Lawrence in Arabia

It took thousands of years of history to arrive at our current Middle East, however some of the critical events played out with World War I and its aftermath.  T E Lawrence has become an heroic almost mythical person written about and immortalized in film.  Scott Anderson decided it was time to write a book about him that in fuller context would help explain the Middle East.

The movie, "Lawrence of Arabia" depicting his funeral  near the beginning demonstrates a dichotomy with some people adopting a hero worshiping attitude and others thinking he was up to something.  Lawrence came to the Middle East to work on archaeological projects.  When World I hit the Middle East he was known to have some valuable knowledge of the language and culture as well as some specific geographical awareness.  At some stage he stepped beyond being an adviser into being pro active.

One unique characteristic of Lawrence was that he could endure discomfort and pain.  He had little if any experience riding camels, but took part in very long treks on a camel to gain respect as well as achieve strategic goals.

Most believe that he was sympathetic to the Arabs while being aware of some double crossing by the English and French.  The author reminds us that the French were resistant to any plans to involve Arabs in what is known as Syria.  In fact because the French would have been unable to take part in a proposed invasion of Turkey close to Syria they supported the disastrous Gallipoli attack.  The French and English in secret wrote the Sykes-Picot agreement which essentially split up Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine amongst themselves.  He worked behind the scenes to support the Arab hopes to deciding their own destiny.   Some would accuse Lawrence of treason as he divulged some of this information to Arab leaders, notably Faisal Hussein.

One example of Lawrence's brutal practicality was when one fighter was killed by another fighter from a different tribe.  He learned that if revenge was enacted by the aggrieved tribe, it would lead to more retaliation amongst tribal members back at the home base.  So rather than permit an execution by one tribe on another he personally executed the killer.  It was common for Arab fighters to kill prisoners because they did not have the capacity to manage them.  In some instances Lawrence was forced to accept this.

There are many who thought Lawrence was a grand stander and he certainly made a lot of decisions behind the backs of his superiors.  Scott Anderson does concede that Lawrence had a well developed sense of fair play and felt the British and the French were not playing fair with the Arabs while trying to use them for their own ends.

Juan Cole, complains that the movie, "Lawrence of Arabia"  makes Faisal Hussein as not as sophisticated as he must have been in real life.  In general he didn't feel that Arabs were given enough credit for the Arab Revolt.

Although T E Lawrence is the dominating focal figure, a great deal of context missing from most accounts was added in.  Anderson has included a lot of details of other significant persons.   The Turks were in some cases humanized, but the Armenian massacre was noted.  There were Jewish factions, some Zionist and some not, but they did set up a spy network.  Even the British from India created their own pressures on the Middle East as they were anxious to avoid a Muslim rebellion. The British had different factions maneuvering amongst themselves.   The Americans did not declare war on the Ottoman Empire, but an oil man was there misleading the Turks and working towards American ownership.

The Russian Revolution changed the dynamics.  When the Russians withdrew from combat both the Germans and the Turks were able to shift troops to the front against the English, French, Americans and their allies.  However when the Americans gradually increased their numbers and their training the Germans and Turks succumbed. 

Lawrence after the war must have felt himself a failure as he had directed his efforts towards greater Arab independence and found himself impotent in that regard.  The creation of Jordan can be traced to some of Lawrence's efforts.  He fled to England where many regarded him as a hero, but he sought anonymity and no responsibility.  He refused a knighthood.

The author feels although there were many factors to arrive at today's Middle East much of it was cast during World War I and its aftermath.  We in the West tend to look down upon the inhabitants, but easily overlook at what was done to create the chaos on our behalf.

Living on the corner during a Canadian winter

Over half my life has been spent living on a corner house, or more critically well over half of my shoveling life has been.

As a youngster I lived in my grandfather's house which was a double lot on a corner used partly for a coal business.  My father had moved back home after his father had a stroke when I was about two years old.  Since I was about 8 years old (I was the oldest son) I got to shovel the sidewalk.  Pretty daunting for an 8 year old, but with no permanent harm.  That property has since been taken over by the General Motors Place in Oshawa.

After about the age of 16 my family moved to Haliburton where I spent my last two years of high school before going to the University of Guelph.  Eventually got a job and lived in an apartment and boarding houses for a few years, then finally bought my first house on a dead end street.  Later moved to another house and then rented for two or three years.  Finally I moved to my current house and it was  a family deal that couldn't be resisted, but it was on a corner.

Corner houses do have advantages. I moved into my second corner house during the summer and put more emphasis on those advantages.  It is nice to have extra parking spots for your visitors.  Your location is easier to describe.  However when snow starts to fall it is hard to maintain parking spots and you now have a legal responsibility to clear more than twice the sidewalk space as most of your neighbours.  Most just have to worry about the front of the house whereas us corner lot owners also have to worry about the length.

There are advantages to all that extra shoveling.  Fitness has not always been one of my strengths and shovelling snow did provide a high percentage of my exercise for many years.  I am conscious that fitness is something needed to enjoy life more and in fact to shovel snow.  Going out into the cold with some heavy shoveling is one immediate cause of heart attacks.

Maybe it builds character.  Being at an intersection means I get lots of opportunities to help push cars through to the other side.  Jean Chretien, once said something about Canadians in that in the winter we need to work together to get our cars going and one way is to rock back and forth until we find traction and persuading a few pushers to help.

Since I started writing this between shovel sessions I also walked downtown and noticed a few of my corner house colleagues had set a good example.  They had punched out a pedestrian walkway through to the street.  I have to admit that that pricked my conscience as I also noticed those who didn't  make a cut through the snow pile made it much more difficult to get to the other side.

Credit blogging with making me think a little deeper on the subject.

SOUND ASLEEP

Like too many people I have trouble sleeping.  I have read a few earlier books on sleeping, but I couldn't resist one more effort when I came across "Sound Asleep" while browsing e books at the local library.

The book seems to reflect a lot of research on a wide variety of sleep concerns.  It will help you to understand the process to better deal with your specific concerns.  Research is ongoing and it is likely that there will be much fine-tuning in the future.

There are many sleep conditions and the author grouped many of them that have common remedies.  Sleep sanitation was used as a generic process that provides a base for more specific remedies.  Such things as temperature, darkness, mattresses, covers, pillows and  diet (and eating habits),  Much would be considered common sense, but nonetheless often overlooked.

A common factor is stress and Dr Idzikowski suggested a  few simple exercises.   Time management is important as many people carry their worries into their beds instead of preparing for the next day (set out clothes, make lunch, etc) before going to sleep.  He suggests you write down what not accomplished today so you don't have to dwell on it.

Many of us would find some of his suggestions very difficult such as no television in the bedroom or limiting alcohol consumption, but if you have serious problems getting your necessary sleep the more of his suggestions you can accept the more success you are likely to encounter.

Some of his advice is useful to those who do not have trouble sleeping.   For instance if you are  memorizing information it is more effective to make the effort one hour before sleeping than it is closer to sleeping.

From birth to old age our sleep patterns change.  Generally we go through a number of cycles as our bodies consolidate what we have taken in during the day and restore our strength for the upcoming challenges.  The number of hours we sleep may change, but the patterns adjust as well.

A key time to develop habits is when we are infants.  Of course parents are concerned that they get their necessary sleep to help cope with life's struggles, but they also have an opportunity for their youngsters to develop new habits.  The key is to develop routines.

In today global village many people for business or pleasure find themselves going across several time zones.  This is a phenomenon our ancestors did not contend with.  Dr Idzikowksi has several observations about jet lag that can help alleviate our adjustments.

A quote from "Sound Asleep"  that I like comes from Lord Chesterfield,  "A light supper, a good night's sleep and a fine morning have often made a hero of the same man who by indigestion, a restless night and a rainy morning would have proved a coward."

To keep up to date try his website:  http://www.sleepspecialist.co.uk/

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela will undoubtedly generate millions of tributes and I have nothing to add.  He humbles me and I want to express some gratitude that such a man existed.  The key thing more than his intelligence was that he dealt with hate and anger in a positive manner.

I first heard of him when he was in jail and the descriptions were mixed.  Some people thought of him as a hero while others described him as a terrorist and a Communist.  His court speech deals with that I think very appropriately.  As I grew up it was common to hear about Communists behind all sorts of movements that sought freedom.  In truth the Communists were opportunists offering an alternative rationale and doing what they could to undermine their opposition.  Mandela pointed out in his speech that during World War II the Americans and Britons allied with the Soviet Union and were not accused of being Communists.

Those who side with the Western establishment managed to rationalize dealing with South Africa during the apartheid years, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher among them.  Dick Cheney recently justified labeling Nelson Mandela a terrorist.  Brian Mulroney, also a conservative broke with his colleagues and supported efforts to fight apartheid for which Canadians can take some pride.

Nelson was not above violence, but looked for another way.  In prison he had opportunities to read, act in plays, and study.

After negotiations got him out of prison and he eventually became president he adopted an attitude that few in his place would.  His former guards were given a place of honor for his inauguaration.  South Africa is a tribal society also with significant numbers of Europeans, mixed, Indian Hindus and Muslims.  To Nelson they are all South Africans.

Truth and Reconciliation was a unique solution to a common problem.  It allowed a lot of people to vent their frustrations with an audience.  A few other jurisdictions have adopted the model.

While president, Mandela asked to testify in court, was urged to use his power not to testify.  He felt no one should be above the law.

After one term as elected president he stepped down.  By itself this was a tremendous model for Africa where it is common for dictators to hang onto power for decades for their own enrichment.  His popularity was such that he could have maintained power as long as he chose.

After stepping down  he still worked for the betterment of South Africa.  He played a small role in getting the World Cup to South Africa.  Out of office and with a son who died of Aids he reversed himself and became an advocate fighting the disease.

For a gift card given to me several years ago I bought his autobiography.  Well worth reading.

The world has lost a tremendous model.  Let us hope the world has learned.

Maggie

This is perhaps my most selfish blog ever.  I am feeling sorry for myself because something very precious to me has been taken away.  Hopefully writing about it will be therapeutic. Maggie deserves to be remembered

I have written elsewhere how I became a cat person from definitely not being a cat person. Out of the blue (actually I remember it was raining) a stray tiny kitten who couldn't be more than a few weeks old came up to our screen door meowing for attention.  My first reaction was to tell Sharon not to feed it as I was sure it would mooch off us every day if we let it.  She kept coming around and Sharon gave in to the urge and even set up a sort of shelter outside our door.

We had another cat and we both felt guilty that during a work day we left her alone all day.  I talked to Mary Ditta at work and she advised me how we could introduce the new cat to our house.  It didn't work out that way, but I am nonetheless grateful we took her in.  Molly our resident cat became very territorial and although she kept her distance her resentfulness never subsided.  Molly was much bigger, but Maggie (a name suggested by someone where Sharon works) was faster and could jump higher.  Maggie could get up to the heating vents in our basement where she would often hide and then startle someone when she decided to come back down.

Maggie craved affection.  Over the years because of work changes I got out of bed second and was expected to make the bed.  Maggie decided to "help" out.  It became a routine and to be honest something I looked forward to.  It didn't take much to set her off purring.

Maggie, even though she came to us from the outside was a bit of a fraidy cat.  She wanted to go outside, but when we put her on a leash she became frightened and wanted to come back indoors. She was shy when we had visitors, but occasionally made an appearance.

She was a finicky eater.  We searched all over to find something she would eat.  After awhile her tastes would shift and we would start all over again.

It seems like only a few weeks ago Sharon noticed she was not eating as much as usual and wasn't her usual frisky self.  A trip to the vet revealed she had a tumour and we weren't given much hope for a recovery.  We tried to make her last while as comfortable as possible, but she got skinnier and skinnier and more and more listless.  It is a difficult decision and easy to double guess, but we decided she was suffering too much although we were reluctant to give her up for our own greedy reasons.  We took her in last night.  It has been very upsetting to know she will never come up to us again to be stroked.   Blue Cross Animal Hospital was very supportive and respectful of our feelings.

Words can't really do her justice.  Maggie was a gift that brought a great deal of joy to our lives.  I will try to remember the joy as much as the loss.

I am grateful to Renee DiPietro Smyth, a cat lover herself who gave us some advice on how to handle the last few weeks that were very helpful.  I am also grateful to Kate Albanese who let me share some of my grief and told me about her own grief over a family cat.  Most of all I want to thank my wife Sharon who helped persuade me to let Maggie into our lives, who did a lot of the dirty work (I did some) and who I know is sharing my grief.

I didn't always like cats.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/01/how-i-became-cat-lover.html

VB6 VEGAN BEFORE 6

Dieting is a preoccupation of most adult Canadians and Americans.  By dieting I mean going off your eating routine and eating by a number of rules.  The problem for most of us is that the regimentation eventually becomes too difficult to continue.  And before you know it we are back to our unhealthy habits.

Mark Bittman, a food writer for the New York Times is well aware of this cycle and is on a job where it is very easy to eat an unhealthy diet. His job also gives him time to think about what would be a healthier diet.

Motivation is crucial and Mark deals with it from different angles. The biggest obstacle is the big change and the tight restrictions required by a defined diet.  There is no getting around it most weight reducing diets are a form of torture for many of us.  The idea of having one meal free of most restrictions makes it more bearable.  Mark is also understanding that we all have cravings for things that are not healthy.  He gives you permission to indulge once in awhile.

A vegan diet is healthier than the typical North American diet, but is unappealing to most.  Being healthy is only one of its merits, though and Mark appeals to environmental concerns.  Livestock is a major contributor to greenhouse gases.  Most people don't stop to realize that livestock converts a lot of plants to meat, but the plants could more efficiently feed a larger number of people.  Plus methane from manure is a very significant greenhouse gas.

Mark is advocating a life style change recognizing that it is a more difficult sale than giving desperate people a short term restrictive diet to achieve a goal (however temporary).  The core of the book is to switch from processed foods and meat to more fruits and vegetables and the greater the shift the better.  He also feels that the effort will get easier as time flows.  Ultimately the more effort you put into anything the more you are likely to benefit.

My own experience has been somewhat like a yo-yo diet.  I have in fact on two occasions lost over 30 pounds in a period of a few months, maintained weight for a few years, but found myself gradually reverting to old habits.  The least painful diet was a high fibre diet and later followed by the Fit for Life diet.  Both have had a long lasting effect on me in the fact that I do eat more fruits, vegetables and fibre and less meat.  Unfortunately I have not lost my interest in meat or sugar and deal with stress by compulsively eating comfort foods.

Mark is aware of this tendency and tries to provide healthy alternatives by way of attractive recipes and dealing with guilt feelings when we let down.  The world has opened up and we are now aware of a much greater variety of food options.  It is true that food corporations have made a science of enticing us to eat very tasty food and delivering greater profit for the shareholders.

Mark wants you to enjoy tasting your food and encourages spices to improve the flavor.  Chewing slowly can be part of the strategy as it helps give a feeling of satisfaction before you have over eaten.

Synopsis:  VB6 requires commitment to eat more plant food, including whole grains; eat less animal products and processed foods and eat much less junk food.

I am glad I read Mark's book and listened to him on the radio.  A life style change has appeal and I have been made a few minor painless changes already and am seriously considering making bigger moves.  If you are conscious of your own bad habits you would do well to read his book and help you move in a better direction.  It is workable if you are willing to give it some effort.

You can see that Mark enjoys food and you can too.  Check out his website http://markbittman.com/

Some thoughts on what happens to farm animals when we convert to veganism:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/01/what-happens-to-farm-animals-when.html

PURCHASING: LIFE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTER

Most of my adult working life has been in sales of one form or another.  But there was a time I was officially a buyer.  Due to downsizing I was unemployed for awhile when Len, my brother in law had a maternity leave for an advertising media buyer.  I was grateful for the opportunity, but it required a bit of an adjustment--after all I would now be on the other side of the counter!

At first I was probably more sympathetic of sales people and listened to more of them for longer than my predecessor.  After awhile though I began to be annoyed.  There are only so many minutes in a work day and there are other chores for a buyer such as processing orders, reporting on them and listening to the requests of my superiors with lots of details to worry about.  Also I couldn't help but notice that they all claimed to be the best and implied that if I was really doing my job I would buy from them.  There is only so much money and always the buyer has a different perspective than the seller.

I did appreciate sales reps who actually pointed out things I didn't know or that expanded my awareness. Some were understanding of my situation, but most were a steady stream of why I should buy from them.

Needing help I enrolled in a night course for Purchasing at Mohawk College.  There I met the instructor Laura and anticipated a lot of how to beat the sales person rhetoric.  Wrong!  Sales people can provide useful information.  Sales people can troubleshoot.  You can negotiate with most good sales reps. Some of them are nice.

A more specific fear was that the goal of a buyer is to force down the prices.  Naturally sales people are hired to maximize profit and on the other hand buyers are hired to minimize expenses to maximize profits.  Laura pointed out a fair price is one that allows the seller to make enough profit that they can stay in business and provide support service.  If the seller feels they are not making enough profit they will stop negotiating.

The goal of purchasing is similar to that of selling.  To be more efficient and effective at doing a function that is important to a business.  Lots of details to do the job.  Purchasing is concerned about timeliness, value, storage, transportation, billing, credit.  Getting the right product and/or service to get the job done with the optimal profit.

Learned about the concept of just in time delivery, mastered by Walmart.  Cuts down on storage costs, interest paid and even labour expense.

As I have been told by some sales books the ideal is a win-win situation where both sides feel they got what they wanted.

 

Some blogs on my selling career:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/06/working-with-pet-retailers-part-1.html  

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/10/my-career-selling-office-supplies.html 

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/07/salemans-introspection-as-buyer.html

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/10/using-data-bases-for-selling-part-one.html 

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/03/applications-in-selling.html

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/01/my-most-unusual-way-to-make-money.html