Dixie: Old Times There Are Best Forgotten

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Editor’s Note:  The following blog also was posted in abbreviated form as “Reader View: Clinging to Dixie?  Society will judge” by the Sante Fe New Mexican on July 20, 2015.

Original Meaning Has Come And Gone

You ask your son before he goes out to wear something other than a T-shirt otherwise people might think he’s a punk. You ask your daughter to put on a skirt with more length otherwise people might think she’s, well, you know. You ask your husband to shave before a dinner party otherwise people might think he’s a slob. You might even ask your wife to … best keep that to yourself.

What’s consistent is concern for how society perceives us and loved ones. We understand society perceives things a certain way and desire to avoid misunderstanding. So you ask yourself and those you care about to avoid giving an impression that’s not accurate as society will think what society wants to think. It might not be fair but historically we bring it upon ourselves.

Some people want to continue to fly the Dixie flag as a symbol of their Southern pride without being perceived as racist. Well, like Gen. William T. Sherman and his “March to the Sea” that army has come and gone. Society will judge you, I and everyone else based on modern-day perceptions, and of all the symbols representative of the Confederacy, Dixie is one symbol that long ago lost its original meaning. Today it stands for segregation.

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Deflategate: “Our Long National Nightmare is Over?”

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Showdown on the Horizon for Brady and Goodell

Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots, will appeal a four-game suspension for his alleged role in Deflategate at a June 23 hearing presided by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who handed down the suspension. The NFL Players Association had requested Goodell recuse himself from the hearing in favor of a third-party arbitrator, but the request was rejected.

To paraphrase President Gerald Ford, “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is ALMOST over.” While Watergate and the threatened impeachment of President Richard Nixon lingered in our political subconsciousness well into the 1980s one might suppose Deflategate has similar ramifications the way football fans, and the news media, have reacted.

Then again life must be pretty good on your side of the planet when Deflategate touches a chord while Baltimore investigates questionable police tactics, Ukraine remains a powder keg reminiscent of the Cold War and Florida endures the traveling circus also referred to as the Legislature. Did I mention I put together a Presidential exploratory committee in anticipation of a run in 2016? Just so you know.

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Mother’s Day Remembrance of One Who Cut a Path

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The following piece originally was posted June 15, 2013, on my first blog “If You Knew the Voices in My Head.”  With the discovery of old photographs (and the nostalgia that accompanies such a discovery) and my youngest daughter a year away from joining my oldest daughter as a college graduate, I thought it time to revisit the piece.

A Car Ride From the Airport and Small Talk

On the way home from the airport my college-age daughter and I discussed the now completed spring semester of her freshman year. It had gone well. She continued to make new friends, took interesting classes, experienced all she could experience in the diverse environment of a well-regarded university. She took a classical course load where her understanding and appreciation of society was stretched as her academic skills were enhanced.

Mom 1950sThe conversation was the small talk of car rides that follow a day of getting to, through and around airports from one end of the country to the other. How was the semester? How were finals? How was the flight? Mind bending stuff. And during our conversation we found ourselves discussing the past spring break when she enjoyed much-desired sun in the backyard while reading two books addressing distinct schools of thought. One book on feminism and one book on cultural conservatism. Truly mind bending.

Politics aside it was encouraging to hear she was exploring various views. And during our car-ride conversation she said she had come to realize just how far women have progressed in the past 100 years. How past generations fought for the right to vote. How past generations fought for equal participation in society. Yet the changes are subtle when viewed as single efforts yet significant when viewed collectively. It’s a shame we today don’t readily discuss these efforts with our young women in any place other than the classroom.

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Orlando City Soccer

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Editor’s Note:  The following story by Jeffrey Rembert was posted by FORWARD Florida on its website under Sports on March 12, 2015. 

Observations of an aspiring Orlando soccer fan

Some lessons take time to sink in, and so goes my understanding of soccer. Its faithful take pride in its elegance – after all it’s called the beautiful game – even though they can’t settle on the rules. Yet despite the differences, from one continent to another, people in the hundreds of millions worship the sport that transcends cultures.

Orlando falls within those ranks Orlando City Socceras 62,358 fans filled the Orlando Citrus Bowl, Sunday afternoon (3/8), to watch the Orlando City Lions open its inaugural MLS season. Another 97,328 fans watched the telecast on ESPN2. They likely understand this yellow card business.

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Financing Florida

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Editor’s Note:  The following story by Jeffrey Rembert was published by FORWARD Florida (December 2014) and posted on its website under Construction & Development on December 18, 2014. The link is provided at the bottom of this post.

It’s not the Wild West of pre-2008, but real estate development money is flowing again

Getting a handle on what drives Florida land development is much like finding the beginning of a circle. Where does it start? Is the prospect of profitable development moving money into money-florida-640x360 (2)the state or is the availability of financing driving development? Any way you look at it Florida continues to attract developers and financing. Prospects for the coming years continue to be guarded but bright.

“Florida still remains a Sun Belt growth state so the long-term prospects for real estate remain good,” says Guy Michel, senior vice president of Community Southern Bank. “As the financial industry continues to recover, so will the availability of funding for projects subject to higher underwriting standards and cooperation from the regulatory authorities.”

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How NFL and Fantasy Football Can Enhance Education

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A Tool to Improve Math Scores

While reviewing emails from a Nigerian prince, perusing Canadian pharmaceutical options and considering how my morning coffee companion in Florida was mugged one hour later in London, I came across a short piece in the Los Angeles Times. According to the piece, Mark Waller, NFL chief marketing officer, said to The Wall Street Journal, “We’re also trying to work with groups to get the concept of fantasy based into the curriculum of elementary schools. If you love football and you teach them math through football, the chances are you may teach them better math and more quickly.”

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The Lost Save of Tug McGraw: A Review

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The Lost Save of Tug McGraw

Available on Amazon

Fabric of America’s Soul

Baseball has been the thread that has held together the fabric of America’s soul for close to 150 years.  And despite the imperfections of gambling, characters of disrepute and drugs, among others, the sport has survived because of the way it bridges the generations.  The way it creates memories.  It brings us together in a way that allows us to view the world – or the diamond for that matter – with the same set of eyes, the same set of emotions, the same longing.  Baseball provides moments we never want to end.  Read more