My Kid Brother Dances in Lincoln

He's the one that, around 35 seconds, comes close to the camera and hands off a rose to someone in the audience.

How Many More?

It amazes me that the leadership of the City of Baltimore is only now acting upset over the amount of crime in the City. And they are doing so because one of their own, former City Council member Kenneth N. Harris Sr., was killed during a robbery last weekend. (STORY HERE) Well, today there is yet another reason, among the 158 so far this year, why they should be outraged and upset... AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Derrick Reed, a ninth grader at William C. March Middle School, was gunned down at around 9:30pm on Tuesday night. (STORY HERE) He was only 15 years old. At 6'1", he looked older, but he was still a boy. The very sad thing about this is that his father died in a similar fashion 15 years ago. Derrick was trying to be better than what was expected of him, looking forward to college and a life outside the streets.

But it was the streets that caught up to him. According to police and news reports, gangs are prevalent all over Baltimore, including Derrick's neighborhood. I've seen them, walking around like they own the place, while people look on from their porches with disdain and fear. I've often wondered how many of them have guns. I bet it's the majority.

How many would kill me? How many more will be killed?

The local and state leaders better get their act together because all of this is only going to grow with the economic crisis. As jobs become less available, the wicked will prey on the righteous for money for drugs or just for the heck of it. When there isn't enough prosperity going around, the angry have-nots will try to take it from those who are prosperous.

All that outrage over the former Council member should be translated into action... Then again, they're politicians. By definition their bark is far worse (and much louder) than their bite.

The Lovely Couple

Aren't We Lovely?

Political Endorsement

Some of you have asked who I am endorsing for President. My answer is...

Wait, let me tell you something first. I work in Public Health. Unlike my last job, this one is all about the politics and the politicians. This one is all about who you know, more so than what you know.

So it's not in my professional best interest to say that I am for one candidate over the other. And so, for the first time in many elections, I am not publicly endorsing anyone.

The Legacy of Men and Women

I told The Girl tonight that I was probably the only geek in the known universe who was watching "E=MC2", the story of Albert Einstein's memorable breakthrough. "No, you're not," she said. Then I told her that I wanted to live in that time, or at least wished that I did. It was a time of many discoveries. "You wouldn't have appreciated," she said. And she's right.

It is only now that I write on my laptop, sit in my comfortable bed, and watch television over the internet that I appreciate the discoveries made by men and women like Einstein. Then again, there are those who do not appreciate these discoveries, that science that makes us understand how things happen. Sadly, too much of the world is walking in a haze.

I drove by the homeless camp that sits a few meters from the Baltimore City Police Department. There is a sizable population of homeless people, mostly men. They sit there and talk, and time goes by right through them. And I can't help but wonder if they know, or if they care to know, about the legacy of men and women in our pasts who have brought us to this time in the history of the world. Sure, they might know the names of the King's, the Kennedys, and even the Washingtons or Lincolns, but do they know the meaning behind those names?

It's hard to have an appreciation for anything when you're hungry and in despair. When there is no future, there isn't much of a past. And that's where so many people at this moment in time are sitting, in a fog of wondering what's going to happen next, or in a darkness of not caring... And then there are those of us who can't help but wonder, think, dream of the next big thing to fix the world and make it better not for ourselves but for those we love.

See, I want to bring children to this world because it makes me have an appreciation for the legacy that so many worked so hard before us to construct. About 198 years ago, a priest in central Mexico decided that enough was enough and called the town, along with the rest of Mexicans, to revolt against Spain. And now I have a culture within me that is of mixed heritage and holds values like democracy and independence very dear. I can call myself a Mexican because of the bravery of men and women almost two centuries ago.

But I am afraid sometimes that I am alone in a sea of zombies who don't see the forest for the trees or their hands in front of their faces because they are looking around for comfort and relief.

Leave No Dog (or Cat) Behind!

I was listening to the news coming out of Houston, where they are facing Hurricane Ike tonight. One of the reporters on the ground was talking to a man who had to be rescued by the Texas National Guard. The man was plucked from his home near the beach because the storm surge was about ten feet. While his house was on stilts, it was just impossible for him to get to any safety with the water and the storm. It seemed funny, if not ridiculous, that he told the guardsmen that he was not leaving his dogs behind. "If they couldn't take my dogs," he said, "I was staying behind." Luckily, the National Guard had dog harnesses. Apparently, they've learned their lesson and know that pets are just as valuable to many as children.

It stopped being funny when I got to The Girl's apartment. Our little cat, Chiquita, was waiting at the door. Apparently, she runs there whenever I am coming up the stairs. As soon as I open the door she prances away only to come back and rub up on my leg. The fat cat, Tucker, also comes over, sans prancing, and he rubs against my leg as well. Tucker goes one step further, though. He meows and asks for treats by looking up at the fridge where The Girl keeps the treats. He has me well trained, after all. So it was then that I thought about what we would do if a disaster hit Old Waynesboro. I definitely would be hard-pressed to leave the kit cats behind.

I don't know about your experiences with pets, but these cats have truly become like children to The Girl and I. They need us to feed and take care of them. In return, they give unconditional love. Can you really look into a dog or a cat's face and not know that they are thinking (or, in the case of cats, plotting) something? Tucker just sits there and watches television with me many times. If the subject matter is boring, he dozes off. If there is intense music playing or loud noises, he just stares at the television. (All the while, Chiquita runs around in a frenzy, chasing her tail. Hey, I said they can think, not that they were smart.)

What I'm getting at is that we all have things that we treasure and just can't leave behind. Many of these things are reasonable, like your children or your pets. But I am still baffled at some people who, upon the orders to evacuate, will stay behind to safeguard a big-screen television. That's just nuts.

Mug Shot

I finally got the name placard for my cubicle at work. Heck, it only took a year... Fast by government standards.

This Makes The Concept of "Banging" Quite Palatable

The rather Large Hadron Collider is open for business, and the crazies are coming out of the woodwork. By crazies I mean the people who have apocalyptic views of science and also those whose theology IS science. Fears and doubts are all the rage with the new particle accelerator coming online.

What this thing does is speed up two particles (say, protons) and smash them together at very-incredibly-near-light-speed velocities. When that happens, the particles will either fuse or split, depending on their properties, and new particles may (or may not) emerge. One of the "scary" particles, according to some crazies, is a black hole. Now, we're not talking a black hole in terms of a giant, sucking astronomical anomaly that will engulf the Earth whole. We're talking of a small, sucking astronomical anomaly that will not engulf the Earth whole.

People who claim to be experts somehow forgot that nothing comes out of nothing, and that two diminute particles, smaller than an atom, cannot possibly create a black whole that would consume the Earth. Stephen Hawking has asserted that black holes that small would just last a few seconds and wouldn't even be detected with the technology we have today. It's all theoretical, of course, but that's what the collider is here to do... Put the theories to the test.

The biggest catch from all this would be the Higs Bozon, a particle that would explain why things have mass. Mind-blowing stuff... I know I'm a geek for liking all this. But I do. And then there are the crazies that like it too much. They think that $9 billion and countless experiments are really the way to elightnement and understanding not only the "how" of the universe but also the "why". I'm all about the "how", but it's up to individuals to discover and ponder the "why". You can't explain "why" with a science experiment. "Why does water boil?" Because the heat from the flame is energy that is being transfered into the water molecules, making them all excited and wanting to blast off as steam... Or because I needed to make some Ramen noodles. Both answers are correct, but one is more of a "how" than a "why" answer.

So, fear not, these experiments are underway, and the results will give us some very interesting "hows" and even some "what the...?"

On The Radio

I had the honor of being the first person to email Marc Steiner on his new show this afternoon. I opined on the mortgage crisis. He is interviewing Governor Martin O'Malley, who is, technically, my boss. Marc asks some pretty good questions... I just wish he didn't allow so much "spin". If you're near Baltimore, you can listen to the show Monday-Friday at 5pm on WEAA 88.9FM. Or you can find the podcasts (and maybe my opinions here and there) at their website.

The Bear Walks Down Glory Road, Don Haskins (1930-2008)

As some of you know, I earned my undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at El Paso, UTEP. I wasn't much into the social scene, mostly because I was 16 as a freshman and just barely 21 as a graduating senior. So getting into the scene meant drinking alcohol, and, well, I'm not much for it and not much for breaking the law. Nevertheless, there was one social scene where I could interact with people of all ages, UTEP's sporting events.

I was lucky enough to attend UTEP when Coach Don Haskins was still coaching. He was really a "bear" of a man, walking up and down the sideline, his face turning red as the pressure of the game mounted. He coached his team with passion, and he was a gentleman toward his opponents. For those of you who don't know this, he led UTEP (then known as Texas Western College) to an NCAA Championship in 1966. They were 28-1 that season! And the most remarkable thing about that year, the one thing that everyone will remember, is that Don Haskins started 5 black players in that game, something unseen. The games I went to always ended up being nail-bitters.

Beyond the accomplishments on the basketball court, Don Haskins is known for the accomplishments of his players off the court. Many, and I do mean MANY, of his players went on to very successful professional careers in all levels of society. My government and economics professor used to play for UTEP and even went to the 1972 Olympics, where Coach Haskins was an assistant coach of the national team. Shortly after the 1966 season, other colleges and universities in the South started seeing their black students as being capable of playing sports on par with white students. Those were days of change, and Don Haskins did his part.

It was the mentality of men like Don Haskins and others of that era that have allowed a University like UTEP to exist in this country. It boasts a student body of about 20,000, with 75% or more of them Hispanics. Equality in education has made true the dreams of fruit pickers, roofers, gardeners, and migrant farmers. I am where I am now because it was collectively admitted that non-Whites had as much a right to go to college (and play college sports) as anyone else in this country. The Civil Rights groups owe Don Haskins, a lot.

Coach Don Haskins died yesterday in El Paso from complications of congestive heart failure. Friends and family were there to send him on his next stage in life, something we call death. And I mean it's a stage in life because he'll live on in our memories and in his accomplishments. I'm sure that there are hundreds upon hundreds of students and alumni of UTEP who, like me, mourn this loss. I truly wish I could jump on a plane and head out to El Paso to pay my respects.

Rest in peace, Don Haskins... He truly did go down Glory Road.

*The movie "Glory Road" is the story of the 1966 championship and the events that led to it. Glory Road is also the name of the street between the Don Haskins Special Event Center (Arena) and the University (pictured above).
**The United States won the gold medal in the 1972 games in Munich only to have it taken away because of Cold War tensions... Their opponents were the USSR. My professor, and the rest of the team, refused to accept the silver medal and have stipulated in their wills that their heirs are not to accept it either.

Why I Use Facebook, And Why I Don't

My little brother turned me to Facebook when he signed up and was posting all sorts of information about his life on there. I thought I could do the same, but it turned out to be less adaptable to my needs to communicate than blogger or my own webpage. So I loaded some basic info, and I use it to stay in touch with friends.

I don't load any "apps" (applications that are supposed to make Facebook more entertaining) because they just don't seem safe from a computer point of view. They are snippets of code that run along with the internet browser you are using, and they do stuff on your computer. Now, I have confirmation:

This Article talks about how the apps can be used for malicious purposes. And that just ain't cool. So be careful!

Interesting Choice of Picture

This picture is on full spread at the CNN Web Page right now (9:35AM Eastern)....

Call me crazy, but it looks like the Nazi salute. What do you think?

The Best Things Come...

Waiting at Chipotle.

Diploma-¡Si!

This last week was very interesting to me in terms of the discussions I managed to get myself into. At work, I was in discussions with my colleagues on how to best proceed in the investigation and intervention of an outbreak. At home, I was in a discussion with The Girl on how to proceed with several of our plans. And, on the blogosphere, I was in discussions with several people on the validity and necessity of vaccines and on the rights of religious and non-religious people to voice their opinions. In all cases, I was passionate about the topic, but I managed to end the discussions with resolutions that were agreeable to both parties and benefited the public at large.

See, one of the things that I have always admired about my mother is her ability to engage people in discussions in such a way that does not lead to confrontation. Sure, there may be passionate discussions on the subjects, but she rarely if at all lost her temper. She knew how to be diplomatic. And I find myself learning more and more on how to be the same as I grow older. Where I once used to be upset when someone didn't see things my way, I only see a difference in opinions. Of course, I still think they're wrong, but that is not reflective of their character or their abilities in my opinion.

We are all different because we are individuals even when we act in groups. Recognizing this and where we all come from is essential in debating a point or negotiating a truce. If I were to close my eyes and ears to the opinions and points of view of others, then nothing would get accomplished. And this is hard to so sometimes. For example, when a mother tells me that she is not vaccinating her children because of evidence she sees that the vaccines may be harmful, but she ignores all evidence to the contrary, I feel like ripping my hair out. I honestly do not get it. But I can see where her motherly instincts kick in and she will protect her children from any danger, no matter how irrational it is. And when atheists attack theists with cloaks of being "scientists" or being "enlightened", I lost a little bit of my faith in mankind. But then I am able to see how someone whose life may be less than wonderful and always based on evidence will see absence of evidence as evidence of absence.

That is, the key to being diplomatic is understanding how and why your opponent on the field of ideas thinks and acts. It is not nearly enough to say that someone is right or wrong on discourse alone (much less the number of titles after their names). You have to look at the person as a whole. You have to imagine in your mind how their childhood went, and how their current life is going. I saw in my mind how the mother might have been flooded with misinformation about vaccines that led her to believe that they were dangerous to her child. And I can respect that. I can also see how a person of science needs to put God in a test tube in order to believe. And I can respect that as well.

As I was telling The Girl yesterday, I think that people who make the conscious decision to want to believe in God are more worthy of praise than those who believe blindly and without objection. It is much harder to make the conscious choice to believe in a God who manifests Himself only through very, very mysterious ways. One must understand this before engaging in discussions on theology and belief. Approaching any subject of debate with a closed mind and even more closed ears is counteractive... It makes it look like you're debating an idiot, and the idiot is you.