In Praise of Water Polo

A confession to start this blog.  I haven't seen a live water polo game in years and only occasionally watch during the Olympics and Pan Am tv coverage.  My daughter, Heather who got me started on blogging is also the one who did get me interested in water polo.  Today I was reminded by a front page photo of the Hamilton Spectator that included my daughter's high school team, Westdale High.

No one was more surprised than me when my daughter picked up an interest in competitive swimming.  I didn't swim and although I did watch it at the Olympic level I didn't picture my life revolving around it as much as it turned out.  Swim meets tended to be out of town, sometimes requiring an overnight visit meaning sometimes the whole family took a vacation.  But the real time commitment came with practice which often meant getting up at 5 am and then later going to another practice in the evening.  I would hear about hockey parents going to a lot of practices and out of town games, but on the practice end I think the swimmers take the prize.  One of the bonuses is they are more fit.

Both my wife and I got involved in volunteer activities.  One of mine was getting results to the local paper and one pleasant memory was talking to Joanne Malar who once held a world record.  More concretely I got involved in officiating and worked myself up the ladder a bit.  Instead of being one of the cheering crowd I felt I was part of the action.  One of our club members actually made it to the Olympics as a starter for swim events.  More on my sports volunteering:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/06/my-career-as-sports-volunteer.html

Swimming is very demanding.  All that sacrifice is necessary because to get to the top is extremely competitive.  Along the way it is not always fun. They go up and down lanes continuously with the only variation being stroke and pace and occasional breaks.  One coach explained it to me that there are countless practices in relation to an actual competition meet unlike in team sports where it seems there might be one to three practices for every game.  At one point my daughter got involved with water polo at the high school level and my wife and I started attending games which admittedly were more fun.

In my adopted city of Hamilton water polo is in almost every high school and my daughter's school, Westdale had a long tradition.  They like to recruit swimmers because they have endurance and speed, both in demand for water polo.  It didn't seem very ladylike and later my daughter confirmed it really wasn't for delicate people.

What do sports junkies get out of watching sports?  Although fictional drama works very cleverly to make one be pleasantly (sometimes otherwise) surprised at the ending it can't always match the unpredictability of a sports event.  Sports gives an opportunity to display character.  Overcoming difficulties and working as a team.  Skill, strength, speed and endurance. can be appreciated  It is all relative at one level.  If you haven't played a sport you can't really appreciate the skill, but the more you watch the more you can understand the skills required to win.

As in other sports a close game is more exciting.  With Water Polo we have seen come from behind and hold on to a slight lead, overtime tension and winning and losing.  My first sports love is basketball and I remember someone referring to it as a game of deception and let's be honest we all love to see one player fake out another or a defender calmly handle a fake.  The same holds true in water polo where faking is a key to getting around a defender or setting up a goalie for a shot.  My daughter assures me water polo is fun and it is easy to notice on the players' faces.

The first year Heather played for Westdale she was on the city championship team.  The last year she was the team captain and definitely one of the reasons they won another city championship.  The games were by no means a wipeout and winning required keeping your cool under pressure.  Of course it is always nice to be on the winning side, but as I get older I appreciate it is the opponent that brings out the best in you.  Learning to accept losing is always a character builder.

She went on to play for a non school team, but eventually she went to King's College in Halifax where interest was not as high.  Water polo is one of the sports I look for in the Olympics and other international events.  Water polo was one of the first team sports to be added to the Olympics back in 1900.  Modern day water polo came from England and Scotland in the late 19th century.

To be played properly water polo requires a deep pool.  Switching ends with one end being shallow takes away from skills involved.  A lot of the action is beneath the surface as players jockey for position.  It can be spectacular to see a player rise above the surface and if the defense can sometimes counter that.

All sports have merit.  As parents we want our kids to be fit and healthy and to take on challenges and to work as a team.  Water polo is something that should be encouraged and is certainly enjoyable to watch.  No need to anticipate boredom, if you get to know the game it will get you excited.

Italian cinema

Italians can boast of some of the best directors in the world and have world class actors, movie composers and other film artists.  You don't have to understand Italian to have seen much of their work.

Politics and box office don't always mix  Fascism and Catholicism permeate many of their movies.  I was surprised to learn that Mussolini invested in Italian cinema in the 1920's and 1930's and is at least partially responsible for the development of technical skills.  He would be surprised to see the political turn about after his execution.  One reason that neo-realism got started in Italy was that after the war poverty hit even the film industry and they took to filming outside as opposed to inside elaborate studios.  Many sought non professional actors and recast established actor roles.  In Mussolini's time it was common to highlight tourist attractions, but they were avoided in neo-realism.

Roberto Rosselini is said to have been a key founder of neo-realism which had a strong influence on the French new wave film movement.  Also Elia Kazan credited him with his own realism in films such as "On the Waterfront."  Prior to World War II he was close friends with Benito Mussolini's son, but after Italy was out of war directed and wrote "Rome Open City" a very anti-Fascist film starring Aldo Fabrizzi and Anna Magnani, released in 1945.  Won a top prize at Cannes.  Famous for marrying Ingrid Bergman and fathering Isabel Rosselini.  A quote:  "I do not want to make beautiful films.  I want to make useful films.  I try to capture reality, nothing else."

My first Italian movie seen several decades ago was "La Strada" (1954), written and directed by Federico Fellini with Anthony Quinn and Richard Basehart being dubbed.  I was fascinated by the female lead, Giulietta Masina who I later learned was Fellini's wife and starred in many of his movies.  Her facial expressions reminds one of Lucille Ball.  An earlier film, "I Vitelloni" (1953) was grimly realistic.  Fellini won the best foreign film Oscar for "8 1/2" (1963) which is considered by some to be the finest film ever made.  Not much of a plot, it reflects the creative process as known by Fellini.  Another well known film was "La Dolce Vita" (1960).

Pier Paolo Pasaollinli, radical Catholic, also a Communist for a time, was murdered.  In "Mama Roma" (1962) where he expressed a concern that Anna Magnani would be too dominant which she was.

Bernardo Bertolucci who worked under Pasaollini has directed and written for many English films such as "The Last Emperor" (1987) and "Last Tango in Paris" (1972).

Lina Wertmuller wrote and directed "The Seduction of Mimi" released in 1972 and "Swept Away, released in 1974"  and "Seven Beauties" (1975) all starring Giancarlo Giannini who also appeared in "Love and Anarchy" (1973) which I did not see. All her movies had political themes.

'Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" (1970) won  best foreign Oscar and Cannes and was directed by Elio Petri.

Giuseppe Tornatore, another director/writer gave us "Cinema Paradiso" in 1988 about his own love of movies starting as a young boy.  In 2009 he expanded on that with"Baaria."  Two really well constructed movies were "The Unknown Woman" in 2006 and more recently in English, "The Best Offer" in 2013.  He is working on a documentary about Ennio Morricone who provided most of his background music.  You can read a post devoted to his work at:   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/08/giuseppe-tornatore.html

Sergio Leone  who went to school with Ennio Morricone  is famous for what has been called spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood.  The most famous one, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"  was ridiculed when it first came out in 1966, but is acknowledged today as a masterpiece.  He did a modernized western in English called  "Once Upon a Time in America" in 1984.

Italian film composers have left a mark across Europe and America.  Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota, Ludovico Einaudi, Nicola Piovani  Il Postino (1994) won music Oscar for composer Luis Bacalov.  My iTunes library is loaded with their music.

Andre Guera wrote music for a Bollywood movie, "Fan" that is getting good reviews and also for an earlier blogged film, "Dum Laga Ke Haisa."  Also for many American and European movies including "Hotel Rwanda"(not seen),  "The Pursuit of Happyness" and "Nine" (not seen).

2013 Oscar foreign film winner, "The Great Beauty" written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino who more recently wrote and directed an English film, "Youth" with Michael Caine. (not yet seen)

Sophia Loren married Carlo Ponti, the producer  and together they made Two Women, (1960) which she became the first actress to win best actress Oscar in a foreign film.  I watched dubbed version. She was only 25 and the script required her to be the mother of an adolescent.  She appeared in many Hollywood movies with leading men like Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Clark Gable, Charlton Heston.  In Italy you could better appreciate her acting skills.  "A Special Day" (1977),  "Marriage Italian Style" (1964) and "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" (1963),  "Sunflower" (1970) all with Marcello Mastroanni and all directed by Vittoria De Sica.

Vittorio De Sica was the director for many of Sophia's movies.  He started as an actor and continued to act, but became well known as a director.  "The Bicycle Thieves" (1948) is one of his most famous early movies.

"Divorce Italian Style" (1960) was directed by Pietro Germi and starring Marcello Mastroianni.

Michelangelo Antonioni directed  "L'avventura"  (1960)wiht Gabriele Ferzetti and Monica Vitti  Martin Scorsses was quoted as, "L'avventura"gave me one of the most profound shocks I've had at the movies."

"The Dinner" (2014) was an adaptation of Dutch book by Herman Koch unfortunately was not as layered as the book, but still enjoyable.  Directed by Ivano De Matteo.

Add caption

Human Capital (2013) directed by Paolo Virzi took a skeptical look at modern culture.

"Life is Beautiful" (1997) directed, written and starred in by Roberto Begnini.  I had only thought of him as a goofy comic comparing him to director, writer, like Jerry Lewis.  This movie is a comedy about the Holocaust which could have been disastrous, but was accepted by many Holocaust survivors.  It is hard not to laugh in many parts, but the viewer is well aware of the gross undertones.  The leading lady in this and others is his wife, Nicoletta Braschi.

As with my other movie posts I have named only movies I have actually seen, unless otherwise noted.

Voter issues in the American election

One of the rights of every American citizen is to vote for legislators who set the laws and make decisions that effect everyone.  You are not supposed to know or even assume how any one individual would vote, but in fact this type of knowledge is key to some political strategies.

Shaping votes has become an issue in American elections where each state can decide who it will confirm as a voter and also how voters can be bundled together.  These two powers can be vital in an election.

Political operatives by which I mean those who are involved in managing election campaigns on behalf of candidates have a good idea of how groups vote or at least they think they do.  Those in power determine who they think will vote for or against them and try to optimize their outcomes.  It is assumed that minorities, poor people (in some states), students and ex convicts will vote Democrat.  Many of these are what might be considered the working poor and have limited access to vote with respect to time and location.  While there have been trends to more advance polls including weekends, Republicans make efforts to cut back on them.  They have requirements to register to vote that also can be difficult for the less than fully motivated.  Watching "Selma" one becomes aware how blatant whites once were in blocking blacks from voting.

Prisoners are punished for whatever the law declares a crime.  After having "paid" their debt to society most run into prejudice.  Not only were they guilty, but they probably shouldn't be trusted.  There is also the suspicion amongst Republicans that they might vote for the non business party and should be punished by being restricted in voting rights.  In many jurisdictions they can apply to have their voting rights restored, but it can be difficult.  As of 2008 over 5.3 million Americans (disproportionately African-Amerian or Latinos) were disenfranchised due to felony convictions with many legislative changes in both directions since then.  Canada along with over a dozen other countries allow inmates to vote.

Students are considered by their elders to be immature and idealistic so their voting dilutes the realistic votes.  At well past 50 I can identify with that attitude, but those who bother to vote have a perspective that should not be ignored.  Students are facing poor job prospects and climate change more than their elders.  As students many have actually studied issues.  They are usually more open about some things.  The other problem with students is they often go to school and have a residence in two different locations.  They need to make a choice which may be based on convenience or where they think they can make the most difference.  Maximizing your power seems very legitimate to me.  Student ID's are not acceptable in all states.

Gerrymandering has proven to be very effective.  Both major parties have used it, but technology has enabled some very precise decisions on electoral boundaries.  In the 2012 election the Democrats collected over a million more votes than Republicans, but find themselves in the minority in the House of Representatives which doesn't really reflect the will of the people although they claim they do.  One suggestion I would venture is that some form of proportional voting be considered at the state level.  Each party could make a ranked list known in advance and that in itself would be a major factor in a voter's decision.  They would have to balance urban, rural, industrial, agricultural, cultural, gender, etc concerns and if a party can't assure an individual voter they would get fair representation, the voter would have the option of voting for the other party.

I lifted this explanation from a Daily Kos column by David Nir quoting a group of Wisconsin legislators wanting to challenge redistricting.  It seems one of the best explanations why proportional voting works much better.  The wasted votes could be yours, but no vote needs be wasted

The efficiency gap is simply the difference between the parties’ respective wasted votes in an election, divided by the total number of votes cast.  Wasted votes are ballots that don’t contribute to victory for candidates, and they come in two forms: lost votes cast for candidates who are defeated, and surplus votes cast for winning candidates but in excess of what they needed to prevail. When a party gerrymanders a state, it tries to maximize the wasted votes for the opposing party while minimizing its own, thus producing a large efficiency gap. In a state with perfect partisan symmetry, both parties would have the same number of wasted votes.

In Ontario municipal elections I was surprised to learn that those who have a business in an area and pay taxes are entitled to vote in that jurisdiction, but not for school boards.  I understand they also have to make a choice where they prefer to vote.  In local elections cottagers are often at a disadvantage.  In provincial or federal elections cottagers get to make a choice and I have heard discussions of which area their vote would have the most impact.

Here in Ontario we take for granted a lot of our accessibility to vote.  Employers are required to let workers have time to vote.  As a poll clerk for three levels of government I am aware of efforts to assure everyone entitled to, can vote.  Often a neighbour can vouch for a voter.

Photo ID should be a requirement, but it should be very easy to attain.  Most Ontarians have photo ID with either their driver's licence or their medical card.  In other jurisdictions some have opted for registration through birth and others have developed special voter ID cards.  They need to be easy for everyone.  I see some value in vouchers provided they are limited so that one person cannot take too great an advantage with deceit.

If a government is to have credibility they must reflect the will of their citizens.  There are too many people who feel their choice does not matter.  One should not take the attitude that only people like themselves are entitled to vote.  Yes, people need to be educated to their responsibilities, but that is another topic.

Three Persian Directors

"Offside" was perhaps the first Iranian film that got my attention--a major soccer game was played in Tehran and women were forbidden to attend, but several women pretended to be men so they could watch.  A group were found out and segregated without seeing the game.  Jafar Panahi, the director and writer was undoubtedly trying to draw attention to the unfairness of it all.  Apparently one of his daughters had earlier snuck into a soccer stadium after being refused admittance.  A lot of subterfuge was used to make the film including submitting a false script to authorities, using a small digital camera, substituting false name for the director.  Released in 2006 it won a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and an audience award at the Tokyo FILMeX.

In general Panahi has the most legal problems of the three directors covered in this post as he pushes the limit.  He has been detained numerous times and many of his films have been banned in Iran.  He loves doing films that criticize the government or stick up for a minority.

Back in 1995 he won a major award with his first feature, "The White Balloon"  at Cannes which was the first for an Iranian.  Not seen.

Two other of his films I have seen are "The Mirror" and "This is not a film."   "The Mirror" followed a very young girl who got lost in Tehran and at one point the actress expresses distaste and refuses to co-operate.  Panahi's crew decides to follow her anyway and capture the plight of a young girl lost.  "This is not a film" might bore those who do not understand the circumstances and perhaps that is what makes it so interesting.  He had been confined to house arrest in 2010 awaiting a trial and forbidden to do a film.  Using a telephone camera he utilizes the confines of his apartment including a lizard  and a dog.  We would not know of the film if he had been unable to smuggle it out on an USB stick buried in a cake.

His next film, "Taxi" has done the film festival circuit and I saw a trailer at the Hamilton AGH International Film Festival.  Apparently working around more restrictions on his freedom he is working as a taxi driver and talks to his customers using a small camera inside the cab.  It will be a few weeks more before I can see it, but am looking forward to it.

Jafar, besides writing and directing has been an editor and as such was involved with "Border Cafe."  A widow is pressured to marry her brother in law (who already has a wife) and give up her husband's business.  She defies tradition, refusing marriage and renovating her husband's restaurant and cooking in a back kitchen so customers won't know a women is cooking.  Her cafe becomes popular, but still the pressure to give it up continues.  Kambazia Partovi was a well known script writer doing the directing.  We view Muslim countries as suppressing women and these two men remind the outside world and try to raise consciousness.

Jafar Panahi's next movie, "Flowers" will be directed by his son Panah after Jafar's written script won a grant.  It is about discrimination against handicapped people in Iran based on real events.

"A Separation" got my and the world's attention a few years later.  Roger Ebert rated it not only as the best foreign film of 2011, but also the best picture, period.  What I got out of it was the normality of the people.  Except for the hijabs worn even indoors the scenery and dialogue was not all that different from what we in the west are used to.  Asghar's daughter played a critical role  The movie gets your interest and there are a number of twists along the way with a very ambiguous ending.

With some special features on another DVD (with "About Elly") I found the back story for "A Separation" very interesting.  Asghar said that getting a permit was critical and in some doubt.  As the film was nominated for awards it generated a lot of response both in and outside Iran.  There was controversy over things I didn't understand, but it broke a few barriers which were admired by some, but not all.  A concern was when they learned that Madonna was to award the Golden Globe award for their category.  They did win the award.  They were also nominated for the best foreign film Oscar as well as best original script.

This was a tense time as Israel was threatening to bomb Iran over its nuclear developments.  Another nomination for the Oscar was "Footnote" from Israel (an interesting film in itself).  Ex patriots were shown in Canada, the U.S. and Germany following the procedures enthusiastically.  Again they did win the award  which this time was presented by Sandra Bullock, but due to Iranian protocol no hands were shaken.  Asghar spoke in both English and Farsi about Iranians as peace lovers.

Asghar spoke of hindrances to himself and other Iranian filmmakers.  He returned home with a bare notice wanting to avoid the government shaping the event.  Crowds were frantic with authorities wanting to make as little fuss as possible, but he insisted on going back to the airport after being whisked away to share the honour with his fellow Iranians.

After these two movies  it took awhile to become aware of other Iranian movies

"Fireworks Wednesday"  was released in 2006 and was a story involving infidelity and showing Iranian society as much like our own for drama and comedy.

Peyman Mohaadi, a prominent actor had been born in US but raised in Iran. He was the male lead in "A Separation" and accepted the Oscar with Asghar   He appeared in another Farhadi production, "About Elly" released in 2009.  Peyman played a supporting role in this one which was another masterpiece with suspense right through to the end.  He starred in "Camp X-Ray" with Kristen Stewart.  Set in Guantanamo he was supposedly an Arab.

In 2013 Asghar directed a French film, "The Past" with Tahir Rahim and Berenice Bejo.  The movie was a success winning a Cannes award for Berenice as well as himself.

His next movie will star Penelope Cruz, but with few details made public.

Abbas Kiarostami was well established in Iranian film before the other two spanning before and after the Iranian Revolution.  He decided to remain in Iran after the Revolution, although other movie people fled.  His one Iranian film I saw was "Taste of Cherry" about a man who plans a suicide.  I then saw two other films not realizing his connections  one Japanese language set in Tokyo, "Like Someone in Love" and another in Italy,  in French, English and Italian, "Certified Copy" with Juliette Binoche.   Both he and Juliette won awards at Cannes for that one.  He served as a mentor to Jafar Panahi, co-writing "The White Balloon," but his own Cannes awards came two years after Panahi's.

What I got out of watching these Iranian movies is that Iran has a few problems that merit fixing, but we are not quite perfect either.  The other thing I get is that the people are not a whole lot different than we are and Iran has a lot to offer the rest of the world.  Some earlier thoughts on the Persian culture: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/10/my-three-persian-experiences.html

After the Sands

Many of us Canadians are embarrassed about the Alberta Tar Sands, but the whole issue is more complex as described in "After the Sands" by Gordon Laxer.  Elsewhere I have written about the central role it has played in the Canadian economy.  As the price of oil takes a downward swing it causes a different set of concerns.

These days unless you are a climate change denier you are focused on developing renewables and for the time being conservation, when you are forced to use fossil fuels.  Canada is at a very awkward point in that recently our economy was very dependent on the Tar Sands and now that the price of oil has declined severely our economy is hurting, at least in terms of importing goods.

I should have known that while western Canada is exporting to the U.S., eastern Canada has to import much of its oil which means we are not as oil secure as many thought.  Laxer goes into a history of how we arrived at this situation, but it boils down to the Americans have negotiated that buying Canadian oil gives them oil security.  This the author asserts should be re-negotiated and points out that Mexico had successfully rejected American demands that would have impacted their energy security.  Canadians are one of the few industrialized countries without a Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Laxer refers to Jeff Rubin who has thought higher prices for oil would force more manufacturers to locate closer to their customers.  Labour costs are also rising in some developing nations such as China, but it seems global countries are always looking for cheaper labour from more desperate countries.

Norway has set a model for the rest of the world setting aside oil revenues for the benefit of their citizens and with transition plans.  They asserted their national rights to natural resources and held out for higher royalties.  They have been careful that local manufacturing not be harmed by the oil business.  Alberta in contrast has lowest taxes in Canada and argued against higher royalties.  Oil extraction equipment for the most part is purchased in the United States.  Caterpillar supplied much equipment, but has pulled out of Canada.

Laxer points out situations that could cause a problem.  Strikes in Britain at one time jeopardized oil supplies.  Something like 11% of oil to eastern Canada passes the Strait o Hormuz which is only 3 kilometres wide at one point between Saudi Arabia and Iran and subject to Middle Eastern politics.

Although an Albertan, Laxer has long seen the importance of dealing with climate change, but sees that at present the Americans have a stranglehold on conventional oil from western Canada as well as Newfoundland.  He also believes in renewables, but thinks a more important strategy would be conservation.  There is not as much energy in renewables as in fossil fuels and we can never achieve as much efficiency as from the original source.  He points out that much of the rest of the world has learned to live with limited supplies.  During World War II we all lived with rationing.   BC Hydro (where a good friend of mine worked) has a strategy to save capital costs by encouraging conservation.

Laxer would gradually cut down the Sands Oil, and thinks Canada should assert its right to provide energy security with conventional oil.  Pipelines from west to east go through the United States, but he would like to see more all Canadian routes.  He points out that Bitumen corrodes pipes more than conventional oil.  Residents along pipelines are naturally concerned about leaks.  Harper tried to change laws so that natives could not stop pipelines and environmentalists have increasingly aligned their efforts with indigenous groups.

Jobs are a concern and Laxer sees education as critical and for re-training.  Intensive farming and improved transit are key strategies.

For me a key thought was that we should strive for sufficiency as much as  efficiency.  He quotes Gandhi:  "The world has enough for everyone's needs, but not enough for everyone's greed."  Another quote used by George Monbiot:  "It is a campaign not for more freedom, but for less.  Strangest of all it is a campaign not just against other people, but against ourselves."  As always it seems most crises come from greed--someone wanting a bigger share.

Gordon Laxer has another big idea that you can read about.  Tradeable energy quotas he believes would have more impact than cap and trade or taxing fossil fuels.

For up to date views of Gordon Laxer go to:  http://www.gordonlaxer.com

the Media and the American Election

Some of you may be sick of another political article from me.  I apologize as I had not intended to blog about the American election quite this closely, but the results from last night's primaries have really narrowed the opportunities and I think very counter productive to the best interests of everyone.

Everyone knows that money makes a difference in an election.  But another element is communications that sometimes can overcome money.  When you combine big money and the main stream media it is hard to battle.

A few elections ago I became conscious of the power of the media.  The Democrat Howard Dean got off to a roaring start by being an early adopter of social media and raising money without relying on traditional big donors.  His platform appealed to a lot of people who paid attention.  However there were other contenders some of whom had greater name recognition and were able to tap into big money and he started to lose some of his lustre.  What really did him in was a screaming rant that was not intended for media exposure that nevertheless was caught on tape.  It was played it seemed almost every time his candidacy was discussed in the media.  He never recovered.

Undoubtedly the media has played a role in many elections, but I didn't notice because the issues weren't of big concern or my favourites got in anyway.  I worked in newspapers for about twenty years at a time when people were becoming conscious that newspaper ownership was becoming more concentrated.  Here in Canada one consequence was that fewer towns had a correspondent in Ottawa for their local paper and that seemed to affect voter turnout.   To get more details on newspapers and Canadian politics:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/04/kill-messengers.html

The same process was well underway for television and radio.  In the U.S. it was discovered that profits could be made off news if it was packaged in a more entertaining way.  That meant sensationalism, short clips and punditry.  At the same time Americans have loosened laws regarding election spending to the point that many politicians have found fund raising a critical part of their re-election efforts leaving less time to actually do their job.

Big money is influential in countless ways.  Data analysis, transportation to hopscotch around the electoral districts, and advertising all cost money.  Much of that money comes with obligations and almost all of it with expectations.

In the last two decades alternatives have developed through social media.  This is where alternative ideas can reach the public, but even here big money has intruded.  Social media has become a platform for all sorts of ideas, some of hate.

All this to say is that I think the American public has been given a raw deal by the media.  There certainly is cause for anger amongst most people, but big money has had a lot of success in steering that anger.  In the not so distant past the media played a more significant role in informing voters.

After Obama won his historic victory back in 2008, many hoped he would be able to deal with the problems inherited such as the Iraq war and a major recession.  But others were upset that their world was changing in frightening ways.  Part of it was undeniably racist with Mexicans taking low level jobs away from Americans and of course a black man in charge.  A bigger problem was increasing inequality.  The truth is that some at the very top benefited from outsourcing jobs to other countries, from hiring cheap Mexican labour under the table and from laws that enabled them to keep more of their "hard earned" money.  As I understand it the Tea Party was at least partially motivated by the fact that most of the ones responsible for the financial disaster escaped with virtually no punishment.  Somehow that natural anger got diverted  to the awfulness of Obamacare, environmentalists and regulations hurting jobs plus terrorism.

The real cause of unhappiness is inequality.  An enabler of that is campaign finance laws (courtesy of big money influences).  Three realities we all have to face are automation, climate change and too much hate.  A lot of intelligent and educated people have an understanding of that, but they aren't enough to win elections.

Donald Trump has hosted a reality show and drawn a lot of fans.  People think he is tough and smart and to some degree I agree.  But I would add that it is all self serving.  I don't think that he really believes (or cares) that Obama was born in Kenya, but realized that that suggestion drew him a lot of attention and reinforced some negative views of many Americans.  He is very strong on some notions such as building a wall that will be paid for by Mexicans, slamming the door on Muslims and reviving torture, but is very vague about practical details.  Many of us don't really care about the details.  Lately his antics have been alarming, resulting in actual violence.  Many of his facts are unproven.  For my views of the consequences of torture:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/12/torture.html

Mostly unseen by the media has been Bernie Sanders.  He doesn't fit in.  He is proud to call himself a "democratic socialist" which scares a lot of people (especially the 1%).  When he was drawing bigger audiences than most politicians he got very little media attention.  His explanations got even less coverage.  Those who heard his message really liked it, but more attention was given to the outrageous.  Donald Trump got more free media attention than all the other candidates put together, but yet he was seldom, if ever pinned down to a serious explanation.  Networks all prefer Trump's boisterousness to Bernie's explanations.

Bernie points out that the "corporate media" as he characterizes it, is most interested in the criticisms of his opponents (Donald Trump is famous for that) and social gossip.  They do not really get involved in important issues.  They benefit from an interest in the horse race aspects of an election.

Bernie is pointed out as a radical, but here in Canada many of his ideas are already taken for granted.  We already have and would fight to maintain a single payer healthcare system.  Our campaign finance laws could use some improvement (and more enforcement) but they are ahead of America.  Free tuition for qualified students to university has been done in other countries and could make a real difference to global competitiveness.  Climate change, although denied by special interests is gaining public acceptance and by refusing fossil fuels funds Bernie has credibility like no one else.  He has a long time record of human rights including some jail time.  He is not against military action, but was one of the few to vote against the Iraq War.  Having said all that he is also too boring for the networks.

Bernie does see the real problems Americans should be concerned about and has proved over a long period of time he is sincere.  Pretty much everyone else is very careful what they say to avoid offending their donors or their base.  He has mostly exercised good judgment sorting through what he thinks is best for everyone.  He is not just an idealist as he has quietly improved much legislation through amendments.

What is in the media's best interest is high ratings so they can charge more for advertising.  What is not in their best interests is challenging the 1%. The rest of us are losers.

The joy of half a cookie

Our society is obsessed with food, but also with dieting.  Most of us wrestle with temptation and our body shape.  There are all sorts of diets, but we humans find it difficult to stick it out for very long.  There is a lot of commercial interests probing our psyches to tempt us to eat unhealthy (but profitable) foods.  There are countless books dealing with this situation and the best ones deal with the psychology.  The problem is not what you decide to eat, but how you approach this most natural activity.  You really need to integrate a life style.

Jean Kristeller suggests both inner wisdom and outer wisdom should be cultivated.  There are three types of signals that your inner wisdom can learn that you have eaten enough.  The first is taste and this leads to one of the critical strategies.  If you taste your food mindfully you will enjoy it more and also notice that the taste you enjoy starts to fade.  The second signal is fullness which might escape you if you are not paying attention, especially if you eat fast.  You can learn to feel your stomach distending.  The third signal is satiety which refers to blood sugar telling you your body has taken enough nourishment.

Outer wisdom  is compiled as you learn about food values such as calories.  Complex foods take longer to digest, releasing energy over a greater period of time.

She draws upon research for both mindless eating and mindful eating.  Awhile back I read two books back to back and I notice Kristeller has encompassed much of their points.  Read my earlier views at
http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/09/mindless-eating-cf-mindful-eating.html  covering books by Brian Wansink and Jan Chozen-Bays.  We have been studied and corporations have figured out how to get us to eat more without thinking about it.

Jean takes a simple test I had read about and expands it.  One strategy suggested in an earlier book was to put down your knife and fork between bites to slow down.  She thinks that is unnecessary and perhaps too obsessive.  Personally I found it one way I could slow down my own gulping mindlessly. Nonetheless Jean has widened my view.

One of the strengths of her book is that it is not too rigid.  Jean freely admits that most of us will sooner or later have a small transgression and then rationalize that "I've blown it" and go back to our old habits.  She wants us to focus on becoming more mindful over time and discusses many common difficulties such as buffets, family, friends, fast food, emotions and distractions.

A personal problem I have not uncovered in the book, but have read about elsewhere is the effect of tiredness (from lack of sleep).  It is easy for me to mistake the feeling of tiredness for that of hunger and I tend to eat for a quick pick up.  Ironically it seems I eat too much late in the evening and that aggravates my sleeping which in turn assures that I will feel weak the next day.  I can appreciate how the concepts of mindfulness and meditation can help break the cycle.

"What will I regret more?  Will I regret not having this splurge/treats/special time?  Or will I regret feeling uncomfortably full for a few hours?"  Every one's answer is different, but you should ask the question more often.  You can read more at:  http://www.mb-eat.com

An earlier book I think would be helpful (as outer wisdom) is "Vb6" and you can read about it here: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/11/vb6-vegan-before-6.html  The author, Mark Bittman also acknowledges that rigid rules usually undermine efforts to change eating habits. " Vb6" translates to Vegan before 6, but please don't let that scare you--it is very practical and motivating.