ELM (part 1) - English, Literature, and Musings

Wikipedia/Shakespeare

For most of my adult life, I had worked in a technical field.  And I was fortunate to team with men and women from all parts of the world.   In such an environment, the art of communicating well  - whether work, home, play - is a good thing.  

And communicating in English  - especially those who learned English as a Second Language (ESL) - that encompasses many things ...

The grammar thing ...

For one of my jobs, I had tested software.  Much of that entailed reading reports, most written by software engineers, who had documented problems and explained their resolutions in the current software releases.  We were to design the tests and execute them to verify the fixes to the satisfaction of the Quality Assurance team.

That was how it was supposed to work.  In reality, before we could design the test, I had to get these problem reports, written in English, translated into English.   

I considered myself an intelligent person (born in the USA), but reading these reports - it might as well have been written in Mongolian.  Frankly, many times, I did not know what they were babbling about.  And though they would never admit it, engineers (even native speakers of the language) often don't know how to write ... at least write very well.

Then this equation hit me ...

poor English skills = loss of productivity = lost profits

(But that is fodder for another story.)

For the non-native speakers, we had cut them some slack.  And the foreign nationals and immigrants I have known are remarkable people.  They had a mastery of more than one language, which many of us natives (myself included) don't have.  And English is considered among the top 10 hardest languages to learn - Top 10 Languages that are Hardest and Most Difficult to Learn | OMG Top Tens List

But  ESL speakers faced more issues other than mastery of English grammar, such as ...

The cultural thing ...

I recall one of my co-workers, a very intelligent woman, who immigrated from Vietnam.  She confessed that when us natives were bantering about - in particular about things common in American culture (old movies, vintage TV shows, iconic characters), she did not know what we were talking about and felt left out.  I was glad she spoke up and we tried to explain what we were talking about so she would feel included.

And even if those ESL speakers who have a proper grasp of English grammar and the vocabulary, there is ...

The idiom thing ...

American idioms can be daunting for non-native speakers. 

One example was while I was working with an engineer from Eastern Europe.  We were communicating with remote personnel via a radio net  to coordinate a test.  The man's voice on the speaker said though the crackling static  - 

"You are breaking up."

My co-worker looked at me, most astonished.  She asked, 

"What does he mean 'we are breaking up?'"

Certainly, Scotty was not beaming us up to the Enterprise (another cultural reference).

Grammar, Literature, Idioms.  

This inspired me to start of another series - English, Literature, and  Musings ... ELM for short.  

First up, 

The English Language Thing ...

Below is a summary of the history of the English language in ten short lessons, in ten minutes:

And in closing, it's been said -

"Language is the dress of thought."

Samuel Johnson

And Lord willing, we will continue these thoughts in future posts ...

-----------------
-----------------

Articles on literature:

Best First Lines of Novels | Infoplease.com

The Best 100 Opening Lines From Books - Life - Stylist Magazine

The 10 best closing lines of books – in pictures | Books | The Observer

50 Best Literary Insults - Entertainment - ShortList Magazine

The 50 Best Literary Put-Downs - Books - Stylist Magazine

-----------------
-----------------

Photo from:

Wikipedia -  Shakespeare

Science 101 (part 3) - From Galileo to Apollo

Wikipedia.com/Apollo 11 Insignia

Man on the Moon - July 20, 1969

July 20th marks another anniversary of the moon landing of Apollo 11.  Neil Armstrong took the first steps and said these words while a large part of the world was watching -

Much has been written and recorded about his epic event.  And for the greatest moments, check out: Apollo 11: First Men on the Moon | The Greatest Moments in Flight | Space.com

The Saturn V carrying Apollo 11, the first crewed mission to the Moon, soared into space 

Almost a year ago, August 25, 2012, Neil Armstrong passed away, "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."  (reference:  Neil Armstrong Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com)   The video below is a "Blue and Beautiful" tribute.

Physics and Engineering for Apollo 11

It was a remarkable achievement of science and engineering as well as piloting skill and will power to take on this great leap of human exploration.

How did this all work? Here is abglimpse that explains some of the physics involved - How Hard Is It to Land on the Moon? New Space Game Gravitates Towards Space Physics « Mad Science

The physics of Galileo and beyond ...

Much of the moon shot was made possible by understanding the laws of physics.  And Galileo was a pioneer in modeling the effects of gravity on masses.  In the1500s, Aristotle's description of nature had reigned for 2000 years.  But Galileo challenged this model with his hypotheses - all objects fall (with no air resistance) fall at the same rate.

Such is seen below as this experiment carried out on the Leaning Tower of Pisa:



And Galileo wins!

For fun, try this game:  Wolfram Demonstrations Project: Galileo's Experiment at the Leaning Tower of Pisa

On the moon - practically speaking - there is no air resistance.  Here during  the Apollo 15 mission, Commander David Scott drops a feather and hammer.

Bazinga!    Galileo wins, again!

Galileo has been attributed to the assertion of the Equivalence Principle that says the inertial mass is proportional to the gravitational mass.

So we have an example of two experiments that corroborate the Equivalence Principle from the Tower of Pisa and the moon. (reference:  Millersville University - Experiment of the Month - Inertial and Gravitational Mass)

What's next?

STEP into the Future ...

A more sensitive experiment is taking shape in the STEP program:  The Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle (STEP).

Wikipedia - Spacetime Curvature

The proposed science experiment in space boasts an accuracy in measurement of 1 part in 10 to the18th power - that is, 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000.  When or if this satellite launches, we will have an opportunity to gather more data. (reference:  STEP – The Satellite Test Of the Equivalence Principle (PDF) )

With this small STEP, will three be a charm and Galileo wins, again?

You betcha.

---------------------
---------------------

Previous posts on this subject:


Roger Bacon - a scientist ahead of his time (2009)

October Sky 2010 (2010)

Touching the Face of God ... (2011)

For want of a thermistor the Moon was lost .... 41 years ago (2011)

AI (part 1) - American Ingenuity (2012)

AI (part 2) - How Curiosity got our groove back (2012)

---------------------

Previous posts in this series:

Science 101 (part 1) - Vernal Equinox  (2013)

Science 101 (part 2) - The Sound of Music? (2013)

---------------------
---------------------

Photo from:  Wikipedia - Apollo 11 Insignia; Spacetime curvature

Pray4America (part 9) - America, the Beautiful - 1893 to 2013

Pikes Peak/Wikipedia

Recently, I visited Colorado Springs.  It was planned a few months ago, but as fate would have it, I came after the terrible fires in the region - more specifically the torching of Black Forest. [reference: span style="color: orange;"Colorado Black Forest fire burn scar | Earth | EarthSky] 

Pikes Peak - 2013

Below is a picture I took outside my motel in southwest Colorado Springs, looking toward Pikes Peak, about a week after the fires were under control - June 23, 2013.  And you can see the effects of the air pollution in this shot.  It has an eerie beauty from the effects of the disaster.

smithsk - southwest Colorado Springs

Talking with some guests and hotel workers, this chain had taken in many of the evacuees from the fires.  And I noticed in the parking lot a car from a national insurance company, who undoubtedly will be very busy processing claims.  

On the way home, I drove by the edge of Black Forest and experienced a sample of the devastation, as seen in this shot.  As you can see, this is one of the 500 houses that did not make it.

smithsk - Black Forest house, no more

But I noticed a spirit of gratitude for the efforts of the fire fighters, rescuers, and countless others that came to  the aid of the fire victims.  This is one of the hand made "Thank You" signs I spotted displayed in the fire damaged regions.

smithsk - Thank You from Black Forest

Even in this tragedy, so many expressed a spirit of gratitude, especially for those that went into harm's way to protect lives and  property . 

Pikes Peak - 1893

As the Fourth of July nears, this same region had inspired a teacher - 120 years ago.  Katharine Lee Bates wrote a poem, which was first published for the Fourth of July edition of the Congregationalist  in 1895.  The poem was set to music by Samuel A. Ward and published in 1910 under the title - America, the Beautiful. [reference:  America The Beautiful]

America, the Beautiful/wikipedia

And here is a beautiful rendition of it, with images throughout the land as well as American history:

The vista from the Pikes Peak, which inspired this song that almost became our national anthem, now looks over the scars left by the fires in Black Forest.  Yet beyond the physical scars, there rose from the ashes a spirit of thankfulness and gratitude.  And such is express in this prayer of Habakkuk that takes us to the high places - even above Pikes Peak.

Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.

Habakkuk 3:17-19  (NIV)

This Fourth of July and the rest of the year, may we live above our circumstances and cultivate a beauty, not only in our land, but most important in our spirit.  

And may God, rich in grace and mercy, heal the scars in our land and our hearts as we continue to ...

Pray for America! 

----------------

----------------  

 Previous posts on this topic:

July 1776 & July 1863 (2009)

Have a Blessed Fourth! (2010)

America's Story (part 9) - A Tale of Two Revolutions  (2012)

----------------

----------------

Previous posts in this series:

Pray4America (part 1) - National Day of Prayer (2012)

Pray4America (part 2) - FDR's prayer on D-Day (2012)

Pray4America (part 3) - FDR's Flag Day prayer - June 14, 1942 (2012)

Pray4America (part 4) - It's a Wonderful Life, America (2012)

Pray4America (part 5) - United we stand? (2012)

Pray4America (part 6) - Christmas in Iran 1980 (2012)

Pray4American (part 7) - For such a time as this (2013)

Pray4America (part 8) - Fear no evil (2013)

----------------
----------------

Photos from Wikipedia:  Pikes Peak, America, the Beautiful

and from smithsk, yours truly :)

Culture 101 (part 10) - Summertime! x 3

Summer field in Belgium

Three faces of Summer

1. The scientific face

Yes, summer solstice officially begins June 21, 2013 in the northern hemisphere.  [reference:  First Day of Summer 2013 Solstice Dates Times Photos]

And for my science loving friends, the reasons for the seasons are well explained in the video clip below:




Now, wasn't that intellectual?

2.  The Romantic and Poetic face:

Solomon knew something about romance and the change of seasons when he penned this -

¹¹ See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
¹² Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.
¹³ The fig tree forms its early fruit;
    the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me.”

from Song of Solomon 2 (NIV)

3.  The artsy and cultural face

In 1935, what the History Channel calls the first great American opera, Porgy and Bess, premiered on Broadway.  [reference: Porgy and Bess, the first great American opera, premieres on Broadway — History.com This Day in History — 10/10/1935]

One of the memorable numbers from the opera is Summertime, as sung below in  this clip:




Lyrics are here: PORGY AND BESS SUMMERTIME LYRICS


The Mind, Body, and Soul -

Enjoy these three facets of summer!

-----------------
-----------------

Previous posts in the Culture 101 series:

Culture 101 (part 1) - Reagan's Challenge (2012)

Culture 101 (part 2) - Easter Eucatastrophe (2012)

Culture 101 (part 3) - Paul Revere's Ride (2012)

Culture 101 (part 4) - Gold Diggers and the Great Depression (2012)

Culture 101 (part 5) - Blue Bloods and 9/11 (2012)

Culture 101 (part 6) - Gilligan's Island and Breast Cancer Awareness (2012)

Culture 101 (part 7) - Band of Brothers  (2013)

Culture 101 (part 8) - Snow White (2013)

Culture 101 (part 9) - Father Knows Best (2013)

-----------------
-----------------


Photo from:  Wikipedia - Field Hamois Belgium

Culture 101 (part 9) - Father Knows Best

Father Knows Best - 1957

As Father's Day is upon us, I wax nostalgic. Though Dad had passed away over 20 years ago, I have many fond memories of him.

Hello, Daddy!

In the 1950s and 1960s, my father ran a small gas station, and we lived behind it. Those days, my mother had worked part-time and often was not home when I got back from school.  It usually worked out that Dad was the first person I met when I got home.  He was always there ...at least when I was a child.

1960s latchkey kid?

When I grew up, I was told later that I was a "latchkey kid" - though I did not know it at the time.  But as a baby boomer, I grew up in a situation in the early 1960s of two working parents that had been more the exception than the rule.

The Greatest Generation and Baby Boomers

The parents of the baby boomers - coined the Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw - had already been through the wringer - coming of age during the Great Depression and living through World War Two.  And after that, most just wanted to put that behind them and give their children a better life.  And mostly they did.

Age of Innocence

In the 1950s, two parent families seemed to be the norm - working dad, stay-at-home mom.  The children seemed to have no real serious problems that plague kids today (teen pregnancy, drugs, stalking, cyber-bullying, broken homes).  Post World War Two seemed to be more innocent days.  I can attest to that in that we had no locks on the doors of our house and never felt a need to have them.

Father Knows Best - the Pop Culture of the times

The spirit of those times was reflected in the popular culture on TV of the day, such as this gem -   Father Knows Best (1954 - 1960), as shown in the clip below:

 
This program, as so many others on television, showed an idyllic family life, and the message in the end that the kids can always turn to father for - Father Knows Best.  Yet, the pop culture back then didn't tell the real story and the pain behind those white picket fences.  Family life was never ideal.  Even in the 1950s.

Yet in the past, families seemed to be more together and have had more the support of the extended family.  Remember The Waltons?

What about the 2010s?

Fifty, sixty years later, it seems the two parent family is being replaced by the one parent household.  Marriage is not so clearly defined.  And if there are two parent households, more often than naught both work outside the home. And the ideal of the 1950s family - seems to be an anomaly, if not a fantasy.

Volumes could be written about this - but here are a few thought gleaned from history and literature.

Both parents worked to provide for their families

Back in the days of my grandparents, both spouses worked inside and outside the home, doing what was necessary to survive. And so had the previous generations.

In my family's case, my grandparents homesteaded and that meant my grandmother worked everyday on the ranch.   And everyday was take your child to work day because the children worked along side the parents.  So my father told me ... that and what they did without during the Great Depression.

One parent families have been around for ages

Before modern medicine, the mother often died in child birth.  And the surviving children grew up with a single dad - unless he remarried then - voila! - you have the precursor to The Brady Bunch.

Likewise, men were at risk not only from dangerous jobs (before work safety laws were in place and enforced), but also during times of war.  Thus, many wives were widowed, their children fatherless.  And, most unfortunate, some parents deserted their spouses and children - and that has not changed.

Many stories in literature have been written about the challenge of single parents.  One such is Les Miserables.   Fantine was a single mother, who  struggled to provide for her illegitimate child, Cosette.  After Fantine's death, the protagonist, Jean Valjean rescued the child from cruel guardians and raised her as his own as a single father.

A great example in real life is Audie Murphy.  His father had deserted his family, his mother died the next year.  And Audie as a teenager stepped in to take care of his siblings.  He later enlisted in the Army when he just turned 18 and fought in World War Two to become the most decorated combat soldier in American history.

The Single Dad in modern times

Single parents throughout the ages have had their challenges - but they persevered and did all right.  And they still do okay.  They are an inspiration.

In the spirit of Father's Day, this ad from MassMutual salutes the single dad, doing his best to raise his girls - who matter the most to him:





Salute to Dad!

This Father's Day, I remember my Dad, the parent I greeted first when I came home from school.  And a big salute all the Dads, who sacrifice and make a real difference in the lives of your children.

And in the eyes of your children ...

Father Knows Best!

--------------------------
--------------------------

Previous post on Father's Day:

Fathers are so important! (2010)

--------------------------
--------------------------

Previous posts in the Culture 101 series:

Culture 101 (part 1) - Reagan's Challenge (2012)

Culture 101 (part 2) - Easter Eucatastrophe (2012)

Culture 101 (part 3) - Paul Revere's Ride (2012)

Culture 101 (part 4) - Gold Diggers and the Great Depression (2012)

Culture 101 (part 5) - Blue Bloods and 9/11 (2012)

Culture 101 (part 6) - Gilligan's Island and Breast Cancer Awareness (2012)

Culture 101 (part 7) - Band of Brothers  (2013)

Culture 101 (part 8) - Snow White (2013)

--------------------------
--------------------------


 Photo from Wikipeida - Father Knows Best 1957

Science 101 (part 2) - The Sound of Music?

Day to day, a diversity of sounds resonate about us.  Now that it's spring, and summer is coming, I am outdoors more and hear more of the sounds of nature.  Bird songs.  Flowing creeks.  Wind in trees. Thunderstorms.  Laughter of children at play.

And on the topic of nature and sound, remember the musical - The Sound of Music?  The clip, shown below, of this musical's opening song artistically expresses the wonder of nature.



The sound of music?

What makes music, music .... and sound, just sound?

For some, this distinction is cultural; some generational (how many of the parents of us baby boomers thought our music was noise?); some perception - the ear of the beholder.

But there is a science to making this division between music and noise.  And this video clip gives an excellent physical explanation of this distinction without getting too mathematical:




The Sound of Music is something we may take for granted.  But it's an integral part of our physical universe, which we experience by simply being human.

------------------------------
------------------------------

Previous post in this series:

Science 101 (part 1) - Vernal Equinox  (2013)

------------------------------
------------------------------

Photo from:  wikipeida - Spherical Pressure Waves

ZAMM (part 8) - The Insecurity of Intolerance

The sun rises and the sun sets,

and hurries back to where it rises

Ecclesiastes 1:5 (NIV)

The sun is not coming up, tomorrow!

How many are threatened when someone says that?

I'll go out on a limb here and say - Few are.

We may wonder about the person making that claim.  Are they joking?  Are they insane? Did someone make another wild end of world prophesy - and it's tomorrow.

The sun will come up, tomorrow.  We know it.  And if it doesn't?  Well, our universe will have undergone a cosmic disaster -  such as the sun or the earth exploding - that no one will be left alive to care.

The point?

When our worldview is well grounded in facts and tested in reality, we do not feel threatened when it is challenged.  But we may feel threatened if we really are not sure.  And when unsure, we may fall into the trap of digging in our heels to defend our worldview even if that means silencing any dissenting view.

Our way is the right way.  And everyone had better agree with us - or else!

In Robert Pirsig's book - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (ZAMM),  Chapter 13 makes this point.   In the persona of Phaedrus  (the title character in Plato's dialog between Socrates and Phaedrus),  the author describes a time in 1950's Montana when extreme right wing politics was king.  He likens the era to that of Dallas before the assassination of JFK.

In the late 1950s, the counterculture of the beatniks was emerging, soon to be followed by hippies, who would challenge the establishment and the military industrial complex.  During this decade in transition, the state actively opposed and suppressed dissenting viewpoints, especially in the institutions.  And this interference affected free speech as well as the integrity of its state colleges.

The Church of Reason

In his academic life, Phaedrus put forth the concept of the "Real University"  or the "Church of Reason" - which was not constructed of brick and mortar - but a state of mind.  The goal of these universities or churches was the search for truth.

Faith in reason was Phaedrus' passion as a college professor.   And catching glimpses of the fanaticism of his former self, Persig admits he really felt insecure and had his doubts about his beliefs at this time.  (It's a long story - so read the book.)

But this malady is not isolated to college professors.  It spreads itself across many disciplines and philosophies.  It is no mistakes that in religion and politics, we find the most egregious examples of intolerance.  Hence, may come the advice, don't talk about religion or politics.

Why not?  They are my favorite subjects!

Intolerance and Insecurity

In 1950s, Persig felt the blowback of the insecurity of the right wing.  And, 60 years later, many feel the same kind of intolerance stemming from the insecurity of the left wing.

There are numerous examples in the media.  Just check out the feeds in the news and comments in social media.  Any dissenting point of view point, you can bet, is met with ad hominem attacks.  The over-reaction to dissent is not to educate the dissenter.  It is meant to intimidate, if not destroy a brand or character.

Political Correctness has evolved to an artful bullying technique to silence dissent and stifle free speech.  [reference:  Free Speech Codes on Campus: Political correctness run amok? | Fox News]  And in recent news, the IRS scandals allege use this powerful arm of government to suppress the conservative point of view in the national dialog. [reference:  Ex-DOJ Officials: IRS Scandal Symptom of Free Speech Suppression]

Where do we go from here?

The Real University

As I type, many graduation ceremonies have been celebrated in brick and mortar high schools and universities.  And speakers offer their wisdom as students move on the university of life.

In a graduation speech made last year, Dr. Condoleezza Rice challenges the students to have an open mind and seek out dissenting positions of passionately held beliefs.

This point is made at time 3:20 in the clip below:



"As you search for your passion try different things
 - try difficult things."

*   Seek out people who are different than you are
     *   Let them challenge you and inspire you to grow
*   Nothing wrong with holding your own passionate opinions
     *  When you feel absolutely sure you are right,
          *   find someone who disagrees with you
          *   they may have ideas worth considering, too
*  Goal of education -
    *  Not an effective confidence in everything you know
    *  But a humble appreciation for everything you do not know

Dr. Rice has it right.  She has some clear guidance as to how to avoid the trap of the insecurity of intolerance.

Seek  those who challenge you.  If you are secure in your worldview, those views will stand.  If not, it's a lesson in the university of life.  And most of all, it's a remedy for intolerance -  intolerance fed on insecurity.

Again, I'm going out on a limb here, but I venture Phaedrus would approve.

------------------------
------------------------

Previous articles in the ZAMM series:

ZAMM (part 1) - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (2011)

ZAMM (part 2) - Journey through Life (2011)

ZAMM (part 3) - Chautauqua, then and now (2011)

ZAMM (part 4) - Ghosts (2011)

ZAMM (part 5) - Sheldon vs Penny (2012)

ZAMM (part 6) - Sloth, or just not caring ... (2012)

ZAMM (part 7) - Yes or No - Gotcha! (2012)

------------------------
------------------------

photo: everystockphoto.com - Thought I was born to endless night