Facebook

My facebook just got a Microsoft hangover. Seems that Microsoft's investment is causing options to be less desirable (at least less likely to become more lucrative) for employees. According to the Wall Street Journal this is likely to make hiring top talent mroe difficult. Odd situation for a social networking site to be confronted with.

Entertainment

Recently I introduced myself to the world of online worlds. Secondlife gets a ton of credit in the news but you wouldn't believe the number of worlds out there to explore. I can take exotic mini-vacations anytime I feel up to logging in and waiting for a download or two. Admittedly some cost money, some are games, and some are just not that interesting to me.

Regardless of the downsides I have found that they let me connect with old and new friends all around the world and some quite close to home. For anyone having a boring social life, connecting online may have become a bit more interesting. I know living in an area populated by retirees, having an outlet to another place and people balances my life.

Moving around my world

I have a couple blogs now. Trying to get the feel for what I want each to represent. Sorry about the long silence. I will begin speaking up now.

Book Reviews

I just finished three different books work investigating depending on your personal interests.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
While not extremely exciting, this reference offer a basic review on historical, scientific, religious, and cultural information. Anyone who has an exam (GRE, FSWI) coming up and needs to review general concepts in the western world; this text answers the need. Using the illustrations, charts, maps and a comprehensive index you can check for the holes in your knowledge base. One suggestion for study use; take each alphabetical entry in the history section and try to create a time line. I found myself clearing the fog on year's old college coursework.

The Kite Runner
If you are trying to get a personal feeling on the events leading up to our current involvement in Afganistan; check out this story. I have a much clearer picture of the life that was, is, and what hopes there are for the future. In addition, while reading this book I was approached on at least 3 dozen occasions by people who found the book to be marvelous.

The Ethos Effect
Okay, okay - it is science fiction. Regardless the ethical questions raised the the arguements used were interesting. I drew parallels between current and past political problems. In addition this reinvigorated my pursuit of understanding the greater ethical questions.

I hope you pick up at least the Kite Runner. Take care and give me suggestions on books you enjoy reading.

Bangladesh?

I have been wondering what is going on in Bangladesh. Last news report I have seen occurred January 12 when the opposition leader was detained. I know a blogger in the country. She hasn't posted since the 11th. Nothing in the news. There must be a journalist out there dying to get published...

Ethics

While listening to the Congressional ethics bill proposals I was reading a book. One of the characters asked, "Why do we spend so much time discussing ethics." The other responded, "Without struggling with ethics what is life for?"

What is life for?

One answer I saw on television. Life is for obtaining temporal things. Buy this, buy that.

Another answer; life is for pleasure, joy, happiness. Tell that to those involved in war.

I need to find a good journal or book to redevelop my understanding of ethical behavior and how people across the world define them and their lives.

Mid-Eastern Furies

So I have been looking to the middle east and listening to both congressional houses for the last few days.

Fury 1
My personal feeling is that the planned 'surge' could have any number of consequences. Escalating or deescalating the violence in Iraq, though if there is an easing of violence at first I think eventually there will be a counter 'surge' from the militia with the most power at the end of the American 'surge.'

Fury 2
While the additional troops could have a variety of influences in Iraq I wonder about Iranian reactions. Will the drive to develop nuclear capabilities also 'surge?' Add to that the Egyptian President saying that he would develop nuclear weapons if others in the region developed them. This was backed by the state run paper so that can't be coincidence. I hope my friends in Isreal are still okay. So much volatility in that arena.

Fury 3
Lets have a war. War still going. Wasn't that war supposed to end eventually? Where did all the brainiacs in Iraq go? Living in Lebanese poverty? Oh dear... ...yes the outflux of talented people, trying to avoid being murdered undoubtedly, has left Iraq critically short of one of the hardest to obtain infrastructure commodities. Supposing there is an end to the violence, now there is need to coax people back home who, given time, may settle at their new addresses.

Regardless of Bush right or Bush wrong, the consequences of our involvement out in the middle east are going to stay with a war-weary American public for a few more years. I just hope we do not forget Afganistan. From what I get off the newsblotters and Congressional speeches last night; we have a better chance for some success out there.

Missing boy

I had a rough weekend which I am still processing. Not that it was supposed to be. In fact the setting was perfect for lounging, catching up on news, email, this blog, and taking a hike. Instead I try to figure out what life changes to make. Must be going through a mid-fall crisis. Especially since I am nowhere near midlife. Spend a weekend trying to negotiate the difference between your actions and stated ideals. My post today seems to dwell on an aspect of that conflict. In fact it is what got me started reflecting.

Here in Oregon you often hear stories of children and adults who become lost in the woods. Not as often do you hear about the children who disappear all over the world. On Friday I was listening to the news when this story about an autistic boy lost in the woods near Crater Lake caught my awareness.

I have worked with a number of autistic children in my few years in educational services. Picturing any one of these children lost in the woods; I can't imagine how they would ever get out. Afraid of loud noises, goes wild when feeling certain textures, unable to respond to strangers voices. I see one of these kids touching a tree and staying entranced by its texture only to hear their name shouted - causing them to run deeper into the woods. There the boy with sandy colored hair and windburned cheecks rubs his hands repeatedly through the moss. Maybe a little girl, hair plastered from where it had been tucked under a cap, is shucking off clothes that itch too much to be tolerated anymore. What chance do these children have? They are not boy scout or girl scouts. They are not seeking shelter. If they are do they recognize the cleft between two rocks as safety When the searchers call; do they ball up and moan, or are they able to respond successfully?

It scares me to think of any of the children I know up there, lost.

I heard this weekend that they are scaling back the search. The outlook is bleak for finding this boy safely. Forget needles and haystacks, this is an earthworm caught in a rainstorm desperately searching for comfort and running from the hands that are trying to plop in into a jar of slightly moist dirt.

Thinking more globally there are many people who go missing. I wonder why they affect me less sometimes. Is the idea of a child being shot by competing racial groups in the middle east so foreign that I simply can not imagine how to feel?

I like to think that I care about people all over the world. My weekends worry over this local boy seems all out of proportion to my benevolence regarding the life of a child in Iraq or Afganistan. I worry about the children being harmed, not doubt. Which should bother me more this boy I do not know, or horrifying statistics regarding child mortality in Sudan?

More questions than answers. Wine tasting would have been more calming that my quiet relaxing weekend has been. I handle discussions like this more calmly with a glass of wine anyways.