READING DUE BY CLASS 6
You have a lot of writing to do this week, so reading is option.
If you have time to read, listen to stories on audio or read stories from Common Ties
WRITING DUE BY CLASS 6
1. Develop one of the timed writing pieces your have written. Write a piece that is between 600-800 words long and post it to your personal blog AND in the comments section of this blog posting.
This is your working draft. I will take an hour to read through ONE of your working drafts and give you substantial feedback. Email me the draft (as a MS word attachment) that you want me to give extensive feedback on.
2. Give written comments to all members in your group on their working draft.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Hard and Soft People
Pilots are generally hard people. Not hard in the sense of tough or rough-and-ready but hard in the good sense of hard numbers, by the book, empirical by nature and that sort of thing. Pilots try to create a black and white world or a binary one with ones and zeros. “Climb to and maintain Flight Level 350” means exactly 35,000 feet above mean sea level and not one foot more or less.
Hard people seem to remember numbers easier than soft people – or just have to because their line of business depends on the recall of certain numbers. When children or adults come into the cockpit before flight they comment on all the “buttons” (in their eyes, we push buttons for a living). They ask if we have to know what all those “buttons” do. We say “yes” and there are numbers associated with all the “buttons” we need to know.
Soft people don’t have all those “buttons” to memorize but can remember all your relatives, their children’s names and ages. Soft people can be innovative, independent, show initiative and change plans as often as they like. Hard pilots may have a little difficulty going there.
Soft people are extremely fun to watch and be with as they go through life. I know because I’m married to one and she’s interesting, exciting and a self described non-numeric. We’ve been married 35 years and just completed our 23rd move.
Over the years I’ve tried to explain how easy it is for me to remember numbers like our new telephone number. I dump the old telephone numbers like I try to dump the DC-10 and B-727 numbers I no longer use. Explaining to my wife how I link numbers together to make them easier to remember is like reading your insurance policy late at night in bed when disinterest and sleepiness overcomes anyone in a 15-foot radius. On the other hand my wife types faster than I can read and does difficult crossword puzzles that overwhelm me instantly.
Here’s how I tell her to remember our new telephone number. The number is 555-541-1744 (it really isn’t) and you remember the fives and 4+1 equals 5, next the 1+7 equals 8 and the 4+4 equals 8 so all you have to remember is 5 and 8. I’m 58 so that’s easy for me. Simple, right? I don’t think so. Simple for hard people and inconsequential for soft people. They’ll learn their new telephone number. It’s not a test or a race. Write it down, carry it in a book and look at it when you need it. That’s just as simple.
Another indication that you’re soft or hard with numbers was when you were in elementary school and were learning your times tables. When you came to the nines it was tough. You memorized 3 x 9 = 27, 4 x 9 = 36 etc. Well if you were gifted with a photographic memory, then that was less than a great problem. The rest of us struggled. Others like my niece Katy picked up on a mathematical relationship that goes like this. Take any single digit number times nine and the answer is simply figured out this way: subtract one from that number and that’s the first digit of the answer. Subtract the original number from ten and that’s the second digit of the answer. Hence, 3 x 9 = 27 or 8 x 9 = 72. Are you following instructions or did you already know this? Anyway if you understand this then you qualify as a hard person.
Here’s another easy test. It involves Centigrade to Farenheit conversions. Hard people take the Centigrade temperature, double it and take 10 per cent off then add 32 and “voila’” there you have it. Soft people say “30’s hot 20’s nice ten’s cold, zero’s ice.” My wife’s asleep now that I’ve read her this article. Her crossword puzzle is strewn across her lap. Does anyone know a nine letter word for half blood wizard?
Raising Well Behaved Children
We raised two, of whom I am totally proud. They are fine, considerate, caring adults, for which I give my spouse full credit. But that’s not the subject of this piece. The subject deals with the method, technique, and skill of raising well-behaved children.
Two boys, I’m told, are the worst combination. I agree. It’s axiomatic. For us it was a daily struggle. Why? We didn’t know the method, the technique nor did we have the skill. So what qualifies me now to address the subject with expertise?
For the past twenty-two years my residence has included a full spa with common whirlpool and swimming pool and for over two decades I’ve observed hundreds of families with various aged children, many of who were poorly behaved as well as the majority who were well behaved and discovered the common thread inherent in each group. The method, technique, and skill are no secret. It should be obvious, although it wasn’t to us. It’s just a matter of manner, courtesy and respect, not from the children; to the children. Those struggling with the poorly behaved attempted to control with intimidation, shouts, and threats with the result the children responded in kind.
Those with the well behaved needed not intimidation, shouts or threats. They addressed their children respectfully, quietly, knowing compliance was a given and it was. It was almost as if the parents were addressing other adults. It’s as simple as that.
I don’t know how my eldest son (my younger is just recently married) and his wife discovered the skill, but they have it. Their six children are just a joy to be with. The two eldest help care lovingly for the others. That’s their job, their responsibility, their joy.
Do I oversimplify? Perhaps, but that’s the way I see it.
Hal Fishbein
October 2007
Turning to Yoga: Benefits of Converting the Male Mid-Life Exercise Routine
I am frustrated.
I'm standing outside a small room and feel mentally ill-equipped for the moment. I enter to find fit-looking women territorially positioned and casually dressed in either loose garb or body-clinging tights and tops. I'm wearing running shorts and T-shirt. Why am I here? I need to do something for my health and sanity. Running took its toll on my lower back and right hip. It is my first yoga class, and I'm wary. I meekly stake out my own eight by four foot hardwood real estate and lay down the mat provided.
As the class begins and I go through the gentle warm-up exercises and listen to the instructor, a change comes over me.
"It's all in the breath," she explains.
After a few more minutes, I think, "This is pretty basic stuff and makes such eloquent sense."
We all draw energy from our breath. And in class after class with different instructors, the theme is consistent and a simple truth emerges: We can live without food, water, and rest for extended periods, but without breath, we expire - and pretty quickly! Breath is first and foremost. This is a central doctrine of Hatha Yoga.
I've learned much in this journey to practice yoga. My motives were purely physical initially - restore the back, alleviate past abuses, and balance the body. But as I acquired competence with the poses and developed greater flexibility, the philosophy of the practice penetrated my thoughts. At first, none of this interested me. I favored instructors who taught “power yoga.” I just wanted to muscle my way through the routines. Gradually, I began to appreciate the innate insight one gains of one's self through yoga.
In Western societies yoga still lags in popularity, particularly among men. My past tells why. I grew up in the typical public school environment where personal popularity depended on how well one played competitive team sports. The workplace is no different. You must be competitive and conventional. And yoga is neither of these, nor flashy, nor public. Yoga requires introspection, but who today promotes the inward look? Are we not manipulated and encouraged not to pursue self enlightenment to better fulfill our roles as consumers? Our distractions and addictions - drugs, sports, alcohol, television, computers, overwork, and pursuit of material and fame - help eliminate the need for self intimacy.
Yoga, however, helps extract the individual from social pressures, generates a communal spirit with fellow yogis, and eliminates any need for competitiveness or adversarial interaction. Skeptics may argue that running, tennis, golf or popular team sports stimulate mental discipline and the self-criticism required to motivate self-improvement. Further, working as team members and developing strategies of play enhance our social skills, ultimately improving our societies. While these premises have merit, they overlook several critical aspects of self-intimacy and self-awareness that yoga naturally incorporates.
In yoga there is no need to critique or analyze performance. You are in control of your body and mind, not outside influences. You are who you are, and you perform a pose or routine to whatever level you're at. Try your best and benefit by focusing the mind on your body and how it is responding to what you are doing with and to it. Inhale relaxation. Exhale tension. Regarding teamwork, yogis share an intimate bond through self-acceptance and inner peace that facilitate interaction with others.
Can walking or hiking, combined with a solid stretch and flex routine, substitute for yoga? Perhaps. But I have found a deeper appreciation of these activities from my practice of yoga.
Yoga can be very challenging for some and still is to me. When I first started and got into the basic seated posture, my stiffness and lack of flexibility showed. It was painful after a few minutes. Not now. And my breathing is no longer shallow. I have even used yoga breathing to calm myself prior to key meetings – and I was CEO-equivalent of a 5,000 person organization. I am better able to relax in commonly stressful situations. I also no longer reflect on becoming some idealized wannabe manufactured for me by society. All these benefits, and more, emerged by embracing yoga without being obsessive about it. I just stuck with it and kept an open mind - even when the only male in my classes!
I encourage everyone to consider yoga as part of an exercise routine. Research and choose a branch of yoga that best suits your objectives. With yoga meaning a union between self and either a supreme being or an ultimate principle, it fits within any major religious doctrine, agnosticism, or atheism. Yoga, then, is both universal and highly personal, promoting a synergistic joining of mind and body.
I am no longer frustrated.
He Pointed His Gun at My Nose
I didn’t mean nuthin, honest!
I really meant well. On the interstate heading to the Worcester (MA) State Hospital, bringing a sandwich to a young cousin overcoming substance addiction. I knew I had to get there before 8 p.m. closing and it was going to be close. Wintertime and dark and I was in a big car with a defective rear light, driving way over the speed limit (I was really trying to do good) and there was the flashing blue light. The State Police officer took my papers back to the cruiser to write the ticket and I decided to try to charm him with sweet talk. Not a good idea. I left my car and approached the cruiser with my hands folded behind my back, trying to effect the ‘cat that got caught with the canary’ posture, but the officer, unable to see my hands became concerned. As I approached the window of the cruiser, all I could see was a monstrous handgun pointing at my nose. My hands flew upwards as I shouted a prayer to deity. The officer got out of the cruiser, pushed me over the car’s hood, made sure I was unarmed, after which he, unnecessarily, apologized for drawing his weapon and proceeded to write the speeding ticket.
Well, I was young, naïve, inexperienced, and thankfully, unhurt. But I could so easily been killed because of my own stupidity. That was about forty years ago and ever after, when stopped by the police I always: 1. Drive the car well off the road. 2. Lower the window. 3. Turn off the ignition. 4. Rest both hands high up on the steering wheel, await instruction and never try to con the officer. They’ve heard it all and respect truth and candor.
Ever after, although I continued to speed, I was never abused by the police. All they want is the respect to which they’re entitled and often will give you a break when appropriate.
Hal Fishbein
October 2007
The Time I Knew I Knew God
There was a time my business was doing well. It was growing up a storm. The Sr. Vice President, and I, with unrealistic visions of grandeur, decided to take flying lessons to better serve our locations thru-ought New England.
The Norwood, Massachusetts’s airport did not have commercial airline service. It specialized in private planes, the flying school and little else. With only one runway and no tower, planes were permitted to take off and land at will. Safety was the responsibility of the pilot, his eyes, ears, intelligence and will to live. For that matter, I’m not sure ears were of much help.
Flying instruction was a heavenly (no pun intended) experience. When flying above the clouds a bright sun would create a circular rainbow around the plane’s shadow, visible on the clouds below, a celestial sight viewed by few.
Once, while flying straight and level, I noticed a small plane well off to the right, heading our way. I didn’t think much about it. The instructor, a seasoned experienced professional, was sitting to my left and, of course, knew what he was doing. It appeared the plane was continuing on course with potential for collision at which time I deigned to bring it to the instructor’s attention. “By the way, did you happen to notice the plane…†With that he grabbed the controls, pointed the plane skyward, gunned the engine, and shouted, “Where did that son-of-a-bitch come from?†It then occurred to me, this flying stuff was serious.
Finally, It was solo time. The instructor, sitting as close as conjoined twins, saw me take off and land scores of times and had confidence in me. I knew I was ready. And then, there I was, alone at the foot of the runway. I pushed the throttle all the way using full engine power. ‘The little single engine trainer, sounded like the roar of a mighty jet and just before the runway disappeared I was airborne. Yippee! What a thrill! I was Superman, more powerful than a locomotive.
I took the prescribed three turns around the airport and prepared to land. Only then did it occur to me: Nobody, but nobody on this planet, but me, was going to put the plane back on the ground. I verbalized the briefest prayer and then I knew I knew God.
Right after that came my first gout attack and, coincidentally, a softening of the business climate and I never flew again. But ever after I was in that select fraternity of those who soloed. It was worth every dime.
Hal Fishbein
October 2007
Raising Well Behaved Children
We raised two, of whom I am totally proud. They are fine, considerate, caring adults, for which I give my spouse full credit. But that’s not the subject of this piece. The subject deals with the method, technique, and skill of raising well-behaved children.
Two boys, I’m told, are the worst combination. I agree. It’s axiomatic. For us it was a daily struggle. Why? We didn’t know the method, the technique nor did we have the skill. So what qualifies me now to address the subject with expertise?
For the past twenty-two years my residence has included a full spa with common whirlpool and swimming pool and for over two decades I’ve observed hundreds of families with various aged children, many of who were poorly behaved as well as the majority who were well behaved and discovered the common thread inherent in each group. The method, technique, and skill are no secret. It should be obvious, although it wasn’t to us. It’s just a matter of manner, courtesy and respect, not from the children; to the children. Those struggling with the poorly behaved attempted to control with intimidation, shouts, and threats with the result the children responded in kind.
Those with the well behaved needed not intimidation, shouts or threats. They addressed their children respectfully, quietly, knowing compliance was a given and it was. It was almost as if the parents were addressing other adults. It’s as simple as that.
I don’t know how my eldest son (my younger is just recently married) and his wife discovered the skill, but they have it. Their six children are just a joy to be with. The two eldest help care lovingly for the others. That’s their job, their responsibility, their joy.
Do I oversimplify? Perhaps, but that’s the way I see it.
Hal Fishbein
October 2007
Turning to Yoga: Benefits of Converting the Male Mid-Life Exercise Routine
by Frank Camelio
Writing from Life, Assignment #5, 22 Oct 2007
I am frustrated.
I'm standing outside a small room and feel mentally ill-equipped for the moment. I enter to find fit-looking women territorially positioned and casually dressed in either loose garb or body-clinging tights and tops. I'm wearing running shorts and T-shirt. Why am I here? I need to do something for my health and sanity. Running took its toll on my lower back and right hip. It is my first yoga class, and I'm wary. I meekly stake out my own eight by four foot hardwood real estate and lay down the mat provided.
As the class begins and I go through the gentle warm-up exercises and listen to the instructor, a change comes over me.
"It's all in the breath," she explains.
After a few more minutes, I think, "This is pretty basic stuff and makes such eloquent sense."
We all draw energy from our breath. And in class after class with different instructors, the theme is consistent and a simple truth emerges: We can live without food, water, and rest for extended periods, but without breath, we expire - and pretty quickly! Breath is first and foremost. This is a central doctrine of Hatha Yoga.
I've learned much in this journey to practice yoga. My motives were purely physical initially - restore the back, alleviate past abuses, and balance the body. But as I acquired competence with the poses and developed greater flexibility, the philosophy of the practice penetrated my thoughts. At first, none of this interested me. I favored instructors who taught “power yoga.” I just wanted to muscle my way through the routines. Gradually, I began to appreciate the innate insight one gains of one's self through yoga.
In Western societies yoga still lags in popularity, particularly among men. My past tells why. I grew up in the typical public school environment where personal popularity depended on how well one played competitive team sports. The workplace is no different. You must be competitive and conventional. And yoga is neither of these, nor flashy, nor public. Yoga requires introspection, but who today promotes the inward look? Are we not manipulated and encouraged not to pursue self enlightenment to better fulfill our roles as consumers? Our distractions and addictions - drugs, sports, alcohol, television, computers, overwork, and pursuit of material and fame - help eliminate the need for self intimacy.
Yoga, however, helps extract the individual from social pressures, generates a communal spirit with fellow yogis, and eliminates any need for competitiveness or adversarial interaction. Skeptics may argue that running, tennis, golf or popular team sports stimulate mental discipline and the self-criticism required to motivate self-improvement. Further, working as team members and developing strategies of play enhance our social skills, ultimately improving our societies. While these premises have merit, they overlook several critical aspects of self-intimacy and self-awareness that yoga naturally incorporates.
In yoga there is no need to critique or analyze performance. You are in control of your body and mind, not outside influences. You are who you are, and you perform a pose or routine to whatever level you're at. Try your best and benefit by focusing the mind on your body and how it is responding to what you are doing with and to it. Inhale relaxation. Exhale tension. Regarding teamwork, yogis share an intimate bond through self-acceptance and inner peace that facilitate interaction with others.
Can walking or hiking, combined with a solid stretch and flex routine, substitute for yoga? Perhaps. But I have found a deeper appreciation of these activities from my practice of yoga.
Yoga can be very challenging for some and still is to me. When I first started and got into the basic seated posture, my stiffness and lack of flexibility showed. It was painful after a few minutes. Not now. And my breathing is no longer shallow. I have even used yoga breathing to calm myself prior to key meetings – and I was CEO-equivalent of a 5,000 person organization. I am better able to relax in commonly stressful situations. I also no longer reflect on becoming some idealized wannabe manufactured for me by society. All these benefits, and more, emerged by embracing yoga without being obsessive about it. I just stuck with it and kept an open mind - even when the only male in my classes!
I encourage everyone to consider yoga as part of an exercise routine. Research and choose a branch of yoga that best suits your objectives. With yoga meaning a union between self and either a supreme being or an ultimate principle, it fits within any major religious doctrine, agnosticism, or atheism. Yoga, then, is both universal and highly personal, promoting a synergistic joining of mind and body.
I am no longer frustrated.
Post a Comment