(from http://web.mit.edu/gtmarx/www/hitherthither.html by Gary T. Marx)
". . . There are many reasons for reflecting back on one’s life. The pleasures of good memories and nostalgia; revisiting people and places that were formative in one’s development; musing about roads not taken and imagining what might have happened if they had been; answering the question who am I now and how does that connect with who I was at the beginning of a career; finding the knowledge (or perhaps just new beliefs and interpretations) that can emerge from straining a career through five decades of experience; and channeling one’s lingering narcissistic needs into a socially acceptable form under the rationale of leaving a record for family, friends and fellow travelers. Furthermore, if it is correct as Eli Wiesel observes in Night that we are our memories then involvement with them is fundamental to our sense of self. . . Such reflections are like reversing the vista of a telescope by looking in the wrong end,—taking in the width of a life and narrowing it to one’s present. We can’t with much certitude turn to an unknown future. But the cornucopia of a lifetime’s memories, however blurry, faded and selective are there to be worked with. . ."
". . . harden . . . (our) schools.” . . . Before schools start lining up to take advantage of (NRA CEO Wayne) LaPierre’s generosity, it’s worth revisiting exactly what the NRA means when it calls for measures to “harden” a school.
. . . A big fence. . . that “clearly demonstrates territorial ownership,” as the “first physical and psychological barrier that a violent individual must overcome.” . . . like. . .(a) prison yard-style fence
. . . No trees . . . trees and bushes on school grounds should instead be viewed as major security threats. . . too many opportunities for a shooter to stash weapons and hide from surveillance cameras. . . (instead) the NRA recommends very kid-friendly “thorn-bearing and sharp-leaved plant species to create natural physical barriers to deter aggressors.” The report does urge school leaders to keep in mind that such prickly barriers might also prevent people from escaping a mad shooter. . .
. . . No parking lots . . . vehicles can provide potential attackers with a means of concealing and transporting weapons, can be used as a tool in overpowering physical security infrastructure, and can even serve as weapons in and of themselves,”
. . . Entrapment areas. . . the task force recommends that school front offices be protected with two sets of automatically locking doors, preferably constructed with “ballistic protective glass” like the neighborhood liquor store. Such a set up will allow the front office staff to safely trap a potential shooter like a bug in a window screen until help arrives. The report recommends reinforcing the front desk and side wall with “ballistic steel plating” that employees could hide behind should the shooter get past the entrapment area.
. . . No windows. . . 1970s-era post-riots urban architecture. Windows, if allowed at all, should be designed solely with surveillance in mind. . .
Not mentioning making teachers train with and carry guns and essentially serve as armed forces.
(from http://www.globaltrademag.com/in-the-news/nafta-negotiations-restart-today)
". . . A Trade Partnership Worldwide for the Business Roundtable report concludes that a termination of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would have significant negative impacts on the economy and employment in the U.S. High tariffs would be reimposed on U.S. exports and imports, which would reduce competitiveness both domestically and abroad. U.S. exports would drop, to Canada, Mexico and globally, as U.S. output becomes more expensive. Foreign purchasers would shift away from U.S. goods and services in favor of lower-cost goods and services made elsewhere. Lower output will translate to less employment: 1.8 million workers would lose their jobs in the first year. . ."
Advance toward days of meaning
Seriously living at a different pace
Time will not wait nor stand still
Spend it wisely in spite of
Its tremendous value
Bet minuscule cost
Translate withdrawals
Devising a higher relief
Choose when
Follow through
What made the happy ones happy
Lucky enough make your choice
Connections sharpen
Isolation dulls
Always learn
Pursue your passions
