Of Bards, Bulbs, & Bushkill - Part I: Bards

This past Labor Day weekend was pretty much picture perfect. The weather cooperated fully, and the crowds, while present, weren't oppressive.

The fun started Saturday with the Maryland Renaissance Festival, a yearly tradition for the past 33 years in Crownsville, MD. The premise, as you walked through the front gates, was you entered a town in Tudor England decked out in celebration of a visit by the court of Henry VIII. The pinestraw and woodchip strewn paths meandered through the shire as you passed the shops of smiths, tanners, potters, and the like. To get you into the spirit of the event, all merchants, the royal court, entertainers, and many of the crowd were in period dress and addressed you in period vernacular. Being a guy, I was drawn to the few armorers and their wares of chain and plate - and swords; some were period and some were definitely fantasy (Klingon bat'leths were very rare in Henry VIII's court). One armorer in particular was definitely on my must see list. One of these days I'll commission some pieces for Andrea (you'll have to ask her). This year we picked up a stylized dolphin print (think Navy) from Allen Ye Printmaker. We've gotten replica nautical prints from him in the past.

Ale was available to slake your thirst, as were more modern descendants of the brewer's art (I had Blue Moon). The traditional sustenance at the fair, however, was the Henry VIII staple, the turkey leg. Folks strolled down the paths with turkey leg in hand, punctuating their conversation or pointing out items of interest by stabbing it at the air. Meanwhile, little kids would swing theirs around like edible maces, parental admonishments of "Don't play with your food," predictably, falling on deaf ears. "Aww, Mom, it's a turkey leg!"

Entertainment included real elephant rides (possible anachronism), stage shows, strolling bards and minstrels, and of course, a demonstration of period martial arts including the joust. The musical shows were great, but humorously, the dialogue of some comedy shows weren't kid friendly. A friend of ours who caught one of the acts with her youngsters found herself waiting uncomfortably for her oldest to ask, "Mommy, what's a pimp?" Suddenly, over the din of the crowd, I heard bagpipes. I love bagpipes. Now really, as a Filipino, I have no cultural or ethnic reason to love bagpipes, but I do. After listening to a few numbers of the stage band with the bagpiper, I, predictably, bought a CD (definite anachronism).

We also caught one of the tournaments at the list. Pennants were flying, trumpets sounded, and the royal court was seated at the head of the field. Knights in full armor rode out to the respective cheers of their sections. Mounted combat and accuracy with the spear were demonstrated. My mind wandered off, contemplating a time when proficiency in this skill set could establish the prestige of your house, ensure your survival, or at least cause the blue-eyed, freckle-faced, red headed maiden to swoon. The contests continued on until the Mac Daddy of them all, the joust.

At a signal, riders spurred horses to a full gallop, and the thundering staccato of hoof beats grew louder and louder as the two knights converged. Lances were lowered, dust filled the air. You could feel the knights brace for the shock as the distance closed. Then - contact! Lance impacted steel and wood splinters flew. I knew it was 2009 - I was sporting Ray Bans, Nikes, and a cell phone at my hip - but sitting in the bleachers watching the scene, I could easily have been a spectator in some 16th century township. After a few seconds of visual cacophony we saw our knight was still on his mount - the illusion was complete. Huzzah!

Moon Shot

Should Michael Vick have been allowed to return to football? Absolutely. Those of you who know me are undoubtedly shocked I'm weighing in on this issue. For those who don't, here's my frame of reference:
I'm not a football fan. I don't watch, follow, or play the sport - not even fantasy leagues. Curiously, I like football movies - "Remember the Titans" comes to mind.
I don't currently have a dog, but I like dogs and have had several throughout my life.
I am not currently nor have I ever been a member of PETA or any other militant animal rights group.

There's a Demotivators poster that says, "Not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up." I think it's funny as hell, but it's also rather poignant - how many of us are doing what we dreamed of doing as kids? I imagine Michael Vick dreamed of playing pro ball as a youngster and worked hard and sacrificed much to see it happen. The fact that he succeeded is testament to his talent and determination.


Unfortunately, he suffered a severe lapse of judgment. He committed a crime. He was charged, tried, convicted, and imprisoned.

This is a key point. Upon conviction, he was sentenced to a term in jail. He served his time so the demands of the law are satisfied.Now, our actions create consequences. Michael Vick will have to deal with his. As a convicted felon, he may be prohibited from owning a firearm and voting, but he is certainly not prohibited from playing football. However, he does face loss of seniority (he's not the first string quarterback), the lack of sponsorship (and loss of income), and public disdain (or even assault by more militant types). Not severe enough? How about this: he worked years towards a goal. That's a lifetime of sacrifice, discipline, and determination. The culmination of his efforts were rewarded and he got what he wanted, his goals were met, his dream became reality. Then at the pinnacle of success, his own actions shattered what took a lifetime to achieve. His dream died by his own hand.


I believe in the confines of his cell, alone with his thoughts, this is what haunted him most. A series of stupid, inhumane decisions cost him his life's work. He lost his shot at going to the moon.


In every interview I've heard or read, he appears truly remorseful, and for the record, I believe him. There is an earnest plea in his voice for a second chance - a chance to prove he's changed, he's truly sorry, he is a better person than what was manifested by his past actions.


But why am I, a confirmed non-fan, talking about one of football's hot topics?Because it's not about football, it's about redemption. To fully achieve your heart's desire is a grand rarity, and allowing it to carelessly slip through your fingers can haunt a man to his grave. He's been given an opportunity to ransom his dream, a second chance to "go to the moon." I for one wish him well on his journey.

Scrap Cash for Clunkers

Don' get me wrong. If I were willing to part with my faithful old truck with 180,000+ miles on it, I'd love to take advantage of this government offer. I understand this program is wildly popular, however, this is not a sound financial policy. Congress just passed and the president just signed a 2 billion dollar extension for the program. This is reportedly enough to last through labor day and fund approximately 500,000 vehicles. This means with the initial 1 billion, this program will subsidize around 750,000 vehicles.

Supporters claim it's a boon to the auto manufacturers, their parts suppliers, and the dealerships. Also, because clunkers are exchanged for reportedly more efficient, greener vehicles, environmental advantages are claimed.

Here's the bottom line. This subsidy is unsustainable, the economic boost is temporary, and the environmental benefits are negligible.

I recently had a chance conversation with someone who is a long time Detroit resident and asked them how the town was responding to the the gov't cash infusion. I was told there were no visible benefits of the program. No wonder. Back in the day, the Big 3 could send millions of cars down the assembly line. Cash for clunkers will only cover 3/4 of 1 million cars.

Despite reports of dealer lots being emptied, I wonder how many of them merely liquidated their standing inventory - inventory that's been stagnant for the better part of a year. As for the environmental benefits, again, we're only talking about less than a million vehicles. We could have a bigger environmental impact just by keeping all the other cars on the road properly tuned and not driving like aggressive idiots.

What about the economic lift? This program has undoubtedly boosted car sales tremendously from last year's numbers. However, again, it's unsustainable. I have neither a degree in economics nor and MBA, but even I know it would be foolhardy to ramp up production to meet this temporary demand. What happens after labor day when the program is expected to end? Are you going to mothball factories and lay off workers again?

So what's the answer? I suggest using tax credits. This bypasses the pot holes of subsidizing a specific sector with finite funds. We could use tax credits to boost sales for other durable goods. For example, our dryer started making an awful racket during operation. The decision to repair or replace would be simplified if the gov't offered a sizable tax credit. Hmm. Perhaps the gov't should take over Maytag and Amana, too...

In the end, even tax credits won't fix the real problem. The real answer is to increase our manufacturing capacity across all sectors and decrease our trade deficit. Well, gee, how do we do that? Unfortunately, that's another post involving corporate policy, NAFTA, and the prevailing political winds. For now, I'll say I know we can't continue on this sugar high of the Clunkers program. When it wears off, that'll be one doozy of a crash.

Karibu!

A Swahili greeting, "Karibu" translates to "You are welcome". It's a kinder, more welcoming salutation than my own, native Ilocano greeting from the Highlands of the Philippines, which I was told a while back, is roughly akin to, "Oh, you're here now".

I pen these words, not necessarily for public consumption, but more as a personal exercise. A few years back I attended a workshop presented by Dr. Dan Allender. During the workshop, you explored your life, your relationship with others, and your relationship with God by literally writing your life story. This called for a lot of introspection that left me uneasy. Yet, there were elements in the process that intrigued me. Putting chapters of my life down on paper in a free flowing stream of thought and then actually reading what I wrote made me wince, laugh, and cry. The whole process was cathartic.

I think I've always enjoyed writing - an English teacher of mine even thought I'd be an author some day. However, being published was never a goal of mine, and in the years between then and now, I never wrote much except the occasional engineering missive required by my work. After years in the IT field it dawned on me to try and combine the technology I'm exposed to every day with an old interest of mine and keep this modern day version of a journal.

I foresee these posts being about anything and everything. My interests are varied and sometimes transitory so topics may appear eclectic. I may share my latest rant about what I believe are colossal blunders in politics, dreams of chartering a sailboat for a Caribbean cruise with my wife, the wonders of the refrigeration cycle, or even a family recipe for no-bake cheesecake.

So, since you're here now, I heartily say, Karibu! Let's see where this personal journey takes me - or maybe us.