The Changing View of Memorial Park

Posted on December 16, 2011 by bvanrysdam

A dear old friend of mine is not doing well these days. I’m speaking of one of the largest urban parks in the United States, Houston’s Memorial Park. This year’s historic drought has severely impacted much of Texas and Memorial Park has not been immune from its effects.

I often like to go for a run around the Seymour Lieberman Exercise Trail (a 2.93 mile run that is used by nearly 3,000,000 health fanatics every year). You could not help but see the telltale orange tag on numerous trees that needed to be removed. The full impact of this did not hit me until I finally saw what the park looks like with the trees cut down.

The gaping holes I saw were much worse than I ever imagined. It was as if an insane maniac with a chainsaw, hell bent on destruction, was let loose to do appalling damage. These trees have survived hurricanes, ice storms and high winds, but finally succumbed to lack of water. In all, over 5,000 trees (mostly red oak and pine) are scheduled to be taken down and removed.

During a recent run, I thought of the history the trees were witness to. Before becoming a park in 1924, the area was known as Camp Logan and site of a horrific riot in 1917 that resulted in the deaths of four soldiers and sixteen civilians. In the end, a total of nineteen men would be executed, and forty-one were given life sentences. It’s hard to imagine such violence took place where people now seek tranquility from the big city hustle and bustle.

Thankfully, the trees have also seen happier moments such as Arnold Palmer winning the 1957 Houston Open Golf Tournament (collecting a purse of $7,500), at the 18 hole Memorial Park Golf Course which opened back in 1936, along with countless picnics, family reunions, art festivals and people simply seeking refuge in a little bit of nature.

So where do we go from here? Henry David Thoreau said it much better than I ever could when he wrote these words in A Succession of Forest Trees…

“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.”

I for one, hope we have faith in new seeds and that future generations can expect new wonders for one of Houston’s magnificent gems.

Where is the Love?

Posted on December 14, 2011 by bvanrysdam

Why do people hate Tim Tebow? For those of you who don’t follow football (and you know who you are); Tim Tebow is a 2nd year Quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Before becoming a pro, Tebow led his college team, the Florida Gators, to a national championship and, oh yeah, he also won a Heisman Trophy.

So why are so many people rooting against him? One pundit on the Mickey Mouse sports network, Mel Kiper, Jr. believed Tebow didn’t have the intangibles to play quarterback in the NFL. “I don’t think he can be a full time quarterback. I don’t think he can be the quarterback of the future for you”, said Kiper. (Disclosure notice: I am long suffering Buffalo Bills fan, so I really don’t have an axe to grind either way)

It’s not the difference of opinion that is getting a lot attention, but rather the “way the opinions are being given” which again begs the question; why don’t people like Tim Tebow? Is it because he beats up his girlfriend? Has he been involved in dog fighting? Maybe he was arrested for DWI? No, it’s because he’s a Christian and proudly displays his faith.

Stephen Tullock, a linebacker for the Detroit Lions, made it personal when he mocked Tebow after sacking him in a game this year. As Tebow picked himself up off the turf, Tullock started “Tebowing” – a mocking prayer on bended knee.

Steve Johnson, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills was fined $10k when he celebrated a TD pass in which he mocked NY Jets Plaxico Burress by pretending to shoot himself in the thigh. (Burress served 20 months in prison on a weapons charge after accidentally shooting himself in a New York City nightclub in 2008).

What does one take away from that? Don’t mock someone for being an idiot with a gun, but go ahead and mock the guy who prays?

Now I’m not a big fan of someone coming to my door (causing me to miss the prize puzzle on “Wheel of Fortune”) to hand me a pamphlet on how I can become a much better person by giving my life savings to his church. Tebow thanks God for his success, but is that any reason to root against him? Would you rather see someone celebrate by banging their chest, or doing the throat slash sign instead?

Television announcers love to proclaim to us mere mortals that “the NFL is a results business” (and I thought it was about making money). Well so far this year, Tebow is delivering the results. After becoming a starter in the middle of the season, Tebow has gone 7-1 and, despite his faith getting in the way, engineered another miracle comeback last Sunday. (It was his fifth comeback in eight weeks, but then who’s counting).

So go ahead, mock him when he wants to thank the big guy upstairs, just don’t count him out when you need a miracle to happen.

Where Have All the Bowl Games Gone…

Posted on December 6, 2011 by bvanrysdam

The 2011 Bowl Game schedule was released last night. I always look forward to learn who gets to play where. Which school got rewarded with a fun trip and which school got stuck playing in Shreveport always makes for entertaining reading.

The University of Houston gets to play Penn State in something called the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas after being unceremoniously blown out by Southern Mississippi in the C-USA Conference Championship game (how does Dallas host 3 different bowl games a year?) . Texas A&M is rewarded with their 6-6 season by getting a trip to Houston to play in the Meineke Bowl and the Texas Longhorns head out west to compete in the Holiday Bowl. (You see the entire bowl schedule here)

After reading down the list, I started to plan my New Year’s day viewing. Sure, they moved all the really big games to later in the week so they don’t go against each other, but there are still plenty of good bowl games left to nurse that New Year’s Eve hangover. Right?

Imagine my shock when, after taking a closer look, I learned that there was not one single game scheduled for January 1st! The traditional New Year’s Day games like the Rose, Sugar and Orange bowl are all scheduled for Monday, January 2nd. Even the early games like the Capitol One, Outback and Gator Bowls are being played on the 2nd. What gives?

It can’t be because they are afraid to play on the Sabbath and offend their Christian fan base can it? (as if the Penn State scandal wasn’t enough to do that) No, the real reason is because the bowls don’t want to go against the NFL. As usual, the all-powerful television networks dictate sports with the all mighty dollar and those of us still clinging to tradition like gum to a shoe are left to remember the good old days when men were men, and girls were still a mystery.

Still, there are 35 bowl games played this season for crying out loud. Could they not move the Go-Daddy Bowl (Arkansas St. vs. Northern Illinois), or the Pinstrip Bowl (Rutgers vs. Iowa St) to New Year’s Day? I’m sure that somebody like the Longhorn Network would broadcast it (on second thought, never mind).

It’s not the first time these games have been moved from the 1st, and it won’t be the last, but put me down in the “I don’t like it” category.

New Coke Promotion Fizzles

Posted on December 2, 2011 by bvanrysdam

Once again, the country is facing a crisis of biblical proportions. It’s not about the record deficit, or class warfare. This catastrophe involves the new white Coca-Cola can.

The white cans were to be part of the company’s partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to help raise awareness to save the snow-white Polar Bear. What could possibly go wrong?

It appears that the white cans are causing much confusion and angst among the die-hard soda drinkers. Some thought it looked too much like the silver canned Diet Coke and bordered on sacrilege! There have even been reports of Diet Coke drinkers being fooled and tragically putting real Coke into their systems.

Others insist the Coke in the white can taste different (although admittedly, these are the same people who swear they saw Elvis Presley working at a Valero gas station in Henderson, Tennessee).

The fine folks at Coke say the people complaining represent a “small” minority and that the campaign has generated a lot of interest and excitement. Yet, the company plans on replacing the white cans with the traditional red ones faster than your 401k tanking after another riot in Greece.

You would have thought Coke had learned their lesson when they introduced “New” Coke back in 1985. That became one of the most expensive and disastrous marketing fiascos of all time. While the new white can is not causing the same level of rage, it still has many Coke fans seeing red.

Could Someone Please Explain…

Posted on November 30, 2011 by bvanrysdam

Let me start off by admitting I am not an expert in the world of high finance. How bad I am? I still take off my shoes off whenever I try to balance my check book. (OK, that’s a bit of a stretch, but it is true that I took Algebra twice in college and not because I had enjoyed it the first go around).

Still, my head spins around like Linda Blair in the movie “The Exorcist” whenever I hear someone try to explain the economy to me. The pundits claim our economy is fragile and teetering. The Stock Market reacts to Europe hiccuping and the Dow drops 320 points, but then retailers break all sales records during “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” and the Dow ends up gaining 400 points back. Lets face it, it’s easier to make sense of a Kardashian wedding than what Wall Street likes and doesn’t like.

Today the news is all about Citigroup getting a slap on the wrist (if you consider a $285 million settlement small potatoes) because they misled (allegedly) investors in a $1 billion CDO linked to sub-prime residential mortgage securities. Investors ended up losing about $700 million.

Why is Citigroup getting off so easy? Because the SEC does not have the money and/or time to prosecute them, and if they did decide to take them to court, they would not have the resources to go after other institutions that are violating the system. In other words, it’s easier for us to settle then to punish. And the worst part is that Citigroup does not have to admit any wrong doing under the terms of the settlement. I’m sure Bernie Madoff is fuming that he didn’t get to make the same deal.

I would love to know how financial institutions plan a budget for when things like this happen. Let’s see, we better put 5% of the revenue generated to the side in case we get caught and have to settle. Who needs less regulation and government interference when you have a system like this in place?

What really gets me is when my 401k takes a nosedive because some A-Hole throws a Molotov cocktail in Syntagma Square in Athens because they want to retire with a full pension when they turn 12 (or something like that). I’m still waiting for an economist to explain why I need to pay for that. Some people will suggest the world is simply becoming smaller, and I’m beginning to think that is not such a good thing. I say let Greece drown itself with self inflicted wounds and keep their problems over there (but make sure we keep those yummy Spanakopita pies and dreamy Frappe drinks coming).

It’s been 10 years since the collapse of Enron, and what exactly have we learned? It appears not much. I read somewhere Presidential contender John Huntsman, who has as much of chance of winning the Republican nomination as Barney Frank does, believes banks are too big and should be made to be smaller in size and scope.

I have to say I agree with Huntsman. Any financial institution that can bring an entire economy down is too damn big, but then again, I may be wrong; after all I didn’t end up taking Algebra II in college.

Being thankfull

Posted on November 23, 2011 by bvanrysdam

I was talking with my mom on the phone over the weekend. During our conversation, she told me she wanted to write a letter to the editor. Oh boy, I thought. Time to start researching a home for the old lady.

I asked her what the letter would be about and she said Thanksgiving. She was reading the paper and it had a rundown of suggestions for each day of the week leading up to the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Monday you bought the bird. Tuesday you cleaned the house and get ready for company. Wednesday you bake the pies and put together the final preparations leading up to Thanksgiving when you eat, watch football, then eat again.

What about giving “Thanks”, my mom asked? Shouldn’t you set aside time for that? I paused for a moment to think about what she said, and could find no fault with her logic.

I joked that Thanksgiving was a day for all us to rest for “Black Friday”, but after we hung up, I realized just how right she was. Everyone will be running around trying to get everything ready, but forget the real meaning of the holiday (although you might be able to say that about most holidays). We should be giving thanks for all the blessings we recieve.

I’m going to make it a point this year to do just that. I’m going to take a moment and give thanks for all I have including having a very smart mother.

Does This Make Me a Great Photographer?

Posted on November 16, 2011 by bvanrysdam

Pilgramage by Annie Leibovitz

There is no denying Annie Leibovitz is a great photographer. That’s why I found it so odd that the photo which adorns her new book is, for lack of a better word, plain.

She was interviewed recently and spoke about how she went with her three young children to Niagara Falls. She said “that’s when I started making lists of subjects to photograph”. Among the iconic Niagara Falls, she also took pictures of the houses of Virginia Woolf and Charles Darwin in the English countryside and Sigmund Freud’s final home, in London.

I visited Niagara Falls this past summer with my wife (who I think broke the record for most photos taken of the falls). It was a warm, sunny day and all the tourists were enjoying the views and of course, taking lots of photos. I thought to myself at the time how easy it was to snap breath-taking photos of this natural wonder.

Now, I don’t want to start an argument, but I challenge you to tell me her photo is better. The angles between the two pictures are a little different, but I think our photo uses the light better 🙂