It bears repeating...

I found this posting by willworkforadventure and felt it deserved repeating. So, for those of us who wouldn't go looking, here it is in a slightly sanitized version.

"SEVEN THINGS NON-CYCLISTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ROAD CYCLING

"I only got into road cycling last June when I decided to train for a triathlon, and there were a number of things that caught me by surprise. I realized that I had been utterly prejudiced at times against cyclists, and I want to share how you may be unintentionally prejudiced as well. Obviously there are some self centered cyclists that are feel entitled to the all the road, but they are in the minority. Give a cyclist the benefit of the doubt. You’ll usually be right.

"1. Road cycling is scary

"Listen. I’m not a weak, risk intolerant or ineffectual person. I’ve jumped out of an airplane. I’ve bungeed off a 20-story bridge. I’ve stepped into boxing rings and wrestling mats to train and compete in things like boxing, MMA/Ultimate Fighting, Judo, and submission grappling. I’ve hung off cliffs climbing tall peaks at altitude with a thousand feet of air underneath me, and much more. I’m a lot more risk tolerant than most people. I feel more in danger road cycling than I have in most other situations I’ve gotten myself into. I try to forget that a distracted driver texting a smiley face to a friend could kill me at any minute. It’s hard to feel safe most of the time with how most cars drive around cyclists never mind the random rager that seems to come around every month or so.

"2. If I’m not close to the very side of the road, there is a reason for it.

"As a driver, I know it can be frustrating when a cyclist is impeding your progress. It’s not just something we do on a whim. You may not see that glass, sand, gravel, or the sharp edges and potholes on the roadway, but I do and all we cyclists do. All of them could end our day pretty quickly and cause serious injury or even death. We’re constantly weighing the option, 'What is more dangerous right now: being further out into the street or staying close to the side of the road?'  The side of the road is different than the middle of it.  All water is directed there, so the majority of water damage (potholes/cracks) and debris is there. Give us time to find a safe spot to move over. Saving twenty seconds isn’t worth both our lives since I could die, and you could end up in prison.

"3. Buzzing by a cyclist is extremely dangerous.

"It’s really just a percentage game, and I hope I never win the unlucky lottery. Road obstacles may cause a cyclist to swerve unexpectedly. That could be the same exact time you are buzzing by us closely. All we are doing is trying to get a workout in and travel along the roads. Even if it annoys you that shouldn’t carry a death sentence, right? I’d hope you aren’t a sociopath and that you’d actually mind murdering somebody for cycling, so please give us a little more space when passing.

"4. Cutting off a cyclist is a imbecilic move.

"We are past the major safety hazards now and into some etiquette ones. I know you want to make that right hand turn NOW and not 5 seconds from now. I know you want to come out into the roadway NOW and not 5 seconds from now. Try to be a little courteous though.  Pressing your little footsie on your little pedal is a lot easier than braking a bike and then trying to get back up to speed.  Biking may seem like effortless cruising at times, but really it’s hard work. I used to just be a runner, and I’d see cyclists fly by and think 'sure, take the easy way out.' That’s not the case. It’s not easy at all, and it’s hard getting up to speed.  It’s akin to a runner needing to sprint all out for 20-30 seconds every time they start running from a stop. Please don’t cut us off.

"5. Getting mad at a cyclist for not obeying every traffic law is cherry picking and hypocritical.

"Admittedly this is debatable. I know that in many states, in the eyes of the law, a cyclist is like a car. That is ridiculous though. A cyclist on a 20 lbs bike isn’t the same as a driver in a 1 ton car.  There are special rules for both of us.  You get to pass us on roads with or without a solid yellow line. That’s fair. We are different than cars. For YOUR convenience, we generally ride on the very side of the road and even the shoulder when available and safe (the shoulder is technically not considered part of the road by law in most states). Again, we are different than cars and realize this. We may run through a stop sign or continue through a red light when traffic allows and it is safe. Don’t get mad at that. Some cyclists may make a poor decision on when this is 'safe' just like some drivers may make a poor decision on when it’s safe to take a right on red, when to proceed through a stop sign, when to merge through a yield sign, etc.  If you think a cyclist should obey every single car law, then would you mind if we follow your idea and ride in the middle of the lane instead of  the side of the road, and you can only pass us when you are allowed by law to pass other cars?  I didn’t think so.  I guarantee you the middle of the road is a lot better quality there.  Let’s be courteous to each other and realize our differences.

"6. Cycling clothes may look silly, but they are functional.

"Now this doesn’t include the people decked out in their cycling hero’s jersey. That’s like a guy wearing a full Celtics uniform to a pickup basketball game. The clothes themselves are very functional though. Those goofy shirts… Those tight shorts.  Those weird looking helmets. They all serve a very important function that 'normal' clothes don’t. Before I started cycling, I laughed at the clothing. When I started, I first tried not to wear the typical cycling gear. I quickly adopted it though because it just makes life so much easier and more comfortable. Try not to judge us. Oh, OK. I know that’s hard. Laugh away. Just try to keep in mind that it serves a purpose.

"7. Cycling is indeed hard work.

"I know it can look easy. You look at me and see me pedaling away, not sweating much, and not having painful grimaces on my face. Well, a constant 20 mph breeze does a lot for cooling and for drying sweat. Pedaling is hard work.  It may be because I’ve been running for so much longer, but I find cycling more strenuous on the legs than running.  Starting from a stop is like doing heavy lunges for reps, climbing long and/or steep hills is a lesson in physics (and futility), and your thighs burn on a regular basis. But yes. This is fun.”

A few thoughts about and from Joel Skousen:

Below you'll find a statement concerning the difference between rights and benefits from a man a few years younger than I am, but much wiser than my years of experience. A person I met during our early teenage years. At the time we were Boy Scouts. The most memorable day of our acquaintance was the day our group of scouts climbed Olallie Butte in central Oregon. During the course of conversation as we climbed, it became very apparent that the Skousen boys, were in command of a great deal of knowledge. Being a teenager, I suppose I felt a bit of jealousy. At the same time I knew that they were destined to achieve something great. Now looking back through the decades, I think that is quite evident. So now I share with you the adult thoughts of a person I met and respected as a young boy. These are thoughts expressed by Joel Skousen.

"The key to understanding what constitutes a true fundamental right is to focus on this essential criteria: for a right to be true, it must be non-conflicting with all others simultaneously claiming such right, and must not require that anyone else serve your needs in exercising that right.

"False Rights: There are many false rights being promulgated in today's society, mostly due to the politician's attempt to entice voters to view benefits as if they were rights. Three of the most popular are the so-called 'right' to a job, 'right' to medical care or the 'right' to an education. Let us apply these claims to the definition of a true fundamental right and see if they qualify. Remember that the main criteria that determines whether or not an action or state of being is protected as a right is whether or not all men can simultaneously possess the 'right' in question without compelling anyone to perform a service in their behalf.

"In the case of education, we cannot all receive an education without compelling someone to teach, provide the facilities, the curriculum and the books. Thus education, through others' efforts, must be a benefit based upon contractual mutual obligations, and not a right--no matter how essential it is deemed by the users thereof. On the other hand, self-education would be a right as long as no one was compelled to assist you involuntarily.

"As to the 'right' to a job, we may ask, in like manner, if all people can claim a right to a job without compelling someone to provide that job and the money for a salary. Obviously not. In reality, a job is the exclusive property of the employer who owns the money and the facilities. The labor portion of the job is the exclusive property of the laborer. The negotiations as to the rate of exchange for the owner's money and the laborer's efforts must be left to the arena of free contract. Neither has a 'right' to attach the others' property or effort--each can only voluntarily exchange what he owns for what he perceives the other offers in return.

"Medical care can never be a fundamental right, either, as it would clearly force doctors, nurses and hospital owners to become slaves to those who demand the benefit. You may think they are not slaves because they are being highly paid. But if you, the patients, are not paying, then someone else is, and that person (even if a group of taxpayers) are partially enslaved for the beneficiary's sake. Someone is always partially enslaved whenever the direct beneficiary of any service doesn't have to pay, and someone else or some group is not voluntarily paying the bill."

Want to know more about Joel?  Click on the link below or interview he gave in 2009.

http://alexansary.tv/otb-flashback-2009-alex-ansary-interviews-joel-skousen-about-future-wars/

An apology of sorts - It may take me a lifetime.

This is something I've been thinking about quite a bit lately.

A couple weeks after I got out of the hospital for the second time, an acquaintance, who was a runner and cyclist, died while on a training run. I don't really know how old he was, but I don't think he was out of his 20s. He left a widow and a five-year-old son. His widow is still working through the grieving process.

What I've learned is this:

The stages of mourning and grief are universal and are experienced by people from all walks of life.

Looking at my own situation, myself and those around me - particularly my wife: mourning may occur in response to an individual’s own illness, the loss of a close relationship, or to the death of a valued being, human or animal. There are five stages of normal grief that were first proposed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book “On Death and Dying.”

How does this really affect my wife. Her husband didn't die. However, I've come to realize that the person she was married is no longer in her life. He has been substituted with a person of limited abilities and altered personality. Just not the same guy.

I see my friend's widow's posts on Facebook. She's having an extremely hard time. It's very evident that she has suffered a loss. But when my own wife displays the symptoms of the grieving process, it's been hard for me to see her suffering. But I need to realize what she's been going through. I haven't  been able to understand that until recently. And since many people do not experience the stages of grieving in the order in which we see them commonly listed, the key to understanding the "why's " and "what's" of my wife's actions and activities is to understand that she too is going through the grieving process and that I need to focus more on her and less on "the me." A friend of mine essentially told me to stop feeling sorry for myself. What this person said was "You've had many, many years being able to ride in so many races. That is something I certainly could not do. You can look back on all those races and thank God for the ability He gave you to do that." In essence stop feeling sorry for yourself and focus on what's important. So I've got my marching orders.

I must also understand that in bereavement, each of us spends different lengths of time working through each step and each of us expresses the different stages with different levels of intensity. As mentioned earlier the five stages do not necessarily occur in any specific order. As individuals we often move between stages before achieving a more peaceful acceptance of loss. Many of us are not afforded the luxury of time required to achieve this final stage of grief. Katherine falls into this category.

Things her husband had once done, were suddenly forced upon her. Any attempt to help would often be seen as criticism. So I've come to realize that instead of focusing on tasks, I need to focus more on her feelings. This may seem so very elementary to most people, but to a person who is himself dealing with loss, it is not a subject easily understood. I'm just beginning to understand the smallest portion of it.

It may take me a lifetime.

  

Late Report

This was written last week: Little has changed this week. Except perhaps that I climb and descend the stairs independently. This of course has made me a bit more overconfident. That combined with impulsiveness caused a bit of a problem this past Tuesday. I was in the office and decided to leave. Instead of standing up and getting my balance, I stood up from the chair grabbed a cane and in my haste I rolled my left ankle. In doing that I was extremely off-balance and executed what I call a controlled collapse. Others would call this a fall. However, in an attempt to lessen the damage I sprained my left wrist. At least it wasn't the good one. When I saw Doctor Siler on Friday, one of the things that we discussed was a splint. He okayed that.

Another thing I have been considering is - and I invite your comments on this - acquiring a recumbent trike. I can get exercise and won't have to worry about balance. What you think? Of course I won't be on the main roads, but I'll ride around this residential area.

And this is from the current week: I'm still going to PT and OT twice a week. They both take a toll on my energy. I'm still working at getting a recumbent tricycle. There are a couple projects around the house that need to be taken care of. Those will have to be contracted out.

I still have the goal of crossing the new bridge being built by Tri-Met when it opens in September 2015. I've written to the folks at Tri-Met asking whether there's anything in particular that I need to do, but I haven't heard back from them yet. I have faith that they'll respond.

All in all, progress seems to continue to be at a snail's pace. And although people say to me such things as, "you're making such great progress," all I can see is that I don't slap my left foot when I walk until I get tired. That's about 400 feet. I can walk up and down stairs step after step, but that's if there's a right-hand banister.

One thing I am happy about (you may have realized that I'm not over the moon about my progress) is that I found a way to deal with the STP issue. I'm not sure if it's what cascade.org really wants, but it's what I'm going to do. I'll let you know later how it turns out.

That's about it for today and this week. Talk at you later.

For those who have asked...

I am now about three and a half months post event. That is, my stroke happened on the Ides of March this year. The second hospital where I was seen, UC Davis Medical Center, admitted me with a "basilar artery thrombosis".  My search of the Internet yielded the following two paragraphs:

"Acute basilar artery thrombosis is associated with a poor prognosis. However, the advent of high-quality, reliable, and noninvasive technology (eg, magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) has made its diagnosis possible even in subjects with mild symptoms. This has illustrated that some patients have an acute partial occlusion or a slow progressive occlusion with limited ischemic injury and, therefore, a better prognosis.

"Although outcomes continue to be poor in patients with basilar artery thrombosis, advances in pharmacologic and mechanical thrombolysis and in endovascular therapy may reduce the mortality and disability rates associated with this disease. "

My discharge notes from UC Davis sounds a bit brighter. There it is stated the "patient's condition improving drastically."

At this point it might be good to get some background. How did this sudden change in my lifestyle come to be? First it should be said that I love to ride a bicycle. In fact I have six bicycles – an antique Peugeot, four road bikes, and one fat tire bike. I like sunny days in 60°F weather, but I've been known to ride in colder weather down to 18°F. What Katherine and I both enjoy is going to California - Santa Barbara County - in March of each year. There I get to ride in sunny weather. A little bit windy at times but still blue skies and warm temperatures. Kathy and I had been in Solvang, California, for two weeks. I had ridden my new bike every day. Kathy enjoyed th sun, did some volunteer work, and renewed some friendsips.  On 15 March of this year we headed for home in the Pacific Northwest after wonderful times spent with family and friends. We wanted to get to Redding, California, for the night so that we could go over the Siskiyou Mountains in daylight the next day. We didn't make it to Redding and were going to stop at a hotel in Corning, California. I got out of the car went into the hotel, checked us in, went back to the car, Kathy parked the car, and I got out to get the overnight bag. When I got out of the car to get the bag, I experienced a loud howling in my ears hundreds of times louder than the worst tinnitus I've ever had. The whole world began to swirl around me.  I remember grabbing the luggage rack on top of the car. Kathy told me to get back in the car. At first we thought was I was having a seizure. However, it was unlike any seizures I'd ever had.

About this time an employee of the hotel walked out into the parking lot. She later told Katherine, "Something told me I should go outside." As soon as Katherine saw her, Katherine told her to call 911. Within 10 minutes an ambulance was there. The EMT, George, had to decide between seizure and stroke. Fortunately he chose stroke. I was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Chico, California. At this point it seemed that the most often repeated phrase was "Time is of the essence." It was decided that because of my medical history the way that my diagnosis of stroke would have normally been treated was not available to them. And they couldn't do what I needed in that hospital. They started looking for a bed in one of the university hospitals. UC Davis responded first with an available bed. And because time was of the essence, I was flown by helicopter from Chico to Sacramento. All of this started around 8:30 Friday evening and by 12:30 Saturday morning I was in surgery.

Later that morning after the surgeons had done what they could, they told Katherine to be prepared to make some very difficult decisions. Katherine had already been on the phone with our oldest son. He was prepared to fly to Sacramento that morning. When he arrived he called local church officials who sent one of the Bishops from that area to help give me a blessing. From that point on I started making a recovery that the doctors had not been able to foresee.

I set a goal for myself to be home in the Northwest by the following Saturday. I met that goal. Goals are great, if you use them correctly. The problem with goal that I had made was that it was too short term. When I got home I'd reached that goal. I didn't have anything else in mind. I collapsed as soon as I got in the house. My second son Matthew had driven to Sacramento to help bring me home. He and Katherine decided to call 911. I was in the hospital again. 

This time it was Saint Anthony's in Gig Harbor. I stayed there for three days and then was transferred to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma. I was admitted to the inpatient rehabilitation therapy unit and was there until 16 April. I got a three-week break and then started outpatient physical therapy and occupational therapy at Saint Anthony's. That brings us to the present.

I guess I'm not supposed to be walking, but I am. And last Thursday my therapist had me walking around clinic without a walker or came. I'll admit I'm very wobbly and sometimes appear to be someone who works for the Ministry of Silly Walks… But I'm walking.

I've made a goal for myself – a long-range goal this time – to cross the new bridge in Portland when it opens in September 2015. And to be on bike tires. We'll talk about a return to California then.

Monkey Wards to Tanner Springs Park

As a child I loved going to the Montgomery-Ward store on NW Vaughn Street in Portland. We called the store, "monkey wards." But it wasn't the store that we loved. It was its location. It stood downhill and across Vaughn street from the Forestry Building. It didn't take much begging and pleading for us to visit that magnificent structure. The Forestry Building. It was touted as the world's largest log cabin. Actually, it was the last remaining building of the Lewis and Clark exposition of 1905.

Wikipedia describes the exposition this way:

"The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, commonly also known as the Lewis and Clark Exposition, and officially known as the Lewis and Clark Centennial American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair, was a worldwide exposition held in Portland, Oregon, United States in 1905 to celebrate the centennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. While not officially considered a World's Fair by the Bureau of International Expositions, it is often informally described as such; the exposition attracted both exhibits and visitors from around the world. During the exposition's four-month run, it attracted over 1.6 million visitors, and featured exhibits from 21 countries. Portland grew from 161,000 to 270,000 residents between 1905 and 1910, a spurt that has been attributed to the exposition"

The exposition was built on the site of Guild Lake. A lake that no longer exists. The forestry building was on the hill above and overlooking the lake.

That lake and others have been drained and filled in and are now an industrial area as well as Portland's well-known Pearl District. Tanner Springs Park in Northwest Portland is a nod to that part of Portland's history.

Yes, what is now known as the Pearl District was once a wetland and lake fed by streams that flowed down from the nearby hills in southwest Portland. These wooded hillsides provided a natural filter for the streams, cleansing the water as it made its way to the Willamette River. The springs from Tanner Creek, named for the tannery built by pioneer Daniel Lownsdale in 1845, flowed into the shallow basin of Couch Lake, now the area surrounding Tanner Springs Park. As the population of Portland grew in the late 19th century, Tanner Creek was rerouted through an underground system of pipes to the Willamette River. The lake and the surrounding wetland were eventually filled to make way for warehouses and rail yards which in turn were replaced by residences, shops, and public spaces. Today, the park sits about 20 feet above the former lake surface.

From the beginning of the planning efforts for the Pearl District in the early 1990s, the creation of a network of open spaces was an important goal of both the neighborhood and the city of Portland. In 1998, a conceptual plan for the new parks and open spaces was proposed by the Tanner Creek and Water Feature Steering Committee and approved by the Portland city council. Those recommendations served as a point of departure for planning the district's parks.

In June 1999, Peter Walker & Partners, a landscape architecture firm, was retained to provide concepts for three new parks between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the River District. They developed and refined plans for the parks with input from a Project Steering Committee and two public workshops. The final plan is characterized by a series of recurring elements which strengthen the connection between each of the three parks. Jamison Square was the first to be developed.

North Park Square was the working name given this second block to be developed. Planning for this park began in early 2003. Atelier Dreiseitl, a renowned German design firm, and GreenWorks, P.C., an award-winning, local landscape architecture firm, were selected to design the park. A series of community workshops were held between January and June 2003, allowing the public to participate in the design process. After committee review, the name Tanner Springs was adopted in April 2005. The springs connect the park to Tanner Creek that at one time flowed openly through this area; today it flows through large pipes beneath the city streets. Since the design of the park attempts to recapture the area's past with its native wetlands and flowing runnels, the name is fitting.
The Artwall runs along the east edge of the park. It is composed of 368 railroad tracks set on end and integrates 99 pieces of fused glass inset with images of dragonflies, spiders, amphibians, and insects. The images were hand-painted by Herbert Dreiseitl directly onto Portland glass, which was then fused and melted to achieve the final effect.

I was reading through some posts on Facebook looking for something from the family and came upon this headline: Bike rider killed in close pass on Mt. Baldy Road last Saturday with the accompanying link to the story:
http://bikinginla.com/2014/06/20/bike-rider-killed-in-close-pass-on-mt-baldy-road-last-saturday/

Mistakenly I assumed that this posting had something to do with Bald Peak north of Newberg, Oregon, where my oldest son lives.

A couple weeks ago I posted something on this blog about a ride that my son did and recorded for me to watch. We've done that before together. We've ridden it not record it. Part of what he recorded was the route used to go up Bald Peak. However, the post on Facebook deals with Mt. Baldy in Southern California. And although I've never ridden Mt. Baldy, I have ridden some beautiful areas in Southern California.

From what I read the rider in the story won't be riding again. I can somewhat identify with that. His days were stolen from him by the neglect of someone else and he will not be riding again. However, according to some people, I may be back on a bike in about a year and a quarter. His full story, or at least that part about the last few hours of his life, can be seen by clicking on the link below and then scrolling down to Saturday, June 14:

https://www.claremont-courier.com/mobile/article/t12126-crime

There you can read the following:

"A Fontana bicyclist suffered fatal injuries following a collision with a vehicle near Evey Canyon. The 77-year-old female driver was traveling southbound on Mt. Baldy Road around 7 a.m. when she attempted to pass the 59-year-old male cyclist on the left. The passenger-side mirror of the white Chevy SUV struck the cyclist, propelling the biker to the ground with a tremendous impact. Los Angeles County Fire responded to the scene and the cyclist was airlifted to USC Medical Center with severe head trauma. Although he was wearing a helmet, the cyclist’s injuries were too severe and he died at the hospital. The accident remains under investigation."

This reminds me of a fatality on Oregon state route 18 near Hebo junction during an organized ride, Reach the Beach, a couple of years ago. A 60 plus-year-old man and cancer survivor was struck by the passenger-side mirror on a Cadillac SUV as a driver of that SUV  attempted to avoid a rear end collision with the vehicle in front of him. That near-miss rear end collision was caused by the inattention of the SUV driver.

Now what I'm getting at is this, my riding days have been temporarily taken from me. I'm not going to be riding Seattle to Portland this year. I am, however, still registered to do that ride. About the same time that my riding days were cut short, an acquaintance of mine -Aaron Smeltzer - had his running and riding days permanently taken from him. And so I propose, although not actually authorized by the Cascade Bicycle Club, to dedicate my number to Aaron. I wish I could say friend, however I was not that close to him. The fault was mine.

So, if there's someone who is riding the STP and would like to carry my number as a memorial to Aaron - you'd have to have your own registration - please contact me. Then you and I would both present this dedicated number, this memorial to his widow.

Let's talk about propaganda which is a systematic effort to influence people’s opinions, to win them over to a certain view or side. We as Americans have been exposed to propaganda of various types for such a long time that the use of propaganda has crept into our everyday conversations and the posts we place on social network sites. Unfortunately, we do it without even thinking. At times those of us who have opinions attempt by coercion to persuade others - those of different opinions or those we view as having opposing or different opinions - to accept our view of things.

Often we spend so much time and effort quixotically opposing views that we forget to promote our own ideas, i.e., sell our own "product" or point of view. We become negative. Naysayers. We're viewed as people who tear down rather than those that attempt to build up. Never building, as in a positive endeavor. Demolition is easy. Construction is hard. Those who demolish leave a wasteland. Those who build or are constructive, produce an environment that we feel comfortable living in.

Edward Filene helped establish the Institute of Propaganda Analysis in 1937 to educate the American public about the nature of propaganda and how to recognize propaganda techniques. Filene and his colleagues identified the seven most common "tricks of the trade" used by successful propagandists. These seven techniques or pillars are: 1) Name Calling, 2) Glittering Generalities, 3) Transfer, 4) Testimonial, 5) Plain Folks, 6) Card Stacking, and 7) Band Wagon.

 Below you'll find listed explanations and examples of each of the seven pillars of propaganda. My challenge to you is simply to identify any that you may use in your day to day interaction with others. By this I mean as used in personal conversation or less personally as you reach out to the world electronically. Are you smashing or mending? Tearing down or building up?

 So here they are:

1) Name Calling: Negatively charged names are hurled against the opposing side or competitor, in an attempt to arouse feelings of mistrust, fear, and hate in their audiences. 

Political example: “Warmonger” “Loser” “Fence-Sitter”
Advertising example: “Foreign car” instead of “Imported”—foreign may have unpleasant connotations 

2) Glittering Generalities: Surrounding a product with attractive—and slippery—words and phrases, often too vague to define and may have different meanings to different people.

Political example: “Vote for change, vote for progress” (What kind of change? What kind of progress?)
Advertising example: “Luvs diapers” “Joy liquid detergent”

 3) Transfer: Trying to improve the image of a product by associating it with a symbol most people respect, hoping that the prestige of the symbol will carry over to the product

 Political example: Political ads with a bald eagle, stars and stripes, the national anthem playing softly
Advertising example: Exxon Valdez & Wildlife benefits

 4) Testimonial: Similar to Transfer, this technique capitalizes on the admiration people have for a celebrity to make a product more appealing

 Political example: Oprah for Obama
Advertising example: Jessica Simpson for Proactiv

 5) Plain Folks: An approach appealing to the everyday person, essentially saying, “Buy this or vote for me because I’m just like you.”

 Political example: Candidate riding a tractor or wearing a hardhat
Advertising example: “Not actors, these are real people” “1-800-ASK-GARY”

 6) Card Stacking: One side may suppress or distort evidence, tell half-truths, oversimplify the facts, or set up a “straw man”—a false target—to divert attention from the issue at hand 

Political example: “Candidate changed his mind five times”—we tend to accept the claim and do not wonder if the candidate had good reason for changing his/her mind
Advertising example: “4 out of 5 doctors agree” “A better product than most competitors”

 7) Bandwagon: Advertising peer pressure, suggesting that “Everyone’s doing it. What’s wrong with you?” People generally want to fit in, not be seen as different, be on the winning team…

 Political example: “Vote for the ‘winning’ candidate”
Advertising example: “America’s favorite…” “Most people prefer brand X over other brands…”

 If you use any of these day-to-day, be honest with yourself and admit it. Understand what you're doing and don't become overbearing. Realize that success is not a destination but a journey. And that journeys require safe havens and friendly rest stops. Be open and honest; a warm, allowing person - allowing others to assist in the journey.

And with their help, if it's only playing opposition, you'll still be able to accomplish your goals.

Here's something my son gave me. I guess as an incentive. It's a video of about 26 minutes of some of the roads we used to ride separately and together above Newberg, Oregon. It's either the camera or his riding style, but the road seems to be a lot flatter than I remember it.

Little has changed this week. Except perhaps that I climb and descend the stairs independently. This of course has made me a bit more overconfident. That combined with impulsiveness caused a bit of a problem this past Tuesday. I was in the office and decided to leave. Instead of standing up and getting my balance, I stood up from the chair grabbed a cane and in my haste I rolled my left ankle. In doing that I was extremely off-balance and executed what I call a controlled collapse. Others would call this a fall. However, in an attempt to lessen the damage I sprained my left wrist. At least it wasn't the good one. 

When I saw Doctor Siler on Friday last. One of the things that we discussed was a splint. He okayed that. Something I have been considering is - and I invite your comments on this - acquiring a recumbent trike. I can get exercise and won't have to worry about balance. What you think? Of course I won't be on the main roads, but I'll ride around this residential area.

It's about Butterflies

I sort of knew about butterflies from the time it was very, very little. It wasn't until I was married that I really understood butterflies. You see, Kathy is an amateur lepidopterist. One thing that she didn't have to teach me was that you can't help a butterfly out of its cocoon. But that's something that small children and unformed adults don't understand. Such was the case near the finish of stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia.

Francesco Bongiorno was just behind Michael Rogers, who at the moment was in first place. It appeared that Francesco Bongiorno was about to challenge Michael Rogers. However a well-meaning fan decided that Bongiorno deserved a friendly push. That friendly push disrupted Bongiorno's rhythm and balance causing him to unclip, put his foot down, and lose time to Michael Rogers. What could've been a first-place finish became a third place finish.

I can identify with Francesco Bongiorno. There are things that I can and cannot do. But I need to learn to do the things that I can't. Doing them for me does not help me. So it may seem a bit cold or hardhearted when someone refuses to do things for me, it is actually a more loving gesture. Just the opposite. Unless I learn to do a particular thing by myself, I remain disabled in that regard.

Although Katherine is a very loving person, at first she wanted to do everything for me and still wanted me to progress physically. Unfortunately, both could not happen. Now she lovingly lets me struggle on by my myself. So, like the butterfly that takes hours to expand its wings, I will take months to metaphorically expand mine.

IT'S A CIRCUS

Naval Admiral William H. McRaven returned to his alma mater, University of Texas at Austin, last week and spoke to the graduates with lessons he learned from his basic SEAL training and challenging them to change the world.

Here’s a portion of his commencement address as reported in Business Insider:

"Every day during training you were challenged with multiple physical events—long runs, long swims, obstacle courses, hours of calisthenics—something designed to test your mettle.

"Every event had standards—times you had to meet. If you failed to meet those standards your name was posted on a list and at the end of the day those on the list were invited to—a 'circus.'

"A circus was two hours of additional calisthenics—designed to wear you down, to break your spirit, to force you to quit.

"No one wanted a circus.

"A circus meant that for that day you didn’t measure up. A circus meant more fatigue—and more fatigue meant that the following day would be more difficult—and more circuses were likely.

"But at some time during SEAL training, everyone—everyone—made the circus list.

"But an interesting thing happened to those who were constantly on the list. Over time those students-—who did two hours of extra calisthenics—got stronger and stronger.

"The pain of the circuses built inner strength-built physical resiliency.

"Life is filled with circuses.

"You will fail. You will likely fail often. It will be painful. It will be discouraging. At times it will test you to your very core.

So lesson number five can be summed up as …if you want to change the world, don’t be afraid of the circuses.

I think I'll start calling rehab "the circus."

I'll never be a SEAL, but someday I want to be a cyclist again. I need the circus.

New Day

Well, today is therapy day or rehab day. You know how I feel about that. I've got until sometime this afternoon – I forgot the time – to think about it.

For those of you who are following this: you'll find that recovery from a stroke is like watching a snail race. Not much happens until you look away and then you will of see some progress. Not much, but some. It'll be like yesterday: I couldn't touch my thumb to my little finger but today I can. So my progress won't be evident in great leaps and bounds but by tiny, tiny differences. That's what can be very frustrating to me at times.
On Tuesday between therapy sessions I was watching the birds fly to and from the feeder just outside the windows of the clinic. I thought, "what happens to animals if they have a stroke? How blessed am I to be able to have trained therapists, nurses and physicians taking care of me?"
I generally talk to the blog early in the day, so this may or may not be the only time that I post something on the blog. However, I should say at this point, "I better go eat breakfast." That means that my new found stairclimbing or descending ability will be put into practice.

Talk at you later.

The Start of Something New

Today is Wednesday, 28 May. Yesterday was a rehab day. "Rehab day" describes a day that challenges my abilities. It also is a time that teaches me how to strengthen the muscles that I'm going to have to use. It is also a source of discomfort and fatigue. I realize that something has to be done, however, I wish there were a way around. I realize also that if I don't do the work, I'll never be on the bike again. I can't see my life without that freedom. I have noticed that go up and down the stairs by myself, but walking outside to something that I don't relish doing. I did go to church on Sunday but only stayed for one hour. My goal for next Sunday is to stay until noon. Also, yesterday Kathy went and bought a new big wheeled walker. That might help in getting around outside. Here's crossing my fingers. Well that's all I have to report today. I'll talk at you again tomorrow.

ANTHOLOGY - Special Memorial Day Edition

Original Broadcast Date: May 30, 1954
(Click > to Play)

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service and has its origins in the American Civil War.

The almost overwhelming number of soldiers, more than 600,000 from both sides, who died in that war, a war sometimes described as a war of brother against brother, meant that burial and memorialization of fallen soldiers took on a cultural significance bordering on the sacred. During the war women of the Confederacy made the decorating of soldiers' graves an increasingly formal practice.

After the war, the first well known organized observance of a day to memorialize the sacrifices of Union soldiers was in Charleston, South Carolina. At least 257 of the Union soldiers held as prisoners at the Charleston Race Course died and were hastily buried in unmarked graves. On May 1, 1865, black residents of Charleston, together with teachers and missionaries, organized a May Day ceremony. The freedmen cleaned up and landscaped what was a crude, makeshift cemetery, building an enclosure and an arch labeled, "Martyrs of the Race Course." Nearly ten thousand people, mostly freedmen including about 3,000 school children newly enrolled in freedmen's schools, members of mutual aid societies, black ministers, white northern missionaries, and Union soldiers gathered to commemorate the war dead. Most brought flowers to lay on the graves. Years later in the north, the celebration would come to be known as the "First Decoration Day."

In 1865, the federal government began creating national military cemeteries for the Union war dead. In the summer of that year a Waterloo, New York, druggist Henry Welles, while talking to friends, suggested that it might be good to remember those soldiers who did not make it home from the war. Not much came of it until he mentioned it to General John B. Murray, a Civil War hero, who gathered support from other surviving veterans. On May 5, 1866, they marched to the three local cemeteries and decorated the graves of fallen soldiers.

On May 5, 1868, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, the organization for Union Civil War veterans, General John A. Logan issued a proclamation calling for "Decoration Day" to be observed annually and nationwide. It was observed for the first time that year on May 30 when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The date was not chosen to commemorate a battle but as the optimal date for flowers to be in bloom, emphasizing the custom of decorating the graves of fallen soldiers. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873 and by 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war.

The preferred name for the holiday gradually changed from "Decoration Day" to "Memorial Day." It was first used in 1882 but did not become the more commonly used name until after World War II. It was declared the official name by federal law in 1967. On June 28, 1968, congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create convenient three-day weekends. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted congress' change of date within a few years.

Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act, it made it easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."

With that in mind and to help Americans remember of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "NationalMoment of Remembrance" resolution was passed in December 2000. The resolution asks for all Americans "to voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence" at 3 p.m. local time. Still many feel the "Moment of Remembrance" is a only a small step in the right direction to return the original meaning to the day.

What is needed, they contend, is a full return to the original day of observance. Setting aside one day out of the year for the nation to come together to remember, reflect, and honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. To return the solemn, and even sacred, spirit to Memorial Day

Waterloo, New York, still celebrates Memorial Day on May 30.

Merry Christmas to All

The giving of gifts…
The brightly lit houses...
The sound of bells on the street corners…
The greater willingness of friends and strangers alike to smile…
I’ve always loved this time of year.

As a child I took great comfort in the closeness of family - aunts and uncles and my grandmother - who could only be given a gift when it was time to open it.

The smell of evergreens and oranges.
The crisp, cold nights. The sounds of carols being sung.

That feeling of awe and wonder.

And the anticipation…

As I grew into my teens and ventured alone into downtown Portland, I took joy in wishing everyone I met a merry Christmas.

And greater joy in hearing that wish returned. There was never a doubt that Christ had been born so many years before and we were celebrating his coming.

Now decades have past. The seasons have come and gone. The carols are still being sung. I still have family around me though I miss so many who have passed away. But the memory of the wonder we shared at Christmas still warms my heart.

Now new memories and traditions are being made.
And I take joy in seeing the wonder in the eyes of my grandchildren as they experience the warmth of family at Christmas time.
Some things in our society have changed.

And yet one thing remains. Christ at Christmas. The story of His birth and the joy of the believers.

Not so long ago I had the privilege of serving the sisters at the Washington Correctional Center for Women. Digby Granger was the Branch President at the time and I was his counselor. It was early in December and it was decided that we should show the church video “Lamb of God.” One sister was quite moved by it and remarked on her way out after the hour, “How could you show that at this time of year?”

I was completely taken aback.

Why was it so hard to see the story of His life at this time of year?
Because it also depicted his death?

Yes, the angels sang of good tidings of great joy at His birth.
A message to all the earth. Not just to Israel but to all the earth.
And what is the message of great joy?

“For unto you is born a Savior!”
What is to be saved? Who is to be saved? How are they to be saved?

Was this message one that was new?
Unknown to the people of Israel?
No, of course not.

550 years before the advent of Christ Nephi told his people: “Behold I say unto you, that … as the Lord … liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, … whereby man can be saved.” (2 Ne. 25:20)

How was that to be done?

Let’s go back a few years…

In the Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price we can read about Adam being visited by an angel:

Heavenly Father gave Adam and Eve commandments, “that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord.

“And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord?

“And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.

And then the angel told Adam that the sacrifice he was offering was “a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, …

“Wherefore,” the angel added, “thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore.” (Moses 5:5–8)

And was not Abraham was promised that “God will provide?”
That through Abraham would come a savior?

Isaiah declared:

“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: … and with his stripes we are healed.

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

“He was … brought as a lamb to the slaughter. …

“He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. …

“He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isa. 53:5–8, 12)

At the beginning of the Savior’s ministry, John the Baptist exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

And the gospel writer reminds us, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up…” (John 3:14)

On this point, the resurrected Christ said to the Nephites:

“Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.

“And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; … that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works.

“And … whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.” (3 Ne. 27:13-16)

This is a definition of the gospel, spoken by way of summary and conclusion after the risen Christ had spent days—perhaps weeks—explaining the principles and ordinances of the gospel to the Nephites.

The gospel is the plan adopted by our Heavenly Father for accomplishing his “work and … glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

This is the plan the Lord presented to his children in the great pre-earth council.

We were there - you and I - when the gospel plan was presented. We were among the two-thirds of God’s children who accepted the plan.

A plan that anticipated everything that has occurred or that will occur in heaven or on earth.

It provided for us to receive physical bodies in mortality, endowed with free agency. And being acted upon by good and evil, we should prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

It anticipated Lucifer’s rebellion, the creation of this earth, the placing of Adam and Eve upon it, their partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their expulsion from the Garden, and the peopling of the earth by their posterity.

It anticipated Satan working among us, our imperfection, our temporal and spiritual death.

It anticipated the need for a Savior to conquer death, and atone for the transgression of Adam, and provide the means by which we, through repentance, might receive forgiveness for our sins and be readmitted into the presence of God.

Christ of course, was chosen to be the Savior and Redeemer. His role in Heavenly Father’s plan to bring to pass “the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39) has been revealed to men in all dispensations.

When Christ appeared to the brother of Jared He said:

“Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. … In me shall all mankind have light, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.” (Ether 3:14)

In the thirty-fourth chapter of Alma we read:

“And now it came to pass that after Alma had spoken … Amulek arose and began to teach … , saying:

“Behold, I say unto you, that I … know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

“For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; … except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.

“Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be … a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away.

"And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal." (Alma 34:1, 8-9, 13-14)

As I was reading this past week I came upon something in an address by Elder Dallin H. Oakes I found to be pertinent and profoundly to the point. To this discussion Elder Oakes offers these cautionary thoughts:

“The Apostle Paul wrote that we should ‘work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling.’ (Philip. 2:12) Could that familiar expression mean that the sum total of our own righteousness will win us salvation and exaltation? Could some of us believe that our heavenly parentage and our divine destiny allow us to pass through mortality and attain eternal life solely on our own merits?”

Elder Oakes continues:

“I believe that some of us, some of the time, say things that can create that impression. We can forget that keeping the commandments, which is necessary, is not sufficient. As Nephi said, we must labor diligently to persuade everyone ‘to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.’ (2 Ne. 25:23)

“Man unquestionably has impressive powers and can bring to pass great things by tireless efforts and indomitable will. But after all our obedience and good works, we cannot be saved from the effect of our sins without the grace extended by the atonement of Jesus Christ.”

And he further states:

“The Book of Mormon puts us right.
“It teaches that 'salvation doth not come by the law alone' (Mosiah 13:28); that is, salvation does not come by keeping the commandments alone. 'By the law no flesh is justified.' (2 Ne. 2:5.) Even those who serve God with their whole souls are unprofitable servants. (See Mosiah 2:21.) Man cannot earn his own salvation.

“The Book of Mormon teaches:
“'Since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself.' (Alma 22:14)
“'There can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.' (Alma 34:12; see also 2 Ne. 9:7; Alma 34:8–16)
“'Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; … he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law.' (2 Ne. 2:6–7)
"And so we 'preach of Christ … that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.' (2 Ne. 25:26)"

So let us go back to the start. Can we - should we - celebrate Christmas - His birth - without also acknowledging His atoning sacrifice, His death, and His resurrection?

It is obvious that without a savior there would be no hope for us to receive the blessings promised by the gospel. And we have no hope of receiving them now unless we have faith in Jesus Christ and act upon the knowledge we receive. This is according to the gospel, which Paul said “is the power of God unto salvation.” (Rom. 1:16)

So as we celebrate this Christmas season, let us keep in mind the full meaning of what we commemorate. And that the giving of gifts at this time of year is not founded in any gift given by man but in the gift our Heavenly Father gave.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

And this is His gift to us.
Of which I testify in His holy name.
Even the name of Jesus the Christ.
Amen.

FLUSSO URBANO

A city stream. On a ride through Milano, Italy.

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The House in Goose Hollow

1923 South West Madison in Portland, Oregon. The place of my birth. My first home in the storied Goose Hollow neighborhood. Just up the street from the Oregon Sports Authority.  Two blocks away from the Multnomah Athletic Club. Around the corner from the Goose Hollow Inn and a short walk to Jeld-Wen Field.

Today it's a nice lot but no house.

A two story Vic would look nice...

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WHAT IS EDUCATION?

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Race against the Tide

 The people of Kangiqsujuaq in Canada go to great lengths to add variety to their diet of seal meat, venturing under the sea ice during the extreme low tides of the spring equinox to gather mussels.
It's a race against time. They have less than half an hour to search these temporary caverns before the tide rushes back in. A look-out keeps watch for the returning tide, but warning shouts can't be too loud in case the echoes bring down the ice.

This struck me as almost unbelievable. I was sure it was somebody's slick "photo shopping" of reality. But when I went looking for the source I found it on BBC1. The next thing that slammed me between the eyes was the risk these people take for seafood. The fish counter at Albertson's takes on a whole new meaning for me now. And an order of mussels at Olive Garden just won't be the same.

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The Quad This Year

When was the last time you read through all the scriptures - Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price? 

The challenge placed before the family today was to read them all this year. Sounds like a daunting task? Look at it this way. If you will read seven pages each day, by next new year's day you will have completed all four standard works.

To help out, I wanted to post links to each day's reading. Then I started thinking about what's on this page and decided that there might be a better place for discussing our reading of the scriptures. Since I didn't know of one with a schedule to read all the standard works in a year, I spent much of this week writing one.

Where is it and what is it called?  Well, the new page is titled "Im Buchwald: Duftiges Laub."  - you'll have to read the introduction over there to find out what that means - but here's the link.

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