stared by “promising” a long list of obviously impossible reforms, soda pop in the water fountains, ice cream for lunch, longer recesses, that sort of thing. He ended by admitting that he couldn’t really deliver those things but he would work to be the best student body president he could be and make Fallbrook Street Elementary School the best elementary school in all of Fallbrook California.

I know the girl spoke, but for the life of me I can’t remember a word of it and in the end the popular kid, who promised nothing, won in a landslide.

Too be fair, I’m sure Craig Comer did a wonderful job as student body president, his administration was scandal free as I recall and the Fallbrook Street Elementary was pretty darn awesome during that time.

So I was thinking about all of this recently because, as you may know, there is an election going on across the country and judging by the coverage on the national news programs it must be quite entertaining. Every morning the talking heads have some new debate, comment or miss-step, of  some such to spend  hours nattering on about. But it’s almost never about issues is it?

Quick, can you tell me what specific plan ANY candidate has to “fix” the economy?

What is the specific plan for Afghanistan, or for that matter Syria? How about health care? We know what they are against – generally. And what they are for – generally. But that’s as far as we get.

Take the Iowa caucuses, which were pretty cool, and I love that the candidates visit a town the size of Atlantic. We are fortunate in that we actually get to meet these people, shake their hands and look them in the eye. But in the end do we really end up knowing anything about them, or what they really plan to do. Are their speeches really any different than the one Craig Comer made so many years ago before his sixth grade audience.

The problem is once you lay out specifics, you are committed and then subject to the commentary and criticism from an increasingly divided public and yes, media.

Solutions to political problems aren’t like math problems where if you follow the steps and use the right numbers the answer is indisputable. Political problems require solutions that are open to debate. Which is good, but debate requires thought and consideration. It seems there isn’t much room for that in our political process. Specifics get you into trouble and therefore must be avoided at all costs.

So instead we have a national media obsessed with the horse race rather than the substance of the issues. We don’t hear about the ideas discussed at a debate, we hear about the bungled sentence or the out-of-touch comment. If none of that takes root, you can always fall back on Rush Limbaugh or demand that candidate defend or refute a comment someone else has made.

Worst case scenario, you are hauled before the court of Matt Lauer for a public chastising while the talking heads from both parties line up to dazzle us with spin.

It’s all very entertaining, to some I suppose, but it doesn’t  do much to help the public make an informed choice.

Without that information, without thoughtful discussion, the public is left to making decisions based either on the national medias inane coverage or the spin of partisan hacks. It’s no wonder our nation is becoming more divided by the day. It’s just easier to support the party than to take the time to understand the issues and make an informed choice. You’re wrong , I’m right.

So I guess my sixth-grade friend was right all along. The secret to winning an election is simple, promise them nothing, look good, and try not to say anything about anything.

Trojans Seek Harlan Sweep!
Big game for the Trojans tonight.. Looking for the three-peat against Harlan! Game time 7 p.m. at Abe Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs.

Today is Sarah's Birthday! 

Happy Birthday Tiger! You Rock!

Today's freaky fact, I was born on 9/10, my sister on 10/11 and Sarah on 11/12... weird huh? I had nothing to do with any of it...

The Horrors 

of Gambling Revealed

I lost a bet with a co-worker last night when the San Diego Chargers lost to the hated Oakland Raiders. I'm now forced to wear this ridiculous cap....

I can feel myself getting stupider by the minute!

Cell phones are making our kids soft!

That's right, I said. it.  At the risk of sounding like my grandparents, kids today have it too easy! Case in point, last week I bought a new Iphone. I LOVE it. The things this phone can do was the stuff of science fiction just a few short years ago.
And it got me to thinking about how technology has changed our lives in less than a generation and the cell phone is a prime example. In our family not only do we have a home phone, but we all have our own cell phones. They don't know it, but that simple fact has saved every teenage boy uncounted hours of grief.
Back in the day calling a girl was a big deal. It took days, even weeks, to work up the nerve to make the call and hours of planning exactly what to say. But it all could be ruined when an unexpected voice answered the phone.
And back, before the invention of cell phones, there was one, maybe two phones in a home and people shared them. Crazy, I know. So you never knew who would answer once you worked up the courage to dial the phone. (And yes i literally mean DIAL the phone).
Like everyone else, there were just two phones in our house. One in the kitchen and one in my parents bedroom. That meant that in order to get any kind of privacy the call had to be made from my parents bedroom.... which added an extra sense of weirdness to whole thing.
I used to pray that the girl would answer, but it could be Mom, or worse the little brother, or worst of all Dad.
Hours of preparation could evaporate in seconds with the sound of a fathers voice. A normally confident young man could be reduced to a mumbling moron if the wrong person picked up.
And since this was occurring in the dark ages prior to the invention of caller Id. There was often a note of surprise, maybe even anger, and in the case of the little brother an unseen smirk coming through the line. There was inevitably a few minutes of extremely uncomfortable small talk. The level of distress rising depending on which family member was on the line.
Now everyone has their own phones. When a boy calls my daughters phone they know it will be my daughter that answers. Certainly not me. In fact they don't even have to call. Texting works just fine without the awkwardness.
Now that I no longer have to worry about it, I don't think there is anything wrong with there being an element of fear, or at least uncertainty, being injected in the dating process. It show a certain level of commitment and seriousness if a young man knows he may have to deal with a gate-keeper, possibly an angry one that may or may not have a shotgun. It builds character, just like when I had to walk to school in the snow, uphill. Both ways.

ISU v. Kansas

 Why I walk
After learning about the Blue Zone project this week I decided to start walking to work again. So for the last couple of days I've made the trip down Maple Street, thoroughly enjoying the crisp air, the fall colors and sounds of the leaves dancing in the wind.
 A couple years ago I walked to work almost every day during the fall and even the winter. In the summer I rode my bike. Last year, for some reason, I started driving more.  I guess there were meetings to attend, places to be, and driving once or twice a week started to became easier each day.
But this mornings walk reminded me of what I had been missing. I don't do it for the exercise, my office is only a 1/3 of mile from my home and my pace is more amble than power-walk. So it's not really much of a calorie burner.
What it does is remind me of the days when life was lived outside. As a kid we would head out the door in the morning and not come home for hours. Somehow, without the benefit of video games, Ipods or smart phones, the hours still managed to slip away unnoticed in the unbridled freedom of youth. Playing games that seem old fashioned now, hide and seek, baseball at the elementary school or just riding bikes around town. Do kids still do those things or has childhood become so organized that play requires a registration form and entry fee?
Grass stained pants and the feel of the wind in your face when running full speed ahead to nowhere, that's what I remember.
The 10 or 15 minutes it takes me to make the walk down Maple street let me reconnect with that. The wind still bites my face, though my pace is slower and more deliberate. But the echos of those days remain and sometimes I hear them in the leaves that rustle in the breeze.

Are You Blue?

Denise Coder visited the Rotary Club Tuesday to talk about the Atlantic Blue Zone Project. If you don't know much about this project, and I didn't, it really is a worthwhile project with the goal to create a healthier and happier community. I really liked the "Power 9" behaviors (reprinted below). Straightforward, commonsense advice. And I get to drink more wine!
Below is information from the website, http://www.bluezonesproject.com/.  

 

Please visit the site today and register. The community needs 25% percent of the population to signup to qualify. 

On Aug. 10, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad announced a plan to make Iowa the Healthiest State by the year 2016 as measured by the Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index®. The Healthiest State Initiative is a privately- led, publicly endorsed effort that will engage citizens throughout the state to improve their overall health and well-being.
According to the 2010 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®, Iowa currently ranks as the 19th healthiest state in the nation. Although that puts Iowa in the top half, there is room for improvement. Today, Iowa scores well on emotional health, physical health and access to basics such as safe surroundings, financial resources, strong community and health care services. Progress needs to be made on healthy behaviors such as exercise and eating habits, as well as improving overall work environments.
Go to the Healthiest State Initiative website for more information. An exciting component of this initiative is the vision to transform 10 Iowa communities into Blue Zones Communities. What are Blue Zones®? They are the healthiest, happiest, longest-living cultures on earth. Additionally, all Iowans will have access to tools and information to help them take action regardless if their community is selected or not.

Power 9™

2011-08-04 by admin

There are places in the world where people live healthy, happy lives well into their 90′s and 100′s.  Dubbed “Blue Zones” by National Geographic researcher Dan Buettner, these longevity hotspots share nine traits—Power 9—responsible for their remarkable results.

Power 9 behaviors can be organized into four categories, Move Naturally, Eat Wisely, Right Outlook and Belong

1. Move Naturally
We can get more physical activity naturally if we live in walkable communities, de-convenience our homes and grow gardens.
2.  Know your Purpose
People who know why they wake up in the morning live up to seven years longer than those who don’t.
3. Down Shift
To reverse inflammation related to every major age-related disease, find time each day to meditate, nap, pray or enjoy a happy hour.
4. 80% Rule
It takes your stomach 20 minutes to tell your brain it is full causing most people to accidentally overeat; so stop when you feel 80% full.
5. Plant Slant
Eat mostly a plant-based diet that is heavy on beans, nuts, and green plants. This is consistent with the USDA’s MyPlate recommendations to make fruits, vegetables and grains the majority of your intake.
6. Wine at 5
If you have a healthy relationship to alcohol, one to two glasses of wine daily could help add years to your life, especially when consumed with a healthy diet.
7. Family First
Living in a thriving family is worth a half a dozen extra years of life expectancy.   Invest time in your kids, nurture a monogamous relationship and keep your aging parents nearby.
8. Belong
Recommit, reconnect or explore a new faith-based community. No matter which faith, studies found that people who show up to their faith community four times a month live an extra 4-14 years.
9. Right Tribe
Your friends have a long-term impact on your well-being.  Expanding your social circle to include healthy-minded, supportive people might be the most powerful thing you can do to add years to your life.
Print this list and refer to it daily to help you adopt behaviors that will improve your well-being and extend your longevity.
©Copyright 2009 by Blue Zones, LLC.  All rights reserved.

ISU v. Iowa

Turning life’s pages

How did it get so late so soon?
It’s night before it’s afternoon.
December is here before it’s June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?
~Dr. Seuss

This weekend our oldest daughter, Pammy, will leave for college and I have to admit it’s been a more difficult and emotional process than I had thought.
Intellectually, for years, we’ve known this day would come, but somehow I found myself completely unprepared for the emotional havoc this simple step in life would have on me.
Where did the time go? When did this awkward kid in braces turn into such a beautiful young lady? Wasn’t it just yesterday I was teaching her to drive in the High School parking lot? It seems it was just moments ago that I watched her march and then make goofy faces after performing with the high school band at halftime. Golf and swim meets, Show Choir and Band concerts. How many hours have I spent waiting for her to get ready to go somewhere?
So now here we are ... and now I’m not ready.
In our hallway sits a pile of suitcases and bags packed and ready to go, a little too anxious in my view to hit the road.
We’re discussing going away parties and getting printers to work at the last minute. I keep busy and stay out of the way and think to myself what I wouldn’t give for just one more week.
I never imagined my parents went through this, but of course they must have. I was independent and anxious to be on my own. I left without fanfare, hardly a good-bye really, and drove off into my life. It must have been hard on them and I wish now I had been more thoughtful. But I was young and in a hurry and I couldn’t be bothered with sentimentality. Now I seem to be drowning in it. There are just so many memories that demand attention. Family vacations, first dates, Prom and “remember whens”.... could they really have all come and gone already?
On Saturday we will drive Pammy, (will it become Pamela now?), to college in Nebraska, unload the suitcases and bags, hook up the printer and wait uncomfortably for the inevitable moment when she steps from our lives into hers.
There will be tears of course but there will also be pride and excitement. We’ve raised a good kid, but she will navigate her own course from here. I know there will be great success and, yes, failure in her future. I know she will fall in love, experience great joy and unbearable sorrow. And as much as I wish we could smooth the path for her, and as painful as it might be for us to watch her pick her way around life’s pitfalls, it would be unfair to her.
You don’t get a practice run in life, you take it as it comes and learn to appreciate the highs and the lows. It’s sometimes difficult but it’s the trick to giving context and meaning to this journey we’re on.
The tears that fall Saturday are the result of the years of laughter and love. And there will be more to come at graduations, weddings, births and deaths. There are those that say life is a journey you must take alone. But that isn’t true. Because always and forever, like a shadow in the background, we will be there, reminding you, “Its ok, don’t be afraid. We love you."

Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. ~Frederick Buechner