Friday, February 25, 2011

True Texans

Photo by Paul Lowry

My ancestors came to Texas when it was still part of Mexico.  They settled on the frontier in what is now Caldwell County, Texas.  The area had sandy soil and tall pine trees.  Making a living from that country was no easy task, but they did it.   They did it as a community. Helping each other when needed. They were not conservatives, they were individualists who knew when to depend on their neighbors.  Some went to war when Texas declared its independence from Mexico.  One ancestor rode with Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto where Texas won its independence.  Another fought in the Mexican-American War and died in Mexico.

These men and women looked forward to Texas becoming part of the United States and were proud when that happened.  Later, when the southern states began to secede, votes were taken on whether Texas should secede.  Sam Houston was against secession.   So was one of my ancestors living in Gonzales County.  He voted against secession even though he was the only voter in his precinct and everyone would know his vote.  Indeed, he was the only vote against secession in the whole county.

Another ancestor joined the Confederate Army and fought for Texas.  He refused to surrender when his unit was surrounded and escaped to rejoin other of his comrades.  At the end of the war, he walked home from Louisiana to Central Texas.  He believed that the war was a mistake or as he said to his children and grandchildren (one grandchild was my grandmother): "A rich man's war, but a poor man's fight."  He helped build the courthouse pictured above.

World War I saw more family members fight for the United States.  They saw the United States as their country.  World War II came, uncles joined the army and so did my mother.  She met my father at Fort Hood before he headed for the Pacific and an island hopping war. Korea found my youngest uncle in uniform.  Viet Nam saw my oldest cousin off to fight.  He came back permanently damaged, never the same person again.  He and I are only six months apart.  Now in these wars, another cousin flies huge transport planes in support of the troops.  Sometimes landing in then midst of enemy rockets.

Do we all believe the same?  By no means.  We are a mixed bag of conservatives, liberals, independents, and contrarians.  The contrarians just vote any way the majority doesn't.  We are city slickers and cowboys, truck drivers and writers, but we still get together in memory of the men and women who settled Texas and were our ancestors.

Texas is not conservative and it is not liberal.  True Texans are individuals who chart their own paths and make up their own minds.  Sadly. many that carry on about being from Texas are pale images of real Texans.  Many act tough and brag about their deeds, real or mostly imaginary.

The one image passed from generation to generation in my family is that of the individual that never bragged nor acted tough ("shut-mouthed" my grandmother would say).  Quiet men that impressed many with their even temper.  Beneath that facade though lay the person unafraid to take a stand no matter what his/her neighbors thought.  A person that was slow to anger, but who was willing to risk all to right a wrong.  No one told them what opinions to have, and they saw no need to impose their views on others.

Today, too many people living in Texas do not think on their own.  They are simply sheep being led by the goats.  They do not stop to think of the consequences of reducing an already lean budget.  Texas ranks 48th to 50th in the help it provides to the least among us.  My ancestors would be ashamed as I am.  It is time for those living in Texas to stop following the herd, to stand up for the elderly, the mentally ill and handicapped, and the physically handicapped.  People living in Texas need to stop being selfish and remember those that settled this state, men and women who stood together and helped one another, fought for one another and died for one another. 

People who claim to be Texans need to break from the herd and be independent.  Honor Texas by caring for "the least of these brothers of mine".

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Netflix, Roku, and YouTube

 I had fallen into the routine of watching a few commentary shows on cable TV and not much else.  The demise of Countdown led to a complete halt in viewing.  I found a little solace on BBC America until I realized how they butchered Doctor Who episodes.  Checking, I discovered the same butchery applied to Primeval and other shows.  I had previously purchased episodes from iTunes when I did not have cable. Now my housemate insists I have cable in my room since she has it in hers.  When I watched episodes I had previously purchased from iTunes on BBC America, I discovered how badly edited they were.  I still watch BBC America occasionally, but I always wonder what is missing.  I am not a regular because I would rather pay iTunes for an episode than expend any effort to watch a truncated show.

My housemate has been disappointed by what was available on our cable service.  She loves to watch movies, especially British ones and comedies.  To give her more to choose from , I joined Netflix.  My housemate has a regular TV, so the theory was she would watch movies on DVD and we would alternate choices.  However, I discovered I could stream Netflix to my computer with no problem.  So my housemate got the DVDs and I streamed what I wanted.

Old Doctor Who episodes area particular favorite, but not many are available to stream.  If I wanted watch them, they had to be on DVD, too.  I upped our subscription to two DVDs at one time.  My friend began to realize that streaming was a easy way to see a variety of movies and TV very quickly.  She asked me if their were a way for her to have access to streamed videos.After a little research, I found Roku.

Roku provides a small adapter that allows Netflix and other such services to be streamed to a regular television.  I purchased one online.  When the unit arrived, it was very easy to setup.  Soon, my friend was enjoying her movies.  I, however, had hit a wall after watching one complete Briitish mystery series. Netflix simply did not stream most of what I wanted to view: Doctor Who, other British mysteries, and some movies.  Clearly, Netflix was not designed for anyone with my tastes.  I added to my DVD list in frustration.  My friend had a similar problem: movies she wanted to stream were not available even on DVD. Frustration.

I tried to find a contact point on the internet to inform Netflix that their service was really a disservice.  I could never find a place for comments.  On the internet, I found names of British mystery series that I found intriguing.  I returned to Netflix and found a few.  I added them to my Instant Queue, then went looking for a source for the others.  I would gladly pay a fee for access, but did not want to pay a per episode or movie charge like the Amazon service demands.  I cannot afford that on my present budget.

I found what I was looking for on YouTube.  Supplied with the name of the series and an episode list, I began watching my British mysteries.  The quality is sometimes not as good as on Netflix, but it is very acceptable.  I have not watched anything on Netflix for days.  If I had it to do over, since we have cable I would not have subscribed to Netflix.  I maintain my membership for my friend.

If you have mainstream tastes, then Netflix is ideal.  If you like British television, the subscription is barely worth it. My conclusion:  Roku is a great buy, Netflix is not.  Netflix is a great buy compared to cable. BBC America is taking advantage of gullible Americans with commercial laden broadcasts at the expense of quality..  The best place for Doctor Who is your PBS station.  Better still, buy or rent episodes on iTunes. If I were not sharing my home, I would subscribe to Netflix streaming, no DVDs, and I would not subscribe to cable.

(Check for Rachel Maddow on podcasts.)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Texas Running Out of Smart People

Photo by Seansie
Today, I read an article about ten states that are running out of smart people.  Guess what?  Texas is number nine.


That Texas is losing smart people is no surprise.  The Texas legislature has reduced funding for higher education for years.  The result has been an increase in tuition and fees.  I can attest to the change in students attending the University of Texas at Austin by simply observing the student inhabitants of a good friend's street.  Once the rental houses on his street were filled with students who drove small used cars and beat-up pick-ups.  Now those same houses have students with new, fancy pickups and BMWs.  Once students on her street picked up their garbage, now they expect their neighbors to. The University is changing from a place for smart kids to a place for rich kids.


Another reason that Texas is losing intelligent people, especially academics, is the unfriendly attitudes of many legislators.  Regenerative medicine is looked on with suspicion.  Every session finds new attacks on any research that offends fundamentalists.  The result is that researchers are leaving the state, even if their research is not controversial.  Many fear that the next legislative whim will be to attack their area of research.  Young researchers seeking positions simply mark Texas off.  There is lack of funding, but more important is the fear that they could waste years on a project that could be prohibited.  Texas colleges and universities are slowly sinking into mediocrity.


Now with a huge budget shortfall, the legislature plans to decimate K-12 education and reduce funds to institutions of higher learning.  This will exacerbate the already bad situation.


Ignorance begets ignorance.  Texas needs to improve its education system.  The legislature needs to stay out of the research.  Of course, the legislature can demand stringent ethics provisions for review of research projects.  But these reviews need to be performed by those that understand the field and by independent ethicists..  Texas does not need to scare anymore scientists away.


All scientists pay attention to the research climate in a state in all areas of research, not just their own.  Texas has gained the reputation as a backward and ignorant state. 


What will the statistics be ten years from now?  Will Texas rank number one in ignorance?  Will Texas' budget parsimony this year destroy our future?