Riley and his parents are in town for the holidays. We have been having a wonderful time and he has been entertaining us with his humor and his love.
What strikes me about the last couple of visits is how we just take up where we left off. There is no need for reacquainting ourselves, he just says something like, “Hi Grampy,” and we dive right into being together.
Maybe I should explain that I am a third culture kid. I did not see my grandparents for sometimes years at a time, so I had to get their measure each time we got together. There was always a slow warming up period. Even before we traveled to the Philippines one set of grandparents lived on the west coast while we lived on the east coast. It was much more expensive to travel in those days, so I would see them only every three of years or so.
Riley knows his family. The night he arrived I was honored to read him his bedtime stories. Most of the time he works me for at least two books. At story time I have developed a pattern of talking about his adventures of the day. His plane trip was longer than scheduled and very tiring, but he was surprisingly fresh. We talked about his trip on the airplanes (he loves airplanes, cars and trains). I asked, “Who met you at the airport?” He said, “Grammy and Grampy." He thought a bit and said, "Did we see Auntie?” “No,” I said, “Auntie is coming in a couple days.” Just three days before Riley and I had talked by phone and his parents had reminded him that he would see Grammy, Grampy, Auntie, Grandma and Grandpa on this trip. He was looking for his family and making a mental inventory of them.
It makes me happy that we are such friends, Riley and I. I am sure that it is kind of amazing to me because it is so different from my experience as a child. I sure do like it and will keep it that way, making sure that I spend time with his parents and him whether he is scheduled for surgery or not.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Welcome Home Dan!
Dan is home from Iraq I am told. He is the second close co-worker of mine sent for a year or more to Iraq. I doubt that there has been a day in more than a year that I have not thought and prayed about Dan being in harms way. I thought about his wife and daughter each of those days too.
Shortly after 9/11 I promised Dan that I would not march on the White House. He knew that I had protested there before. We both knew that as a soldier in the reserves, his life would change because of the attacks. I wanted him to know that I respected his choice to serve and that I supported him as a member of the military.
When the Bush administration sent our young men and women to invade Iraq for reasons they are still trying to articulate, Dan released me from my promise. They went with too few troops and not enough armored equipment into a land that had nothing to do with 9/11.
If a country must have a military, Dan is just the kind of guy you want to be a soldier. He’s smart, tough, strong and has a heart of gold. Of course, we are not supposed to know that he has that heart, but he does. If U.S. troops are going to occupy Iraq, then I want Dan and soldiers like him to represent us. In the mess of a war, perhaps they can show the Iraqi people that we are a decent caring culture that wishes them success building their nation.
For those of us against the war there is a constant tension between necessary protest and supporting men and women who have been ordered to Iraq. Democracy sometimes gets a little messy even here in the States.
I no longer work there. I will not get to welcome Dan when he returns to work the first of the year. But, I am very glad he is home safe.
Welcome home Dan!
Shortly after 9/11 I promised Dan that I would not march on the White House. He knew that I had protested there before. We both knew that as a soldier in the reserves, his life would change because of the attacks. I wanted him to know that I respected his choice to serve and that I supported him as a member of the military.
When the Bush administration sent our young men and women to invade Iraq for reasons they are still trying to articulate, Dan released me from my promise. They went with too few troops and not enough armored equipment into a land that had nothing to do with 9/11.
If a country must have a military, Dan is just the kind of guy you want to be a soldier. He’s smart, tough, strong and has a heart of gold. Of course, we are not supposed to know that he has that heart, but he does. If U.S. troops are going to occupy Iraq, then I want Dan and soldiers like him to represent us. In the mess of a war, perhaps they can show the Iraqi people that we are a decent caring culture that wishes them success building their nation.
For those of us against the war there is a constant tension between necessary protest and supporting men and women who have been ordered to Iraq. Democracy sometimes gets a little messy even here in the States.
I no longer work there. I will not get to welcome Dan when he returns to work the first of the year. But, I am very glad he is home safe.
Welcome home Dan!
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Another Management Principle
Recently I wrote about two principles from my management guru, Harry S. Truman.
To be sure I had my quotes right I looked again at some of Truman’s wisdom. I found enough to blog for a month.
Here is another management principle from our 33rd President:
- "You can never get all the facts from just one newspaper, and unless you have all the facts, you cannot make proper judgments about what is going on."
A manager must resist the temptation to surround herself with “yes people.” It is easy to hear people toeing your line, but in any enterprise you need to look at all sides of an issue.
Getting all the facts, making sure that alternate or opposing views are heard is essential. A vital principle to remember when you are running a country, especially God forbid, if you are planning a war.
Everything that has happened on the ground in Iraq was predicted by voices that should have been heard.
By the way, if you are managing product development, you will be interested in a brilliant blog on getting facts by listening to customers. If I seem too biased, after you read it, come back and tell me.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Management Principles
Most people know that President Harry S. Truman had a sign on his desk that said:
- The buck stops here!
Many may not know that he is also quoted as saying:
- It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.
Two principles of management. Managers sometimes forget one or both.
According to Newsweek online, President George W. Bush admires Truman.
Which one of the principles is Bush forgetting?
Thursday, December 08, 2005
The Hardest Part
I wish you could meet Riley. He’s the little guy that made me Grampy in Chief two and a half years ago. He is good looking (he gets that from his parents), smart, curious and funny. He loves cars, airplanes and baseball. Baseball is in his genes, so his mother has become a fan too. If you met him you would be impressed but think that he’s just a normal kid.
On Monday we were abruptly reminded that he is not just a normal kid. Riley was born with a heart defect. He has a single ventricle and no spleen. So, even though 2005 has been hospital free and Riley has been thriving, the clock has been ticking. The two open-heart surgeries of his past lead to a third. His cardiologist scheduled the surgery. We were all taken aback because he has been doing so well. We thought we had more time. (His Mom and Dad have written about their reactions.)
On March 2, 2006 Riley will have a heart catherization. They will map his heart and the major blood vessels in preparation for surgery. The Fontan operation will be a week later, March 9.
Riley has the best care in the world. The staff at UCSF is phenomenal. His surgeon, Dr. Karl is one of the very best pediatric heart surgeons. The nursing staff in the PICU is highly trained, focused and caring. They operate on infants and children on a daily basis so they are skilled and experienced.
We want to protect our children and grandchildren. Handing Riley over to the anesthesiologists, waiting for hours during surgery, looking at the little guy with all the wires and tubes, and worrying when his temp spikes, those are the hard parts.
I have only about three months to get prepared.
On Monday we were abruptly reminded that he is not just a normal kid. Riley was born with a heart defect. He has a single ventricle and no spleen. So, even though 2005 has been hospital free and Riley has been thriving, the clock has been ticking. The two open-heart surgeries of his past lead to a third. His cardiologist scheduled the surgery. We were all taken aback because he has been doing so well. We thought we had more time. (His Mom and Dad have written about their reactions.)
On March 2, 2006 Riley will have a heart catherization. They will map his heart and the major blood vessels in preparation for surgery. The Fontan operation will be a week later, March 9.
Riley has the best care in the world. The staff at UCSF is phenomenal. His surgeon, Dr. Karl is one of the very best pediatric heart surgeons. The nursing staff in the PICU is highly trained, focused and caring. They operate on infants and children on a daily basis so they are skilled and experienced.
We want to protect our children and grandchildren. Handing Riley over to the anesthesiologists, waiting for hours during surgery, looking at the little guy with all the wires and tubes, and worrying when his temp spikes, those are the hard parts.
I have only about three months to get prepared.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
The Ball That Stopped My Heart
86 years! My father was two when the Red Sox had last won the World Series.
86 years! The Sox were down 3-0 to the hated Yankees in the ALCS, the curse seemed still alive.
Wait, the Red Sox won the next four games. They won three more against a great St. Louis Cardinals team.
If you are a member of the Red Sox Nation, you were pumped during that fourth game, but there was always the curse…
Then, a soft underhand toss from Foulke to Mientkiewicz and the curse was dead!
I don’t know what the judge of Suffolk Superior Court will say about who’s ball that is. But, I do know to whom it belongs. It belongs to the Red Sox Nation and it belongs to history.
86 years! The Sox were down 3-0 to the hated Yankees in the ALCS, the curse seemed still alive.
Wait, the Red Sox won the next four games. They won three more against a great St. Louis Cardinals team.
If you are a member of the Red Sox Nation, you were pumped during that fourth game, but there was always the curse…
Then, a soft underhand toss from Foulke to Mientkiewicz and the curse was dead!
I don’t know what the judge of Suffolk Superior Court will say about who’s ball that is. But, I do know to whom it belongs. It belongs to the Red Sox Nation and it belongs to history.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
You have...Cancer
Cancer Survivor.
Those words have been reverberating in my head for the past forty-eight hours. I used them in a phone conversation with Joe.
Is that who I am? Most days I think about it very little. I don’t wear a yellow wristband, a pink ribbon or other identifying symbol. I haven’t started a foundation or charity ride. Although I revel in riding my bike, I have ridden for a cure for other diseases but not for cancer.
It has been three and a half years since my urologist called and asked me to come to his office early. He said, “We have to talk.” Time stands still when you are told you have cancer, but I was not paralyzed with fear or indecision. I went right to work getting a second opinion. I did research on the internet. Most importantly, I talked with my family. My son said, “Dad, I want your grandchildren to know you.” I chose an aggressive treatment because of those talks with my children.
It has been more than three years since the surgery. I am not the man I used to be, but I am alive, active and enjoying life. In some ways I am still healing, I just got back on the bicycle this past spring. Nevertheless, I don’t think of myself as a “cancer survivor” very often. I cannot say that I get up every morning rejoicing that I am alive. Nor do I value life at some metaphysical level in a way different than before.
Right after the surgery I had this evangelistic zeal to convince men over fifty to get a regular PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test. I told them they should do Kegel exercises everyday for the rest of their lives. Men don’t generally talk about those things, nor do they usually get regular checkups. We should because we can save lives. An estimated 30,350 men will die of prostate cancer in 2005. My son will need to be aware of all of this because both his father and grandfather had prostate cancer, increasing his risk.
Yet, I have quieted down about all of that since then. I worked with Joe for about four months. Only during a phone conversation about health insurance did I use the words “cancer survivor.” Now that I think about it, I am a month or two late for my follow-up PSA. I am supposed to have one every six months for five years. So far there has been no reoccurrence. Five-year survival rates for prostate cancer diagnosed and treated early approach 100%. Since the cancer was restricted to the prostate, I did not have any post surgical treatment such as radiation or additional hormones.
So, why don’t I wear my identity as a cancer survivor on my sleeve or wrist? I am not sure that I know all of the answer to that. But, when I reflect on it, I am glad to be here, to know my grandson and to hang out with my family when I can. Life is good and I hope to stay around a good bit longer.
Those words have been reverberating in my head for the past forty-eight hours. I used them in a phone conversation with Joe.
Is that who I am? Most days I think about it very little. I don’t wear a yellow wristband, a pink ribbon or other identifying symbol. I haven’t started a foundation or charity ride. Although I revel in riding my bike, I have ridden for a cure for other diseases but not for cancer.
It has been three and a half years since my urologist called and asked me to come to his office early. He said, “We have to talk.” Time stands still when you are told you have cancer, but I was not paralyzed with fear or indecision. I went right to work getting a second opinion. I did research on the internet. Most importantly, I talked with my family. My son said, “Dad, I want your grandchildren to know you.” I chose an aggressive treatment because of those talks with my children.
It has been more than three years since the surgery. I am not the man I used to be, but I am alive, active and enjoying life. In some ways I am still healing, I just got back on the bicycle this past spring. Nevertheless, I don’t think of myself as a “cancer survivor” very often. I cannot say that I get up every morning rejoicing that I am alive. Nor do I value life at some metaphysical level in a way different than before.
Right after the surgery I had this evangelistic zeal to convince men over fifty to get a regular PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test. I told them they should do Kegel exercises everyday for the rest of their lives. Men don’t generally talk about those things, nor do they usually get regular checkups. We should because we can save lives. An estimated 30,350 men will die of prostate cancer in 2005. My son will need to be aware of all of this because both his father and grandfather had prostate cancer, increasing his risk.
Yet, I have quieted down about all of that since then. I worked with Joe for about four months. Only during a phone conversation about health insurance did I use the words “cancer survivor.” Now that I think about it, I am a month or two late for my follow-up PSA. I am supposed to have one every six months for five years. So far there has been no reoccurrence. Five-year survival rates for prostate cancer diagnosed and treated early approach 100%. Since the cancer was restricted to the prostate, I did not have any post surgical treatment such as radiation or additional hormones.
So, why don’t I wear my identity as a cancer survivor on my sleeve or wrist? I am not sure that I know all of the answer to that. But, when I reflect on it, I am glad to be here, to know my grandson and to hang out with my family when I can. Life is good and I hope to stay around a good bit longer.
Friday, November 25, 2005
End Gerrymandering
There is one fundamental change that can return political power to voters in New York and several other states. We can change the process of redistricting.
After every census political boundaries are redrawn. In New York politicians control the process. The result is incumbent and/or partisan protection. Although my Congresswoman Louise Slaughter’s district does not look like a salamander, a look at the map will convince you that something other than pure logic is at work.
The net effect of the map of my district was the loss of one Democratic seat and the provision of a safe district for Congressman Tom Reynolds, Republican. Perhaps it was so he can give more of his time to enlarging the Republican majority in the House.
In Texas there was a different result. The money and influence of Tom Delay led to an increase of five new Republican House members in Washington, giving him even more power. Of course he is now under indictment for laundering some money in the process.
The redistricting for the 2002 elections here in New York frustrated me a good deal. At the time I lived in Tom Reynolds’ district. That made me even madder. At a banquet where Louise Slaughter was keynote speaker, I offered three draft choices and a player to be named later to swap Representatives. I eventually moved and am now in her district.
I have to credit Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for making me aware of an alternative. We can at least somewhat de-politicize the redistricting process with a nonpartisan commission. Pity the Governor got greedy and tried to change everything at once.
So I have been lobbying for a commission with my political friends and party leaders ever since. I suggested it in a meeting this fall with a party executive. He immediately let me know that this was a nonstarter in New York. Why would the Republicans and Democrats in Albany, “Give up their power?” Why, indeed?
Now there is a starter for the idea in my state. State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer has made it a part of his platform in his run for Governor. The Buffalo News beat me to the keyboard with an editorial supporting his call for reform the next day.
We have about five years to make this happen in New York. We can support Spitzer’s call for redistricting reform, make it a big part of the election for governor during this next year and put the pressure on party and legislative leadership. Let’s elect them rather than having them choosing us!
If you want more information about models for reform visit The United States Elections Project.
After every census political boundaries are redrawn. In New York politicians control the process. The result is incumbent and/or partisan protection. Although my Congresswoman Louise Slaughter’s district does not look like a salamander, a look at the map will convince you that something other than pure logic is at work.
The net effect of the map of my district was the loss of one Democratic seat and the provision of a safe district for Congressman Tom Reynolds, Republican. Perhaps it was so he can give more of his time to enlarging the Republican majority in the House.
In Texas there was a different result. The money and influence of Tom Delay led to an increase of five new Republican House members in Washington, giving him even more power. Of course he is now under indictment for laundering some money in the process.
The redistricting for the 2002 elections here in New York frustrated me a good deal. At the time I lived in Tom Reynolds’ district. That made me even madder. At a banquet where Louise Slaughter was keynote speaker, I offered three draft choices and a player to be named later to swap Representatives. I eventually moved and am now in her district.
I have to credit Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for making me aware of an alternative. We can at least somewhat de-politicize the redistricting process with a nonpartisan commission. Pity the Governor got greedy and tried to change everything at once.
So I have been lobbying for a commission with my political friends and party leaders ever since. I suggested it in a meeting this fall with a party executive. He immediately let me know that this was a nonstarter in New York. Why would the Republicans and Democrats in Albany, “Give up their power?” Why, indeed?
Now there is a starter for the idea in my state. State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer has made it a part of his platform in his run for Governor. The Buffalo News beat me to the keyboard with an editorial supporting his call for reform the next day.
We have about five years to make this happen in New York. We can support Spitzer’s call for redistricting reform, make it a big part of the election for governor during this next year and put the pressure on party and legislative leadership. Let’s elect them rather than having them choosing us!
If you want more information about models for reform visit The United States Elections Project.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
What Would Jeremiah Say?
Maybe I need a support group.
I am fed up and angry. I am also a bit embarrassed. Why? Because the political conversation in our country seems more and more controlled by the so-called “people of faith” on the religious right. I know those people; in fact I come from the “Evangelical” tradition. I used to say that I was an evangelical with a small “e.” I guess I was wiser than I realized.
So, what really bothers me? First, is the tenor of the conversation. What we have now is polarizing hate. The leadership of the religious right has resorted to vindictive and manipulative language and methods to get their way.
Second, is how being a person of faith is defined. Religious people have always been selective of the scriptures they emphasize. People of the Christian right ignore the parts of the Bible that make them uncomfortable.
Their selective reading of their scriptures is most clearly illustrated in their call for a “culture of life.” Are you for life? Then you try to pack the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. You interfere in the private agony of end of life issues with Terri Schiavo. But you say nothing about the 2,100 military men and women killed in Iraq. And, the Iraqi deaths reliably estimated at more than 30,000? Silence.
Is it a culture of life to suggest that our government “take out” the president of a neighboring country? How about calling God’s wrath down on citizens who threw out a school board that interfered in the teaching of science?
Perhaps the opinion makers among the Christian right have become too comfortable in their middle class affluence. They fail to hear the voices of the poor and oppressed when Congress makes a dishonest show of reducing the deficit. Congressional leadership wants to cut Medicaid and food stamps; programs for our most vulnerable. On the other hand they plan to cut taxes for the very rich. Where are the voices of outrage?
Let me guess. Each Sunday more and more U.S. Christians gather in huge auditoriums at churches that cost millions. Then they return to their middle class homes. God forbid that they be discomforted.
God sent the prophet Jeremiah to a king with a building program. What he told the affluent king is in the Bible. Here is what he said:
Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him.
He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 22:15,16)
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