tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59177667837713541682024-03-05T20:20:52.183-06:00Forward Badgers!A forward, progressive view of life and politics in Madison,Wisconsin.Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-4885326197121972972011-11-19T09:48:00.002-06:002011-11-19T09:48:53.200-06:00Recall Walker Pep Rally<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/5516535184/" title="DSC09875 by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5131/5516535184_8b0182e114.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DSC09875"></a></center><br />
<br />
The photos from the pep rally are below the fold - I have a tale to spin for you first.<br />
<br />
On March 10th, 2011 as my significant other (girlfriend just sounds corny when you are 44) were stepping away from the protest to get something to eat - we passed by the Orpheum movie theater where a young man was on a ladder taking down an old marquee. We probably would not have even noticed he was taking the marquee down had the ladder not been in the middle of the sidewalk. As we walked by I regaled C with with stories about the Orpheum; telling her how my sister had seen The Who open for Herman's Hermit's at the Orpheum, how I had won advance tickets to see Return of the Jedi in the grand old movie house, my almost getting into a fight at a George Thorogood concert (Seriously, a fight at a George Thorogood show). We ate dinner at a newer Mexican restaurant on Gilman street and headed back to the square. The young man at the Orpheum was taking the ladder into the lobby. I decided to look up and saw the marquee that you see in the photo above. <br />
<br />
When I took that photo I had no idea that it would go viral. I have seen my photo in Mother Jones (credited to someone else), in multiple places on Facebook and Twitter and I am always surprised at the places that photo shows up.<br />
<br />
Now you may ask, "why are you bringing up a photo you took in March?" Well after the <em>Recall Walker Pep Rally</em> I was standing in the lobby of the Barrymore looking around to see if there was anyone I might know. And then I saw it. My photo on a button on a guys jacket. I walked up to him and said, <br />
<br />
"Hi, I am the guy who took that photo." <br />
He responded, "I am glad to meet you, what a great photo."<br />
<br />
We talked for a bit and then he asked me if I had made any money off of the photo. I said that I had not made a dime and in retrospect, I wish I would have copyrighted my photo.<br />
<br />
Then as I drove home I recalled the speech I had heard earlier in the evening given by this man:<br />
<Center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361405551/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6093/6361405551_5537068859.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt=""></a></center><br />
<br />
Randy Bryce, a Milwaukee Ironworker, said one of the most poignant things of the evening when he said that Scott Walker had actually done one good thing. He brought us together and that our movement has no leader, no one saying you do this, and you do that. There is no hierarchy - we are working together collectively, each of us giving what we can to the movement. Each of using our own strengths to make the movement as a whole stronger. My part of the movement was words and photos. That was and is my strength. We each have had our own strengths in this movement. For some it has been organizing, for others it has been collecting signatures, for some people, like me, it has been recording these moments for posterity. As Randy said, "History is written by the victors and we will write the history of this movement."<br />
<br />
My photos and my words helped tell the story of what was and is still happening in Wisconsin. Would it have been nice to have made a little money off of some of my photos? As I look at my Christmas budget this year and wonder how I will buy gifts for my son, a part of me says, "yes." But, that photo means a lot to a great deal of people and knowing that, knowing that people can look at that photo and use it as a rallying cry means more to me than any monetary gain I could have received from it. It is what I gave to the movement and I am proud to have been in the right place at the right time to take that photo and then to have shared it with the world.<br />
<br />
On my way to the rally I had to stop and pick up some cash at the credit union. In the parking lot I see a pick up truck with people all around it. They all had clipboards in their hands. They were signing recall petitions.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361395813/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6055/6361395813_48a37beb41.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a><br />
<br />
I hopped out of my car to take a photo an low and behold it Amanda, the leader of the Obama team I was on in '08. She was out in the cold collecting signatures.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361396231/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6040/6361396231_411f9f7e16.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt=""></a><br />
Not as cool as the last marquee I took a photo of - but pretty cool nonetheless.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361396969/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6034/6361396969_562a89cce7.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt=""></a><br />
Shhh....be vewy, vewy quiet, this cow is going weasel hunting.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361397303/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6233/6361397303_2908b4bf18.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt=""></a><br />
Yours truly...signing a <em><strong>RECALL WALKER</strong></em> petition. (Note to self: Wash hat)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361397891/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6113/6361397891_b5f86691cd.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt=""></a><br />
The backdrop on the stage<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361398473/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6105/6361398473_f9723ff65e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt=""></a><br />
Ben and Sarah Manski - Emcees for the evening.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361400661/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6237/6361400661_09f22a1279.jpg" width="500" height="247" alt=""></a><br />
The Raging Grannies! (Scott Walker really pissed off the wrong grannies)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361402623/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6113/6361402623_4aa622bb67.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt=""></a><br />
Phil Neuenfeldt President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361403293/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6046/6361403293_41d3df29df.jpg" width="500" height="326" alt=""></a><br />
Representative Cory Mason (D-Racine) - I wish I had a copy of his speech. He was channeling Winston Churchill at the end of his speech and I could not write my notes quick enough to quote him.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361404259/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6059/6361404259_d1413dae48.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt=""></a><br />
Former Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager - she told a great story about a young man who is working his butt off to support his son...and how Governor Walker is pulling the rug out from under him by slashing Badgercare.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361404523/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6116/6361404523_57677498c8.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt=""></a><br />
Representative Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) A man I would like to see run for governor.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361406215/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6042/6361406215_38cded75da.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt=""></a><br />
Representative Andy Jorgenson (D-Gerrymandered out of his district)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22062680@N07/6361408437/" title="Untitled by Mark E. Andersen, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6111/6361408437_c9d1af9948.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt=""></a><br />
John Nichols and his "540,000 magnum petition."<br />
<br />
<em><strong>RECALL WALKER! RECALL KLEEFISCH!</strong></em>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-65792772891894016892011-10-27T16:48:00.001-05:002011-10-27T16:50:48.062-05:00I am richer than the 1%Yes, you read that title right, I am richer that the 1%. You may be asking yourself how a guy who is a single parent and is eking out a living is richer that the 1%; especially when I owe money on my house have student loans out the wazzoo and will probably never have enough money saved up to retire.<br />
<br />
Well, the answer is really quite simple and I would not trade it away for all of the money in the world. I am richer than the 1% because:<br />
<br />
<blockquote><ol><li>I get to see my son play football every Saturday morning during football season. </li>
<li>I get to see my son play his guitar on stage at local music venues as a part of the “Student Jam.” </li>
<li>I was able to be with my mom for her last days with us. </li>
<li>I am able to chase my dream of becoming a professional writer. </li>
<li>After fourteen years I have moved down to #29,482 on the Green Bay Packers season ticket waiting list. </li>
<li>I am healthy</li>
<li>I was able to go to my last living Uncle’s 90th birthday party. </li>
<li>I get to play rhythm guitar to my son’s lead guitar. </li>
<li>I have good friends that would do anything for me and I would do anything for them. </li>
<li>I am dating the most wonderful, loving, caring woman on the planet. (Who puts up with me). </li>
<li>I had the opportunity to hear stories of the Great Depression from my mom and dad. </li>
<li>I had a great PUBLIC education. </li>
<li>I had the opportunity to serve my country and see the world while doing it during peace time. </li>
<li>I live in a state where the people stood up and are standing up to tyranny. </li>
<li>I do not live my life in the pursuit of wealth. </li>
</ol></Blockquote><br />
There is more, but these are just some of the reasons that I and many of you reading this are richer that the 1%. They may have the wealth; however, we have something many in the 1% can never have – true happiness and contentment. <br />
<br />
I am satisfied with my life – I never have to worry if I can sleep at night because of something I did or did not do. I don’t have to lie, cheat or steal to get ahead in life. I am raising my son with the values that my parents instilled in me, to do the right thing even if it is not in your own best interests. To treat everyone, regardless of color, ethnicity, religion, social status, etc., the same – with kindness and respect. To never look down on someone, always lend a hand to those who cannot help themselves and to follow your passion in life. That is the secret to being richer than the 1% - Yes, money could make my life one hell of a lot easier – but would it really make me any happier? <br />
<br />
Now don't get me wrong I have a good friend who is in the 1% and would give you the shirt off of his back to help you, the point that I am trying to make here is that money is not the root of happiness. Being a good person is the root to happiness and being rich. One does not need wealth to be rich.Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-90538363903498064992011-09-29T19:50:00.000-05:002011-09-29T19:50:25.720-05:00Minimum Wage in America - RevisitedIn the beginning of the month I wrote diary over at Daily Kos titled <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/09/09/1013165/-Minimum-wage-in-America">Minimum wage in America</a>. It was one of the most difficult and most frustrating diaries I have ever written. A couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail from a student attending Cal State Northridge, unfortunately I did not receive it until today as it got held up in my spam folder (I really need to check it more often). <br />
<br />
The comment was so well written that I decided to share it here. I see a bright future as a writer for Judy BenDavid.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Mr. Mark E. Andersen,<br />
In response to the article you have written posted for Daily Kos Labor entitled "Minimum wage in America," I would just like to take the time to let you know that I couldn't agree more. Though you are speaking of a bill proposed by the state of Wisconsin, your point is totally over encompassing and speaks to the country as a whole as it faces its unemployment crisis and stagnant economy. It really seems like common sense to me, and I find it discouraging to realize just how backwards legislature can diminish the lives of the common working man across this nation. <br />
<br />
Your main point, that "the minimum wage needs to be pegged to a living wage and it needs to be regional," really drove home for me. It is enraging to think that, with all the ways we can calculate and budget our financial livelihoods based on cost of living for our city, that State officials would allow its citizens to sink below the poverty level due to something as simple as a refusal to raise minimum wage rates. How could it even be considered an option that one be paid a rate that guarantees a lack of survival? It seems more than obvious that in a city like Los Angeles where living costs are high, one would have to be paid more to survive than one would living in a city like Adams, Wisconsin. <br />
<br />
The last thing I wanted to comment on was your point regarding creating jobs as a means to stimulate the economy, a major Republican point of argumentation. Having people working, though yes, they will be working (which is not the key point here), at a rate that ensures they will not make yearly ends meet will not stimulate the economy like raising minimum wage rates will. If minimum wage matched the regional living wage for ever working adult in this nation (as pegged to be appropriate for which part of the country they reside in), workers will have purchasing power once again. Thus, consumer demands can be met, products will sell, profits will roll in, and the economy can revive itself. It isn't rocket science.<br />
<br />
Thank you for breaking it down to simply and eloquently. <br />
<br />
- Judy BenDavid</blockquote>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-7357902121501114082011-08-29T19:59:00.000-05:002011-08-29T19:59:36.522-05:00Wisconsin: Republicans banned from Labor Day ParadeWay to go Wausau and Marathon County! <br />
<br />
Randy Radtke of the Marathon County Central Labor Council stated last <a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_2d4617e6-d17b-11e0-b6fc-001cc4c002e0.html">week</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>[we] chose not to invite elected officials who have openly attacked worker's rights or did nothing when state public workers lost most of their right to collectively bargain.<br />
</blockquote><br />
Republican Sean Duffy's office was agape that they were being held responsible for their <a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_2d4617e6-d17b-11e0-b6fc-001cc4c002e0.html">actions</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>[...]the congressman was hoping differences could be set aside for the family-friendly event.<br />
</blockquote><br />
All I can say is about damn time we start holding these politicians feet to the fire! Don't support labor - then you do not set foot near a labor parade or picnic and you better not be kissin' any blue collar babies if you do I hope the baby does what babies are good at doing...all down your Armani suit that cost more than a lot of these workers make in a month.<br />
<br />
If you make egregious cuts to education then you better not go into schools to read to children and then expect a liberal author of the book you read to keep <a href="http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/city-hall/article_5a71bd92-ce6f-11e0-a021-001cc4c03286.html">quiet!</a> <br />
<br />
The American people are getting tired of your astro-turfed tea party movement and the hypocrisy you and your phoney faction represents. So Congressman Duffy, Senator Johnson (how I cringe as I write that, he shouldn't even be a dog catcher) I hope you don't mind that we don't want you anywhere near our family friendly events. They are family friendly for a reason we actually care about what happens to families. Your actions have proven that you don't give a rats ass about Wisconsin families. Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-62783256080311726142011-07-17T11:17:00.001-05:002011-07-17T11:19:28.727-05:00The Crass Commercialization of America (or, my trip to Six Flags - Great America)I had fond memories of Six Flags - Great America as a child and teen. It was an amazing place for someone of that age group. The roller coasters, the little rides throughout the park and seeing my favorite cartoon characters (Looney Tunes) come to life. As a recent high school graduate and just a week before I went into the Army a group of friends and I spent the day there. It is, to this day, one of my most cherished memories. <br />
<br />
Yesterday I had the opportunity to take my son to Six Flags - Great America thanks to my ex-wife. Her employer was offering tickets for $25.00 and it was buy one get one free. Which I have to say was more than reasonable for an entry fee. Especially when considering that the fee at the gate is $56.99 per person.<br />
<br />
Everett and I arrived at the park at 9:30, just a scant thirty minutes to the parks opening. In past trips to Great America I recall the off-ramp being backed up on Saturday mornings at this time of day. I chalked it up to the light rain that was falling and did not think much of it. We pulled into the park and stopped to pay for parking, $20. For parking! I felt that was an absurd price for parking; however, we had purchased the tickets and had already burned through a half tank of gas...turning around and going home was out of the question at this point.<br />
<br />
We parked fairly close to the front gates, far closer that I ever recall parking, especially on a Saturday morning. Our tickets were scanned and we entered the security area, not something unexpected in a large public place in this day in age. We went through the metal detectors and my camera bag was searched. Not really a big deal. Once through the security checkpoint we were pounced on by photographers...I really wanted to take a photo of my son in front of the large reflecting pool in front of the double carousel; however, with the army of park photographers acting like paparazzi chasing down celebrities I did not feel that I could.<br />
<br />
Onward we went - to <i>The American Eagle</i>, my favorite roller coaster. We were in the first car on the second run of the day. This would be my son's first roller coaster ride and watching my son's stomach leap to his throat on the first hill was priceless!<br />
<br />
After the <i>Eagle</i> we walked around the park to plan the rest of our day. This was when I began to notice how much the park had changed from when I was a child/teen. Everywhere you looked was an advertisement and I mean everywhere. One of my favorite rides, <i>The Demon</i>, had one set of cars covered in advertisements about Stride gum. Ads for the new Smurfs movies were everywhere. If you stood in line for a ride you were bombarded my loud music and advertising...even if you were not standing in line for a ride you heard the same loud music and advertising in the background of the park as these messages were pumped through hidden speakers throughout the park.<br />
<br />
I also noticed a lot of the smaller rides that were all over the park in my youth were gone. Replaced with carnival games and the inevitable barkers that come with them. Just another way of taking a parents hard earned money away and putting it into the coffers of Six Flags.<br />
<br />
After standing in yet another line for another ride I realized I had very little patience for the advertising message that was being pounded into our heads constantly. I broke down and bought a <i>Flashpass</i>. What is a <i>Flashpass</i> you ask? It is a way to suck even more money out of a parent - and also separates the haves from the have-nots. In all honesty, I felt and still do feel guilty that purchased one. What this pass does is set up four different access levels for certain <i>premier </i>rides. The first access level is the general wave of humanity that cannot afford one. They stand in line for hours to ride these rides. The second level of access is the one I purchased. You wait for access to the rides for the same amount of time; however, you do not have to stand in line. You can go and do other things while you are waiting. Then when it is your turn you walk up to the <i>Flashpass</i> entrance and walk right onto the ride. The third and fourth levels (gold and platinum) each give you shorter and shorter wait times and with platinum you can even ride a ride that someone who has been waiting to ride three hours for a second time.<br />
<br />
Like I stated earlier, I felt guilty for purchasing one of these passes. I felt, and still do feel, like they create a class system in an amusement park. Some of the people who had been standing in line for hours had some choice words to say to my son and I as we walked up to a ride without waiting two hours in line. Honestly, they are right. This is a very poor system and screams about what is wrong with America today. Money. Money will buy you access to anything. If Six Flags were a decent company they would at least give out the basic level of <i>Flashpass</i> to everyone who has paid admission to the park so that you don't have to stand in line all freakin' day. However, there is money to made, profits before people.<br />
<br />
Speaking of profits...lets talk about food service at the park. Should it cost over $23 for two slices of crappy pizza, some soggy breadsticks and a Coke? I was actually undercharged for this combo, evidently the girl did not see the breadsticks. I felt like saying something and under normal circumstances I would have, but in my opinion they were ripping me off...and if I took them for five bucks...so be it. Later in the evening we were looking for someplace to eat dinner...and wanted something other than the horrible pizza from earlier in the day. We decided on burgers...until we saw the price...$13.99 for a cheeseburger and fries...with no drink. Now at $13.99 for a burger and fries, that had better be the best goddamned burger and fries on the face of the planet. Something both my son and I doubted it was after our pizza experience earlier in the day as such, we by-passed the dinner experience at the park and decided to grab something on the way home. (For the record, we stopped at McDonald's where dinner cost us $9 for both of us...and was probably better than what was offered in the park.<br />
<br />
Profiting off of food is not just another way the park gets you...it was hot, in the nineties yesterday. Bubblers (Water Fountains for my non-Wisconsin readers) were few and far between. So you had to purchase drinks. $3.50 per drink plus tax. I spent $30 on drinks alone...in one day!<br />
<br />
As if all of this were not enough I discovered that new "rides" that had popped up in the park were charging additional fees. My son wanted to ride go-carts so we went over to check them out. When he saw that they were charging $8 per rider he looked at me and said, "Dad, we don't need to ride go-carts, they shouldn't be charging for this."<br />
<br />
There were also signs all over the park stating that Great America was the cleanest theme park in the world. While it is clean it is falling into disrepair. In several occasions I noticed things that were points of pride in my youth were no longer kept up. As you enter the park the first thing you see is a reflecting pool with a double carousel behind it. In my youth the reflecting pool was pristine. It was a beautiful blue without a speck of dirt in it. Today the water is clean, but the pool bottom is filthy. The double carousel was a work of art at one time. Today the artwork is no longer vivid, in some cases it is so faded that you cannot make out what it once was. There were other things; however, I do not want to bore you with a laundry list of repairs.<br />
<br />
Did my son and I have a good time. Yes, we did. Did my son notice the crass commercialization, yes he did. I asked him at the end of the day if he wanted to take a souvenir home. He chose to take a map of the park home as it was free...and everything else cost too much.<br />
<br />
Will we go back...no. I cannot see going back the <i>Six Flags - Great America</i>. One, the costs are prohibitive. I cannot imagine going there and paying regular prices with a family of four. Which is why I think the park is struggling right now...as I have alluded earlier the park was not very busy for a Saturday. The parking lot was half empty. I asked one of the employees about it and he said business is down considerably from last year - he said it is the economy. While the economy is a factor I do not think it is the only factor. Six Flags flat out charges too much money for admission, food, drink and everything else. Add on top of that the crass commercialization of the park...and you have a place that stops being about fun and is only about profit. As I said earlier, one of my fondest memories was going to <i>Great America</i> as a recent high school grad...I am not sure that as a recent high school grad I could afford that trip today.Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-76268895697636633882011-07-15T08:28:00.000-05:002011-07-15T08:28:46.898-05:00Shooting ourselves in the foot…<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today on my facebook page I came across an article posted by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee titled </span><a href="http://wjbc.com/liberal-group-threatens-to-pull-obama-support/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Liberal group threatens to pull Obama support.”</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now I will be the first to admit that I am disappointed with our President, the one who gave us so much hope in 2008 – I expected so much more out of him and the democratic majority in both houses. Many of those hopes were dashed by Blue Dogs in the house and a dysfunctional Senate. In 2010 those hopes were crushed again by the Republican wave. Had our President been more forceful in the first two years of his term it is possible that the Republican wave would not have happened. Congress was bogged down in the healthcare debate instead of trying to create jobs. After 2010 with a resurgent Republican Party the chances of getting anything through congress went to nil.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now the President is negotiating with terrorists…I call the Republicans that as I have no other word for what they are doing. Terrorists who want to see our President fail – If our President fails our nation fails. It is that simple. The Republicans are playing the role of the villain and we need our President to stand up to them, not negotiate with them. However, the political realities of today are never that simple. Do I like the idea of the rich getting tax breaks, corporations not paying taxes and the poor and middle classes having to foot the bill? No, I do not. I do not want to see the President negotiate anything away in terms of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The political realities are that he may have to in order to prevent the United States from going into default. This is what happens when a fired up, uneducated electorate votes against their best interests, and the progressive base stays home, which is what happened in 2010. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will support the President even if he does negotiate cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. I will not be happy about those cuts and I will hope that those cuts can be restored in his second term. The risks we run of not supporting the President in 2012 are too horrible to contemplate. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t like the cuts that are being negotiated now…wait and see what happens if a tea party President, and a tea party congress are elected. Think about the big picture…the Supreme Court is also in play in this election. Not supporting the President is a bad idea. If you are a Democrat and you do not support him, you may as well be voting Republican.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have already ended my relationship with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee…I urge you to so the same.</span></div>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-20518212006031850032011-07-14T19:25:00.000-05:002011-07-14T19:25:28.934-05:00A funny thing happened on the way to Salt Lake City...If you haven't heard this yet, Governor Walker and his family had to sleep on the floor of the Denver airport last night. Evidently the Denver area had a hailstorm which caused damage to multiple planes. Now I am not one to wish ill will on anyone, nor am I one to make light of the misfortunes of others; however, I do have to say this, "Karma is a mutherf*cker."<br />
<br />
In the Governor's own words (via The Wisconsin State Journal),<br />
<blockquote>“Got stuck in Denver airport & slept on the floor (did get a pillow & blanket),” Walker tweeted from his @GovWalker account. </blockquote><blockquote>Walker was traveling with his family. “We slept on the floor in a conference room (security recommended it) on the A concourse,” he tweeted. </blockquote><blockquote>The governor also tweeted that he was in the same suit for 28 hours and that “People here r very nice.”<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_2478e682-ae41-11e0-8e4c-001cc4c03286.html"><span style="font-size: small;">Walker spends night on Denver airport floor </span></a></div></blockquote><br />
Still no word if Senator Glenn Grothman (R-Asshat) has held a press conference to call the Governor and his family slobs for sleeping in a public building, not washing and wearing the same clothes for an extended period of time.Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-66805561247908845572011-07-13T21:02:00.001-05:002011-07-13T21:11:04.183-05:00Guns, Beer and some post primary election talk...<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Guns, Guns, Guns...</b></span><br />
<b></b>Tonight I went to one of my favorite drinking establishments to meet a friend and enjoy a tasty adult beverage. The establishment I went to is one I have frequented many times; this time though, there was something different<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerfJgBDwlCFtSoZuK3c8mRf3XiPZ_xPqQg_A4RK44-sTsTK5VTg0nBjcs2PFh8tYA9Jxuu4LnOG7CHa8FEkg5Ar2UPKFHhbxXEtLxNZxXZ100f0drmkXo564h-c_aKICeVFNzI8auxHU1/s1600/No+Guns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerfJgBDwlCFtSoZuK3c8mRf3XiPZ_xPqQg_A4RK44-sTsTK5VTg0nBjcs2PFh8tYA9Jxuu4LnOG7CHa8FEkg5Ar2UPKFHhbxXEtLxNZxXZ100f0drmkXo564h-c_aKICeVFNzI8auxHU1/s200/No+Guns.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No Guns at the Great Dane</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I never thought I would see the day when I saw a sign like that anywhere in Wisconsin. I have no problem with people owning guns. I own one myself. If you want to go hunting or target shooting great. Have at it. I also understand that the second amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms; however, we live in a far different world that of our forefathers. As a society we have grown, we no longer are a people living on the frontier needing to defend our homesteads from hostiles. We have a standing army to defend our borders.<br />
<br />
The notion that we as a people need weapons to prevent our government from becoming tyrannical is a specious argument at best. I highly doubt an armed population is going to be able to go up against M-1 tanks and AH-64 Apaches. There is also the argument that we need weapons for protection against criminals. Again, I do not buy that argument. Unless you have reflexes like a cat it is doubtful you would be able to pull a weapon out in time to prevent an attack.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsqH89nNOQ_sK6FniIjo9OsGwbvYi33W_9VVgxrdQ1-DB4ZuiELStmcF1Ww7_jI54kkbgVpkDLYZTMSFIVnUsQV34ilj4e10ZQbFbLFVqpYPNQWgAfbTnpw-g-2c7kDHEFa6W_WmZga3S/s1600/Concealed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsqH89nNOQ_sK6FniIjo9OsGwbvYi33W_9VVgxrdQ1-DB4ZuiELStmcF1Ww7_jI54kkbgVpkDLYZTMSFIVnUsQV34ilj4e10ZQbFbLFVqpYPNQWgAfbTnpw-g-2c7kDHEFa6W_WmZga3S/s200/Concealed.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fear Sells</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This argument is really one of the easiest arguments for the gun lobby to make. If you do not carry a concealed weapon you will be a victim of a horrible crime. You can see this argument clearly in the ad that appeared on this very blog earlier today to the left. <i>"Seconds Count: Police are only minutes away." </i>That is a pretty powerful message - carry a handgun or you will be a crime statistic.<br />
<br />
Carrying a weapon, especially a handgun, makes a person feel powerful, invincible even. Now the gun lobby cannot tell you that, nor can it tell the people who are buying this load of bile that either. So they sell a message of fear. As we know fear sells...and everyone is buying.<br />
<br />
Sadly though as long as the gun lobby is as strong as it is and as long as the gun lobby stirs up the second amendment extremists we will never be able to have a reasonable and logical debate on guns and the gun issues we are facing in this country. Perhaps it is time for us, as a nation, to revisit the second amendment and create a new amendment that places reasonable restrictions on gun ownership and ones ability to carry a weapon in public. We no longer live in the old west...we are supposed to be a civilized society. Lest we forget, handguns have one purpose and that is to kill people.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mmmmmm...Beer</b></span><br />
<br />
Unless you live in Minnesota.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Hundreds of bars, restaurants and stores across Minnesota are running out of beer and alcohol and others may soon run out of cigarettes -- a subtle and largely unforeseen consequence of a state government shutdown.<br />
<br />
In the days leading up to the shutdown, thousands of outlets scrambled to renew their state-issued liquor purchasing cards. Many of them did not make it.<br />
<br />
Now, with no end in sight to the shutdown, they face a summer of fast-dwindling alcohol supplies and a bottom line that looks increasingly bleak.<br />
<a href="http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/125459928.html"><br />
One by one, bars get tapped out</a> </blockquote><br />
Republican hostage taking in Minnesota is appearing to be bad for business. If a deal is not reached by the end of August they run out of tax stamps for cigarettes...while as a non-smoker that does not bother me, I am sure it is going to bother a number of people. Then of course there is the irony,<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Sen. John Howe, R-Red Wing, is concerned enough that on Tuesday he even advocated for Dayton using his executive powers to allow alcohol sales to continue.<br />
<br />
"The governor keeps insisting he wants more revenue, but if he doesn't instruct his administration to address this issue, he'll be chasing revenue out of the state," </blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/125459928.html"> One by one, bars get tapped out</a></blockquote><br />
I would suggest to Senator Howe that he and his colleagues work with the Governor of Minnesota on this impasse. An impasse of the Republican party's making. I hope they solve this soon I really do not want all of Minnesota coming to Wisconsin and drinking up all of our Spotted Cow.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Elections</span></b><br />
<br />
Just another word about the recall elections...I have to say that I am disappointed in the Wisconsin media. While all of the media outlets in the state have noted that there were fake democrats running in yesterday's election; not a single one of them condemned the Republicans for doing such an unethical and hypocritical act (especially when one considers their stance on election integrity with the voter ID bill.) What I saw with news reporting on this issue was an entire industry fearful of showing any partisan bias an entire industry afraid to tell the truth. The reason for this is, I am sure, fear of losing advertising dollars. There was a time in this nation when the media was considered the fourth estate, or the unofficial fourth branch of our government...the branch that kept government honest. Thanks to media consolidation there is no room at the table for anyone to make a stand, to do the right thing.Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-32483564825637259332011-07-12T17:28:00.000-05:002011-07-12T17:28:59.380-05:00Paul Ryan...are you serious? Really?I was going to write up a blog post today on the recall elections and Republican election fraud today; however, I figure that there are a lot of other outlets that are better qualified and doing a far better job of covering the recall elections than I can do. I also did not want Paul Ryan to get away with saying something incredibly stupid.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>“We are already taxing our job creators and our businesses more than our foreign competitors are taxing theirs,” House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on CBS’s “The Early Show.”<br />
<br />
“We don’t want to go farther down that path,” Ryan said. “We want to make sure that America’s job producers, our employers, are not put at a huge competitive disadvantage. And right now they’re paying higher tax rates.” </blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/58768.html">Paul Ryan: Don’t hike business taxes</a></blockquote>Really? Did he really just say, "We are already taxing our job creators and our businesses more than our foreign competitors." Sadly, yes he did, which only proves that the congressman from the first district of our fair state is out of touch with reality.<br />
<br />
How far out of touch...well, I am sure you all remember this,<br />
<blockquote>The company (General Electric) reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, and said $5.1 billion of the total came from its operations in the United States.<br />
<br />
Its American tax bill? None. In fact, G.E. claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion. </blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html?_r=2&hp">G.E.’s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether</a></blockquote>So not only did GE not pay any taxes...they got a rebate of $3.2 billion!! And Ryan says that American Business are overtaxed? If GE was overtaxed in 2010 then why did they get such a large rebate? Why are American business sitting on piles and piles of cash, why are these same businesses paying CEOs million or billion dollar bonuses?<br />
<br />
American businesses are not overtaxed. They need to pay their fair share. Businesses require a educated workforce, they require infrastructure to transport goods and services. They require a safe, secure, environment in order to do business. All of these things are paid for by taxes. The argument that they are the job creators so they should not pay is a foolish argument. Business may create jobs; however, without government support, i.e. education, infrastructure, police and fire protection, they could not turn a profit. Congressman Ryan, you sir are wrong, your ideas, your parties policies are not good for Wisconsin nor are the good for the United States.Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-26484231801045551642011-07-12T08:11:00.000-05:002011-07-12T08:11:23.533-05:00Comments...Should I allow comments on my blog? That is the question. Honestly, I am a little gun shy about allowing them after my last true post was swarmed by the RKBA (Right to keep and bear arms) cabal on Daily Kos.<br />
<br />
If I do allow them I will moderate them...I will not allow bullying, hate speech or any other speech that I consider offensive. Now don't throw the First Amendment in my face...the First Amendment means that the government has to allow free speech...I don't have to. I will open comments on this post to get your thoughts.Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-87883849431915649762011-07-11T21:49:00.000-05:002011-07-11T21:57:01.762-05:00Kodiak54 Daily Kos Blog ArchiveFor any new folks checking out my blog here is a link to my blog archive at Daily Kos. At this point it does not look like I will return to write there; however, I have a lot of history over the Great Orange Satan and I hate to abandon it so feel free to check out my older blog posts.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/user/Kodiak54/">Kodiak54 Blog Archive</a>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-40669785399046652452011-07-11T18:27:00.000-05:002011-07-11T19:32:59.529-05:00Recall Elections, fake candidates and voter IDWe are coming up on the recall elections quickly with the primaries for the recalls of the Republican Senators starting tomorrow. Now one would think that the fiscal hawks of the Republican Party would want to keep the costs of these elections down - right?<br /><br />Wrong...the Republican Party has inserted fake candidates into all of the recalls against Republican Senators. Now why would they do this? To give their candidates longer to campaign. Now I don't know about you, but, I find the Republican plans flat out unethical. While it may be perfectly legal to run fake candidates it is one of the more unprincipled things I have seen the Republicans do so far this year, which is saying a lot as the current crop of Republicans that we have here in Wisconsin are about the most dishonorable group of people I have seen serve in our legislature...and I have lived through the caucus scandals.<br /><br />Now as you can tell the Republicans in Wisconsin are so concerned about the fiscal well being of our state by not only forcing unnecessary primary elections upon us unwitting peasants that they also passed a law that raises the cost of future elections by passing the Voter ID bill. Basically a law looking for a crime...however, being so concerned about the integrity of elections as they are (you can tell they are concerned about this because they are running fake candidates in the primaries) they passed this law for a crime that is never committed. Hell, how can you possibly worry about voter fraud, i.e. people voting twice, when you can barely get fifty percent of the population to vote in the first place.<br /><br />But - I guess when you are worried about the states fiscal health and the issue of voter fraud you have to think outside the box and come up with solutions like running fake candidates and passing laws that disenfranchise voters in the name of fiscal responsibility and election integrity.Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-24623022584827375682011-07-10T18:12:00.000-05:002011-07-10T18:36:39.155-05:00Only in AmericaLast week I DVR'd an episode of Only in America hosted by Larry the Cable Guy. Now, I am of mixed feelings on this show. He is a funny guy; however, he does on occasion throw out the occasional right wing talking point or slams a democratic politician. The episode I watched this evening about Secret Santa. Seemed a little odd to watch this story in July...but hey, I will roll with it.<br /><br />How I wish I had the money to help people in the way these Secret Santa's do. At one point the man playing Santa stated that he goes through one hundred thousand dollars each Christmas season. Giving away that amount of money just boggles my mind.<br /><br />It seems even more amazing to me after the conversation I had this morning with my son and ex-wife. We have a decision to make in the coming weeks about our Beagle, Gus. He is having some serious issues urinating...and we do not know how we can even afford to take him to the vet. If it is anything serious we will more than likely have to put him down. These are not happy times in the Andersen household.<br /><br />What makes this even worse is that a couple of weeks ago my ex-wife had to attend a meeting where she works. The CEO of the company stated that they will all have to do more with less (something I have been doing where I work for two years) that they have to tighten their belts and sacrifice. They were then informed that they would all have to take furlough days. The CEO will retain his six-figure salary and his six figure bonus.<br /><br />Wouldn't it be a better world for all of us if the haves realized that the have-nots are the reason they are haves...I am tired of being told that I have to sacrifice...when I don't see any of the haves sacrificing.Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-88528221760188636912011-05-27T08:02:00.001-05:002011-05-27T08:05:40.507-05:00Second Guitar Lesson (Or, I still can't count to four)<span style="font-family: arial;">Had my second guitar lesson last night - I still am having trouble counting to four...especially now that I know there are different ways to count to four. Then my instructor tells me I have to learn math. Math!?! I didn't sign up for math. There is a reason I am a writer. No Math!<br /><br />But, it is a lifelong dream of mine to learn to play guitar - so I will learn math. On the upside, I have moved on in the book to power chords on the fifth string. I guess that is a good thing.<br /></span>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-62429533190465343862011-05-25T11:43:00.000-05:002011-05-25T12:34:04.939-05:00New Life To An Old Blog<span style="font-family:arial;">I started this blog a semester ago as a part of a class project. My intent was to keep this blog going as I went through my studies as an online Masters student at the University of Wisconsin – Stout. Well, while I had good intentions - life had other ideas.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">After the semester ended in December of 2010 and the new semester started in January of 2011 I thought it would be a hoot to have major surgery on my cervical spine. So, I went under the knife to have the disc between C5 and C6 removed and then have a spinal fusion done. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The surgery went great as you can see from the photos. </span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKOUCzCAfQMg2YprJfWpCb0XGN5NvP_4GwaIRZ80U8ZMwUAIoM_psgljW8f48yRs_bZmIHHZ0UiNxIFYuFK2y3IYGuuq2E-PcHQ0z8bXyoyQWllhDLa3XBv-fDUCkN36BkptdtN5locyG/s1600/Neck+Front.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 145px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610704040542648050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKOUCzCAfQMg2YprJfWpCb0XGN5NvP_4GwaIRZ80U8ZMwUAIoM_psgljW8f48yRs_bZmIHHZ0UiNxIFYuFK2y3IYGuuq2E-PcHQ0z8bXyoyQWllhDLa3XBv-fDUCkN36BkptdtN5locyG/s200/Neck+Front.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">I was off work for six weeks and you would think I could have found time to write in my blog wouldn’t you? Well, you would be surprised as to how crappy a writer you become when under the influence of Oxycodone, Vicodin(sp) and Cyclobenzaprine. It was not pretty – so for six weeks I watched I Dream of Jeannie reruns on Hulu, a lot of movies on Netflix and whatever was on the History channel or Discovery channel. </span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZ6MrhJSEj8NVwhATvLoFVvWw3eXwf_sSz4BN6XJVfux-vMlwq6dxuj32fPNgixKkL_PjLt5wsRcavwHM7C8XHYTI6iLrR41MTUHyM8mOSaNFbeCrb90CZazNEJXwLShPb6FPNMD7VBQl/s1600/Neck+Side.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 142px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610705704452844258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZ6MrhJSEj8NVwhATvLoFVvWw3eXwf_sSz4BN6XJVfux-vMlwq6dxuj32fPNgixKkL_PjLt5wsRcavwHM7C8XHYTI6iLrR41MTUHyM8mOSaNFbeCrb90CZazNEJXwLShPb6FPNMD7VBQl/s200/Neck+Side.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">After medical leave school was really rolling especially one class, Writing Technical Manuals, which I hated and struggled with for the entire semester. If I ever see Adobe Framemaker again in my life it will be too soon. Somehow, and I do not know how, I got out of that class with a B. I would have been happy with a D – as long as I passed I would not have cared. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Which brings me to today – I am going to write at least weekly in this blog about what it is like to be a Grad student at the age of 44 as well as what it is like to take guitar lessons at this age and have an 11 year old son who has been taking guitar lessons for almost a year and is really good.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><strong></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><strong>Guitar Lesson One </strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong><br /></strong>My first lesson was last Thursday with Lee Payne who teaches out of the <a href="http://madisonmusicfoundry.com/education/lessons/">Madison Music Foundry</a>. Lee is a really good instructor who has been teaching my son for the last year.<br />I walked into my first lesson knowing how to play a couple riffs but not knowing how to really play the guitar. As I said to Lee during the lesson, “I have been trying to learn to play guitar in an hour for five years.” </span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuZYou8jiZG8FK_t_5bTzCkFkWNFfpS3ZgcoYPqrWk1logI8LzoxXwyQUGpTZSN_1QBK0rZMSGfm9M4YvVPKShSfgjFTNdQdO_SgSndiR2iew_h3y5l-qdxwjH9UgIpELHj24ELPrDXjU/s1600/Metal.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610707420271258226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuZYou8jiZG8FK_t_5bTzCkFkWNFfpS3ZgcoYPqrWk1logI8LzoxXwyQUGpTZSN_1QBK0rZMSGfm9M4YvVPKShSfgjFTNdQdO_SgSndiR2iew_h3y5l-qdxwjH9UgIpELHj24ELPrDXjU/s200/Metal.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">What I learned during my lesson. Other than learning some scales I learned that I have difficulty counting to four. Yes, I have difficulties counting to four. Lee had me play through one of the exercises in my book – which I did, I just ripped right through it. I</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> was pretty proud of myself because it sounded awesome. Lee promptly burst my bubble by telling me I played it too fast and did not pause where I was supposed to pause. So my lesson for this week was counting to four…Lesson two is on Thursday, hopefully I have this counting thing mastered by then…otherwise, it is going to be a long summer. </span>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-82346477474532410852010-11-21T11:40:00.000-06:002010-11-21T12:33:34.741-06:00News at the speed of light<span style="font-family:arial;">In chapter eight of the book Socialnomics a quote by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair stated, <blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"The way in which information is exchanged so quickly has forever changed the way in which people want to consume information. They demand that things be condensed into 20 second sound bites. With complex problems this is extremely difficult, but to be an effective communicator and leader you need to be able to condense complex items down to the core and be able to do this quickly."<span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></blockquote></span><span style="font-family:arial;">I agree with what Tony Blair says. Yes, the way that information is exchanged has changed forever and yes, people now want their information in a 20 second soundbite. Yes, you do have to be an effective communicator to get your message across, complex or not, in that 20 seconds.<br /><br />While this change has taken place it is one that I do not feel is a change for the better for our society as a whole. As it stands now, the most effective communicator is now the one who yells the loudest, regardless of whether their message is accurate or not. Take the argument over health care reform. Possibly one of the most repeated messages to to come out of health care reform was the statement by a former vice-presidential candidate that was delivered via Twitter. This person stated, actually restated, that the health care reform bill included government run "death panels." There were no "death panels" in the bill. What the critics were calling "death panels" was in actuality vitally needed coverage for seniors and terminally ill people about end of life counseling, basically, counseling that would aid seniors and the terminally ill in making choices about DNR orders (Do Not Resuscitate), options for nursing home, hospice care, and how to get their final affairs in order. I do not know how getting your affairs in order can be considered a "death panel;" but, the loud voices of the right with their quick, short message caused that vital piece of health care reform to be removed from the bill.<br /><br />The problem with the speed of communication in today's age is that no one stops to actually research and understand an issue. Whether it be an issue that impacts us on a national level or a local level. Listening to the loudest voice because that is the voice that is more effective at being heard is not a good thing. I know that when I go out to a bar and have a few adult beverages that I tend to become the loudest voice in the tavern. Does that mean that because I am more effective in making myself heard that my voice should be the one that people should listen to? I would say no, the drunk guy in the bar who can solve all of the worlds problems is probably not the guy you want to listen to.<br /><br />The media needs to stop focusing on the drunk guy at the bar. People need to understand that not every issue can be turned into a 20 second sound bite, and just because someone has turned a complex issue into a quick and efficient statement does not mean that that person understands the issue, has a solution to the issue or even has a clue what they are talking about.<br /><br />Our nation, and the entire world is at a turning point. We can either go down the road where the information given to us is similar to what was called "Newspeak" in George Orwell's novel 1984. Short soundbites that provide us with really no information at all, or we can demand the press provide us with not just the short soundbites, but, provide us the entire story. Sadly, in a world that is driven by profits, speed and soundbites, I do not see the media doing its job and providing us with the information we need to make informed intelligent choices for the future of our nation and the world.<br /></span>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-54356135860073431992010-11-13T17:01:00.000-06:002010-11-13T17:15:18.956-06:00Messaging in the modern era<style>@font-face { font-family: "Arial"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Way back in the Stone Age, i.e. the seventies,</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzCfs4aeb8O4TivpIBGgMELMImsSjPs_LMamy2d_ChFsKnOrso0lxfcrl9WY3B_NhfuVXkATwKJroJNLEY6BsdhiUUFYiahkcV7LF9GCBwEJBNMGc3JLtZoOsceB2RJ1TaxjZ6_3KktHz/s1600/1-phone.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzCfs4aeb8O4TivpIBGgMELMImsSjPs_LMamy2d_ChFsKnOrso0lxfcrl9WY3B_NhfuVXkATwKJroJNLEY6BsdhiUUFYiahkcV7LF9GCBwEJBNMGc3JLtZoOsceB2RJ1TaxjZ6_3KktHz/s320/1-phone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539174280193254626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">when I</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">was a child the house I grew up in had</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">one phone. That one phone hung on the wall in the kitchen and when it rang it rang loudly as it had real metal bells inside of it. There were no buttons on it, i</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">t had a dial and you could hear clicking as you dialed. If you dialed a one you heard one click, if you </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">dialed a nine, you heard nine clicks. If I went a half block down the road to my Aunt and Uncles house I would find a party line. A single ring meant the call </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">was for my Aunt and Uncle, a double or triple ring meant the call was for someone else on the party line. If a neighbor on your party line wanted to be nosy they could pick up their receiver and listen in on your call. If you wanted to make a call you had to wait until your neighbor was off the phone.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">In the eig</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">hties when I was a teenager my Dad broke down and had two extensions put in the house at my Mom’s request, actually it was a demand. We now had three phones in the house. Dad even sprung for touchtone service.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">When I </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzKpNspy19_J54sIKmkIS6huJwTIqKwnNtyD3vGXMeAn8tHDGYs0qTEnxsEM3_kpzpRZFdDrqwnd18jpXbRUbPHOzQOIUGewqsYgryR5r81mA3c87B7Xbrjw3cdguKh82mO5tPA9bVyya/s1600/138748012vLGikn_fs.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzKpNspy19_J54sIKmkIS6huJwTIqKwnNtyD3vGXMeAn8tHDGYs0qTEnxsEM3_kpzpRZFdDrqwnd18jpXbRUbPHOzQOIUGewqsYgryR5r81mA3c87B7Xbrjw3cdguKh82mO5tPA9bVyya/s320/138748012vLGikn_fs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539175245419608530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Arial;">was in the Army, Ma Bell had been broken up. My Dad, being adventurous sent me a calling </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">card from MCI so I could call home from wherever I was in the United States. Just his luck, I got stationed in Germany. Other than my inability to figure out the time difference between Germany and Wisconsin my parents hated it when I called home. The cost was astronomical. As I recall I would stand in a phone booth with two hundred Deutschemarks in five mark pieces, about one hundred do</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">llars. That was enough for about a fifteen-minute phone call. I was plugging coins into that payphone faster than the eye could see. That is of course until I found out I could call from Germany collect…my Dad was “thrilled” with that discovery.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Fast forward to the late nineties, and my first cell phone. I mainly got it because I could not get a phone from what was then Wisconsin Bell as they had me mixed up with another Mark Andersen, who owed the phone company a fairly large amount of money. That phone was my main phone and was fairly large. I used it for one purpose and that was making voice calls.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">In 2005 I was newly divorced and dating again. In the time I had been in a relationship the world of singledom had changed dramatically. After exchanging phone numbers with a woman we would text instead of call. At the time, I found texting cumbersome and quite honestly a pain in the ass to do. I only had twelve buttons on my phone and trying to type a message quickly that was coherent was a challenge.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zP9pCdmybCI_DM_mvYGzFnnm1H4HSPc8C8Hdg_mtxO2-3k-pq4ges8dUmRkv6DOitC5oj1Fj9P9yaSXpvOa3KAZ0mXXSBh227L1TjLoCI8YTuLNg9SQP-hWHFl_YvDKyVsM9P8SbF2I_/s1600/iphone4-thumb-640xauto-14425.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zP9pCdmybCI_DM_mvYGzFnnm1H4HSPc8C8Hdg_mtxO2-3k-pq4ges8dUmRkv6DOitC5oj1Fj9P9yaSXpvOa3KAZ0mXXSBh227L1TjLoCI8YTuLNg9SQP-hWHFl_YvDKyVsM9P8SbF2I_/s320/iphone4-thumb-640xauto-14425.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539175946378360242" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Fast forward to today, I have an iPhone 4 which has a full keyboard. Texting is a breeze and many times the preferred method of staying in touch with friends and family. The downside is that I am constantly connected to the world. My e-mail, phone, text messages, facebook, music and the Internet are at my fingertips all of the time. There are days when I long for the time when there was only one phone in the house, and when you left the house, the phone stayed home.</span></p>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-35332222727078250542010-11-13T08:25:00.000-06:002010-11-13T16:28:06.928-06:001984 is becoming more fact than fiction...<span style="font-family:arial;">In the simple cemetery located in the All Saints' churchyard in Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, England, under a plain headstone that simply reads,<br /><br /><center><span style="font-style: italic;">HERE LIES</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Eric Arthur Blair</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Born June 25th, 1903</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Died January 21st, 1950<br /></span></center><br />A muffled sound can be heard coming from six feet below the earth. It is the sound </span><span style="font-family:arial;">of fists beating, and legs kicking on the inside lid of a coffin. If you listen closely you can hear the man known to the world as George Orwell screaming out from his final resting place, "<span style="font-style: italic;">1984 was a cautionary tale, not an instructional manual you fools!</span>" </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It has often been said that truth is stranger than fiction. In many cases that tired old cliche comes very close to being true. In some cases, it is shockingly real. In the article <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/voices/is-your-boss-spying-off-the-clock/5043/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Is your Boss Spying on You Off the Clock</span></a> we start to see startling similarities to the George Orwell's novel from nineteen forty-nine named simply 1984, a land where <span style="font-style: italic;">Big Brother</span> is watching you all of the time, newspeak makes it impossible to know the truth and waging constant war against foreign enemies is considered the norm, and not the aberration.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In the above mentioned article we hear of a <a href="http://www.socialintelligencehr.com/home">company</a> that spies for profit on unknowing corporate employees. We then read further on in the article that our own government is using social media to spy on everyone from Al Qeada terrorists to, as G.W. Schulz stated, elderly anti-war protesters linked to Quaker activism.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">In some cases, governmental agencies have gone as far as friending people just to spy on them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Social Media like facebook has been a </span><span style="font-family:arial;">wonderful way to keep in </span><span style="font-family:arial;">co</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ntact with friends, neighbors; however, we are now starting to see what evil comes with it. I do firmly believe that if </span><span style="font-family:arial;">the unemployment rate were lower a company like Social Intelligence could not and would not exist. I know that if I found my HR department was spying on me in that manner, I would be seeking new employment. Sadly though, it is an employer's market right now, and as employees, we no longer have the right to privacy. It is one thing to not hire some one </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RKI3QQeu50xHcvBRxFYkWiZR6cfq11FpeQ6GGvRao8XB7qkG2x9HfN4Y-eUSXI9vQvKzDlWvimYY7O0aVrc2x4EtqmA1IQywowQEPF7H1vFgdkaZokysPKjbJAuYh-n9cxQsqlu6505w/s1600/n1033276779_242396_4918.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 344px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RKI3QQeu50xHcvBRxFYkWiZR6cfq11FpeQ6GGvRao8XB7qkG2x9HfN4Y-eUSXI9vQvKzDlWvimYY7O0aVrc2x4EtqmA1IQywowQEPF7H1vFgdkaZokysPKjbJAuYh-n9cxQsqlu6505w/s320/n1033276779_242396_4918.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539078627923132386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">for an accounting job due to a felony conviction for embezzlement, it is quite another to not hire</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> some</span><span style="font-family:arial;">one fo</span><span style="font-family:arial;">r having a photo up on facebook where they are pictured drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels 20 some years ago while in the A</span><span style="font-family:arial;">rmy.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Our employers and our government are spying on us, we have been at war now for nine years with no end in sight. 1984 is no longer fiction, it is becoming reality. The worst part of this, we enabled this world ourselves. Our need to be connected to a larger community has doomed us to a lifetime of surveillance. Big Brother is watching...facebook.<br /><br /><br /></span>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-60769742005904305382010-11-07T10:58:00.000-06:002010-11-07T15:12:03.059-06:00It's a whole different world than the one I grew up in...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikF9WO97Q180b-8YWl5baIyTPrsJRNhJAajhNsMVQRmh53RK0MYtAXgXCdNR58oWryOeRkFXuj7AedtFk01wVMvunh1kZvk-Vzm0-3AYLLAXVoyLMrQ5F9v2rNs5aVD2NiSgYKxFsGgPzK/s1600/MD_0002.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 356px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikF9WO97Q180b-8YWl5baIyTPrsJRNhJAajhNsMVQRmh53RK0MYtAXgXCdNR58oWryOeRkFXuj7AedtFk01wVMvunh1kZvk-Vzm0-3AYLLAXVoyLMrQ5F9v2rNs5aVD2NiSgYKxFsGgPzK/s200/MD_0002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536871945113302306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">...but then again, my Dad's world changed dramatically in his lifetime as well.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">My </span><span style="font-family:arial;">D</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ad was born in 1923. He grew up during the Great Depression and served in the Navy during WWII. When my Dad was a young boy aircraft and cars were still in their infancy. The steam engine ruled the continent as the primary means of transcontinental transportation.<br /><br />My grandfather farmed not with giant combines and tractors, but, with horses a</span><span style="font-family:arial;">nd equipment that had not changed much since the mid-nineteenth century. When my Dad was a teenager movies cost a nickel for a double feature on a Saturday afternoon where he would go to watch Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">During WWII my Dad joined the Navy, aviation and and the automobile industry had come of age and were producing the tools for the Army of democracy to use in its fight against axis powers. During the War my Dad loaded ships at Port Chicago California. After Fat-man and Little-b</span><span style="font-family:arial;">oy were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki my Dad's superiors gathered all of the men of my Dads section to give them the news that both of those bombs had gone through Port Chicago and my Dad's</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> section had been the one that had loaded them on one leg of their journey to Imperial Japan. My Dad not only saw the dawn of the Atomic age, he also may have played a small role in it.<br /><br />After the war my Dad came home to Chatfield, Minnesota where he realized that being the youngest of four brothers, who were also coming home from the war, that he needed to strike out on his own. He moved to Madison, Wisconsin and began working at Oscar Mayer foods in inedibles, the lowest place you could work at Oscar's. Dad quickly lef</span><span style="font-family:arial;">t and got a job working as a house to house milk delivery man. Over the the years his job changed from house to house, to delivering to small mom and pop grocery stores. As those died out he delivered to milk to schools and other institutions. If a customer wanted to complain about my Dad's service, which was rare, they had to call my Dad's boss or take it up directly with my Dad. During this time he saw aviation turn to Jet engines, diesel engines take </span><span style="font-family:arial;">over for steam, man walk on the moon and cars becoming bigger, more reliable and the primary mode of transportation.<br /><br />At the end of my Dad's life and in my lifetime we have seen man walk on the moon and technology explode at a rate never seen before in recorded history.<br /><br />As a child if </span><span style="font-family:arial;">I wanted to watch cartoons I had to wait until Saturday morning. Today, cartoons are on 24/7. When I was a teenager if I wanted to call a friend, I had to wait until my Mom got off the phone with my Aunt Erma. If I wanted privacy on the phone call, this was mainly only needed if I was calling a</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> girl, I had to stretch the phone cord out and sit around the corner on the basement stairs.<br /><br />If I had a problem with the new cassette deck I bought, I took it back to the store. Customer service meant that Prange-Way took the cassette deck back despite the fact that I took it apart and it was now just a box of parts.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">The world</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59jjSDa8nDJPeg_MMQpe2GgPw-91v-ujyEXbSP7AXizuGGrcO7RYge68C3i_YptjYqk4b0q-3VFjhkfmmZbWytT5_eTVe5qv_DodZoqsp0PxMqgM5S9eF-t2bZmPp9Z6Z6Xawdi5xpMv4/s1600/DSC05650.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 418px; height: 328px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59jjSDa8nDJPeg_MMQpe2GgPw-91v-ujyEXbSP7AXizuGGrcO7RYge68C3i_YptjYqk4b0q-3VFjhkfmmZbWytT5_eTVe5qv_DodZoqsp0PxMqgM5S9eF-t2bZmPp9Z6Z6Xawdi5xpMv4/s400/DSC05650.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536866472056659650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> my son is growing up in is far different than the world I grew up in, one he gets his photo taken with UW-Madison football cheerleaders. Two is that he has to deal with issues ne</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ith</span><span style="font-family:arial;">er me or my father ever had to deal with. The biggest issue in his life that he will have to deal with is one of privacy, or lack thereof. When both my father and me started our first job searches as adults we had a clean slate. If an employer wanted to know what our background was they would have to ask the hand-picked references we gave them. My son will have to make sure he has nothing embarrassing on his facebook page.<br /><br />One thing that scares me most about facebook is that while I love the ability to keep up with friends and family, I fear how some can use the lack of privacy against us. What if at some point in the future a young man with the same name as my son commits a federal crime. If my son has a facebook page his activities could be monitored by the FBI without my son's consent. He will have basically signed up for government surveillance just by having an open facebook page.<br /><br />Another change is the concept of customer service. As I mentioned earlier, in the past if you had a problem with a product you purchased you could just take it back to the store and in most cases the issue was cared for, if it wasn't you might tell a few friends; however, that small circle of friends would more than likely not impact the store's bottom line. In today's world if my son were to purchase a defective product he more than likely would be directed towards the manufacturer's website or customer service line. If my son were dissatisfied with the company's service he could with one simple blog post, twitter or facebook posting, reach millions of people. Which can have a very negative impact on the bottom line of any company.<br /><br />Comparing my world to that of my Dad's still amazes me. My Dad was literally born at the end of the horse and buggy era. I was born at the dawn of the space age and my son was born in the first month of this millennium. With all of the changes that have happened in both mine and my Dad's lives, I wonder what the future will hold for my son (Hopefully he will let me use some of that cuteness next time we get close to some cheerleaders).<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-78022322887178682802010-10-31T10:50:00.000-05:002010-10-31T14:07:24.774-05:00Social media/networking: Blessing or Curse?<span style="font-family:arial;">Prior to the advent of social media/networking if you wanted to talk to someone you either had to call them, send a letter through snail mail or go and physically meet them. In today's world where you have facebook, You Tube, MySpace, Twitter and other social sites you can have a friendship entirely online without ever meeting the person you are "friends" with.<br /><br />My first experience with social sites was shortly after I was divorced five years ago. I had not dated for ten years at that time. I had no idea of where to meet people other than bars, and after a few excursions to some local establishments that served adult beverages I realized that in most cases, I was a little old for the singles scene in Madison. So I turned to sites like Match.com and OKCupid. It was odd at first; however, as time went on I realized it was a very effective way to meet members of the opposite sex that had similar interests. Although, at times it could be a little weird (I could tell you stories). At first is was a little odd asking a total stranger out for a date in an e-mail, over time, I became thankful that I had a cloud of anonymity to hide behind.<br /><br />Three years ago I joined facebook, and did my life ever change. Friends I had not heard from in years were coming out of the woodwork. I re-connected with a lot of people who were still in the area but for one reason or another we had gotten out of contact. When my Mom passed away earlier this year facebook was a great way to communicate with friends and family about funeral arrangements. Not having to call family members spread across the country gave my brother, sister and I time to grieve. The biggest plus of facebook was reconnecting with some old Army buddies. I love the idea of being able to stay connected with friends and family. It was a great way to let family members in far away places to see my son play his first song on his guitar.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_mk9uv2LpD4?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_mk9uv2LpD4?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />It has also been a great way to share video with friends and family of my cousin and his band (Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo).<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vke410apTlk?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vke410apTlk?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />On facebook I am the admin of two groups and one fan page. One is the <span style="font-style: italic;">"Madison East High School Class of '85" </span>group. A group that was instrumental in planning our 25th class reunion. The other group is <span style="font-style: italic;">"326th Engineer Battalion - 101st Airborne Division</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;">" </span>which has led me to reconnect with some old Army buddies. I am also admin, along with another grad student from the MSTPC program, of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/pages/Word-of-the-Day/153949241298575"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Word of the Day"</span></a> page. Where I pluck a word out of the dictionary and then create a baconized sentence for it (BTW, Bacon Salt, is awesome!)<br /><br />The downside of social media/networking is that you have no anonymity. Prior to hiring you most employers will do an Internet search for you. That photo of you sucking on a beer bong in college that your friend posted...your prospective employer can see it even if you have your profile locked down.<br /><br />Many employers have policies for what you can and cannot do on the Internet while at work. I am lucky enough to work for an employer that does not block any part of the Internet. When it comes to facebook my employer actually encourages employees to be on facebook and to like the company page. The only thing we are banned from doing is commenting on anything on the company facebook page and it is a termination offense if you respond to a customer complaint or comment on the company facebook page.<br /><br />There is a downside to being connected all the time. One problem is how much time can be sucked away by being on facebook. I have gotten to the point where I just show myself offline all of the time lest anyone think I want to chat. Another downside is people who you thought were safely secured in the dustbin of your past...show up here and now. Oftentimes there is a very good reason they were left in the past.<br /><br />For the most part, facebook is really a good thing. I am not sure I would go as far as calling it a blessing. There are times when it can be a curse, hopefully those times are few and far between.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-32963119285930660802010-10-25T17:07:00.000-05:002010-10-25T18:17:22.143-05:00Goodbye my old friend...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kyrEwZrx9vZ3MntQVlo70QUSokFpytHmLLgi74wNLg3_c5R3flYEz3M-Ktol1tsuAYPPrIn1QWwJ3qMF3FeA_xiQ8RxccakIqkzcJkyfKyR2VIZp4iR_OWo7EUitjrvz5s1oGLtkLrec/s1600/sony-walkman.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kyrEwZrx9vZ3MntQVlo70QUSokFpytHmLLgi74wNLg3_c5R3flYEz3M-Ktol1tsuAYPPrIn1QWwJ3qMF3FeA_xiQ8RxccakIqkzcJkyfKyR2VIZp4iR_OWo7EUitjrvz5s1oGLtkLrec/s400/sony-walkman.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532110887008868402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I was perusing CNN's website over lunch today and came across this article<span style="font-family:arial;">, </span></span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/10/25/sony.retires.walkman.mashable/index.html?hpt=C2"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">Sony retires the cassette Walkman after 30 years</span></a>. <span style="font-family:arial;">While I did not get a real "Walkman" until I was on my own and bought it for myself, I have great memories of the Walkman knock-offs I had when I was in High School.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />In a technology narrative I wrote for ENG 745 I spent a great deal of time discussing my love for music and that a portable cassette player was my first taste of freedom as a teenager. My walk to school was made with a pocketful of batteries and cassette tapes. I could be found every morning walking down East Washington Avenue my head bobbing to the heavy metal stylings of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Motley Crue. On some days you might even spy me playing a mean air guitar to a Randy Rhodes guitar solo on an Ozzy Osbourne song. When my headphones were on the world around me ceased to exist.<br /><br />When I joined the Army I bought my first "real" Walkman. I even rigged it up so that we could play it on the intercom of the Armored Personnel Carrier I drove while stationed in Germany. My Walkman saved my sanity in Germany, especially during long shifts on the East/West German border.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9jjXsLWSAPdlU4NmbnzThsLUmXixUGxR1xqXET4bE-JW31bKwgEljfv4MYnmmnGiJ06nWzy_7TuXrLgriGD5q_jADxeB2Obd8nPEqYcEcuIr5DyZkaAwcTBlubY24REgRtjAhDtUj7n5/s1600/Scan7_1_0014_014.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 331px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9jjXsLWSAPdlU4NmbnzThsLUmXixUGxR1xqXET4bE-JW31bKwgEljfv4MYnmmnGiJ06nWzy_7TuXrLgriGD5q_jADxeB2Obd8nPEqYcEcuIr5DyZkaAwcTBlubY24REgRtjAhDtUj7n5/s400/Scan7_1_0014_014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532115450591924706" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family: arial;">Where we would watch the Soviet and East German soldiers watch us, watch them watch us. While there were moments of excitement, they were few and far between. For the most part I would stand on duty in the tower looking at the tower in the photo to the right while listening to Bruce Springsteen screaming out "<span style="font-style: italic;">Born in the USA</span>" into my headphones. A song that made me forget I was looking across a minefield at an enemy that I never wanted to meet on a field of battle.<br /><br />My Walkman also serenaded me to sleep on many an occasion. It would block out the sounds of 8 young men snoring away in a squad bay. My Walkman also allowed me to bring a little bit of home with me where ever I went. My sister recorded my favorite hometown radio station for me and sent it to me in Germany. I wore that ninety minute slice of home out. Almost every day I was back home listening to 101.5 FM WIBA Madison.<br /><br />When I left Germany and was shipped to Fort Campbell, KY my venerable friend the Walkman made the journey with me. I must have gone through four packages of AA batteries on my thirteen hour flight home listening to the same five cassettes over and over. Once at Fort Campbell my Walkman was still by my side everywhere I went while on duty. Off duty my Walkman had been replaced by a car stereo and a 40 watt amp.<br /><br />When I got out of the Army my in 1989 my Walkman was retired. It was replaced with a Discman, cassettes were out and CDs were in. My Discman only lasted a year, living on my own I had no need to listen to my music privately and with the purchase of a car stereo with a CD player little need to carry a dedicated player with me.<br /><br />Now, on the eve of the demise of the Walkman, I have three different types of iPods, as I look at them I look back across the years and see that without the Walkman the iPod would not exist. The Walkman made it possible for me to take my music with me, the iPod made it possible for me to take all of my music with me.<br /><br />I will miss you my old friend the Walkman. We shared many a good year together, you will be missed.<br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" ><br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/10/25/sony.retires.walkman.mashable/index.html?hpt=C2"><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></a>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-52962666675243961452010-10-24T18:23:00.000-05:002010-10-24T19:14:35.456-05:00I want my flying car!<span style="font-family:arial;">Technology, when new, holds nothing but promise. There is no downside to new technology. Then, after a couple years, reality begins to set in, the promise of the new technology has to adjust to the actuality of the real world.<br /><br />When I was a child the new technology was the space program. I grew up watching man walk on the moon. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Futurists were predicting manned colonies on the moon by 1980, Mars </span><span style="font-family:arial;">by 1990. Roads would no longer be needed as we would all have flying cars, just like George Jetson.<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GwsgQimkUFHClIIamfUKTxDT-tvYYGE5oaOFGepgalgY9hyphenhyphenfHQxZLiaPHiNcxauiklZVvc4eV2A19FV6aP_vqsPfsItImC_wfB_ZpRr5BLCCZoFGAvNhjEJ7qsB8wwjRscESV9AwnLIY/s1600/Jetsons.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GwsgQimkUFHClIIamfUKTxDT-tvYYGE5oaOFGepgalgY9hyphenhyphenfHQxZLiaPHiNcxauiklZVvc4eV2A19FV6aP_vqsPfsItImC_wfB_ZpRr5BLCCZoFGAvNhjEJ7qsB8wwjRscESV9AwnLIY/s400/Jetsons.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531760285366081410" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As I grew older the Apollo program ended, NASA sent unmanned probes, Viking I and II</span>, <span style="font-family:arial;">to Mars. The Space Shuttle was going through testing. In the mean time I watched Star Trek and Star Wars. The future was just around the corner. When I grew up I would own a flying car, which I might not even need because I could just use my own personal transporter.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">During my teen years the Space Shuttle had become a reality and was going into orbit on a somewhat irregular basis. Personal electronics had become to shrink to more an</span><span style="font-family:arial;">d more portable sizes. Sony came out with the walkman, The VCR threatened to kill off the movie theater, much like today where we hear that Blu-Ray and the home theater will kill off the movie theater. I did not happen in the eighties and I do not see it happening any time soon.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshBzcSTY23OxLa5X5Jabkvarp0sNT9edatLW5aPzIKXYE0p-BENi9Oyceo6A_bOFwuAIFObhmraiwMuE7STbHl1CHuwL2OinY5Vuq4sqGuS-aDViBYWAxmfU1E3Vuwpbw2pkFHEyZv5Nj/s1600/740px-Challenger_explosion.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshBzcSTY23OxLa5X5Jabkvarp0sNT9edatLW5aPzIKXYE0p-BENi9Oyceo6A_bOFwuAIFObhmraiwMuE7STbHl1CHuwL2OinY5Vuq4sqGuS-aDViBYWAxmfU1E3Vuwpbw2pkFHEyZv5Nj/s400/740px-Challenger_explosion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531764314905574738" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />In 1986 the Challenger disaster happened. I was serving in the Army in Germany when the Space Shuttle exploded. Reality hit, there</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> would be no moon colonies, there would be no colonies on Mars. Space travel, which NASA had made look so routine and safe was dangerous business. As time went on the Space Shuttle would begin to fly again and talk of moon colonies and man exploring Mars would again surface. Then another space disaster stru</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ck, Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart upon re-entry. The dream of man living in the stars was getting further and further away.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsKRHKSqpQFU4k7yLDrkpVfYuXXeFC4sUU1SVfbC_4SS5oK1R2utvv-URUdDatKbKdngBe2JWRkRg2EDPPL4LfH9dALiwLyvi9_85ymQc9wBNkQsqthjZHs7hbOOe9AKK2ZIXa_Mzosd4/s1600/FlyingCarS_450x300.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 329px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsKRHKSqpQFU4k7yLDrkpVfYuXXeFC4sUU1SVfbC_4SS5oK1R2utvv-URUdDatKbKdngBe2JWRkRg2EDPPL4LfH9dALiwLyvi9_85ymQc9wBNkQsqthjZHs7hbOOe9AKK2ZIXa_Mzosd4/s400/FlyingCarS_450x300.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531767965526814626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">While man may not return to the moon in my lifetime and man may never physically explore Mars during my time on Earth, at least the flying car I was promised is becoming a reality. Just a few more years and several hundred thousand dollars and I am parking this baby in my garage...of course, reality will once again rear its ugly head and I will end up without my flying car.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-88202766577667569702010-10-06T17:53:00.000-05:002010-10-06T18:03:35.352-05:00Digital Citizenship<span style="font-family:arial;">As I was perusing NPR for news today I came across this article about <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130380236">Digital Citizenship</a></span>. <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />We have been discussing the new literacy over the last couple of weeks, and the question I have after reading this article is does that new literacy also include new </span><span style="font-family:arial;">rules when it comes to social interactions? Is it the schools responsibility to teach these new rules, is it the parents responsibility or is the answer somewhere in between?<br /></span>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-24516438302392912842010-10-03T08:20:00.000-05:002010-10-03T08:53:26.749-05:00Social Media releases and me...<span style="font-family: arial;">Going back in time, I somehow missed a reading from a couple weeks back.<br /><br />Until I read "The Social Media Release as a Corporate Communications Tool for Bloggers" I never realized what a social media release was. Now I know what I am actually "liking" on facebook.<br /><br />The concept of a social media release is an interesting one, to compliment press releases a business, or even a person can for example create a page on facebook. On that page they can post status updates that go out to people who have liked the page. Those status updates are really nothing more than press releases. The beauty of an SMR is that a business can bypass the press and go directly to the people it is targeting with an SMR.<br /><br />On facebook I belong to multiple pages that release SMRs. Some of them are large corporations. My employer is one of them. Press releases that at one time were only released locally are now released nationally. The downside of this though is that people can comment on the press releases. In one recent SMR that my employer sent out they stated that they had donated one-hundred computers to the Madison Metro School District. Many comments were favorable; however, there were multiple comments asking why a different school district was not chosen or why did the company not give to a poorer district. Some of the comments were quite vulgar in their tone. Which leaves the administrator in a bind, do they delete the negative comments and be accused of censorship, or do they leave them out their for all to see?<br /><br />I many cases SMRs are a great way for artists to get the word out about themselves. I “Like” several local bands on facebook, Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo, Faces for Radio and Cherry Pie just to name a few. They all use SMRs effectively to keep their fan base up to date on upcoming shows, CD releases, videos of them playing or even free downloads. To be able to get that kind of press from the traditional media would be an impossibility for local bands prior to the availability of social media websites.</span>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917766783771354168.post-90219479654638778172010-09-26T17:19:00.000-05:002010-09-26T17:55:48.317-05:00Becoming Literate in the Information Age<span style="font-family: arial;">This weeks reading, "Becoming Literate in the Information Age: Cultural Ecologies and the Literacies of Technology</span>."<span style="font-family: arial;"> by Hawishe and Selfe, while long, was interesting to read. In comparing it to last weeks reading, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">"'You Won't Be Needing Your Laptops Today': Wired Bodies in the Wireless Classroom" by Kevin M. Leander I was struck by how Leander was studying the decision of whether or not laptops should be allowed in the classroom and Hawishe and Selfe were studying, in essence, the lack of computer literacy education that is available in the classroom.<br /><br />Maybe the question we should be asking isn't "should laptops be allowed in the classroom", instead it should be, "how do we educate the children of today on the technologies of tomorrow."<br /><br />The more comfortable we as a society can make our youth with technology, the more in dividends it pays off for their generation, and for our communities as a whole. However, per Hawishe and Selfe most of the students who are comfortable with technology learned how to use it at home. Which leaves a large number of children at a serious disadvantage. Case in point, my son who is ten has had access to a computer his entire life. The reason for that is because I have, since 1992, always had a computer. He is far more adept with technology than I was at his age simply because he has always been around it. Now, compare my son to any one of the millions of children living in poverty. Those children are living in homes that cannot afford the expense of a computer. If they are lucky, they live near a local library or community center where computers are available, however, as is often the case, the staff in a public library or community center is ill-equipped to teach anything beyond the most basic computer skills.<br /><br />How do we get all students on a level playing field? That is the million dollar question. With the gridlock in our congress today where conservatives want unrealistic spending caps/cuts on everything except the military, I do not know. In my honest opinion, I feel that our national priorities are askew. Instead of concentrating on doing what is best for our nation, and our children, our leaders play political games to score temporary victories for their respective political party. While our schools crumble and our children fall further behind the rest of the world.<br /></span>Mark Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547498439381320585noreply@blogger.com6