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11th day, 11th hour...
Nov. 12th, 2009 09:35 amThe most modest President since... Jeez. Truman, perhaps? Not too many modest Presidents. Anyway, the Commander-in-Chief makes a stop in Arlington.
The differences of translation
Jun. 19th, 2009 01:59 amFrom the Analects of Kǒng Fūzǐ, who is more widely known as Confucius:
Ames & Rosemont: The Master said, "Exemplary persons are distressed by their own lack of ability, not by the failure of others to acknowledge them."
Lyall (Proj. Gutenberg): The Master said, His shortcomings trouble a gentleman; to be unknown does not trouble him.
Legge: The Master said, "The superior man is distressed by his want of ability. He is not distressed by men's not knowing him."
So the next time you're thinking you don't get enough comments...
Ames & Rosemont: The Master said, "Exemplary persons are distressed by their own lack of ability, not by the failure of others to acknowledge them."
Lyall (Proj. Gutenberg): The Master said, His shortcomings trouble a gentleman; to be unknown does not trouble him.
Legge: The Master said, "The superior man is distressed by his want of ability. He is not distressed by men's not knowing him."
So the next time you're thinking you don't get enough comments...
Various updatery
Feb. 26th, 2009 09:28 am* Just back from the gym, my fourth time in two weeks. The earlier three times, I'd always used the elliptical trainers. I could usually last 2, 2-and-a-half minutes, and my heart rate would zoom to just shy of 130. This worried me.
This time I tried a recumbent bike, and that felt much better. 10 minute session, heart rate hovering at around 100. Didn't feel as worn out once stopped, even though 4-5 times as long. Given my general decrepitude, I suspect a workout that's longer and less stressing will be more useful.
* Comcast is now completely out of the house. The internet is now Qwest DSL. The VoIP is now Vonage. Local phone calls are a good chunk of the Anglophone world (US, Canada, UK, ANZ) plus Sweden and many others. No cable TV, but that was our status quo ante for 20 years -- I don't think we'll miss it. (Hello, Netflix! Patient, aren'cha?)
* Nothing of note on the job front.
* Obama gave his almost but not quite State of the Union. The thing that struck me, yet again, was how modest Obama can be:
"As soon as I took office, I asked this Congress to send me a recovery plan by Presidents Day... And tonight I am grateful that this Congress delivered and pleased to say that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is now law."
He asked the Congress to do something, and he's grateful they delivered.
Which, really, are the way relations between the President and Congress should be. The President executes the laws, and Congress writes them. If the President thinks there should be a new law, he should ask, and then Congress either agrees with him or not.
How much does it say about the last few years that our government working the way it's supposed to is a breath of fresh air?
But the other remarkable thing continues to be how opponents to Mr. Obama stick sarcastic labels on him -- "The Messiah," "The One," etc. -- while his own words, actions, and demeanor are very humble.
This time I tried a recumbent bike, and that felt much better. 10 minute session, heart rate hovering at around 100. Didn't feel as worn out once stopped, even though 4-5 times as long. Given my general decrepitude, I suspect a workout that's longer and less stressing will be more useful.
* Comcast is now completely out of the house. The internet is now Qwest DSL. The VoIP is now Vonage. Local phone calls are a good chunk of the Anglophone world (US, Canada, UK, ANZ) plus Sweden and many others. No cable TV, but that was our status quo ante for 20 years -- I don't think we'll miss it. (Hello, Netflix! Patient, aren'cha?)
* Nothing of note on the job front.
* Obama gave his almost but not quite State of the Union. The thing that struck me, yet again, was how modest Obama can be:
"As soon as I took office, I asked this Congress to send me a recovery plan by Presidents Day... And tonight I am grateful that this Congress delivered and pleased to say that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is now law."
He asked the Congress to do something, and he's grateful they delivered.
Which, really, are the way relations between the President and Congress should be. The President executes the laws, and Congress writes them. If the President thinks there should be a new law, he should ask, and then Congress either agrees with him or not.
How much does it say about the last few years that our government working the way it's supposed to is a breath of fresh air?
But the other remarkable thing continues to be how opponents to Mr. Obama stick sarcastic labels on him -- "The Messiah," "The One," etc. -- while his own words, actions, and demeanor are very humble.
A Game of Telephone
Sep. 26th, 2008 07:23 amSome may remember how I like to track things down when they get distorted on the internet. For example, the "privilege meme", which was widely attributed to researchers at Illinois State, when in fact they're at Indiana State. Or Mary Schmich's adivice to "Wear Sunscreen", which got attributed to Kurt Vonnegut.
The most recent example of this is the idea that Obama recently said, "Call me if you need me." This has caused a range of reactions in the right-wing blogosphere, from snickers, to indignation, to outrage.
One little problem: He never said that phrase.
Here's the clip of what he said, from YouTube.
Here's the transcript:
The condensation of that to "Call me if you need me," appears to have started with this blog post -- except even then, the exact phrase occurs only in the title. The body text says, "...Obama said that if they [Congress] need me, they’ll call me."
But the true irony lost on the echo chamber is this:
If you don’t need to call on him, why should you? That thought is directly in the spirit of Ronald Reagan and conservative, limited government. Remember the sign on his Oval Office desk? “There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.”
For someone who’s been accused of thinking he’s a messiah, it strikes me as a very humble statement.
The most recent example of this is the idea that Obama recently said, "Call me if you need me." This has caused a range of reactions in the right-wing blogosphere, from snickers, to indignation, to outrage.
One little problem: He never said that phrase.
Here's the clip of what he said, from YouTube.
Here's the transcript:
OBAMA: You know, what I'm going to do is, I'm going to -- what I have told the leadership in Congress is that, if I can be helpful, then I am prepared to be anywhere any time.
What I think is important, though, is that we don't suddenly infuse Capitol Hill with presidential politics at a time when we're in the middle of some very delicate and difficult negotiations.
So, you know, I think the message is, if you need us, if I can be helpful, I'm prepared to be there at any point.
But, keep in mind, again, I'm talking to Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, the congressional leadership, Hank Paulson, I'm talking to them every single day. We have been working around the clock. And, you know, presidents are going to have to deal with more than one thing at a time. It's not necessary for us to think that we can only do one thing and suspend everything else.
The condensation of that to "Call me if you need me," appears to have started with this blog post -- except even then, the exact phrase occurs only in the title. The body text says, "...Obama said that if they [Congress] need me, they’ll call me."
But the true irony lost on the echo chamber is this:
If you don’t need to call on him, why should you? That thought is directly in the spirit of Ronald Reagan and conservative, limited government. Remember the sign on his Oval Office desk? “There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.”
For someone who’s been accused of thinking he’s a messiah, it strikes me as a very humble statement.
