overcoming bad habits; creating good habits

in the vein of scott adams, i've been trying to implement a system as opposed to setting goals.  my system, at least how i envision it, is to identify things i enjoy that are beneficial to me.  when it comes to exercise, i've been trying to find the best exerciese that 1) i enjoy and 2) is sustainable.

after a few years of experimenting, i've landed on walking 4 miles a day.  i loved running, but found the injuries weren't enjoyable.  i loved basketball, but finding access to a gym and a decent group of players was tough.  spinning on a bike was not really sustainable nor did i particularly enjoy it.  walking, however, is really enjoyable and sustainable.  i see myself walking 4 miles a day well into my senior years.

eating - i've come to the conclusion that i simply need to eat less and arm myself with the right information about which foods are good for my brain and body and which leave me feeling full and satiated.

however, i don't see any reason why i can't implement and improve a system and at the same time strengthen my willpower or impulse control.  i read a couple of other blog posts today and yesterday which hit on this.

steve sailor was commentating on a new york post column about amy chua's new theory on cultural groups and why they are successful.  one of the tri-fectas she talks about is impulse control - calling it a hallmark of self-help.  impulse control is "the ability to delay instant gratification in the service of a greater goal."  This is how steve sailor defined it.  but in the article, describes impulse control as "the ability to resist temptation, especially the temptation to give up in the face of hardship or quit instead of persevering at a difficult task."

i think having a system and impulse control significantly increases anyone's chance for success and happiness in life.

and today, i read another great blog post on building that impulse control muscle and how to accomplish it.  this idea isn't anything new from leo babauta, but this post really caught my attention because that is how i see my impulses.  in his post "the child that holds us back" he talks about how he overcame habits and how hard it was - until he stopped listening to the 5-6 year-old child voice in him.  he describes how all of us have that same child-voice in us saying all the things that will get us to give-up or give in to temptations.

the trick is to "notice that this 5-year-old child is telling you what to do.  but don't listen.  don't obey.  don't believe its rationalizations."  in other posts, he describes a trick about simply acknowledging the urge - you "watch it", you can breathe deeply, walk around a bit and then the urge will go away.  it's all about being more mindful and giving yourself a chance to strengthen your impulse control.

the savior generals: david petraeus

reading the david petraeus chapter was really fascinating in that i was following the events in march 2003 and after.  i watched the news and read the news sites and all that came along with it.  the politics surrounding the iraq war was astounding.  as a nation and congress, we were unified to go into iraq and remove hussein.  the "shock and awe" was amazing.  then came the "mission accomplished" stunt.  then the wheels came off.

we were not ready for what came next - the casualties spiked and we did not know how to handle the situation.  the democrats who were for the war, were now against the war.  bush was trying all he could to stabilize the situation, but no general could do it.

many different strategies were tried, but none were effective.  the only successful area in iraq was in the north under the command of petraeus.  he was "perfect" for the assignment is almost every conceivable way.  as vdh put it, "whether consciously or not, david patraeus for two decades had been preparing himself neither for conventional warfare nor for counterterrorist special operations - nor even for classic jungle or rural insurgency.  instead, he had prepped for large-scale postbellum occupation and reconstruction in highly urbanized, extremely hostile populations - exactly what iraq would be like in 2003" (p. 224).

his plan was to oversee "the reestablishment of everything from the urban university to the city council.  petraeus disbursed millions of dollars to more than four thousand projects ('money is ammunition') - often without the oversight of paul bremer, the head of the coalition provisional authority, who had been monitoring civil affairs for the year after may 2003" (p. 225).

once put in charge of the whole theater, he implemented his plan throughout the entire country - and it worked.  he gained the confidence of the people and they were able to see his vision which enabled them to fight long enough to stabilize iraq.  the plan was initiated in 2007; and by december 2011, when all american troops had withdrawn, not one u.s. solider had died.

there is a lot more to petraeus' plan than his two-decade preparation and schooling.  there had to be a way for the plan to make it to the president's desk so that it could be approved.  again, this is where petraeus seemingly shines.  vdh describes petreaus as excellent in every imaginable assignment; unmatched intelligence and academic preparation; and ambition.  petreaus developed "strong personal friendships with high-ranking officers, all the while showcasing his organizational and intellectual skills at the company, battalion and brigade level" (p. 222-223).  his "rivals" discounted his abilities because of his well-connectedness.  but this well-connectedness is what allowed the plan to reach the right ears.

the legend of petraeus grows when you read about his two near-death experiences - surviving an accidental bullet to the chest as well as surviving a parachute landing when the parachute did not open.

the petreaus chapter reminded me a lot of themistocles and belisarius.  all three of them were dynamic and had qualities that only they possessed which allowed them to "save" a war for their leaders.  without them, the wars would have been lost.

as a post-script, it's been two years since the troop withdrawals from iraq.  up until very recently, the peace in iraq has been good.  however, a quick search produces the following headlines:
- iraq suffers worst year of violence since 2008
- iraq sees highest annual death toll in years

no doubt the situation would be far worse had it not been for petraeus, but it is appearing the violence is now creeping back in barely two years after the u.s. withdrew.

the savior generals: matthew ridgway

much can be found on the internet about matthew ridgway.  he died during the summer of 1993, when i was probably at a high school basketball camp getting ready for my senior year season.  i had never heard of him until i read the savior generals.  i may have heard mention of his name, but if anyone came up to me and asked me who matthew ridgway was, i would not have been able to give an answer.

yet, my life and many others, is influenced by what he did for 100 days in korea.  today, i spend a lot of time fiddling around, texting and talking on my samsung phone.  two summers ago, we were all entertained by gangum style.  many people love and drive hyundais.  all the people in south korea can live their free lives because of those 100 days ridgway spent regaining territory and saving people living south of the 38th parallel.

what was so special about ridgway that gave him the capacity to save the korean war?

he lead from the forward.  he was a soldier's soldier.  he dressed like the soldiers he lead.  he kept a grenade and first aid kit on him all the time - giving way to the name iron tits.

he didn't alienate mcarthur.  he was savvy enough to not speak ill of mcarthur.  he was also savvy enough to follow his civilian leaders back in washington d.c.  he installed competent colonels below him and allowed the less-competent to have desk jobs back in the states.  he also ensure that when he communicated to his leaders, they in turn did not leak any information to the press.

he gave the troops a reason to fight.  he gave them a vision about what the world would be like if the chinese communists were left un-checked.  he talked of commitment to allies and to the recently formed united nations.  he spoke of congress funding the war.  he even put the why in the context of the survival of western civilization.

he changed tactics.  he consolidated the line.  he fought at night and had air superiority.  his supply lines were reliable.  he also knew that the communists would not be able to keep their supply lines in good shape

as i read this chapter, i got the impression that mcarthur just left the troops to their own and that they were set adrift and disorganized once the communists came pouring down the peninsula.  all that the military really needed was a solid, steady hand - and in ridgway, they got that.

one final parting thought about ridgway.  it seemed the consensus, prior to ridgway taking command, was that the united states could simply drop a couple of nukes on korea and be done with it.  but others, including ridgway felt that nuclear escalation was not the best way.  russia has exploded nukes of their own - it was the dawn of the cold war - and nuclear escalation was a real risk.  sure millions ended up dying the old fashion way, but had nukes been uses, my guess is that number would have been far higher.

the real story of thanksgiving

the republic of pirates by colin woodard

the republic of pirates by colin woodard is the best pirate book i've read.  it was detailed and placed the right amount of emphasis on historical facts without drowning the reader in dates, names and places.

highlights
for me, there were a few things that stood out as well as a few things that i was curious to learn about.

first off - why did people turn to piracy.  this book answers that question quite well.  privateering was essentially government-endorsed piracy.  so when the wars between france, england, spain and the other countries ceased, so did the privateers income.  and not only that, but the reader must also realize that the sailor's life was practically worse than a slave's life.  this was the other's other point about why people turned to piracy.

one example the author used to illustrate how bad a sailor's life was, was about this young boy who the captain beat quite savagely for 17 days!  he beat him, whipped him, made him eat his own stool and when the boy finally spoke, he asked for something to drink.  the captain ran to his quarters and then returned with a cup of his own urine and made the boy drink it.  the boy finally died.

so, the lack of authorization to privateer at war's end and the abuses suffered by many, some sailors were practically forced to piracy in order to survive.

the author also goes into some detail to tell the story and legend of henry avery.  this pirate lived a couple of decades before the caribbean pirates and probably inspired many of them to turn to piracy.

another reason for piracy had to do with the english government.  this was one of those new things i learned.  when the house of hanover assumed power, many loyalists to the house of stuart became pirates.  in fact, some pirates disagreed with each other because some pirates wanted to attack english interests while others did not.

in summary, each pirate had his reason for piracy.

the democracy of the pirates was quite interesting.  although the book was marketed to indicate that the caribbean pirates were actually early american revolutionaries, the book didn't quite make the connection.  there was no evidence that some pirates eventually contributed ideas to the american revolutions.  true, the form of democracy the pirates practiced was revolutionary, but i didn't see any other strong connection to the american revolution.  in fact, it seems the british citizens in america were the most strong-willed people who had the greatest effect on the downfall of the golden age of piracy.

woodes rogers - what a tragic life.  his story is interesting and sad, but, again, he didn't come across as the man who brought down the pirates.  the subtitle of the book is: being the true and surprising story of the caribbean pirates and the man who brought them down.  woodes rogers is apparently that man.  but in the book, his role wasn't as strong as the sub title would suggest.  true, he had a vision to reform madagascar and the pirates there; and true he lead a company to the caribbean to end piracy, but when he actually got there, he seemed way more reticent than expected.  the royal navy abandoned him shortly after arriving at nassau.  the people he had to work with were lazy and ultimately he was afraid vane and the other pirates would return to kill him.  sadly, after all his money was spent, he was cast into debtors prison and eventually died and was buried in nassau.

most of the pirates expired around 1718-19.  but the one pirate who outlasted them all was charles vane.

links and other info
first off, read the book - it's worth the read.

secondly, visit his website: http://www.republicofpirates.net/

thirdly, nbc is doing a mini-series on blackbeard which will be based off woodard's book.  nbc began filming it in puerto rico about a month ago (link).  the series will be called crossbones starring john malkovich.  i'm looking forward to that!

samorost 1 & 2

about ten years ago, i came across a really neat and addicting game called samorost.  i had forgotten what the name of the game was and i spent the last couple of days digging around for it.  i finally had to search top game lists from the last ten years before i found it.

i replayed samorost 1 today ... it took me 10 minutes.  i remember playing it the first time and taking me much longer.

i plan to dink around with samorost 2 later this weekend.  this game came out a couple of years after samorost 1.  i can't remember if i played it or not.  i'm thinking i did.

in further research, it appears a much larger and longer samorost 3 is set for release in the near future (link).

if you dare, you too can check out samorost 1 and samorost 2.

halloween reading on a dark and stormy night

grab a cup of some warm delight, settle down in your leather chair, open your tablet and read these stories ...

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Visit PoeStories.com to read your favorite Edgar Allen Poe story or poem
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Willows by Algernon Blackwood
The Pale Man by Julius Long

the savior generals: william tecumseh sherman

i've already reviewed a previous chapter about sherman in another book written by vdh (link here).

the main point the savior generals makes that is different from the soul of battle is sherman's concept of total modern war.  let me begin by quoting sherman along with hanson's assessment.

sherman said, "they dared us to war, and you remember how tauntingly they defied us to the context.  we have accepted the issue and it must be fought out.  you might as well reason with a thunder-storm.  war is the remedy our enemies have chosen."  sherman was a "missionary ... bent on teaching the entire south his version of a moral lesson."

hanson further assesses sherman, "no civil war commander possessed a more astute appraisal of the nature of contemporary warfare, how to form and pursue grand strategy, and the critical nexus between war, civit society, popular support, and electoral politics.  and few american generals have since."

words to describe sherman's thoughts on war: modern, total and merciless war; cruelty, hell, ruin, howl, smashing, breaking and ravaging.  in sherman's words, 'the only principal in this war is, which party can whip.'  he further states, 'i propose to demonstrate the vulnerability of the south, and makes its in habitants feel that war and individual ruin are synonymous terms.'

on actual fighting, sherman chose a different calculus.  while grant looking only at body count and population base, sherman focused on the north's superiority in many other aspects: in manufacturing 23-1; in arms production 10-1; in rail and telegraph infrastructure 2-1 ... these stats bolstered the known population ratio 22-9.  sherman chose to focus on the prior stats rather than the latter, especially in light of the north's public opinion of the death rates grant was suffering.

it's funny how many native southerners still feel slighted by what sherman did.  there is no doubt the natives still value gallantry over the value of life itself.  sherman rather chose to value life and by stabbing at the pride of the south, won a war and saved a nation.

honey & cinnamon: the benefits

this is a direct copy and paste from a friend who reposted this on their facebook page. i bolded the sections i found particularly interesting.

It is found that a mix of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also note honey as very effective medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without side effects which is also a plus.Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, when it is taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm even diabetic patients. Researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, put it on toast instead of jelly and jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol and could potentially save one from heart attack. Also, even if you have already had an attack studies show you could be kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of cinnamon honey strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as one ages the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and the veins.

ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients can benefit by taking one cup of hot water with two tablespoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. When taken daily even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week (out of the 200 people so treated) practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain -- and within a month, most all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis now started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder....who knew?

CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water given to a cholesterol patient was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, when taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol-could be cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and, clear the sinuses, and it's delicious too!

UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also is said to clear stomach ulcers from its root.

GAS: According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that when Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacterial and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles (where DNA is contained) to fight bacterial and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food is eaten relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals

INFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural 'Ingredient' which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Use four teaspoons of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of boiling water to make a tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans increase and even a 100 year old will start performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

RASPY OR SORE THROAT: When throat has a tickle or is raspy, take one tablespoon of honey and sip until gone. Repeat every three hours until throat is without symptoms.

PIMPLES: Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it off the next morning with warm water. When done daily for two weeks, it removes all pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS:Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin Infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast and on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. When taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder three times a day for one month.

FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, even when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, when taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M., the vitality of the body increases within a week.

BAD BREATH: People of South America, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water first thing in the morning so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing. be sure to click SHARE so it will store on your personal page.

the savior generals: belisarius

flavius belisarius: the man who almost reunited the western and eastern roman empire; the man who saved byzantium time and time again and who allowed it to endure 900 years after he left the earth.

who knows what the world would be like had his emperor justinian allowed belisarius more room and resources in the mission to reunite the old empires.

in his second chapter in the savior generals, hanson delves into the life and battles of belisarius and how he saved his emperor time and time again.  these two men's destinies would forever be linked.

let me first quote a paragraph from toward the end of the chapter.  this paragraph summarized the three decade-long mission that justinian envisioned and how his best general - belisarius - almost single-handedly attained that mission.  "a thirty-year career (529-59) saw the last of the romans fighting to save the beleaguered eastern empire in mesopotamia against persians, only to return home to rescue his emperor justinian from the nika riots in the hippodrome.  then he left for north africa and in months destroyed the centurylong vandal empire whose ravages had so dominated the last thoughts of saint augustine.  after that he sailed for sicily, and for a time reclaimed the idea of a roman italy from the mediterranean to the po - only to go eastward again to meet the persians, and then back again to a collapsing italy, and then back to constantinople to internal exile, trials, and humiliation, only while in forced retirement to save the city from a raid of huns - and earn a final rebuke."

in each of the campaigns, belisarius was able to overcome hordes of forces with a very small force.  he was extremely smart and savvy in his approach in out-smarting the enemy.  much like i did with themistocles, let me list out the words that were repeatedly used to describe how belisarius accomplished his mission over and over and over again.

calm in battle, knew difference between tactics and strategy, skilled in counterinsurgency, winning the hearts and minds of local populations, restraint, tactics-morale-generalship, learned to carefully deploy his limited forces against numerically superior opponents, show both force and mercy to locals, did not rashly commit his outnumbered forces, methodic, moderation brings salvation, insurgency, audacious, hit enemy hard and quickly at opportune times, he is quoted as saying "not by the number of men, and not by the measure of one's body, but by the valor of the soul, war is decided", popular icon, mythic status, legendary character, personal habits, clemency, honesty, lenient, saintly conqueror, personally attended his wounded, replaced lost equipment of his soldiers at his own expense, treated personal property sacrosanctly, avoided alcohol-womanizing-bribery, resilient, dynamic, tactical brilliance, personal magnetism, faithful, planner, constantly sought to adopt, improvise, and invent to make up for what he lacked in manpower, usually lost small and won big, confident, not susceptible to panic, neither vain nor prone to softness.

what amazes me is his character.  after all the battles he fought for justinian, he never sought to overthrow him.  it appears there were always rumors that belisarius sought power and for that justinian would always undercut his best general, but belisarius never took advantage.  even when he was old and was recalled out of retirement to fight off the huns - if there were ever an opportune time to take command for himself, this would be it - but he did not.  he was always in the service of his country and emperor.

vdh and other historians wonder "what if" the plague that hit the empire at the worst time had indeed not hit them; and if justinian would have used belisarius to the fullest extent if somehow the old roman empire were reunited - what the world would look like today.  instead, the western empire fully crumbled and the eastern empire was able to survive another 900 years - long enough for the renaissance to begin.

the savior generals by victor davis hanson: themistocles at salamis

it never fails ... every time i read a victor davis hanson book, i feel smarter.  more importantly, i learn something new almost every time i read one of his books.

this book is about five generals who didn't start or end a war, but rather who saved wars from being lost.

the five generals are themistocles, flavius belisarius, william tecumseh sherman, matthew ridgeway, and david patraeus.

i read this book fairly quickly while on vacation this year and so therefore did not get a chance to really soak it in.  now, i'm reading it a second time through to understand better why and how these savior generals were able to do what they did.  i was going to do one big post, but have decided to consolidate my summary as i finished each chapter.

themistocles at salamis

vdh sets the scene by describing the persian hordes and xerxes running ram shod over the greeks.  no persian army had ever extended so far into greece.  the great spartan king leonidas (who everyone is familiar with because the story of the 300 is told and re-told) is dead.  yes, that was a brave fight by the spartans at thermopylae, but now athens and the rest of greece were facing annihilation.

in steps themistocles with a daring idea ... empty athens and place the entire fate of greece in the hands of the athenian navy to fight the persians instead of retreating to sicily.  the navy parked in the straights of salamis and then essentially tricked the persians into fighting.  once the persians engaged the greeks at salamis, it was all over.  the smaller, more maneuverable ships smashed the lumbering persian navy to bits.  xerxes and his hoardes were sent packing back to persia.  xerxes left mardonius to try and 2nd and 3rd offensive.  but mardonius was eventually "crushed" as well by the 70,000 greeks and thus greece was assured freedome from persia.

many historians agree about the impact of the battle of salamis on the world's history - it allowed greece to continue to grow as a culture, directly impacting western civilization history.

a number of things allowed for the victory at salamis.  sure, the greeks had their backs up against the wall, but it really was the cunning, ego and drive of themistocles that allowed athens and sparta to win.

first was themistocles background and heritage.  this guy was a scrapper.  he had no rich parents to dote on him. he fought and he used every means he could to get his way.  let me list several words vdh used to describe themistocles: outsmarted the betterborn, intelligent, ruthless energy, studied and prepared for more diligently than did his advantaged rivals, mobile and serpentine mind, rascally busybody, clever, limitless troublemaking, multifacted leadership, diplomat, calm in battle, unabashed cunning, deceit, the most gifted strategist that classical antiquity ever produced, arrogant, absolute confidence in his own wisdom and leadership, schemed to ostracize his rivals, faked omens to frighted the more pious into his fold, unprincipled behavior, rogue, foresight.

second, in light of the finding of silver in a mine, themistocles was able to convince the people to invest in a navy - to give the silver coins to the lower class and let them participate in the defending of their country.  to offer another vdh quotes, "he somehow persuaded the assembly to build enough ships to ensure a fleet that would reach two hundred triremes.  how a radically democratic politician could persuade his own constituents to pass up such easy money in the here and now in order to invest in an unproven navel program against a distant enemy, we are not told.  but themistocles' navel law proved a monumental turning point for athens, not unlike, in the american experience, the passing of the selective training and service act of 1940 that squeaked by in the house of representatives in august 1940 by just one vote - and just in time, on the eve of war."

third, going back to the character of themistocles, he not only was able to get his navy, but then was able to convince the people not to flee to sicily, but to fight at salamis.  once there, he was able to deceive the persians into pursuing the greeks at salamis and even without their entire force.  he tricked xerxes into sending his best contingent forces to chase the greek retreat - which never came.  themistocles was then ale to smash the persians to bits at salamis to their "utter and complete ruin."

the aftermath of themistocles' life is a bit sad.  the same attributes which helped him be a savior for his fellow greeks also contributed to his downfall.  he was forgotten and eventually ended up in persia where he presumably was going to be forced into service of the persians to fight the greeks, but not before he committed suicide.  vhd also goes on to demonstrate that athens fully embraced themitocles vision of an athenian navy, even though they would not admit it was because of themistocles.

i'll conclude with the vdh conclusion, "quite simply, without the savior general themistocles, the world as we know it today might have been a very different place indeed.  victory at marathon in 490 had alarmed themistocles while most other rejoiced.  defeat at thermopylae had encouraged him when most greeks fell into abject despair.  before salvation at salamis there was no free greece.  after themistocles' victory, there were soon to be few foreign enemies in the aegean.  his dream of an ascendant athenian maritime was assured - and yet along with it a deadly rivalry with sparta on the horizon."

the fate of the signers

happy 4th of july!

take some time today to read this excellent speech by rush limbaugh's father ...

our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor

a letter from 'a freeman' - november 24, 1775

guardians of liberty

Your exertions in the cause of freedom, guided by wisdom, and animated by zeal and courage, have gained you the love and confidence of your grateful countrymen; and they look to you, who are experienced veterans, and trust that you will still be the guardians of America. As I have the honour to be an American, and one among the free millions who are defended by your valour, I would pay the tribute of thanks, and express my gratitude, while I solicit you to continue in your present honourable and important station. I doubt not America will always find enough of her sons ready to flock to her standard and support her freedom: but experience proves that experienced soldiers are more capable of performing the duties of the camp, and better qualified to face the enemy, than others; and, therefore, every friend to America will be desirous that most of the gentlemen who compose the present Army may continue in the service of their Country until liberty, peace, and safety, are established. Although your private concerns may call for your assistance at home, yet the voice of your Country is still louder; and it is painful, to heroick minds, to quit the field when liberty calls, and the voice of injured millions cries, to arms! to arms! Never was a cause more important or glorious than that which you are engaged in. Not only your wives, your children, and distant posterity, but humanity at large, the world of mankind, are interested in it; for if tyranny should prevail in this great Country, we may expect liberty will expire through the world; therefore, more human glory and happiness may depend upon your exertions than ever yet depended upon any of the sons of men! He that is a soldier, in defence of such a cause, needs no title. His post is a post of honour; and although not an Emperor, yet he shall wear a crown of glory, and blessed will be his memory!

The savage and brutal barbarity of our enemies, in burning Falmouth, is a full demonstration that there is not the least remains of virtue, wisdom, or humanity, in the British Court, and that they are fully determined, with fire and sword, to butcher and destroy, beggar and enslave, the whole American people. Therefore, we expect soon to break off all kind of connection with Britain, and form into a grand Republick of the American United Colonies; which will, by the blessing of Heaven, soon work out our salvation, and perpetuate the liberties, increase the wealth, the power, and the glory, of this western world.

Notwithstanding the many difficulties we have to encounter, and the rage of our merciless enemies, we have a glorious prospect before us, big with every thing good and great. The further we enter into the field of independence, our prospect will expand and brighten, and a complete Republick will soon complete our happiness. "Blindness seems to have happened to Britain, that the fullness of America might come in;" and we have every encouragement to "stand fast in the liberties wherewith Heaven has made us free." Persevere, ye guardians of liberty! May success be your constant attendant until the enemies of freedom are no more; and all future generations, as they successively tread the stage of time, and taste the joys of liberty, will rise up and call you blessed.

A FREEMAN. Cambridge, November 24, 1775.

the first week's observances and food

i'm here in kuala lumpur on business, so most of my waking hours have been in meetings and day-to-day business.  so, i'll focus on the hours outside of work.

food
i've gone out to lunch every day.  my co-workers always ask me if i miss western food or if i want to eat western food.  i quickly say no.  i want to try pretty much anything that is not western.

the first day we ate a place called dragon-i.  it was chinese.  i was explaining to my team about the east side cafe where i grew up (orhpan annie's now) and how my family always ate mandarin chicken.  of course they didn't understand what mandarin chicken is ... so i said it was a lot like sweet and sour chicken.  then they understood.  they ordered for me at dragon-i.  we ate something very similar to sweet and sour chicken.  we also ate a kailan bowl as well as a roasted duck plate.  a lot of places here will bring the food in bowls and then everyone serves themselves the food on the plate.  i loved the chicken, the kailan and the duck - it was really delicious.  and of course we had dim-sum - always so tasty.

oh - chopsticks ... i was a bit nervous about the chopsticks, but i didn't want to be the wimpy american who couldn't eat with chopsticks.  so i did my best.  my team told me that if i could pick up a roasted nut, then i was good.  i was able to pick up the roasted nut quite easily.  i'm proud to say that i've not once requested silverware when there were chopsticks to be used :-)

the second day was a team builder day.  so my team along with a sister team went out for lunch at a very nice restaurant located in the hotel at which i'm staying.  it was a dim-sum spread with rice and salads.  the conversation was really nice and we all got to know each other very well.  for desert, they ordered me some durian pancake.  durian is a local fruit - they call it the king of fruits.  but apparently it has a very strong smell to it.  i had heard rumors from my boss and other people to not try the durian.  but i tried the durian pancake anyway.  to me it tasted like a strong onion with a hint of mango.  they all gave me strange looks when i told them it tasted and smelled like an onion.

after lunch, we did some team-building exercises: building legos, marshmellow tower and chinese pictionary.  it was a lot of fun.

after work on the second day, i went for an hour-long walk around the central park.  the walk was very nice and had spectacular views of the twin towers.  one thing i thought was quite odd was seeing someone take a picture of a woman who was dressed in a full-body burqa - i mean, what's the point of taking a picture if you don't know who you're taking a picture of?

the third day's lunch was with my team's old team lead as well as the team's current team lead.  she took us to this chinese place - i had some noodle dish and really enjoyed it.

then on the fourth day - friday - we all went to an indian restaurant.  it was very delicious - we ate some fried cauliflower, shark meat and then some spicy lamb.  the lamb was good, but too spicy for me.  i ended up sweating for 10 minutes!  there was also some flat bread to eat along with the meal.

yesterday was saturday - i was going to go to batu caves, but my ride fell through, so i stayed in the hotel catching up on my chess tactics.  i couldn't go outside because of the very thick haze and smoke from all the fires in indonesia.  i ate a full dinner on saturday at the hotel.  i had hainanese chicken, cheese sticks and pistachio cheesecake.

then today - sunday - i went with a friend and her family to visit the genting highlands.  we were going to go to malacca, but the smoke and haze is even worse down south.  so we went up into the mountains.  the road was steep and curvy.  our first stop was at the chin swee temple.  i really enjoyed walking around the temple and reading of the many levels of hell.  we even walked up the pagoda half way before we decided we had enough climbing.  after the temple, we headed on up to the top of the hill.  when we got there, we walked around a bit, ate some brunch, then walked around some more and then decided we'd see enough.  after that, we drove back down the hill a way to a mushroom farm.  seeing how the chinese grow mushrooms was quite interesting.  after that, we drove back down into the haze to visit batu caves.  we climbed the 300 or so steps and walked around the massive limestone cave.  it was pretty amazing.  i liked the chinese temple better mainly because it was cleaner.  batu caves was quite dirty.  after batu caves, we went to central market and did some shopping.  i got some gifts for my kids and wife.  and then they drove me back to the hotel - i was very tired.

besides seeing all the neat attractions, i also really enjoyed hanging out with and talking to my friend and her family.  she has two kids the same age as my two youngest.  they treated me very nicely and even called me uncle.  the youngest taught me a complex version of rock, paper, scissors.  what made it so extremely difficult to win was the ever-changing rules.  as soon as i would win, he would come up with a new weapon to play.  he is a smart kid and it was very memorable playing chage ... that's charge without the 'r'.

and that was the first week in kl.

i have four more days here and then i fly back to houston.  i miss my wife and kids.

the way over

i got to bush intercontinental, checked in, got my boarding pass and walked to the gate.  the goodbyes to my wife and the kids was a bit emotional, but we all survived.  the security check wasn't so bad.  this was my first time in janet napolitano's naked machine.  then i headed for my gate and when i arrived, i found that the flight was going to be late - 90 minutes late.  my layover in los angeles was only going to be for two hours - that's a problem.

i waited in the terminal.  got my book out, read a bit, walked around, checked the flight status, read my book, walked around, checked the flight status, read book, walked, checked status, read, walk, check ...

the flight really was late.  we boarded - i was in business class - my first time in the leather, comfortable seats with lots of leg room.  i sat next to danny brassell phd - america's reading ambassador.  i had never heard of this guy, but apparently he's pretty popular around the nation.  he gave me a bookmark / business card.  we talked about the book i was reading (the savior generals), the author of the book (victor davis hanson) and who he is.  i think danny wrote the name of the author down.  then we chatted about things; travel, hometowns, etc.  then the flight took off and danny fell asleep while i read.

i get to los angeles and i need to get to the tom bradley international terminal.  i hadn't been to lax since 1997.  in hindsight, i could have and should have just walked from my landing terminal to tom bradley.  but instead, i waited for the bus to pick me up and drive me over.  the bus, which was supposed to come by every 10 minutes, didn't come by for over 20 minutes.  when i finally get to tom bradley, i have about 20 mins before my flight to hong kong leaves.  i get to the cathy pacific counter to check-in and they say that everything has been closed down - i can't get on the flight.  even if they let me, the security check-point has closed - bummer.  she gets me on the next day's flight out of lax.  i'm in dis-belief and i walked around the fairly empty terminal in a daze.  i call my wife, let her know what's going on.  then i find a quite place to relax.  i end up sleeping on a restaurant soft bench for the night.

i wake up around 6am local time, i get up and walk around.  the terminal is pretty quiet.  the other 50 or so people who also spent the night are starting to wake as well.  some people came really prepared - they found a nice spot on the floor next to the windows overlooking the tarmac and then made a nice bed of blankets and bags and fell asleep.  the morning goes by slowly.  i found a spot and read my book.  soon it is afternoon; i get some lunch at panda express.  after lunch, i head down to the cathay pacific counter and see if i can get on standby for the 2pm flight.  i get on, wait two hours and then come back to see if they will let me on.  they do!  they issue my boarding pass and i proceed to the security check.  there is some more waiting outside the gate and then i'm finally on the plane.

the business class is full of quasi-cubicles with a seat that fully reclines.  there is also a 15 inch computer screens built into the cubicle for watching movies and listening to music.  the flight supplies a very nice set of head phones too.  the flight is over 14 hours.  during the flight, i read, listened to music (depeche mode's new album), watched two movies (argo and the hobbit), ate a full course meal, a full course breakfast and then i slept for a few hours.

the flight arrived in hong kong at around 5pm sunday local time.  after i got off the plane, i had to go through another security check before they let me into the main hong kong terminal.  i walked around a bit, checked the place out and then found a nice place to rest.  i was able to connect to the wifi network and then talked to my family via tango (like facetime).  then i dozed off for a few hours.

i woke up around 3 or 4am monday morning local time.  i couldn't sleep anymore.  got up, walked around some more, then charged my phone and read some more of my book.  i went to my gate and waited some more.  while i was there, i logged on to my work computer and made a couple of phone calls - one to my wife and kids and another to my parents.  after a while, this lady comes and sits across from me and starts talking - it turns out she too missed a flight and now she was catching the same flight to kuala lumpur.  she is from penang.  nice lady, but her english was a bit rusty.  the plane arrived, we got on and then 4 hours later at 12:30pm kuala lumpur time, i finally arrived.

i made my way off the plane, caught a tram to the main terminal, then made my way to immigration, had my passport stamped and then proceeded to the baggage claim.  the people looked very different - even from hong kong.  malaysia is a muslim country and so i saw lots of women dressed the the full body burka.  i stopped at the currency exchange, then got my bag.  from there, the mandarin oriental hotel 'limo' picked me up and took me to the hotel.  the drive was about 45 minutes.  i was amazed at all the construction going on - it was everywhere!  the roads were nice, but that was expected as we stopped every 15 minutes to pass through a toll booth.  the hotel is in the city center.  as soon as i stepped out of the car, i had someone getting my luggage and escourting me to my room.  check-in was in my room! i didn't have to go to the front desk.  someone was waiting for me the moment i stepped out of the car; they escorted me to my room and let me in.  the room was nice and clean.

i unpacked, showered and then logged on my my laptop to see if my team could receive me at work.  then i walked to the office and met everyone.  my host showed me around the office and went over safety protocols and then introduced me to many people who i've worked with before, but never met in person.  it was fantastic finally putting a face to people i've worked with for so long.  my head was spinning from the jet lag, but i survived those first four hours.

at around 6pm that evening, i logged off, went back to the hotel, called my family, talked a bit and then ordered room service for dinner.  then i crashed for 3 hours, before getting back up for an 11pm meeting (with people in houston).  i was so tired, i was able to get right back to sleep.

my first day in kl was over.

waiting for a full day of travel

i thought i'd do a travel log of my trip to kuala lumpur.

my flight from houston leaves for los angeles at 9:30pm; which will begin a 26 hour and 4 minute journey to the opposite side of the world.  it's 6:00pm here on a friday night, while it is 7:00am there on a saturday morning.

i've got my bags all packed; i've got two books ready to read - my goal is to have them read by the time i come back - 1 book for the trip over and 1 book for the trip back.  the first book is the savior generals - the latest from victor davis hanson.  the other book is david mccullough's 1776.  i'll (hopefully) post a book report on them when i return.  i've got one other book i need to report on - peak performers by charles garfield.

while i'm in kl, i've got a full schedule of meetings and one-on-one and all the various teams and groups ... pretty much everyone in the company that works over there.  i've been working with some of these people for years, and i'll finally get to meet them in person.

i'm staying at a really nice hotel: the mandarin oriental.

handling jet lag should be interesting.  i'll get into my hotel around 12pm sunday afternoon, but my body will feel like it's 11pm saturday night.  i've been told that when i get to the hotel, to NOT take a nap or anything like that - rather, i should start walking around.  the hotel is right by a large park and a large mall - so i was told to go walk around the mall.  i figure if i can stay awake until around 7:30pm sunday kl time, then i have a chance at beating the jet lag fairly quick.

while i'll be plenty busy with meetings all day, reading email at night as well as having evening meetings with houston people, i still plan on keeping up with my chess goals.  i will have all day saturday and sunday next week as well.  i'm behind on my 52 game quest this year, so i'll be trying to get several (at least 10) games in (30 5 time).

i'm a little leery of going outside the city for sight-seeing.  the one thing that really interests me are the batu caves and it is just north of where i'll be staying for the two weeks.

well, that's about all for now ... just dumping some thoughts for now.  next post (hopefully) will be when i get to kl.

remembering in 2013

Brooks GTX 2013

It seems that I'm getting a new pair of running shoes every year now.  I bought my first pair of GTX last April and I bought a new pair a couple of weeks ago - I went with the GTX again.

It's always amazing the feel the difference between the feel of an old shoe and a new shoe.  The new pair feel as light as a feather and are very comfortable.

These days, I walk 4 miles every morning with my wife.  We usually can get up and walk for an hour every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  When our schedule allows, we are able to get 4 miles in on a Saturday and / or Sunday.

Other days, when I'm feeling really good, I'll run 4 miles ... I'll run at a very good clip for 60 seconds, then walk for 60 seconds.

One final word about the shoes ... I was a bit disappointed that they only had one option for 'color'.  I'm not a huge fan of the green accents.  I liked the orangish-red accents from last year's model.  I am glad they keep them in black ... I don't like white running shoes.

Second-Shower Phobia

Do you fear the second shower? You've already showered in the morning. You've shaved; you've washed and combed your hair; applied deodorant and you're ready to go for the day.

Then during the course of the day, you become sweaty because of the humidity or because you had to run from a rabid dog or you had to change a tire or your exercise workout occurred at night.

Now you're home again and face a dilemma: do you shower again or wait until morning? You might argue that the sweat has cleansed your body and when it dries you are actually clean! Or that you didn't sweat THAT much and that the shower can wait until morning. Or you're just too lazy to undress, shower and get out clean clothes. Perhaps you live in Arizona and since your house number is even, you can only shower on even-numbered days. Whatever the excuse, you fear the second shower. You're a second shower phobia.

I'm here to help you overcome this fear of the second shower.

STEP 1: Lift your right arm all the way above your head so that the armpit is fully exposed. Then have a friend sniff in the general vicinity of the armpit. The friend should promptly pass out. Be sure to place pillows around the area so your friend doesn't break a neck.

STEP 2: Sit down on a towel and then proceed to lick your leg. It should taste like a pretzel. An alternative method is to have your dog (if you own one) smell your legs. If he licks them, then there's a good chance you taste like salted pork.

STEP 3: Once your friend has regained consciousness, have him or her smell your hair. He or she should still be dazed and confused when he or she awakes, so compliance shouldn't be an issue. Again, be sure pillows are near by as he or she will faint at the smell of your greasy hair.

STEP 4: Take all your clothes off and place them in a pile. Then sniff the pile like you would a bouquet of roses. Be sure a barf bucket is close by because you may toss your cookies. Dry heaves will soon follow.
If none of these steps have convinced you to shower (thus effectively making you overcome your second shower phobia) then proceed to the next step. If you no longer fear the second shower after step 4, then proceed directly to the nearest bathroom and commence cleaning.

STEP 5: Place your back to a wall in your home. Or if you have a hardwood floor, lay down on the hardwood floor. Now attempt to get up. You should notice that there is so much grime on your body that it is actually sticking to hard surfaces - you are basically a giant piece of masking tape. If you are normal, this should gross you out and cause you to jump right into the shower.

If none of these steps help you, then you have far greater issues to deal with. You need to address these issues by attending a simple hygiene course at the local community college. Alternatively, you can elect to be a full-time street bum.

snail