Musings

General-purpose musings

There are 780 posts filed in Musings (this is page 33 of 78).

Explosive questions

For a few tense days this week, the port of Morehead City, one of the deepest-water ports on the East Coast, threatened to become even deeper when a forklift operator punctured a shipment of Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, or PETN. The accident cleared the city and shut down traffic on major roadways, then kept the port itself closed for additional days while the spill was cleaned up.

The American public became familiar with PETN when a Nigerian would-be suicide bomber failed to ignite the PETN hidden in his underwear while his plane was landing in Detroit. With that incident fresh in everyone’s mind, you would think that many questions would be asked about what this dangerous explosive was doing in Morehead City and where it was going.

Local officials aren’t talking. To its credit, the News and Observer’s editorial staff raised similar questions but doesn’t seem willing to commit the resources it takes to dig out the answers. Where was it bound? How could a forklift operator make such a mistake? And why did it take almost four hours after the spill to shut down U.S. 70 and evacuate the city? Who is responsible? Who will pay for the cleanup efforts?

I hope someone’s willing to get answers on this. As of now it’s still a mystery.

The other end of larceny

My recent Hechinger post brought to mind one other tale worth sharing, one I didn’t know how to weave into the rest of my narrative.

One of the part-tome guys who worked at the store was much like me: a clean-cut middle class young man. He was the son of an IBMer and probably never wanted for much growing up. He was pretty friendly and though he worked in a different department we would always say hi to each other.

Then one night my image of him changed completely. We were at a party thrown by one of our coworkers. I took him up on his offer to check out the stereo in his red Mustang. Seeing how impressed I was, he offered to get me one just like it for $50.

What, I said? He then casually explained that he knew some people who could get him “hot” stereos and radar detectors and could hook me up if I wanted.
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Google threatens to leave China, quits filtering results

I read this morning that Google is threatening to pull out of China in response to what Google says are coordinated attacks against the email accounts of human rights activists. Google has also stopped filtering search results to users of its Chinese site. Word of the changes has apparently spread quickly among Chinese Internet users, many of whom see this as a positive move.

I’ve lost count of how many Internet attacks my website has received from computers in China. It is almost impossible to say for sure who is responsible for the attacks. It could be government-sponsored or it could be independent Chinese hackers. It could also be foreign attackers taking advantage of the language barrier and lazy system administrators who don’t keep their computers patched. If those attacks seem to target activists, however, that becomes a powerful “smoking gun” for implicating the Chinese government.

Some Chinese say this will hurt Chinese Internet users. Personally, I found the so-called Great Firewall of China to be quite porous. I suspect savvy Net users in China will have little problem steering to their favorite Internet sites, regardless of what Google and the Chinese government do.

Where I’ve worked: Hechinger

My Hechinger Badge

After my shoddy treatment at Dart Drug and my detours at the W. Bell and the computer store, I circled back to the Sugarland Run shopping plaza and applied to the hardware store where we always shopped: Hechinger, also known as the “World’s Most Unusual Lumber Yard.” Boy, was I glad I did!

It was May 1987: one month away from my high school graduation. I walked into the store, inquired about a job, and was walked back to the employee lounge in the back to fill out the application. I was then shown into the office of the store manager. The manager was a portly man with impeccable manners and a friendly, gentle, fatherly manner. He sat me down and asked a few general questions, most not directly related to hardware, from what I recall. It was more about my longer-term goals, just feeling me out. I seem to recall I set my sights high at that meeting. I was feeling pretty confident.

I can still recall the thrill I felt when he told me I was hired. I’d be making about $5 an hour – a nice jump from my Dart Drug days – and I would be assigned to the hardware department. I thanked him and walked out. I couldn’t wait to get to work!
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Highlights of 2009: Public service

It makes me laugh when I think of my coworkers seeing me rush to take a call during the day. They have no clue that I’m often talking with city councilors, police officials, company bigwigs, or reporters. That was the case in 2009: another banner year for me for public service. I did things this year that I’d never done before and those challenges paid handsome dividends.

I began to really come into my own as chair of the East Citizens Advisory Council (East CAC). The presentations were interesting, the fedback was glowing, and people began to take notice. Several of my initiatives resulted in the largest attendance ever at the CAC. I created CAC business cards, started a CAC blog, ordered signs for putting out days before our meetings, and even dabbled in streaming video of the meetings on the Internet. I even held a “history night.” I believe these were all firsts for a CAC.

The chairpersons of other CACs began to take notes on what I was doing. It’s becoming a leader of leaders. And it seems now our area earns more respect from city leaders. Plans are being drawn up right now to completely revitalize East Raleigh’s major thoroughfares. It’s an exciting time to be in East Raleigh.
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Highlights of 2009: GPS talks at Conn Elementary

One of the most unexpected joys I had during 2009 was my series of GPS talks for fifth graders at Conn Elementary. It was October 2008 when I stumbled into this unusual speaking gig but January 2009 was when I finally tried it. Soon the accolades poured in and I felt like a star.

It’s hard to stay away from the spotlight once you’ve had a taste of fame, so I signed up for repeat performances again, again, and again. Each time my presentation seems to improve and the kids seem more engaged. I’ve also used my connections to find neighborhood speakers for other topics, too.

The GPS talks have allowed me to see what teaching is like, if only for an hour every other month. I’ve found that it suits me. There is nothing like seeing a kid light up when learning is taking place and he or she discovers the answer. It’s addictive, and just one of the many ways I choose to give back to the community.

Highlights of 2009: Elections

There was a city election this year and once again I found myself in the middle of it. I pitched in with the campaigns of Rodger Koopman and Russ Stephenson.

Kelly and I hosted a meet-and-greet for Russ that had to get moved to a friend’s house when our daughter suddenly got sick. I also recorded a robo-call on behalf of Russ that went out to the neighborhood. We were happy to help Russ as he’s been helpful to our community. Then there was the all-day poll greeting I did, which I find is an odd combination of being exhausting and yet strangely energizing.

Unfortunately for Rodger, a reelection was not to be. In spite of my efforts he was defeated. I believe part of his undoing were the Wake school board elections, which brought out the angry voters. Still, Rodger may not be at the table now but he’s not through with politics. I’d like to see him take one of the Wake County Commissioners seats that will undoubtedly go Democratic this year. We’ll see.

Highlights of 2009: Anniversaries

This year I celebrated two important milestones in my life: my 40th birthday and ten years of marriage to my wife, Kelly.

I’d not paid much attention to my birthdays since my 21st, really. My thinking was that they were just another day. Still, there’s something a little more compelling when one turns 40. Here I am with half of my life in the bag and half to go. There is no doubt that my thirties had been good to me but a lot of the time before them was spent figuring out who the heck I am. When seen in that light it becomes clear that the years I have ahead are certain to be more productive than the ones behind.

I was also recently pondering how the pathways available to me in life are narrowing as I get older. In my younger days I took some comfort in knowing that I had some time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve always had wide-ranging interests and I never wanted to say never. Well, now that 40 has come (and almost gone), “never” is being said for me. Those things I’m planning to do are now called “bucket list” items but the thought it the same: there are still lots of ways I can improve myself. I look forward to them, and to the life ahead.
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Highlights of 2009: Shows, shows, shows

This year saw us going to more concerts and shows than we ever have before. This was in spite of the global economic situation and wasn’t something I would ever have predicted. I stopped going to shows long ago because they either were way too expensive (ahem) or the club was so smoky I’d come home smelling like Liggett and Myers. Screw that! But something about this year drove us to plunk down good money to see bands play, and for the most part it was worth it!

We began our musical odyssey with a Jimmy Buffett show in April. It was probably the ninth time I’ve been to a Buffett show: honestly I’ve lost count. Jimmy hasn’t played Raleigh lately so I was less inclined to go. He’s still one of the few artists who can coax me into going to Walnut Creek Amphitheatre. It ain’t the smoke that makes always want to take a shower after returning from Walnut Creek!
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Highlights of 2009: Vacations

Every vacation is memorable, and we’re fortunate to be able to take occasional vacations. This year we were fortunate to have three significant trips.

In August we joined our friends the Chandler-Oakley’s in Boone to share their mountain cabin for a few days. It was great being in the mountains and the weather could not have been more perfect. We enjoyed our company and had a great time hiking around the various parks.
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