The Joy of Editing

One of the things I actually enjoy about writing is editing.  Well to be a bit more specific, I enjoy editing when I actually have the time to do it effectively.  For me, editing is almost magical.  It's a way that you can turn something on the left side of average into something that's pretty darn good.  Editing is about clarity, it's about purpose, it's about functionality.  Editing is something of a luxury.

Why a luxury?

Well, if you read half of my "stuff" you probably come to the conclusion that I don't do enough editing.  There are mistakes here, typos there.  It can be a mess.  But this is, at least from my perspective, part of the very nature of blogging.  Part of it comes down to writing style and habit.

The writing style part of me can best be described as "stream of consciousness".  This posting is a good example.  When I write, what you see for the most part is what is in my head at that very moment.  I try, very hard, to not over-engineer what I am writing.  By over-engineer I simply mean that I don't over think or over write my thoughts.  I just pretty much let the thoughts/words pour out over the keyboard, sentence fragments and all.  Yes, what you see here is what is in my head at the moment my fingers cruise the keyboard.  Scary, huh?

The writing habit part has more to do with time.  More than half of what you see in this blog is written in the morning, mostly before I go to work.  I tend to wake up with tons of stuff in my head, and writing creates the perfect opportunity to do something with the stuff.  Being a morning person, I am at my very best during the hours after just waking up, so this is when the writing actually happens.  The only downside to writing at this time is that I usually am very pressed for  time.

I do edit my postings, but I usually don't have very much time for editing.  Thorough editing becomes this luxury that I can only afford on rare occasions.  Those occasions are mostly the rare postings that I write over time for special occasions.  Now at any given time I have about 6-10 postings in draft; of the 6, maybe 3 will eventually see the light of day.  Some of these postings are just abortive attempts at being profound, some are just plain stupid, others are thoughts that I just can't seem to complete for one reason or another.  The postings that do make it to the publish button are usually the best edited stuff I write.  By "best edited" I am referring more to a Lord of the Flies kind of thing (best held in the perspective of someone like me who just causally writes).

The Jenny McCarthy Anti-Vaccine Body Count

Someone actually took the time to create a web-page to track the damage being done by the likes of anti-vaccination "crusader" Jenny McCarthy.

The Jenny McCarthy Anti-Vaccine Body Count

What's the issue?  Well in a nutshell, it goes like this:  Ms McCarthy (famous, I think, for being on MTV) alleges, along with a few others, that childhood vaccines cause Autism.  Now I have worked with children that had Autism, so I have...all be it limited...experience in how challenging this can be for a parent.  I have absolutely no doubt that the parents of Autistic children feel a unique kind of frustration at not knowing how or why their children have been so afflicted.  These parents truly are special folks, as raising children is hard enough, let along children with special needs.

The above noted, I'll be pretty direct in coming to the punchline:  there is ZERO evidence that childhood vaccinations cause Autism.  None.  Zilch. Nada.  Don't believe me?  Believe these folks:

The CDC

The Journal of Pediatrics

WebMD - Study Linking Autism to Vaccinations Was Faked

I could go on, and there is scientific-study based information from major universities, the American Pediatric Association, the World Health Organization and countless other groups that all point to one single fact:  Childhood vaccinations save lives and they don't cause Autism.  Period.

So why does the non-science of vaccinations causing Autism survive?  It's in part because people with large public platforms, such as Ms McCarthy continue to spout their unsupported views.  Part of it is the wealth of false information and pseudo-science that thrives on the Internet.  Part of it is born out frustration with "the system".  Part of it is a basic lack of understanding about how science (and the difference between evidence vs. opinion) works.  In the end though, if this were just a case of celebrities just being eccentric then I wouldn't care all that much, however, in this case REAL HARM is being done.

Now I'm not completely naive here in that I do realize that vaccinations are powerful medicines.  Heck, I am just getting over a two week minor cold brought on, maybe, by my having received a flu shot.  However, two weeks of a minor cold are preferable to all that goes with full-out influenza.  What's more, I don't actually know that the flu shot I got caused my cold.  Cause does not equal effect.  I had an Arby's brisket sandwich for the first time the day I receive the flu shot.  How do I know that the sandwich didn't cause my symptoms?

In the end, we all need to make decisions in our lives based on the best possible information available to us.  If you are a parent and you are wondering about getting your children vaccinated against preventable diseases, who should you believe?  There is evidence to support the fact that vaccinations don't cause Autism.  And there are opinions to the contrary.  Chose wisely:  facts vs. opinions.

Oh, and consider the source for some of those opinions.



My thanks to co-worker Sean Gowden for bringing the Anti-Vaccination website to my attention.

Veteran's Day 2013

Photos from our trip to Arlington National Cemetery this past summer, remembering all who have served and honoring all who have died.

das Haus verlassen, #12

Activity is swirling around me like Cheerios waiting to go down a sink drain.

Have I mentioned before that I'm pretty much never going to do this ever again?  By "this" I mean selling one house and buying another.  Now I know that other folks do this all the time, but for me, there are times when it is insanely stressful.  Fortunately those times are few and far between.

In other, real (as opposed to simply stuff concocted in my head) news, there was an issue with a prior mortgage on the property I am selling, specifically a mortgage for which there was no record of a payoff...back in 1992.  Yeah banking system!  Anyway, it appears that, thanks to the work of my terrific attorney (which a research assist from yours truly), that issue is about to be resolved.  Assuming the bank in question fesses up and admits to never filing the necessary paperwork 20+ years ago, I now have a clear path towards closing on this property.  That creates a clear path to closing on the property that Ms Rivers and I are purchasing.  

I'd take a moment to celebrate, but that moment could be used for other purposes, like cleaning and stuff.

Part of this equation is my youngest brother Joe moving to live with other brother Chris.  With the mortgage mess almost settled, we are planning on making that change soon.  My brother Chris is a good man for taking Joe in; whether the arrangement works out in the long term is open to debate, but kudos to the Albert Boys for taking care of each other.  

(The Albert Boys, circa August 1970; from left: Chris, Steve, Rich & Joe)

As I may have mentioned before, another point of stress for me is what to do with JeanLuc Albert (my cat) during the days between closing on the existing property and the new property.  Where I will be staying I don't have the option of bringing the Spudster* along, so he will need temporary lodging.  I did some on-line checking and found three nice looking places for him...basically kitty resorts.  Each place allows for visiting hours, but I don't think I could bring myself to visiting him and then leaving.  Call me a big softee, but that cat means a lot to me, and it's hard enough dropping him off for a week.

In very sad cat news, my late mother had a cat, Sarah, who is both very elderly (about 19) and sickly.  She has also not done well since my mother passed away and has lost a ton of weight.  My youngest brother has been taking care of Sarah over the past few months, but he can't bring her along with him to my brother Chris' house (Chris already has 4 cats).  My older brother Rich already also has a plethora of pets.  As for me, I have JeanLuc, who will eventually be joined by the cat of Ms Rivers, Tiger.  We're worried that Tiger will not acclimate well to JeanLuc, as he (Tiger) previously had a very poor living experience with another cat years ago, so we have our work cut out for us in just getting the two cats to live well together.  Fortunately, JeanLuc really likes other cats, so I'm hoping that with some thoughtful transition work, we can get JeanLuc and Tiger to like (or at least tolerate) each other.  However...and getting back to Sarah...she's just too old for this kind of change, and I'm afraid that any kind of move will add emotional stress to her physical pain.  While I strongly dislike the notion of having Sarah put to sleep, I don't know that there are many other open to us.  

Feline heartbreak aside, I also still have a lot to move in order to make the residence switch work.  I also need to rent an additional storage unit to temporarily store my bed, desk and a few other things (including power equipment) during the intervening week.  Oh, and have I mentioned that I'll be doing almost all of the moving work myself?

Living the sporty life...

(*) For the record, I have about a dozen different names for my cat.  It's important that every cat have multiple names.  Anyway, the names include his "formal" name of JeanLuc, as well as JLA, Spud, Spudster, Spudinator, BigGuy, General Sterling Price, Friend...and the list goes on.  No wonder he barely knows his own name.

The Scranton Times - A Victory for the Status Quo

The Scranton Times editors explain why Bill Courtright is not going to change much of anything in Scranton as the city's next Mayor.  I pretty much agree,

Scranton Timed Editorial | 11.06.2013 | A Victory for the Status Quo

Yes, you can argue that the paper is "anti-this" and "anti-that", but when it comes to Mayor elect Bill Courtright they are right about the following:  he has no plan. "Getting Scranton back on track" is a slogan, one that says nothing about reducing the cost of governance in Scranton.

As I have often times repeated:

Scranton is functionally bankrupt.

The University of Scranton will not be giving the city millions of dollars.

Commuters will not willingly pay for the privilege of working in the city; in fact, they will fight the commuter tax tooth and nail.

The state and/or the federal government will not be coming to Scranton's aid.

Scranton's homeowners (who already have a lower household income than most in NEPA) can not afford massive property tax hikes.

Scranton's wage tax is already the highest in NEPA and is the second highest in Pennsylvania (only Philadelphia has a higher tax).  Citation HERE.

Scranton already has oppressive business taxes, including one that forces business owners to pay even if they lose money.

The well is dry folks.  There is no more money to be had.  The city's problems lies on the expense...not the revenue...side of the ledger.  Done.

Road Apples, #142

Don't be an idiot - Vote!...From what I can gather from some light reading this morning, there are a lot of idiots out there.

Speaking of Voting | Scranton's New Mayor...I did not vote for Scranton's new Mayor elect, Bill Courtright.  Mark my words fellow Scranton residents:  Mr Courtright is a nice guy, but he is incapable, at an almost genetic level, of thinking creatively.  He will not solve Scranton's festering fiscal problems.  He is shamelessly beholden to the city's employees, and as a result, things will get worse.  As I have noted before, Scranton doesn't have a revenue problem, it has an expense problem.  You can't have a revenue problem when you have some of the highest taxes in the land.  Again, this is going to get worse.

Blog-O-Centric...I am somewhat surprised in my overall posting views over the past few months.  Seriously, I don't know why some folks would like to read this stuff, but apparently they do.  That's not to say that I don't come up with a few good ones every now and then, because I do (I thought yesterday's posting, for example, was pretty clever).  Regardless, while on one hand I don't do this for the attention or the "hits", I am appreciative of anyone who takes the time out of their busy to day to read my thoughts.

House Insanity...Simultaneously selling your house and buying a new one is a pain in the back-side (I would have said "ass" but Gort has used up all of the swear word energy in the blog-o-sphere already).  When all is said and done I will be naming names of all the great professionals who have been helpful in these multi-processes.  Lord knows that you do need help in all of this.  Needless to say there will continue to be many angst-filled postings as the my countdown towards temporary homelessness continues.

Speaking of House Stuff...At the risk of sounding sappy, one of the things I worry about the most in the process of having my current house sold (in the works) and buying a new one (also in the works) is the fact that there will be a temporary period in time where I will need to find a place for my cat, JeanLuc to live.  Now this interim period will probably only be a week, but I really and truly do worry about what I will be doing with "JLA".  When you go from a house full of people to living on your own, that critter that greets you at the door of your new residence when you come home from work (even if it is just to con you into a few cat treats) means a lot.  I have to work this one out.

Weird Dream Department...I am fascinated by dreams.  Not necessarily my own, because for the most part they suck, but mainly because I have to believe that what we dream has to mean something.  While else would we dream?  For example, last night, I had a this odd dream that I forgot where I parked (I was driving an unusual vehicle) and I left the vehicle running.  It was very, very stressful, and I ended up almost waking myself up with the thought "don't worry, it's just a dream".  Maybe it's all a function of the stuff swirling around me at the moment.  Maybe it was extra peppers I put in last night's dinner.  Maybe I'm simply going mad.  Wait, scratch that last one, as while I know I'm an odd duck, crazy isn't one of my characteristics.  If anything, there are times when I think going a bit nuts would actually be healthy.

Tea-Baggers...There will no doubt be much spinning in Teabagland over the Virginia governor election loss.  I can see it now:  "See, the Tea Party can almost win a major state governor election!".  All for naught though, as a loss is a loss, and while the actual vote count was very close in Virginia, it's important to remember that the Tea-Bagger in question was running against a political hack on the Democratic side...and...he still lost.  Had the Virginia GOP nominated someone who didn't have Fred Phelps-esque social views, they would be celebrating a victory at this very moment.  You know, like they are doing in New Jersey at this very moment.  The way things are going, the Tea Party is the best insurance out there that Hillary Clinton will be elected President in 2016.

Don't be an idiot - Vote!

It's idiotic not to vote.  Simple.

By not voting, you are basically letting "those who show up" make decisions for you.  In what other venue would this be acceptable?

Would the average WalMart shopper allow the cashier to decide what brand of toothpaste should be purchased that day?  Okay, I know, bad example (having teeth does not necessarily equal shopping at WalMart),  but the point still stands.

The reality is that something like 30%+/- of eligible voters will actually show up at the polls today.  Yet our communities are far more important than shopping expeditions to WallyWorld and decisions about taxation, land use, community development, and countless other points are far more important that toothpaste.

In the end, voting matters.  Each and every vote does count.  There are people out there...I will add evil people...that count on voters NOT showing up.  Don't allow these folks to win.  Don't allow others to make decisions for you.  Don't treat voting as being some inconvenience, subservient to a shopping expedition to a place where actual pants are optional.

Don't be an idiot - Vote!

Moving Pictures

Moving Pictures is a title of an album by the Canadian band "Rush".  It has a clever cover, in that it's a picture of people actually moving pictures, not "moving pictures" as in that old term for movies.

(from Wikipedia)

I've been doing some of my own moving pictures over the past few days.  For reasons that escape me, I have been anointed the keeper of the pictures and other documents (such as letters) that my mother accumulated over the years.  And by years I really mean years:  there was stuff just randomly strewn in a plastic box that ranged from 1937 until the 2000's.

Now I have looked over "the box" a few times in years past.  Times when I was looking for something in particular.  Times when I maybe just felt like re-living the past for reasons that were probably as sad as they were pathetic.

Anyway, recent tours through the box afforded me the ability to gain just a little more clarity of some aspects of my mother's life that she would have never told me about when she was alive.  Note the words "some clarity".  There were dozens of black and white photos from the 1950's featuring an infant, who I strongly suspect is my sister.  Note the words "strongly suspect".  My mother and my sister had a strained relationship, to which I will say nothing more, other than the fact that I have a tremendous amount of respect for my sister.

I probably will still need to spend more time in the box, particularly since I will be moving in December.  I pulled out a few things out for scanning/archiving, and I probably will be doing more of that as well.  There are also things I will need to destroy.  Other things that I will force my brothers to take.  One decision has been made:  all of the old family photos have been boxed up and are headed to my sister in Gettysburg.  I hope that the reflection they provide brings some sense of happiness.  Or clarity.  Or at least maybe a bit of finality.

Response to Tom Borthwick's comment, Mulligan campaign material

My friend Tom Borthwick made a comment to THIS POSTING.  I had planned on replying sooner, but in complete candor, I find politics in general to be slimy (at best), with Scranton politics being particularly and genuinely disgusting.  This made me put off responding, but Catholic guilt compels me to no longer put the response off, and since the text editor for blogger.com comments stinks, I'm going to reply here.

Anyway, Tom wrote the following:



"This is misleading. The letter, while clever, makes a false equivalence. The statistic from the Census Bureau only includes salary, not benefits. Somebody making less than $20,000, especially if that person has a family, would be eligible for a host of federal subsidies. So if he wants to compare the average salary of a Scrantonian to a firefighter, he absolutely needs to use the baseline salary. Firefights and cops start around $40,000 in this city. 

Also, median income in the city is $36,968. The figure Mulligan used is per capita. I understand per capita is low. That's normal in cities, which tend to have high poverty rates. Blaming that on the unions is silly. 

Mulligan's credibility took a huge hit with me over this piece."



In response, I want to make a few points:

1. Salary - It was misleading, and I noted it a such, for the Mulligan campaign to use loaded salary+benefit figures in it's campaign ad.  However, I'll note that Tom is also a tiny bit guilty here as well, in that the vast majority of Scranton and police and firemen make WELL OVER the $40,000+/- starting salary he notes.  The better comparison would the average salary (without benefits) for both groups.  While I don't know that number, a good guess would be in the $65,000/year range.  That's still far in excess of the average salary of a working Scrantonian.  The Mulligan campaign blew it by plastering big numbers for "shock and awe" impact, but underselling the salary is wrong as well.
2. Median Income - Tom is correct, but he is missing the point that the Mulligan campaign is clumsily trying to make...I think...in that in Scrnaton, it's government jobs that pay the most.  In a city that is functionally bankrupt, that's a real problem.
3. Unions - Yes, the Mulligan campaign is blaming the unions for Scranton's fiscal mess.  Are they responsible for all of it?  Of course not, but Tom is wrong in that they do share in some of it.  I respect Tom's perspective on organized labor, but I can cite countless examples of the police and firefighter unions acting in the worst interests of the city.  Just to amuse myself, I'll list just one:  the insistence, years ago, by the Fraternal Order of Police that the Police Chief be a union member.  Yes folks, they wanted management to also be labor.  And the list could go on, but the central point is this:  the labor unions look out for the interests of union members, not taxpayers.  Unfortunately, the central problem with Bill Courtright, in my mind, is that he ALSO will be looking out for the interests of union members.  Who then looks out for the rest of us?

In my opinion both Mr Courtright and Mr Mulligan and deeply flawed candidates.  However, Bill Courtright has made it clear that he will never take an assertive stand when dealing with Scratnon's public safety unions.  In a city that has an expense problem...we can't pay our bills...Scranton taxpayer's simply can't afford to allow a mayor to be politically beholden to city employees.  That's part of what got Scranton into the mess over the past 50+ years.  The madness has to end.

There are no "revenue enhancements" that will save the day for Scranton.

The University of Scranton will not give the city millions of dollars.

The state will not bail Scranton out.

Refinancing debt only stretches the debut out and makes it more expensive over time.

Scranton residents already pay one of the highest wage taxes in Pennsylvania.

Scranton businesses already pay some of the highest business taxes (including one on gross receipts...meaning that even if your business fails to make money you still owe a tax) in Pennsylvania.

Scranton residents have low household incomes and can't easily afford dramatic increases in property taxes.


In the end, Scranton doesn't have a revenue problem in as much as it has an expense problem.  Dealing with Scranton's expense problem will require dealing with labor costs.  Period.

Not the right kind of legacy

Apparently the President is claiming to not have been fully aware of the technical challenges facing the Affordable Care Act website.  All's well and good and I am sure Rep Darrell "Car Alarm" Issa is wetting himself out of  sheer glee over the AFA's technotastrophy.  Stripping away the culture of Washington DC political theater for a moment though, one thing is absolutely true: the President was either not paying attention to the briefings he was receiving about AFA website issues OR he wasn't receiving any briefings.  Pick your poison, because either choice spells poor leadership on the part of the President.

Let's not lose sight of the fact that the AFA is supposed to be the President's legacy.  His "signature piece" of legislation.  If ever there was a time to be paying attention, it was right before the launch of the website.  We, being the American taxpayers expect, and deserve better from our elected leadership and in this case the President failed us.

What's next? Well I am sure that Washington DC Republicans will continue to feign outrage over a program they don't like not working anyway. I am also sure that eventually this mess will be cleaned up and the website will eventually work. However what we actually need is leadership and accountability, and in this case both of those items can only come from the President.  Not from some Brian-dead Canuck technology company.  Not the HHS Secretary.