What do Facebook and East Nashville and Ankara have in common?

As I sit here this day reading a news report about the horrendous tornado that struck East Nashville, Tennessee, in the early morning hours a couple of days ago, resulting in significant damage, destruction, and death in a highly-populated area, I am reminded that Facebook, a medium that is often scorned, has a valuable place in the world.

On my own Facebook feed, I read threads about Bahá'ís whose apartment complexes were damaged beyond salvage, those whose domiciles were completely destroyed, and those who have not yet been heard from.

Leave aside the fact that for Bahá'ís, this is a very spiritual time of the year, our Nineteen Day Fast, and that we pray for divine guidance on every day. Things might change - as I write this, 26 have been killed and many people are still unaccounted for - but so far, none of my Facebook friends have family members who have been injured or worse. The only way I could possibly know is through Facebook. Some share their stories - as much as they can, having just survived something that has, no doubt, shaken them to their core - and some help others in small and large ways without expectation of thanks. They all have a very long, arduous path in front of them.

At times like these for them and their friends, near and far, being able to connect with those friends and for those friends to rally whatever support is needed - like a GoFundMe page that has already been established for one, resulting in several thousands of dollars already - the social medium called Facebook is a valuable helper. And I am sure there are thousands of others sharing stories and support on Facebook beside Bahá'ís.

So what do Facebook, East Nashville, and Ankara have in common?

Facebook. A place where high school friends from 50+ years ago can reconnect with their old chums and meet new ones.

Facebook. A place where those suffering a grievous killer tornado can go to ask for help, no matter how timidly or unwantedly...and have those requests answered quickly by others not in similar situations.

So yes, Facebook can be a bad place, a place easily abused for political, financial, or other nefarious desires. It can also be a place to meet, laugh, cry, ask for and give help when needed.

Amtrak isn’t known for pampering anyone. Or is it?

Here is a paragraph from a Bloomberg article, "Getting Americans into Train Travel," posted on Feb 5, 2020.

"Passenger rail hasn’t been easy for a long time in America. The private kind all but vanished in the 1970s when the nation’s corporate railroads talked the U.S. Congress into creating Amtrak. That enabled rail owners to ditch their sickly nonfreight routes at a time when riders were choosing cars and planes over trains.

Amtrak, which isn’t known for pampering anyone, has for almost 50 years been the only option for Americans journeying far from home by rail."

My only question is this:

Has the author never flown on a commercial airliner as a cabin-class passenger? 

In comparison to the sardine-can seating accommodations on today's modern jet, the seats on Amtrak are quite luxurious. Yes, you might have to pay for food - if what you get on many can be adequately called 'food' - and water if you want it...if the particular airline even offers food.

Amtrak is now headed by the former CEO of Delta Airlines, one of those airplane operators who jammed as many seats into the non-first class cabin as they could legally fit, regardless of the increasing girth and average weight of the average American flier. But he no longer has the final say in his new job; Amtrak is a government entity, so Congress has a say.

And we all know about the good the decisions Congress makes...

So Amtrak isn't known for pampering anyone? Maybe, maybe not. I guess it depends on your definition and perspective.

"Are you a Michiganian or a Michigander?"

Perhaps you have heard me or someone else in or from my state use the term "Michigander" to describe those of us living here. What a strange term. What is it? Is it a defined term? What is the source? It really is pretty simple.

In the eyes of the state Legislature, Michigander is the official term for the residents of Michigan and they have a bill that passed unanimously in both the House and Senate a couple of years ago to prove it.

Tucked into an obscure package of bills that modernized the 1913 statute creating the Michigan Historical Commission is a passage that strikes out a reference to Michiganians in favor of Michiganders.

So, yes. It is legal. And the law! Now you know. You're welcome.

"Age is just a number." Yes, but...

This will not be a well-researched blog about age, aging, ageism, age discrimination, or anything else having to do with age. It is really only about my personal feelings or irritation when I read that phrase, "age is just a number."

While it is true that age is just a number, so is 3. Or 130. Or 16. I would not want a 3-year old to drive. Maybe not even a 130-year old. An 80-year old has the wisdom of a lifetime that a 16-year old lacks. So yes, age is a number, but it can be a very important number.

To me, when used, that phrase sounds more like an excuse and a diversion than an explanation. You read people interested in dating say it. You hear politicians - usually much older or much younger than "normal" - say it. In fact, I cannot recall any instance where using the phrase changed my mind or convinced me in any way, shape, or form.

So when I hear a current presidential candidate say "age is just a number" - looking at you, Joe - all it really confirms is that the person saying it - again, looking at you, Joe - is really trying to get a reader or listener to look beyond something that is really quite relevant to the position, that of the President of the United States. It is probably the most difficult job in the world and mental acuity, sharpness, coherence, and general togetherness are critical to success.

Especially considering the chaotic, hyper-partisan, deeply divided country a candidate wants to lead.

Do not use "age is just a number." Ever. In any context, especially when running for president. My life will be much less stressful and I think others' will, too.

So you want to be a writer? (ahem....)

So how do you cultivate the focus and discipline to finish a task? By continually doing the dull stuff. You do it until you’re used to it and getting through is a habit. For example, if you want to be a writer, you write, as Rebecca Solnit explains on LitHub:

Write. There is no substitute…But start small: write a good sentence, then a good paragraph, and don’t be dreaming about writing the great American novel or what you’ll wear at the awards ceremony because that’s not what writing’s about or how you get there from here. The road is made entirely out of words. Write a lot…it’s effort and practice. Write bad stuff because the road to good writing is made out of words and not all of them are well-arranged words.

Make your goal to simply write, and eventually you’ll get to the next boring step—edits.

The work may always be a bit painful, as acclaimed writers reveal. 

“More often than not if I’ve done nine pages I may be able to save two and a half or three,” poet and writer Maya Angelou tells the Paris Review. “That’s the cruelest time you know.”

To Bowl or Not To Bowl

I admit I am not a football fan. I really am even less a college football fan, so maybe this will just be a whiney post for you. No matter. I write it, you get it.

My state of Michigan has teams that will appear in five Bowl games this winter. Those are:

• The Quick Lane Bowl (Eastern Michigan U)
• The Pinstripe Bowl (Michigan State U)
• The First Responder Bowl (Western Michigan U)
• The Citrus Bowl (University of Michigan)
• The New Mexico Bowl (Central Michigan U)

I have only ever heard of one of them. Care to guess which one?

Now, I know the various Bowl games have been taken over by major sponsors for decades; there has always been money in college football and in many states, the college football coach is among, if not at the top of, the highest paid people. Someone has to pay the piper, so it is no wonder Bowl organizers - whoever they are - sold out to wealthy corporate owners.

But Pinstripe? First Responder? New Mexico?

I'm pretty sure those aren't corporations, but I have no idea who they are. And I have no idea what the former name of those Bowls were. I am not even sure if the only one I have heard of, the Citrus Bowl, is even the same one I have heard of, so I don't know if my state's five football teams are in "name" Bowls or not.

Then again, it probably means nothing since I am not a college football fan.

Amazon: The Company We All Love to Hate

The newly-built (summer 2019) Amazon fulfillment warehouse about 3 miles down the road from my house opens January 2020. Already, supervisors are being trained on what is no doubt the most modern facility built in preparation for hiring and training 2,000 or more new employees. According to one person to whom I spoke, the new hires will start at $17/hour and will have very generous monthly cash performance benefits. That will most likely make a lot of people apply.

Since I already have next-day delivery - during non-Christmas rush periods; I am lucky if I can get 2-day delivery during Christmas shopping season - opening that huge new warehouse will probably give me same-day delivery.

But there is this from a New York Times article on how Amazon "treats" its suppliers, regardless of size...badly. So:

Many sellers and brands on Amazon are desperate to depend less on the tech giant. But when they look for sales elsewhere online, they come up short. Last year, Americans bought more books, T-shirts and other products on Amazon than eBay, Walmart and its next seven largest online competitors combined, according to eMarketer, a research company...

 

Amazon collects 27 cents of each dollar customers spend buying things its merchants sell, a 42 percent jump from five years ago, according to Instinet, a financial research firm. That does not include what companies pay to place ads on Amazon, a business that Wall Street considers as valuable as Nike.

 

“We really built the company on Amazon,” Mr. Thompson said. “We have no regrets about doing that. But today our focus has to be getting diversification off Amazon.”

He said he understood what he was up against. “We are dealing with a partner,” he said, “who can and will disrupt us for unpredictable reasons at any time.”

 

Yes, Amazon is the behemoth we truly love to hate. We all know how bad it is and we all continue shopping there. It is easy. Click, evaluate, buy...and a couple of days later, the item appears on your doorstep. No car, no crowds. Heck, you don't even have to get dressed.

And like the worst addiction you can imagine, getting "off" Amazon is very, very difficult. I know. I am one of them.