Roger O Green

I’ll never grow up

I go through periods of wanting to sit around drinking fruity alcoholic beverages,

For this installment of Ask Roger Anything, Chris asked:

Do you feel like a grownup yet?

Sometimes. I still talk with my stuffed animals, especially Oscar, the monkey who Uthaclena found in a movie theater nearly 20 years ago and gave to me. He’s sort of a replacement for Ersie, a very cute monkey who I lost in a romantic breakup. (Notice “who” rather “that.”)

Oscar is very wise. He tells me things I tend not to tell myself.

Clearly, there are things I do and I say that gives people the sense that I still have a boyish enthusiasm about many topics, but you’d have to ask them.

But certain things make me feel like a grownup. Owning a house, which is nothing I dreamed of, or particularly wanted, involves having to DO things for the home, the property, even though I don’t wanna. “TOUGH, that’s what the responsible adult does.” Who says I’m a responsible adult? “You bought it, you keep it up.” That was 2000, when I turned 47.

When does that happen?

Here’s probably a couple of stories, at least one of them TMI.

When I was trying to woo back The Now-Wife, I went on a train trip to Detroit and Cleveland in 1998, and then another trip to Washington, DC a week later. She later revealed that it was my ability to go on these trips that I wasn’t too dependent on her. (I thought at the time WTH; in retrospect, I STILL think that.)

The Wife and I got married in 1999 and were “trying” to get her pregnant since the beginning of 2000. We did the testing, and nothing was biologically wrong. But one of her friends wondered if she wondered if I was ready to be a father. (The answer: is ANYONE?) But once she decided I was, it happened.

I know there are people who have kids who don’t grow up despite having children. But it was probably significant in my “growing up.” That it was also tied to aging – when I hit 55, I was pretty sure I won’t live ANOTHER 55 years – plays into that.

So the underlying question, I suppose, is about yourself. The answer, of course, is “It depends.”

The musical maven Dustbury pipes in:

At what point did you conclude that having a “mid-life crisis” was out of the question, and what led you to that conclusion?

I think having a child at 51 really puts a kibosh on a bunch of patterns, not the least of which is the fiscal competition among tending for her present needs, planning for her college, and planning for my retirement. Every financial planner says that I must do the latter, and of course, I MUST do the former, so the college fund is feeling less robust than we would like.

Of course, it’ll be free by the time she gets there – won’t it? – so hakuna matata.

Still, I go through periods of wanting to chuck most of it, certainly work, and every committee I’m on, turn off the news and especially Facebook, and sit around drinking fruity alcoholic beverages, reading books I have stacked up, partially read, and then write about them here. And go to more movies and write about THOSE here.

Then I get all “you need to be a good citizen” on myself, Protestant ethic not just of work but of being “useful”, and I do the things I do.

The penultimate pre-election Trump link dump

Trump says he insulted women ‘for the purpose of entertainment’

I haven’t written about Donald Trump lately. It isn’t that he hasn’t ticked me off. In fact, after about a week of not saying too many irritating things a while back, he has returned to form, and that was before the 2005 tape was revealed.

But I haven’t the energy to rant on him. Other sources are doing that for me. So I’ve cleaned out my email with this link dump.

There are basically two narratives about why the mainstream media is finally spending more time analyzing The Donald:

1) He is the nominee of a major party, not just one of 17 candidates for the GOP nomination. The media were counting on someone who was a grownup would defeat him in the primaries – surely they won’t nominate HIM – and they could pretty much go with the entertainment/ratings of the sideshow. But when that didn’t happen – and it’s been at least likely since March 15, when Marco Rubio lost Florida. – they were then obliged to do their jobs.

2) The media is out to get him because they’re all Hillary Clinton supporters.

I think 1) is true, but I also believe Donald ticked off the media when he called them together for “a major” address on the birther issue, spent 30 minutes doing an infomercial about his properties, spent 30 seconds saying that Barack Obama WAS an American after all and that it was Hillary who created the birther movement. The press corps felt they had been played, and they did not like it.

Did this bring on The Death of ‘He Said, She Said’ Journalism? “The New York Times responds to a candidate who breaks all the rules by discarding some of its own.” In other words, trashing the false equivalence argument?

So here is a load of links about DJT. This is hardly an exhaustive list, just a number I’ve come across since the last link dump. Feel free to add your favorite links in the comment section, or on my Facebook feed to this article.

If you read nothing else, read the first one, because it links to other stories.

Investigative Reporters and Donald Trump: the 9 Best Articles

The Many Scandals of Donald Trump: A Cheat Sheet

The question of what Donald Trump “really believes” has no answer

Lies

Powerful New Clinton Ad Nails The Impact Of Trump’s Vile Behavior

USA Today’s non-endorsement. Plus Newspaper endorsements in the United States presidential election, 2016

UN Rights Chief Blasts Trump as ‘Dangerous’ for Global Community

30 GOP Ex-Pols: Trump a ‘Disgraceful’ and ‘Unacceptable Danger’

Trump budget would boost debt more than HRC’s

The Trump supporter

The ‘Trump Effect’ is contaminating our kids — and could resonate for years

‘Finally. Someone who thinks like me.’

Christians Must Stop Pretending About Donald Trump – Stop pretending that you know what God’s thinking.

How to Talk to Trump Supporters (Robert Reich)

On Your Way to the Camps, I Just Want You to Know…

Video of Trump explaining his dangerous theory that people like him have superior genes

The Post-Trump Problem

Bill of Rights

Trumpism Is the Symptom of a Gravely Ill Constitution; No matter what happens in November, the sickness may be terminal.

Donald Trump Tells Non-Christians At Rally To Identify Themselves

Donald Trump Suggests ‘Freedom Of Expression’ Is Hurting Fight Against Terrorism

On the right to counsel for Ahmad Khan Rahami

Women

I had finished this blog post BEFORE the recent revelations. Shows you what I know. I was appalled by the “all guys do it” defense, and the sometimes vociferous attacks by the Trump defenders against men (including myself) who found Trump’s comments abnormal.

The Most Disturbing Aspect Of The Trump Video Is One That Many Men Won’t Appreciate. And a report that in 2010, that it was his M.O.

Trump says he insulted women ‘for the purpose of entertainment’

Trump Called Her A “Cnt” And “Sht For Brains” For Writing A Story He Didn’t Like

50 Ways Donald Trump Is Every Obnoxious Man You’ve Ever Met – He’s THAT guy.

Porn Trump

“The Blacks”

Donald Trump Says Central Park Five Are Guilty, Despite DNA Evidence

Trump Calls For Intimidation At Polling Places In Black Neighborhoods

Trump barred from civil rights museum after his cronies made demands and bullied the staff

Comedy

Carly Simon allows the use of ‘You’re So Vain’ in an anti-Trump video—with one tiny tweak

Trump Lies about His Birther Past – Late Night with Seth Meyers

Doonesbury on Trump

JORDAN KLEPPER FINGERS THE PULSE – CONSPIRACY THEORIES THRIVE AT A DONALD TRUMP RALLY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016

Cartoon: Donald Trump’s tremendous charities

Mr Brunelle Explains It All – read many of them

Joss Whedon returns with star-studded, anti-Trump video to get out the vote

Satire: Evidence That Trump Is a Genius – CHRISTIE CALLS TRUMP GENIUS FOR PLAN TO BURN DOWN WHITE HOUSE AND COLLECT INSURANCE and Putin cancels campaign event with Trump

In conclusion

Did the movie A Face in the Crowd predict Trump’s rise?

Both Keith Olbermann and Dan Rather point to Trump’s debate threat against H. Clinton as worthy of a despot, tyrant, or monarch – not a president

STEVE SCHMIDT, Republican strategist, on Meet the Press, October 9, 2016:
What [the Trump candidacy] exposes, though, is much deeper and it goes to the Republican Party as an institution. This, this candidacy, the magnitude of its disgrace to the country is almost impossible, I think, to articulate. But it has exposed the intellectual rot in the Republican Party. It has exposed at a massive level the hypocrisy, the modern-day money changers in the temple like Jerry Falwell Jr. And so, this party, to go forward and to represent a conservative vision for America, has great soul searching to do. And what we’ve seen and the danger for all of these candidates is over the course of the last year, these, these candidates who have repeatedly put their party ahead of their country, denying what is so obviously clear to anybody who’s watching about his complete and total manifest unfitness for this office.

Indigenous Peoples Day v. Columbus Day

Dumping Columbus Day seems unfortunate in that it becomes a zero-sum equation.

October 12, before the federal government turned it into a Monday holiday, was, Columbus Day in the US, to honor that guy “who sailed the ocean blue in 14 hundred 92.” However, several towns are instead celebrating Indigenous People’s Day.”

“For decades, celebrating ‘Columbus Day’ has been hotly debated. Many feel Christopher Columbus is largely responsible for the decimation of the Native Americans, and giving him a day of celebration just adds insult to injury.” In this blog, I’ve been supportive of this redesignation. Check out this article.

Still, I’m not quite sure if it’s the holiday one would really want. It seems to be mostly about sales, and a chance to get away and perhaps see the autumn colors before the cold weather comes.

Now, if there were some conversation about what Indigenous People means – see this video for a limited time, e.g. – maybe it’d be a more meaningful change. The Dakota Pipeline story was underreported because the Native Americans lack political muscle.

Still, dumping Columbus Day seems unfortunate in that it becomes a zero-sum equation: Indians, si, Italians, no. Columbus Day has always felt like some of those non-legal holiday celebrations, such as St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) for the suddenly Irish and Cinco de Mayo (May 5) for the ersatz Mexicans, only without all the alcoholic consumption. And there’s usually a parade!

But the Italian experience in America is interesting to me. As this article notes that when Columbus, who was Italian, but sailing for Spain arrived:

“We think of this day as when America became white. But nearly 400 years after Columbus, a large wave of Italians would arrive on American shores, and they would not be considered as such. The period between 1880-1920, known as ‘The Great Arrival,’ when at least three million Italians immigrated to the United States, created an era in which southern Italians had to become white.”

This is an interesting story, when, early on, they were considered black, especially in the South, and treated as such, which is to say, badly.

Maybe we can have some other, less polarizing, Italian-American’s birthday celebrated and learn more about our ever-changing country.

Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates turns 70

She’s Gone by Hall and Oates was the last song played

A sea change seems to have taken place regarding Daryl Hall and John Oates. Once scorned as too commercial – they WERE the most commercially successful duo ever – they were FINALLY nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and were elected on their first, delayed shot.

I’ve had affection for Hall & Oates for a long while. I own a few of their early LPs, such as Abandoned Luncheonette and Voices. According to one of those VH1 “Where are they now” specials, which I saw a couple of years ago, some folks thought they were gay, based on the Voices cover. Though they were not, it was not something they rushed out to fix.

Listening to these again, I’m fascinated by how long it takes for the vocals to come up, a ’60s DJ’s dream. Good thing they came out later.

My favorite Daryl Hall songs, most, but not all, with John Oates, with links to all songs. Chart references are to Billboard.

16. Change of Season – title song from a 1990 H&O album, co-produced by Jon Bon Jovi and Danny Kortchmar, after H&O were cranking out the hits. The song is a bit Beatlesque. The album wasn’t a big hit, or particularly well received by the critics. But I have a great deal of affection.
15. Did It In A Minute from Private Eyes, #9 pop in 1982. This album generated a lot of hits.
14. So Close, the first song on Change of Season, #11 pop in 1990.
13. Say It Isn’t So from Rock ‘N’ Soul, Part 1, #2 for four weeks pop, #45 soul in 1982 – some artists put out greatest hits albums and the song is only on that album, initially. This is one of those.

12. Sacred Songs – the title song of that Daryl Hall solo album, for which I’ve spoken of my affection.
11. Out of Touch from Big Bam Boom, #1 for two weeks pop, #24 soul in 1984. I found it danceable.
10. Starting All Over Again from Change of Season. It reminded me of the old Philly sound of a decade or so earlier
9. Sara Smile, from Bigger Than Both of Us, #4 pop, #23 soul in 1976. Daryl Hall’s love song to his then-girlfriend and music collaborator Sara Allen

8. Kiss is on My List, from Voices, #1 pop for three weeks in 1980 – when I sing along with songs, it’s usually NOT the melody. In this case, it’s the “Because your kiss” part, which I love
7. NYCNY from Sacred Songs, Recorded in the summer of 1977 – the Summer of Sam, when I lived there – though the album was not released until 1979. This song SOUNDS like NYCNY of the time.
6. How Does It Feel To Be Back, from Voices, #30 in 1980 – when I first heard this song, that Tom Pettyish-guitar made it sound familiar, in a good way
5. I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do), from Private Eyes, #1 pop, and soul in 1982 – perfect ’80s pop song

4. Private Eyes, the title song, #1 for two weeks in 1981 – It’s the hand clapping. “Private Eyes” [clap] “are watching you” [clap, clap]. An oddly effective hook.
3. Something In 4/4 Time from Sacred Songs. I now believe this WAS released as a single – Daryl needs to find an a capella choir to record this, especially that instrumental break
2. She’s Gone from Abandoned Luncheonette, #60 in 1974, #7 pop, and #93 soul when it was reissued in 1976 – it’s the modulation at the end that seals it. Plus I told this story before, but it WAS 10 years ago: In the summer of 1977, I was living in NYC, specifically Jamaica, Queens, with my sister Leslie and her then-husband Eric. One day, they had the radio on, and one had to be the ninth caller “with the phrase that pays, ’99X is my radio station'” AND be able to identify the last song played. Well, I was the ninth caller, I said the phrase that paid, and I knew that She’s Gone by Hall and Oates was the last song played. I won twice my age, which meant $48, real money for an underemployed telephone solicitor (TV Guide, Encyclopedia Britannica). I had to spend SOME of it though, and that turned to be the ONLY time I’ve ever seen the New York Mets play in person. Don’t remember the game or even the score, but I remember the joy of being there with my sister. I also have an unusual affection for the song.
1. You Make My Dreams from Voices, #5 in 1981. Used effectively in the movie 500 Days of Summer

One more tune, by someone else: Everytime You Go Away by Paul Young, written by Daryl Hall, and #1 pop in 1985

N is for English as a New Language

English, on a language perspective, makes no sense at all.

My wife is a teacher of English as a New Language (ENL). It has also been called English as a Second Language (ESL), but the NEW designation is more accurate because, for some of these students, English is their third or fourth language.

Here’s a 2008 article about English Language Learners (ELLs) that I think describes the process and problems of learning English for non-native speakers.

The rules for the order of adjectives are nearly instinctive for native-born speakers of English. In case that you need help learning this language, we recommend you this igcse online english tutor.

But it is tricky for the ELL. There are several lists, found here and here and elsewhere. But they generally agree on the order.

Comparative / superlative
Example: Bigger chair, smartest student

Opinion
Example: an interesting book, a boring lecture

Dimension (size)
Example: a big apple, a thin wallet

Age
Example: a new car, a modern building, an ancient ruin

Shape
Example: a square box, an oval mask, a round ball

Color
Example: a pink hat, a blue book, a black coat

Origin / nationality
Example: some Italian shoes, a Canadian town, an American car

Material
Example: a wooden box, a woolen sweater, a plastic toy

So you would say a “new Italian car,” not an “Italian new car.” Or a “big pink plastic sculpture.” And you don’t use commas between the terms. If you ask a native speaker why, she’ll say because to do otherwise sounds wrong. If I were an ELL, this might be a difficult aspect.

Other issues for ELL students depend on their native language. Certain sounds aren’t “available in their first language (‘th’ is a big one in general, but so are ‘v’ for Turkish speakers, ‘w’ for some European language speakers, ‘sh’ for Spanish speakers, and ‘r’/’l’ for many Eastern/Southeastern Asian language speakers).

“English, on a language perspective, makes no sense at all. There are so many exceptions, and these exceptions don’t follow the same rules. Some letters are silent, but they aren’t always so. There is no real verb conjugation. You always need your pronoun or it makes no sense at all.

“The sounds are weird as well. You can learn the short and long vowel rules, but in some situations, they are just different, and there is no reasonable explanation as to why you have pronounced something differently.”

There are also issues with verb conjugations, idioms, and homophones/homographs/homonyms.

I’m always impressed when people take on English as a New Language.

ABC Wednesday – Round 19

The Trump supporter

Bill of Rights

International Affairs

Business

Trump Foundation

Women

“The Blacks”

Comedy

In conclusion