One of the best things about working at a newspaper when news happens is I get to hear all of it as it is reported.
One of the worst things is that I get to hear ALL of it.
It's difficult to read the stories as they come in, the devastation, the despair.
I helped compile this roundup of human stories from the Hurricane. There were many more that didn't make the paper. More to come tomorrow.
Give money if you can, and pray if you so believe.
-Zube.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Give me gridiron!
So football is starting up ... finally.
I'm a big football fan. I'd rather watch a rerun of a college game from the 70s than watch most live baseball or basketball games. Football is a big player for me.
I was a Cowboys fan from really early, so it's hard for me to select a moment that I became so football-centric. But I do recall something that really piqued my interest: NFL Films.
There used to be a highlights show every week on TV, usually Saturday. Great visuals, and especially great music. Very dramatic, to go with the slow-motion, mud chunks flying up, helmets flying off slowly because of a great hit. Very cool.
A couple years ago, I found a CD with the NFL Films music on it. Here it is.
I hate to sound like an old curmudgeon, but it was a different game when I was growing up. The 90s were great, with the Cowboys winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 years, but things were already changing. There was a lot of swagger and attitude to winners, and the Cowboys of the 90s were really bad about that. Michael Irvin, especially. But he is nothing compared to Terrell Owens of the Eagles and Randy Moss of the Raiders. Why does everybody feel they have to not only beat their opponent, but humiliate him? It's like basketball now, it's all about making the other guy look silly, not just to score more than they did.
My son and I went to a basketball thing during the summer, the And1 tour. Street basketball. It's all attitude and nastiness. He loved it, I was less enthusiastic after than I had been before. I'm going to try to disabuse him of the idea that humiliation is the best weapon.
One time, when he was with the 49ers, Terrell Owens scored a touchdown in Dallas, then ran to the star in the center of the field and raised his arms up, like he owned the place. He got clocked by one of the Cowboys players who had a 30-yard head start run at him. There's no need for Owens' stunt.
Other than that, I love football!
-Zube.
I'm a big football fan. I'd rather watch a rerun of a college game from the 70s than watch most live baseball or basketball games. Football is a big player for me.
I was a Cowboys fan from really early, so it's hard for me to select a moment that I became so football-centric. But I do recall something that really piqued my interest: NFL Films.
There used to be a highlights show every week on TV, usually Saturday. Great visuals, and especially great music. Very dramatic, to go with the slow-motion, mud chunks flying up, helmets flying off slowly because of a great hit. Very cool.
A couple years ago, I found a CD with the NFL Films music on it. Here it is.
I hate to sound like an old curmudgeon, but it was a different game when I was growing up. The 90s were great, with the Cowboys winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 years, but things were already changing. There was a lot of swagger and attitude to winners, and the Cowboys of the 90s were really bad about that. Michael Irvin, especially. But he is nothing compared to Terrell Owens of the Eagles and Randy Moss of the Raiders. Why does everybody feel they have to not only beat their opponent, but humiliate him? It's like basketball now, it's all about making the other guy look silly, not just to score more than they did.
My son and I went to a basketball thing during the summer, the And1 tour. Street basketball. It's all attitude and nastiness. He loved it, I was less enthusiastic after than I had been before. I'm going to try to disabuse him of the idea that humiliation is the best weapon.
One time, when he was with the 49ers, Terrell Owens scored a touchdown in Dallas, then ran to the star in the center of the field and raised his arms up, like he owned the place. He got clocked by one of the Cowboys players who had a 30-yard head start run at him. There's no need for Owens' stunt.
Other than that, I love football!
-Zube.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Faith at work
One great development at work.
No, not raises that keep pace with inflation! ;)
I and 5 other folks at the newspaper have formed a loose group for Bible study and the like. I tried to see if there was any enthusiasm for this a year ago, and was met with a crushing silence. Timing seemed to be better this year, so I tried again and did get some interested people.
It's nice to put together a group like this. Too often, Christians don't really feel welcome in newsrooms ... I get odd responses when people find out. Some smile and nod, like you've just told them you're joining the Raelians, some mentally survey a list of things they can no longer talk to you about. Some, without knowing about me, will get loud and nasty about Christians in general.
I usually work Christmas day, since we open presents Christmas eve and then Christmas morning, and the rest of the day is spent playing and napping and watching football. One Christmas a few years ago, there was an odd, hateful thing said. There was sectarian violence at the time in Pakistan, Muslims largely attacking Christians. Well, a "place of worship" was hand-grenaded, many dead. This was brought up in the budget meeting for the day. One person there said "Only Christians celebrate their holiday by killing people." I pointed out that the Christians were the ones who died (it was a church), and the Muslims were the ones who lobbed the grenade. He shut up, but I don't think he changed his mind.
So anyway, yesterday we had a devotional, all 6 of us, and it was a great time. The guy who led it is a reporter and teaches Sunday school. He said that when he was preparing for our meeting, he had his Bible out and was reading it. Some other person in the newsroom came over and started talking to him. Eventually, this person (he wouldn't say who) said "I'm a Christian, too, but I don't want people to know it."
If nothing else, I hope people here feel comfortable enough to practice their faith openly.
-Zube.
No, not raises that keep pace with inflation! ;)
I and 5 other folks at the newspaper have formed a loose group for Bible study and the like. I tried to see if there was any enthusiasm for this a year ago, and was met with a crushing silence. Timing seemed to be better this year, so I tried again and did get some interested people.
It's nice to put together a group like this. Too often, Christians don't really feel welcome in newsrooms ... I get odd responses when people find out. Some smile and nod, like you've just told them you're joining the Raelians, some mentally survey a list of things they can no longer talk to you about. Some, without knowing about me, will get loud and nasty about Christians in general.
I usually work Christmas day, since we open presents Christmas eve and then Christmas morning, and the rest of the day is spent playing and napping and watching football. One Christmas a few years ago, there was an odd, hateful thing said. There was sectarian violence at the time in Pakistan, Muslims largely attacking Christians. Well, a "place of worship" was hand-grenaded, many dead. This was brought up in the budget meeting for the day. One person there said "Only Christians celebrate their holiday by killing people." I pointed out that the Christians were the ones who died (it was a church), and the Muslims were the ones who lobbed the grenade. He shut up, but I don't think he changed his mind.
So anyway, yesterday we had a devotional, all 6 of us, and it was a great time. The guy who led it is a reporter and teaches Sunday school. He said that when he was preparing for our meeting, he had his Bible out and was reading it. Some other person in the newsroom came over and started talking to him. Eventually, this person (he wouldn't say who) said "I'm a Christian, too, but I don't want people to know it."
If nothing else, I hope people here feel comfortable enough to practice their faith openly.
-Zube.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
From the home front
My wife's been home now, away from work, for a week and a half, and it's really been an eye-opener.
She quit her job as a teacher's aide at the end of the last school year, deciding she'd had enough and wanted to be more available to the kids. She was with them there for 10 years (9 total for my daughter), so we were always very lucky to have her around them anyway, but with my daughter now in high school and my son heading into junior high next year, it was time to move on. Plus, there was pressure from the school to devote time there, instead of with the kids.
It was a difficult decision, one not lightly taken. The money will be tight, I'm sure there will be more than a little boredom. But it's just as important to her to make the house a home, which is a big goal now.
It's been funny for her when she's taken our son to school, dropping him off and visiting with other moms and staff. I guess most of them didn't know why she wasn't around until she told them, because no announcement was made. A lot of the women who work there are very supportive of her and seem almost intrigued by the idea of leaving work! My wife's afraid she's going to set off an exodus of teachers and aides quitting! When I left the newspaper in El Paso for Phoenix, a similar thing happened to the copy desk there, when they found out that you could get pretty good pay elsewhere! A year later, about half the desk was gone!
My wife got the feeling that at least some of the women at the school work because they have to, or because they're expected to or their husbands want them to. When she and I were talking about quitting, she asked me what I preferred she do. I told her that I was never against her working, and I would not be against her NOT working, but that I thought it would be better for her to be home. She told me later that what I said made it a lot easier for her to leave.
I remember reading an article, in Time, about younger women leaving the workforce for home, raising kids, etc. Seems a lot of them grew up in daycare or as latch-key kids, and don't want their kids being raised the same way.
The article was interesting because of the feedback it generated. Feminists wrote back saying that women who leave work are betraying the "movement" or are less valuable now than women who work. Some were inimating that women SHOULD work to prove their worth. I thought the goal was to give women the choice to work (or not), not to force women to work. It would be the same as forcing women NOT to work.
Anyhoo, we've only just begun (cue Carpenters music here), but I think we've made the right choice. At least, until the bills pile up! ;)
-Zube.
She quit her job as a teacher's aide at the end of the last school year, deciding she'd had enough and wanted to be more available to the kids. She was with them there for 10 years (9 total for my daughter), so we were always very lucky to have her around them anyway, but with my daughter now in high school and my son heading into junior high next year, it was time to move on. Plus, there was pressure from the school to devote time there, instead of with the kids.
It was a difficult decision, one not lightly taken. The money will be tight, I'm sure there will be more than a little boredom. But it's just as important to her to make the house a home, which is a big goal now.
It's been funny for her when she's taken our son to school, dropping him off and visiting with other moms and staff. I guess most of them didn't know why she wasn't around until she told them, because no announcement was made. A lot of the women who work there are very supportive of her and seem almost intrigued by the idea of leaving work! My wife's afraid she's going to set off an exodus of teachers and aides quitting! When I left the newspaper in El Paso for Phoenix, a similar thing happened to the copy desk there, when they found out that you could get pretty good pay elsewhere! A year later, about half the desk was gone!
My wife got the feeling that at least some of the women at the school work because they have to, or because they're expected to or their husbands want them to. When she and I were talking about quitting, she asked me what I preferred she do. I told her that I was never against her working, and I would not be against her NOT working, but that I thought it would be better for her to be home. She told me later that what I said made it a lot easier for her to leave.
I remember reading an article, in Time, about younger women leaving the workforce for home, raising kids, etc. Seems a lot of them grew up in daycare or as latch-key kids, and don't want their kids being raised the same way.
The article was interesting because of the feedback it generated. Feminists wrote back saying that women who leave work are betraying the "movement" or are less valuable now than women who work. Some were inimating that women SHOULD work to prove their worth. I thought the goal was to give women the choice to work (or not), not to force women to work. It would be the same as forcing women NOT to work.
Anyhoo, we've only just begun (cue Carpenters music here), but I think we've made the right choice. At least, until the bills pile up! ;)
-Zube.
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