Here's a look back at the Occupy movement and a long and boring opinion I had on a NYT article

OCCUPY EVERYWHERE

There have been demonstrations starting three weeks ago in New York City, complaining of corporate greed, our ineffectual Congress and our banking institutions.  These seem to be only a handful of the complaints, all happening at the same protests.  And, according to Erik Eckholm and Timothy Williams writing for The New York Times on October 3, 2011(online), the protests are spreading across the country.

The article calls it a “loose-knit populist campaign that started on Wall Street” and states that people have “camped out in Los Angeles near City Hall, assembled before the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago and marching through downtown Boston to rally against corporate greed, unemployment and the role of financial institutions in the economic crisis.”  Eckholm and Williams quote Georgetown University history professor Michael Kazin as saying, “Rants based on discontents are the first stage of any movement.”  To paraphrase Professor Kazin, he speaks to the fact that the protests need to have clear political goals if they are to keep their momentum and become a “lasting movement.”

The article states, “With Little organization and reliance on Facebook, Twitter and Google groups to share methods, the Occupy Wall Street campaign, as the prototype in New York is called, has clearly tapped into a deep vein of anger, experts in social movements said, bringing longtime crusaders against globalization and professional anarchists together with younger people frustrated by poor job prospects.”

The writers list other city’s that are seeing protest and touch lightly upon the publicity surrounding the arrests in New York that are motivating more protesters across the country.  In the article, it is stated that “Occupy Together, an unofficial hub for the protests that lists dozens of coming demonstrations, including some in Europe and Japan.”  Apparently the movement, which according to Professor Kazin lacks focus, is going global.  The article quotes some of the protestors from outside Los Angeles City Hall.  One protester, Elise Whitaker, listed in the article as a 21 year old freelance script editor and film director is quoted as stating that the protesters were “united in their desire for ‘a more equal economy’”.  In Chicago, according to the article, Sean Richards, 21, states that he dropped out of college at Illinois State University to travel by train to Chicago and demonstrate against oil companies.  In the article, it is said he would continue to sleep on the street for “as long as it takes.”  As long as what takes?

The article ends with a quote from USC sociology professor, Nina Eliasoph, speaking on the topic of the protests and the movement itself and its “major emotional resonance” considering the state of the economy today.  “So there is a tension between this emotionally powerful movement and the emptiness of the message itself so far.”  And boom goes the dynamite.  The emptiness of the message itself.  Professor Kazin talked about a lack of focus and a need for the “newly unleashed passions to be channeled into institutions, but Professor Eliasoph, in my opinion encapsulates the movement best.  What is the message?  What exactly is Sean Richards waiting for, oil companies to hand over profits to struggling middle class families?  Ms Whitaker, the 21 year old “freelance script editor and film director” (read unemployed on parents dime) talks about “big money corporations” not representing her.  Are there any small money corporations waiting in line to represent her?  What exactly does it mean to be a “big money corporation”?

One gentleman, Paul Bucklaw, 45, is quoted in the article.  “We all have different ideas about what this means, stopping corporate greed, for me, it’s about the banks.”  Okay Paul, what about them? 

I’m not against civil action and protests.  I love our system of government.  Let me rephrase.  I love our Constitution, Bill of Rights and our system of Law.  However, are you really protesting, if you’re just angry and scared and don’t know what to do about the future, or are you just ranting and taking up sidewalk space.  There are several disparate ideas being bounced around by the demonstrators which, according to some, could hurt the movement.  I don’t think so.  This article, in my opinion, missed a very important thread.  Only once are social media mentioned, followed by quotes from protestors that seem clearly chosen to cast them in a “dim” light. In the article it is stated that a Washington strategist “noted that the Wall Street demonstrations followed protests in Wisconsin this year over efforts to suppress public employee unions and numerous rallies on economic and employment issues.”  Okay, so the Occupy Wall Street campaign was spawned in Wisconsin.  That seems a bit simplistic.

  Here is an idea.  Can you think of any movements, with no clear political goals other than change, with no specific leaders that relied on social media to rally support and communicate with each other and the world?  If you said Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Morocco or Libya, than you were correct.  I believe that we are taking a cue, for once, from outside our own borders.  I think that the ubiquity of social media and Internet access has shrunk our world.  I think that we have a whole new generation, that thinks less “them over there” and more mankind as a whole.  The lines are getting blurry.  All around the Middle East and Africa, there are protests and demonstrations that are utilizing the Internet and social media, to affect change.  We are all angry at unchecked greed, corruption, stalled governments, failed financial systems and an uncertain future.  The young protestors may not know precisely what they want or how to ask for it, but they do know this.  Right now, almost any change is good.  I think the writers missed that.  I would have been very interested if they had caught the similarities to the wider world and written on it.  Right in front of them was a window with an amazing view of the world, and all they could talk about were the curtains.  A good article overall, but it the writers missed the real story.  “But that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.”

Sample Press Release

4/17/2012
Town of Merrimack NH
10 Baboosic Lake Rd
Merrimack NH, 03054
603-424-xxxx

For Immediate Release

Dog Park planned for Town of Merrimack
A new dog park is planned for a 1.4 acre plot of land off of Daniel Webster Highway, near Woodbury St.
The land abuts the Souhegan River and Baboosic Brook. The park would be constructed on the current site of Watson Park. Watson Park is being discontinued due to lack of use.

The need and desire for a dog park has been expressed many times over the years at town meetings. A subcommittee was formed and a plan was devised .

The plan for the Dog Park will include an 800 square foot fenced in area for dogs to run off-leash, a garden club garden area, a pavilion with sitting area overlooking the Souhegan River and a picnic area with fabric shade canopy.

More information and up to the minute updates about the park are available online at
http://www.merrimacknh.gov/node/2340

Jeremy Woodward: American Bad##s

     At 6:00 in the morning, most of us are at the least trying to get out of bed and at our best tucking into that first cup of coffee in the morning in an attempt to gain the strength to face the day. If you’re already out of bed, had breakfast, out the door already 30 minutes into an hours long exercise regime that could politely be called grueling, then you are probably Jeremy Woodward. Jeremy is an athlete and martial artist. To be more specific, he holds a 4th degree black belt in Kenpo Karate, a Black Sash in Kung Fu, and has run and finished the NYC marathon. 
    
 That would be enough for 3 people, let alone one. Jeremy also finished the IRONMAN Lake Placid 2010 beginning with a 2.4 mile swim which he did in 1 hour and 45 minutes, followed by a 112 mile bike ride completed in 7 hours 47 minutes 43 seconds, wrapping it all up with a full 26.2 mile marathon that he ran in 6 hours 2 minutes 21 seconds. That would seem like enough of an accomplishment for most people for a dozen lifetimes. Jeremy Woodward, however, doesn’t seem to know when to quit. He competed in the IRONMAN for charity, raising over $200,000 for the Nature Conservancy, a conservation organization that works globally to protect ecologically important lands waters and communities. His stated goal was to raise $140,600. He’s a bit of an over achiever. Jeremy is the owner of HighPoint Fitness and Jeremy’s Bootcamp where he now trains other tri-athletes and the average person on how to achieve their fitness goals. It is worth mentioning that also in 2010, Jeremy was 1 of only 25 athletes world wide to be selected as a2010 Medtronic Global Hero.
    
The truly amazing thing is Jeremy achieved all of this, after having 2 open heart surgeries. In 2000, Jeremy was diagnosed with bacterial endocarditis, an inflammation caused by infectious agents, that damaged his aortic heart valve. The valve was replaced with another human tissue valve. In 2007, the replacement valve failed, sending Jeremy into congestive heart failure (CHF) twice. CHF is the hearts inability to provide sufficient blood flow to meet the bodies needs, resulting in fluid back up in the body, excessive fluid in the lungs, shortness of breath and weakening of the hearts pumping action. That year Jeremy was in a Boston hospital awaiting surgery to replace his heart valve again, he made a bet with a friend who competes in triathalons. In an article in the Union Leader published Jan 30th of this year, Woodward was quoted “I said, ‘If I get out of here, I’m going to do Ironman.’” 

     The Concord native did that and more. Jeremy is the New England regional director for the Ironheart Group, a global organization that seeks to raise awareness of heart disease and support for cardiac charities. He is a motivational speaker, trainer, husband and father of two young girls. The 33-year-old Bishop Brady grad also manages to find time to organize events like the Ironheart Classic, which according to the Union Leader is a , “ Concord fun run scheduled for May 5 that will benefit the Nick of Time Foundation, which educates schools, athletes and communities about sudden cardiac arrest and death in young people.” The motto at Jeremy’s HighPoint Fitness is “Live Life to the Fittest,” which is also the address of his website, www.livelifetothefitteset.com . Jeremy Woodward would be an inspiration for any one of his many achievements. Put everything together, and he does more than inspire, he makes you truly want to move. It’s time to dust off the old running shoes. Somehow, I’m tired just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Freedom of Information Act

     In a December 29, 2011 article in the LA Times, David S. Cloud writes on the topic of civilian contractors and their roles in U.S. drone operations. The article begins with an air strike in Afghanistan in 2010 that killed “at least” 15 people. According to Cloud, an Army officer investigating the incident was “surprised to discover” a civilian playing a key role in the analysis of the Predator drone video feeds. Cloud goes on to explain the contractors role in the “kill chain” that occurs before Hellfire missiles are launched and the increasing reliance of the Military on civilian contractors due to the immense amount of manpower involved in an unmanned operation. Kill chain, according to Jargondatabase.com is Air Force jargon that involves “target identification, force dispatch to target, decision and order to attack the target, and finally the destruction of the target.” The article states that approximately 168 people are needed to keep a Predator drone flying for 24hrs, the larger Global Hawk needs 300 people and, in contrast, the F-16 requires “fewer than 100 people per mission.” Cloud quotes a Maj. Gen. Timothy McHale from a transcript obtained through the Freedom of Information Act(FOIA), “What company do you work for?” after discovering the contractor was not in the military.



     This marks the only time the FOIA is mentioned in this article. From the amount of publicly available information in this article, this single statement does very little to help the reader understand the article. The article is well researched and well written with one exception. The article is heavily front loaded with information about government contractors and the amount of money these private companies make. Also, the legality of allowing civilian personnel to “communicate targeting information directly to pilots” was brought into question. It is only at the very end of the article that we return to the incident that we opened with and it is explained that this contractor stated there appeared to be children or adolescents on these vehicles, the vehicles had turned away from the Americans location and that the threat may already be nullified. Furthermore, it is finally stated that the contractor is an analyst only, working in conjunction with military personnel and in no way has any say on whether or not to fire on a target.

     The quality of reporting has slipped considerably in the past few years, due to many factors.  And people wonder why we get our news from biased pundits and Comedy Central.

For Profit Colleges

     Ross Wolfarth writes a compelling article on the weaknesses in or entire lack of oversight of for profit colleges and their aggressive enrollment practices. Wolfarth writes for PRwatch.org, a web project of the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD). CMD, according to their own website is “a non-profit investigative reporting group. Our reporting and analysis focus on exposing corporate spin and government propaganda”. The CMD, according to Wikipedia who is using CMD’s own website as a sourced, was started by environmental writer and political activist John Stauber in 1993.

     The reason for pointing out these facts will become clear at the end of this article. Overall, the piece Wolfarth did on for profit colleges is very well written and well referenced. It brings attention to the power of the lobbying arms of these colleges and shines a light on the faux-grass roots campaigns that they are using to gain favorable attention. PRwatch.org does a tremendous job of uncovering the spin of GAO reports and the sizable settlement amounts some of these companies have paid out that has otherwise gone unreported. A Frontline report “highlighting shady recruiting practices” is also mentioned, A report that I happened to have seen and the focus was on for profits like Kaplan and University of Phoenix targeting returning veterans looking to take advantage of the GI Bill. This is wonderful and purposeful reporting that seems to be “fighting the good fight”. And for the most part, PRwatch.org and CMD are.

     The problem with this particular report is the intricacies and complexities of how a for-profit college operates versus a state run institution are ignored. The diversity of lifestyles at a Kaplan or Phoenix school is something registrars at state schools would kill for. Many questions should have been asked that weren’t. How much debt is the average for profit college student carrying when they enter school as opposed to a traditional student? Compare age and job experience of both types of students. In a state run university, the vast majority of students start school at 18 with little to no work or life experience. They are living on their own for the first time having just left high school and their parents’ house. The first debt they usually incur is from the school loan. Few are working full time jobs. Even less are paying rent. Food cost is included, for the most part, with tuition plans. The job of a young student is just that, to be a student. They graduate, on average, after four years with a degree from an accredited and traditional college and go off to hopefully join the work force. Perhaps even in a field they have majored in, but not always. The degree is usually enough to get the foot in the door. What should be asked is whether or not there is a bias against graduates of online schools, or non-traditional for profit colleges. Could it be the reason it is less likely to achieve gainful employment is a stigma of Correspondence Schools of the past? Does the education seem less substantial to an employer if it comes from the University of Phoenix versus the University of New Hampshire? What are the core differences on these campuses that could affect these numbers? Take Hesser College in Manchester for example, day and night classes are offered due to the number of students that have full time jobs and can’t attend classes during the day. At any random sampling, you can find in a classroom people who are married, have children, work full time, have car payment, daycare expenses, mortgages, credit card payments, second jobs ...etc. All of these things are in conjunction with school and trying to get an education. Perhaps behaviors and lifestyles that kept a lot of these people from following the traditional college route in the first place have an effect on how loans are paid and whether “gainful employment” is obtained?

     At the beginning of this article, you read a quick curriculum vitae on PRwatch.org and CMD. The reason for this is for you to understand their roots in activism. It is a good thing to shine a light on corruption and to stand up for the “little guy”. It is understandable to want to overthrow the tyrant and free the serfs. The problem arises when the tyrant falls and the serfs are left outside the castle walls with no more protection and left to the wolves as it were. When one is focused on a cause, myopia can set in, and the big picture is missed. Essentially, it would be best if Wolfarth and PRwatch.org looked at this issue from every angle before sounding the trumpet to charge.

The Affordable Care Act

     The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act(PPACA) has come under attack by religious groups, most notably Catholic hospitals, schools and other Catholic institutions. Opponents of the provisions are pointing to the First Amendment while proponents are citing women’s and reproductive rights cases. The debate centers on the concern that the PPACA will force places like Thomas More College of Merrimack NH, a Catholic Liberal arts College, to provide birth control coverage to employees.

       As reported in the Union Leader, William Fahey, president of the college said, “This mandate casts human life and pregnancy in the same category as diseases to be prevented, and it reduces the beauty and goodness of human sexuality to an individual, utilitarian and dangerous act.” A concern that many of these institutions are raising is private health plans will be required to provide contraceptive coverage to women, going against religious beliefs, or withdraw coverage to employees entirely. U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte is pushing the president to repeal the provision, saying in a press conference on Capital Hill, “If we put religious institutions and faith-based organizations in a position where they need to comply with government mandates that violate the principles of their faith, it violates the first amendment to the constitution and it’s an affront to what we stand for as Americans.” Ayotte, a Nashua native continues, “This is not a women’s’ rights issue. This is a religious liberty issue and it can apply to all faiths.”

    

     Senator Ayotte’s point of this not being a women’s rights issue and the concern of faith-based institutions having to consider dropping coverage entirely stems from the fact that in December of 2000, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that companies with prescription drug plans that precluded women’s contraception were in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act which prevent discrimination on the basis of sex. Further, employers that don’t offer prescription plans or insurance at all are exempt. According to website MotherJones.com, in Erickson v. Bartell Drug Co., a federal court agreed with the EEOC’s reasoning. Women’s and reproductive rights groups have been using this decision for more than a decade to sue for fair coverage. In Nick Baumann’s article, written for the MotherJones.com website, DePaul University, the largest Roman Catholic university in America added birth control coverage after receiving a complaint several years, and in 2009 Belmont Abbey, a Catholic institution in North Carolina caused a controversy when it pulled its birth control coverage when they realized it was being offered.

AN OLD COMMENTARY ON WEATHER

If you don’t like the weather in New Hampshire...
I was asked recently if it has been an unusual winter in New Hampshire so far.  My answer? I don’t know. I hadn’t given it any thought, so I decided to do a little research.

     

  I first discovered that it is surprisingly difficult during my online search to find any information that is “middle of the road.”
That is to say, the only websites that I could find in my many varying
searches were either blogs with people’s personal opinions about the weather or
precise scientific data regarding specific dates and times.  

     If I was going to answer the question on whether the weather (pardon the pun) is unusual recently, my gut reaction would be no. We talk about weather in NH the way Angelinos discuss traffic, and for good reason. They are both always changing, always extreme and never what we wanted it to be. I remember being in a snowstorm in April of 1996 that occurred in Laconia while the outside temperature was about 50 degrees. In comparison, according to the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website, NH was experiencing an “Extreme drought” in April of 1999. To those of us at or near the epicenter of the “Snotober” storm, the memory of trying to find any place to charge cellphones, take shower and find a way to keep warm at night will forever be etched in our collective memories. According to the Public Service of New Hampshire website, the storm dropped more than 30 inches of snow on some parts of the state and left 237,000 PSNH customers without power. One would think it was the greatest storm to ever hit the state. 

     Extreme weather in NH is not a new occurrence. According to
a paper published by the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension (Forestry) written by Karen Bennett, “Severe, unpredictable weather is as much a part of New England as…baked beans…and maple syrup.”
According to her paper, the Ice Storm of 1998 damaged an estimated
800,000 acres of NH trees. She goes on to say “Weather events become mythic, passing into legend because they are memorable…” Ms. Bennett mentions the
Blizzard of ’78 and ‘69(hadn’t heard of that one), the hurricane of 1938, and
an ice storm that occurred in 1929. She quotes The Concord Monitor “…One of the most severe storms to hit New England for several years…did untold damage for several days.” That is in reference to the 1929 storm, but
could have been written at countless times in NH weather history.

     After a little digging and reading countless newspaper articles, scholarly journals and climate data, I have come to realize that my gut was right. The
weather in NH hasn’t been unusual lately.
Weather in NH is unusual, and apparently always has been. Having snow in October is hardly worth
noting, though the severity of the storm was.
It’s just another bit of unpredictable weather in our part of the
country.
According to the official Voice of New
Hampshire “There’s only two season’s in New Hampshire. Winter and the Fourth of July.”—Fritz Wetherbee

FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD

Food can do amazing things. Memories are sparked, ideas are formed and emotions are stirred. All of this from a little heat, some spices and the right ingredients. Experiencing good food is a journey. Tasting it is almost the last step in the journey and one that sadly marks the beginning of the end. The true wonder can be found in the hunt. It is in our genes to hunt for food and we forget that when we go shopping. If you’ve decided on a meal then you’ve begun the journey. The next step is to hunt down the perfect ingredients. The trip to the store, walking the aisles and searching for the perfect tomato, pasta, cut of meat..etc, helps to build the anticipation and excitement of what is to come. Your brain is already imagining what it will smell like, what it will taste like and what it will feel like in your mouth. After arriving home and getting to the kitchen the true preparation begins. This begins the great story arc of scents. We wash and cut our vegetables, prepare our meats and sauces and choose our seasonings. The smell of oven heating and raw food, to cold seasonings and combinations of smells spread through the house. An imperceptible change occurs during cooking, and it reaches the downswing of the arc. This is where the smells of the kitchen start poking at those comfortable corners of our minds that we retreat to when it all becomes too much. The scents of a good meal being cooked, run right to the memories of sledding with siblings and visiting grandma. It sidles up to Thanksgiving day and the smell of the grass in an evening t-ball game. Food can do amazing things, and we haven’t even tasted it yet.