I need a new phone

The time has come for me to get a new cell phone. I have mixed feelings about this because I really like my current phone. Contrary to what many who know me might think, my phone is not a smart phone. It is just a regular, boring, phone with a sliding qwerty keyboard for texting. It does have a music player built into it and a IR camera which is fun to take very low level light pictures with, but other than that, it just makes calls and texts. Even though many people around me were getting smart phones with data plans, I resisted. I had an iPod touch to meet my "smart" device needs. What was the point of getting a smart phone when it would do the same thing as my iPod? That, and I enjoyed the fact that I could listen to music, play games, and a host of other things until the battery went dead on my iPod and still make phone calls on my phone. Well, while both of my devices are still functioning they appear to be on the decline and since they are declining at similar rates and I imagine they will both go "kuput!" at about the same time. Is it time to combine?

I have very mixed feelings. On one hand, I like my set up. It means I rarely have to worry about a dead battery on my phone regardless of how much I listen to my audio books. My phone is also very, very portable. I can fit it into the watch pocket of some of my trousers. It also has a physical qwerty keyboard which is very easy to use. My iPod, regardless of it's issues, is very familiar also rather portable, being smaller than many smart phones. On the other hand, it means I end up carrying two devices. Also the screen size of both devices is rather small when compared to current mobile devices. And while I hate to say it I must face the fact that when my wife upgraded her phone to a Galaxy S3 I had screen envy. Probably the most compelling reasons that I am planning on shifting to a smart phone are: 1) the "dumb" phones on the market all appear to be of very poor quality as the phone companies are trying to get people to guy the phones that require a bigger service plan, and 2) my trip to Boston showed me that having a phone that can access just about everything is indeed very handy and useful.

Since sitting down with Angel to talk about the situation (she's been advocating, but not pressuring, that I get a smart phone for a year or more) and deciding to get a smart phone I've put a lot of thought into what kind of phone I want. Leeroy, her brother, and I was talking a couple of weeks ago about phones and he mentioned the new term "Phablet." While I have contemplated getting a miniature tablet for internet usable around the house or work, ebooks, and entertainment, I don't want my phone to be that cumbersome. I want something that I can fit in my front or shirt pocket or in the leg pocket of a pair of carpenter jeans without difficulty. There comes a point where these phablets are no longer conveniently portable.

For me, i think the limit is a 5 inch screen. I understand that 5 inches is considered the low end of the phablet size, but I've had the opportunity to look at a couple of phones of that size and try them out. I have a couple of advantages that others might not when it comes to manipulating and carrying that size. My hands are, on average, much bigger than most other peoples. I have large palms and long fingers which make it easy for me to work a big screen. In portability I also have trousers with large pockets. All but my dressiest pair have a large carpenter like pocket on the leg, and one pair has cargo pockets large enough to hold a paperback book. I really like these leg pockets as they don't make it uncomfortable to sit down with the phone in my pockets.

While I'm not 100% sure, I'm pretty decided on a phone. But I'm keeping an open mind for when I actually go to the store to get everything set up. I am now excited for the outcome - a reaction I always look for.

Fisking a Developmental Math Petition

A favored author of my, Larry Correia, will engage in taking an article or blog post and systematically discussing its failings. Using his format as an example, I am going to address a recent article in the Ogden Standard Examiner about a student who started a petition against Weber State's developmental math program. The original article can be found here. The original article below is in regular text while my comments are in bold/italics.

Student petition blasts WSU math program

OGDEN -- It’s not unusual to see students break down into tears because of Weber State University’s Developmental Mathematics Program, according to Lauralee Stephens Kohl.


It's not uncommon to see student break down because of math anywhere. Math is widely considered a difficult and involved topic. If crying students was the only reason to change a program then the Interior Design program at USU should be change. Or nursing programs all over the country. Or Culinary Arts, medical school, law school, anatomy courses, chemistry courses, computer science courses. The list is nearly endless.


The program was already difficult for students who are struggling with math, and changes to the program only add obstacles to graduation, she said. That’s why she’s circulating a petition to stop the changes.

“It’s like an abyss,” Kohl, of Brigham City, said of the program. “Once you get in it, you feel like you just can’t get out.”

Kathryn Van Wagoner, director of the Developmental Math Program, says many of the concerns listed in the petition are based on misinformation or misunderstandings.

“I have received some emails from students about some information they were given, and it’s actually not correct information,” she said. “We are transitioning to this new plan, so we've been refining and verifying our internal communications prior to making a formal announcement of the new plan, and student concerns have brought to my attention some information that has to be corrected on the website.”


So you are saying that the math program shouldn't change? They shouldn't try to incorporate new technologies, teaching methods, or more accurate assessment tools? If people didn't like change in mathematics we would still be using lines and circles. We wouldn't be past Roman numerals. That would make everything better. Consider this. A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education shows that the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) primarily rely on lecture based teachingf much to the determent of their students. Lecturing has been shown to have limitations particularly "that lecturing is not suited for higher levels of learning: comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation." Those are the very levels that math is designed to stimulate. Why would you want to stop a math program from making changes to their program in an attempt to improve instruction and student experience?


Jeff Henry, president of WSU’s Student Senate, sat down with Van Wagoner to discuss the rumors about the program changes.

“I wanted to get an understanding of what exactly is happening,” he said. “From what she’s explained ... the new changes are going to be beneficial to students.”

So, what Kathy said was right, many of the concerns are due to misinformation and misunderstanding. Once Jeff Henry got his understanding he saw the changes as beneficial. So maybe it's not the program.


Developmental math is, essentially, pre-college math for students whose skills are not quite up to college standards. According to WSU’s website, 75 percent of public four-year universities across the nation offer developmental classes.

The first complaint Kohl lists in her petition is the practice of placing holds on students who have not completed developmental math classes within a certain period of time. Until those classes are completed, no other classes can be taken.

Van Wagoner says that practice has been gone since January. The idea was to motivate students to complete the classes, instead of causing bigger problems for themselves through procrastination. It didn’t work.


"It didn't work" So they changed it. There were many people who celebrated that change. I know of sparkling cider and treats being shared in some offices. Students were not the only ones that didn't like that. Again, they wanted to help students and when they saw it didn't work they got rid of it. Also, if your first concern on your petition was resolved six months ago I would say that you're off to a bad start. Have you done your homework about the issue before asking for signatures?


At the heart of Kohl’s petition is the use of Accuplacer exams to determine in which class to place students, based on their math skills.

“When I started ... you could take unlimited AccuPlacer placement tests,” Kohl said.

It cost students $10 per test, but many were willing to take them several times in an attempt to score high enough to get out of taking certain classes. Now the number of times a test can be taken has been limited, she said.

“We made that change quite some time ago,” said Van Wagoner, “because students were repeatedly testing and not making any improvement in their placement, and basically throwing their money away.”

Now students have two attempts at the placement test, which is enough to allow a retake, said Van Wagoner. More should not be necessary, because the point of a placement test is to find out what math do you know, so you are put into the right class.

Henry agrees that taking the test multiple times isn’t helpful.

“If I’m taking it 15 times, I’m really guessing — I don’t know what I’m doing,” he said, adding that the current policy of allowing the test just twice a year is fair and reasonable.

Can you argue with their reasoning? "were repeatedly testing and not making any improvement...basically throwing their money away." Kathy basically is saying "We don't want your money if it's not helping you." But this change limited the effectiveness of Acer Placer - and that's what a lot of student object to.

Acer Placer is a private company that "offer[s] personalized instruction in a class of no more than 8 students. Our instructors guide you through the materials covered on the Accuplacer math placement test." They claim, "students from any background in math can test our of Math 1050." I cannot condemn them nor can I recommend them. I don't really want to do either. This is because I've seen them work for some students and not work for other students. Students take an eight week course which involves taking the Accuplacer test multiple times, often more than once a week. When WSU limited the number of times a student could take the Accuplacer students enrolled in Acer Placer courses claimed it was because we were trying to shut down Acer Placer - that WSU felt threatened by Acer Placer.
It wasn't, WSU doesn't. It's because of the reasons that Kathy gave above. It is also worth considering that students that take the same test multiple times will learn how the test reacts. So, are those students learning how to succeed in a math class, are they demonstrating that they know the basis of algebra well enough to succeed in a class or are they just learning how to take a test? I will never understand a statement I've heard so often. "I'm not good at math, so I'm going to test out." If you aren't good at something what makes you think you can test out? If students want to spend money on a private company which wants $1000 dollars that is their right. If Acer Placer is teaching students mathematical concepts and principles then it doesn't matter what test they take - math is math whether its Accuplacer, ACT, Math Mastery, or SAT. Math is the same in English, French, Russian, and Chinese. Do what you want to study for the test. Just don't expect us to endorse wasting your time taking the same test twelve times with minimal results.


Starting Aug. 25., the Accuplacer test won’t even be used for math placement. It’s being replaced by a weighted rubric of high school GPA and ACT math scores.

“We’ve eliminated the need for students to take a placement test,” Van Wagoner said. “We did an internal review of past student success, and found ACT scores and GPA were a good indicator of student success.”

Look! You don't even have to take the test. You don't have to spend your money if you don't want to.


Students who don’t have an ACT score, or who want to improve their placement, will now be given the “Math Mastery” exam.

If you want to test out of classes go ahead! We're not trying to stop you.


Kohl objects to the “Math Mastery” exam, saying it’s based on the school’s 0950 and 0990 math courses.

“The math program has a 60 percent fail rate at Weber State, so you’re not teaching the essential skills needed,” she said, adding that the curriculum should be fixed before it’s the basis of testing.


Of course! The curriculum is at fault! The topics that they cover in Math 0950 and 0990, which are almost identical to other developmental math courses offered around the state. The subject of mathematics, one of the most standardized topics across the state is at fault for the 60% fail rate. Only 40% of people in college can do fractions, real numbers, decimals, exponents, and ratios. The curriculum of the developmental math classes was taught 500 years ago and last week in millions of elementary schools across the country and the world. Of course it's the curriculum that's at fault. Blame the professors. Blame the technology, Blame astrology. Blame any variable you care to, but to say that the basic curriculum of the developmental math classes of Weber State is not suitable material to gauge a student's ability to succeed in math is laughable. If you can't do fractions, it's not the fractions' fault. It might be yours, it might be your sub-par teacher's fault, it might the fault of dyscalculia , but it's not the fractions.


She says she spent three times the required hours working on math assignments, and never improved until she took math classes from a private tutoring business.


Students in developmental math courses that use the Hub meet one day a week (50 minutes) and are required to meet 100 minutes to simulate the time they would normally spend in class if they were in a regular lecture course. Research has shown that for every hour in class, students can expect to spend two hours outside of class on homework and studying. This is widely acknowledged. Let's say she spend 300 minutes a week in the Hub, that is three times the required amount for the class. Based on our ratio of hours in class per hours out of class she is short another 100 minutes a week. A common misconception is that those 100 minutes is the minimum to succeed in class. It is not. It is the same simply attending class. Homework is extra. She made a great start and just needs to keep going.

Van Wagoner says changes have been made. In addition to online classes and a TERM (Technology Enhanced Redesign of Mathematics) self-paced course, which students do on their own with help available from tutors, the program is offering developmental math classes in flipped form. Flipped classes ask students to study lessons at home, and then meet in a classroom, with a teacher, four days a week while working through assignments.

The program is also starting a new “Pathway to Contemporary Mathematics” (Math 0810) class, for students who aren’t going into science, technology, engineering or math.

“It’s not necessarily less rigorous, it’s just more relevant to the student,” said Van Wagoner, explaining that it has less emphasis on algebra.


Again, the developmental math department is expanding their offerings in an attempt to meet the needs of more students. And they are petitioning to stop that? You want math instruction to stay the same and not look for new and improved methods of teaching and reaching out to students?


Kohl’s petition also says the “Math Mastery” exam can only be taken once a year, and will be more difficult to pass because it’s fill in the blanks instead of multiple choice.

“It’s tricky. If you put in 0.5 instead of 1/2, it’s wrong,” she said.

That is true, said Van Wagoner, but each question will tell you the format in which the answer should be written.


If you can't follow instructions.....


Joanna Bushell, of Ogden, signed Kohl’s petition. She is one of several students who has been taking private math classes to learn skills, and then taking AccuPlacer tests multiple times at an applied technology college.

“It’s not a trick — you have to know math to pass,” she said. “There’s no way to just fumble your way through AccuPlacer and get an accidental passing grade.”

Taking the test multiple times is for practice.


Good! If they teach you want you need to know and you can still practice what's the problem?


“Once you feel confident you can pass it consistently, you go to Weber State and hope you can pass,” she said.


Hope you pass? If you know the stuff and you pass it consistently, why wouldn't you be able to do it at Weber State? Math is math (as shown above).


Carin Mann, of Layton, is using AccuPlacer to test out of math completely.

“I’m not even signed up for math at Weber State University,” she said. “I heard horrible things about it, and that nobody can pass it.”

And a person who has not even tried something is a good source for information about the situation. This is also a good place to mention that many student that don't take developmental math courses at Weber, take developmental math classes is at one of two Applied Technology Colleges near by. Weber does not discourage students from taking classes there. What is interesting is that they use a self paced modular layout for instruction. There is no teacher and no tutor support. We use a similar system: modular and with minimal class time, so students can work as fast or slow as they want within the usual semester time line. So students that attend the ATCs are taking classes using the same format that they would here but they don't have a designated professor or free tutoring services. I've learned that some students after taking classes at the ATCs returned to Weber because we can provide additional support unavailable at the ATC. We're okay with students taking classes somewhere else and transferring them in. I just find it funny that they avoid us because they hear that "Weber math is hard!" just to go somewhere that is just like our program with less help.


Bushell says eliminating AccuPlacer tests forces students into developmental math classes at WSU.

“They’re gradually narrowing it down so your only option is to take two years, or four semesters, of their math classes,” she said.


Because we only want to to take our courses. That's why we accept transfer work. That's why we allow students to complete their math requirement how ever they want. That's why we still allow students to test out of math. That's right, not just test out of developmental math, but students can still completely test out of math. The only thing that has changed is that they need to demonstrate their competence in fewer attempts.


She’s afraid the real reason for doing away with AccuPlacer is monetary, because students would have to pay for WSU classes instead of private tutoring.

“I would imagine it’s a great money maker for the university,” she said.


Because the $1000 dollars they pay for to Acer Placer is such a loss to us. The average class size is 3 credits. Based on current tuition rates if they only took that one class the cost would be $920. Yes, we might feel that, but Weber's job is not to make money. It's what we need to do to help enhance our programs and offerings, but nobody who works with students is being told by administrators, "If students don't register for developmental Math classes then you're out of a job." But very few students take just one class because it's not as economical as going full time (12 credits), or even just going part time. If a student who traditionally attends 12 semesters says, "I'm only going to do nine semesters and take my math somewhere else" the difference between the tuition and fee's cost is just under $500. If a student did that for three semesters we would lose $1500, less than what one additional student would bring in by taking six credits. While the student in question would save $500. Unless you are going to try to test out of at least two classes there is no real cost benefit to Acer Placer. Not to mention, if the student continues to take 12 credits we essentially don't lose anything. I can understand their reasoning to save money. The argument that we will suffer monetarily simply because of a small percentage of our students not taking upwards of 10 credits over the course of their 60 to 120 credit university career is silly. Not to mention tuition and fees are used to pay for services and resources to support students - most of which are not used by the students. Yes, we are money grubbers and developmental math is our method of staying in the black.


The new policies apply to all students, no matter when they started at WSU, according to Kohl.

Because the “Math Mastery” test takes over on Aug. 25, students who were counting on testing out through AccuPlacer are in a pinch.

“They should have to give more notice,” said Bushell. “I just need to test out of math to get my degree. ... I have approximately 30 days to do it.”


Interesting if you can test out of three classes over the course of 8 weeks, why would you have problems simply completing once class over 16 weeks? How much notice would you require? 8 weeks? The change was made at the beginning of Summer semester which was the first week of May. It's been at least 11 weeks since then not to mention another four weeks until the deadline goes into effect. If you had wanted to do the Acer Placer course, you could have done it twice in the time give. Thirty days is four weeks, what were you doing the other four weeks?


Van Wagoner says every change that’s been made has been with the goal of having students take fewer math classes, and get to graduation.

“We want them to be successful in their math,” she said.

She knows the changes make for a complex situation, and encourages students to meet with advisers on a regular basis.


Ever since we heard about this change I have asked every student how they intend to complete their Math requirement. Those that said that they were doing Acer Placer, or even that they "intended to test out" that there were changes and that they needed to talk to the Developmental Math Department before paying for anything. Most of the things that students experience difficulty with could have been either prevented, fixed, or avoided by talking to an advisor. Yes, we try to contact students about policy changes, but we are limited by the information students give us. I've been involved in initiatives to contact students and many do not have current or correct contact information. Others still do not return correspondence which may indicate that they don't receive it, read it, or care about it. If students don't try to stay in contact with us there is no way to verify that we can reach them.


“If there is any student who has any kinds of concerns about math, I would be glad to meet with them,” she said.

Contact reporter Becky Wright at 801-625-4274 or bwright@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @ReporterBWright.


Overall, I thought the reporter did a decent job showing both sides. I am continually amazed at the lengths people will go to find a way around math. It seems that if some people put the effort they dedicate to complaining, circumnavigating, and trying to work the system to just doing what is asked of them in the system they would be done. Yes, math is hard. Yes, it is abstract, Yes, you will rarely, if ever, see it the same way that it is shown in the text book. Yes, it takes time you would rather use to do other things. So does a lot of other things and yet we do them. Taxes, insurance, immigration, legal proceedings, raising children, dating, recovering from illness. Yet people do those things too. Yes, those examples are all individual and different. People still do it. Math is required for a college degree and so you do it if you want the degree. In your work life there may be times you have to do something undesirable for your boss. Think of this the same way. If you have difficulty ask for help. If that person can help you, ask someone else - just like anything else that's hard. There are legitimate disabilities that prevent people from succeeding in math classes - get help for them, we will accommodate you as needed. I am more than willing to acknowledge the difficulties these students have experienced in math. I am not willing to consider this petition as being the slightest bit useful.

Update: As it turns out this article was useful to the Developmental math Department at Weber State. Kathy VanWagoner said that she wanted to do a press release when they made changes but the PR department wouldn't do it. Then this article came out and she was required to do a press release.

Cake or Why Americans like sweet

I grew up enjoying dessert. I have a strong sweet tooth and have been known to raid the chocolate chips supply. To me one of the prime sources of sweets is baking. Pies, cakes, cookies, brownies, pastries, tarts, cobblers, crisps. Even fresh baked breads and rolls are something that I enjoy more than most other things. This weekend I made an "old-fashion pound cake" from the Lion House Cakes and Cupcakes cook book.

My wife and I tried a slice each before serving it and remarked on how it wasn't a particularly sweet cake by itself. We served it, as recommended, with whipped cream and strawberries and black berries and enjoyed it much more. This got us thinking about the different types of cake and  differences between richness and sweetness. From my own experience in Russia it seemed that there was a preference for richness than sweetness when it came to desserts. Russian cakes weren't as sweet as those I'd had in America. Russian food in general wasn't as sweet. I knew several locals who told me that they couldn't eat Snickers candy bars because they were too sweet. American food has been considered too sweet by others, many blaming high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as the reason. However, I think the sweetness was there prior to the corn syrup. HFCS got it's big break in the food industry when sugar took a tariff hit and increased in price making the HFCS more economical. It wasn't introduced to make food sweet but rather to replace what was already there.

Perhaps the reason that American food tends to be sweeter is because American's history has been heavenly influenced by sugar. Prior to the discovery of the New World sugar was scarce in Western Europe, a delicacy by all standards. Is is because sugarcane - the primary source of sugar with little competition until the sugar beet became a contender in the mid 1800s - requires particular growing conditions. According to Netafim a company who "has successfully cultivated sugarcane in diverse climates and growing conditions worldwide," states that sugarcane is grown world wide between 36.7 degrees N and 31.0 degrees south latitude and is essentially a tropical plant. For perspective, the countries of Spain, Sicily, Italy, mainland Greece, and Turkey are all located above the 36th parallel, were as the states of Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina are all below the 36th parallel. While those states, with the exception of Florida, are not considered tropical, the Caribbean is. And turned out to be very good to grow sugarcane.

While the North American colonies, for the most part, did not actually produce sugar they were involved in the sugar trade. They grew a lot of the food that went to the sugar rich islands. Islands that were growing so much sugar they important their food because it was cheaper to buy food with sugar money than try to grow it themselves. Sugar was king. Due to proximity to the sugar rich Caribbean I suspect that it was easier to get sugar in the North American colonies than in Europe. Now, the mother countries would of course want to hoard the sugar, and its profits, as much as possible and as a luxury item not everyone could afford it, but it would be very easy for smugglers, privateers, pirates, and other such entrepreneurs to sell their forbidden cargoes in the colonies than sailing all the way back to Europe. We know that the colonies ultimately evolved an identity and decided to throw off the chains of their imperial masters forming the USA that we all know today. While a melting pot the colonies began to develop their own culture and consequently their own take on past traditions and customs. Including food. With an increased accessibility to sugar it is more than possible that they fortified their native dishes with it.

While, "American as apple pie" is not strictly true - apple pies are not native to the USA - comparing various apple pie and apple pie analogs does show some possible evidence for my hypothesis. I've found receipts for "Real Dutch Apple Pie," a French apple tart, a apple pie that looks lot like what Russians make, and an "American" apple pie. The Dutch receipt has the most sugar overall, with 250 grams, but that includes 180 g. for the pastry and 70 g. for the filling. The American pie has 1 cup (1/2 cup white + 1/2 cup brown sugar) which is just over 236 g a difference of about 1.5 teaspoons. However, the American receipt does not include the pastry for the pie, just the filling. Between the American and the Russian apple pies the difference was about 2 tablespoons and a 1/4 of a cup compared to the French apple tart. Again, both the French and Russian receipts include the pastry. Not concrete proof, but interesting. Personally I like them all. Just don't be a little surprised if I put ice cream or whipped cream on any and all of them.

Aging

My father's birthday was last week. My own birthday is exactly a month before his. This week also marked 10 years since I returned from Russia as a religious service missionary. 10 years is a long time - a decade - and it is a length of time that we only have so many of. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2006 the average life expectancy of someone with at least a BS/BA by age 25 was 81 (citation figure 32 pg. 37). According to Wikipedia (the fount of all knowledge) Utah has a life expectancy of 80.2 years. So 8 decades to live you life, make your mark, and change the world.

Our first decade is a little tricky. Physically we grow faster and more than any other period in our life. If we were to continue growing at that rate things would get tricky. We also learn most of the basics skills necessary to care for ourselves and are physically capable of performing critical functions. We also develop mentally, socially, emotionally, and morally to a point where we have set a foundation for our future self. However, most people can't remember the first half of their first decade and other may not have too many memories of the second half. In terms of wide impact on the world there are limits to what the typical ten year old can do.

Our second decade tends to be a bit clearer in our minds. High school, puberty, and preparing to enter "adulthood" will do that. Not to mention our physical, mental, and social development over those years. As our bodies and minds change so do our abilities and capabilities. Some would wish to banish memories of this time while others feel that events such as junior high are creations of sadistic administrators. For my own part, high school was an okay experience, but starting college was better. You see more instances of teenagers impacting the world and society beyond their immediate area, but it is still early yet. Working with a lot of college freshmen who are at the end of this particular decade has shown me that most of them have no clue what their path in life is like. Some do and go on to achieve it, but the majority have no clue. This is because interests change, views expand, and experiences shape us, particularly as we enter our twenties.

The 1920's was known as the "Roaring Twenties" and, perhaps, we should consider this third decade of life as similar. They bare some direct similarities as 21 is the minimal age to buy alcohol in all states, many people in their twenties leave the nest, and starting careers often means they are funding their own entertainment. I can't speak about the vocational side as my experience personally and professionally involves college students. I've seen many students come out of high school, enter college away from home and revel in the resulting freedom. However, I've seen those revels result in everything from bad grades to armed robbery. One of the two "men" in the armed robbery story was a student in my College Success Skills class.

There is a lot of research on what has been termed Student Development Theory. As someone who has been exposed to many different theories of cognitive, ethical, racial identity, social, intellectual, and  various other kinds of development I find it an interesting lens through which to look in order to try to address students' needs. With that said, each individual student has their own experience and their own development path. I don't know if it is possible to give a brief outline of what people "typically" go through in this decade, so I'm not going to worry about it. Most enter their career field, some doing so after college, others doing it without college. Social relationships outside of family become more important with people considering marriage or other long term relationships. In short, this is the decade that is often seen as, "the beginning of the rest of your life." And it is the one that I have officially past out of.

In the moment, it's hard to imagine that I still have five decades of life ahead of me. I remember my father telling me that there will come a time when I'll be able to look back on a ten year period, see the accomplishments I have made and then project that into the future and the possible accomplishments I'll be able to make. I've had that in mind as I've gotten older. I remember my father being a little down as he contemplated his own statement. I think it must have been around his 40th birthday. He doesn't handle the decade years well. I would tease him about it but when he turned 50 he threatened to bodily throw me off Angle's Landing. I want to make it to 50 so I don't bring it up.

D-Day

Today is the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. In an effort to end Nazi Germany's hold on Europe The United Kingdom, Canda, and the United State launched an amphibious invasion that has never been rivaled. Thousands of men landed via parachute and landing craft and fought through a concrete jungle of mines, barbed wire, machine gun nests, tunnels, and forts in order to establish a foothold from which they could advance across Europe. With the Soviet Union battling from the East and the Allied powers from the west Germany surrendered within a year (May 9, 1945).

The battle of D-Day was a pivotal moment in World War II. I have little doubt that had it failed Germany would have done significantly more damage to Europe. Would they have been stopped? Probably. Hitler's vision was unsustainable and would have fallen - but at what additional cost. Perhaps nuclear weapons would have been used against Germany in addition to Japan. We might never know the extent of the damage. We only know what was accomplished by those that stormed the beaches and overcome the defenders.

The history of World War II has always had been of particular interest to me. Perhaps it was the global scale of it. Maybe it was the fact that I had relatives that fought in it. For whatever reason I have always found myself drawn to its stories and history. With that in mind I would like to recommend a few books that I've read that give insight on the conflict and that I have found both inspiring and inspirational.

The Trio of books: D-Day, Pegasus Bridge, and Citizen Soldier by Stephen E. Ambrose covers preparations for the invasion, its execution, and aftermath. Pegasus Bridge focuses on the British glider troops that were tasked with capturing bridges on the east flank and holding off German reinforcements until the beaches were secure. All three books focus on the individuals who fought the war, not just the general strategies and tactics, but the actual riflemen, and what they experienced. You can read my review of the audio version of Citizen Soldier from my other blog for a more detailed description.

Armor and Blood by Dennis E. Showalter is a recently published book about the Battle of Kursk, Germany's last offensive action against the Soviet Union. While it took place a year before D-Day its contribution to the downfall of Nazi Germany cannot be ignored. Many westerners are not familiar with the Eastern Front of World War II and the way that the Soviets fought. Armor and Blood gives a great view of what has been determined as the largest tank battle in history. It is more of a historical analysis with lots of attention given to both individual tactics and overall strategy. It was an very interesting read. You can read my review of the audio version from my other blog for a more detailed description.

I believe that The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer, is perhaps the most incredible book that dives into the history that surrounds Would War II. I listened to this last year and was blown away by the magnitude of information that we have about the Nazi Party, Hitler's rise to power, and the ease that it all happened. I use the term "ease that it all happened" because it is not hard to see another Hitler like tyrant rise to power in our day. Shirer adds personal memories to the host of captured documents that were seized to weave a frightening tale of politics and desire. My father rereads this book every ten years or so to "remind himself to pay attention." You can read my review of the audio version from my other blog for a more detailed description.

These are just a small handful of books that examine the watershed event that was World War II. D-Day was one of the largest, most complete gathering of men and material and was executed was daring and bravery. Disaster occurred, victory was won, and men lived and died on both sides. That fact is important to remember. Every war has two sides. Let those that fought for freedom and those that fought for their homeland be honored.

Celebrate Life

I have (clearly) fallen behind in my blogging. This hasn't been from a lack of thinking, but rather a simple lack of posting. It's been hard to decide what to post. My musings have taken me through topics I've already written on as well as ones that I don't feel ready to comment on. It's hard to decide between re-runs and unfinished episodes.

This weekend is Memorial Day and there is plenty of musing that can be done on that. The three day weekend is a wonderful break from the routine, but it's important to remember why we have it. I've been seeing things on Facebook using pictures of family of soldiers who have died and somber messages. That is the sober origins of the holiday and it should be remembered. My family has a grave site to visit this year that was dug last year. I still treasure the 30.06 shell casing sitting in a small wooden jar on my dresser - a casing from my grandfather's twenty-one gun salute. It is right to miss those that have defended freedom and that those that we have lost from this life.

It is also important to celebrate life. When my wife found out she was expecting our third child we knew there was a high risk of miscarriage. We weren't sure if we should tell anyone in the event that she did miscarry. We ultimately decided that we were going to tell people and "celebrate life for as long as we have it." She finished her 26 week today and the baby is getting stronger. There are still possible complications and we have no idea what is going to happen, but we are still celebrating life.

Memorial Day is both to mourn those we have lost and to celebrate the life that they had. Even though that life has ended it can still be celebrated.

War Games

I enjoy many different hobbies including video games consisting of strategy and first-person shooter games as well as recently getting into airsoft. I own an airsoft rifle and pistol as well as pieces of "tactical gear" that consist camouflage, and things to hold extra magazine, tools, bbs, etc. Because airsoft equipment is based on "real steel" military hardware outfitted airsofters can look a bit like a state militia. The guns are often replicas of M4s, M16, AK-47s, and other armaments still used by defense forces the world over. (photo credit: Danger Close Airsoft - a good group to run with.)

I know that with gun violence and violent crimes in general more prevalent in the news there has been a lot of discussion about connections between my above stated hobbies and those crimes. I'm not going to get into that debate. I will link to this video discussing the video games. I will also say that airsoft is not to be treated like a toy and those that choose to participate should not be idiots about their equipment. Going around in a public place with a replica M16 will cause problems for you and others. Airsoft can cause injury, even sever injury, treat the equipment accordingly. I play with goggles and a steel face mask.

What I wanted to get into revolves around a conversation I had with a coworker a couple of days before attending an airsoft game. She asked what airsoft was. I explained it involved running around in the brush, shooting and being shoot at with 6mm bbs. She asked why I would ever want to do such a thing. Fair question.

For me these hobbies have nothing to do the violent nature of their real world situations. I looked into joining the military back in high school and decided that the glory of the battlefield was not for me. I would like to think that I could protect my family at any cost, but I have no desire to willingly ending anybody's earthly existence. I would be perfectly content if we beat our swords into plows and our spears into pruning hooks and didn't learn war anymore. For me it's all a mind game, one that I'm not nearly as good at as I would like to think. How do you achieve an objective, figure out this puzzle, overcome this obstacle? It's about becoming good at out-thinking someone else. It's about teamwork and collaborative effort. Airsoft has the added benefit of being outdoors and interactive - it keeps you moving and even added to my incentive to exercise. My airsoft experience has been pretty positive, even though I have only hit one person while playing. However, the incentive to play has increased with additional members of my family getting involved.

Upon hearing my reasons my coworker simply replied, "We go jogging."

You can do that too.