The Case for the Excessive E-Bike

 

grommet - noun - a young surfer

There are two sides to every story. And in a debate, there are pros and cons: the case for and the case against. When it comes to the controversial e-bike, I presented the cons in my last entry. In this one, I'll present the pros. 

Actually before this past weekend, I didn't think there were any pros, but I was wrong. Sometimes I have to remind myself to look for the silver linings. In this case, I didn't find them in the clouds but on the path to a somewhat remote beach near San Clemente, California. If you have been following my blog, you may recall that I am dating a man who resembles James Bond in terms of his life experience, and his name just happens to be James. At the start of the 2002 Bond movie,"Die Another Day," viewers see the fictive James–Pierce Brosnan's stunt double along with trailing antagonists–surf down a titanous, tsunami-produced wave (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG9ql6GA9F8). At 65, my Bond doesn't have the confidence to tackle a wave of this magnitude, but he will take on the same waves as the local experts. In fact, he probably IS an expert. But I digress. 

Just south of La Casa Pacifica, the Spanish colonial ranch that once housed Richard M. Nixon and his loyal wife Pat, is a stretch of beach in San Onofre known as the Trestles: Church, Middles, Lowers, Uppers, and Cotton. This area has been set aside not for bathers, but for surfers. And if you are a surfer in SoCal, you already know this and have probably surfed these waves more than once. What makes it hard is that there isn't any official parking that is free. Surfers, in general, are not known to have much money, so they park next to the 5, strap their boards onto their e-bikes, and cruise nearly two miles on an antique portion of the Pacific Coastal Highway that is no longer in use just to get to the right beach. Because the wide, paved route is not traveled by anyone other than these e-biking aqua types (who are frequently alone), there is very little chance of collision. Ergo, riding via the "excessive" e-bike isn't extreme at all. It actually makes sense especially as there are hills along the way that a manual bike would find challenging, and the rider, exhausting. After all, energy must be reserved for the waves. While I was there, I also noticed that the riders were at least seventeen or eighteen, more mature. I didn't see one wheelie attempted because the intention was not to show off but to arrive at the destination as quickly, safely, and effortlessly as possible. (And a wheelie would no doubt damage the board.)

I am sure that either you or I can think of other practical uses for the e-bike as well. Overall, the point that I am trying to make is that all inventions can be toxic if placed in the wrong hands. Allowing a minor excess to something potentially lethal is never a good idea even if the minor happens to be a grommet. Again, using common sense is what makes sense here, there, and everywhere.

#e-bike, #blog, #blogger, #social commentary, #personal essay, #parenting, #James Bond 

The Case Against the Excessive E-Bike (Pay attention, parents.)

 

e-bike - noun - a bicycle that can be run on electric power as well as pedaling. (Oxford Languages)

It has been 261 years since Voltaire wrote, "Common sense is not so common" in his work A Pocket Philosophical Dictionary. You would think more of us humans might have acquired some in the interim. Nope.

What is the latest nonsensical purchase for kids under eighteen? The e-bike. Innocently enough, this new fangled creation is in theory a bike. But don't be fooled. Just because it looks like your average two-wheeler, offering its riders a choice to pedal fiercely on manual or ride on a current of electricity on automatic, doesn't make it a substitute for your grandparent's 1956 Raleigh. If anything, it is more of a moped, the pseudo motorcycle that requires a driver's license, meaning that the rider has to be at least seventeen to ride it. The average moped can reach a top speed of 28-35 mph. And guess what? A superior e-bike can travel up to 28 mph as well. And the biker does not need a driver's license, making this device the most sought-after toy for minors out there. Apparently, kids, who are often bogged down by iPhones and video games, are feeling the need for speed outdoors on the open roads. Scary. 

Being that the holiday season will dominate sight lines after Halloween (at least at Walmart), should parents cave in to their kids' emotional pleas to buy them these bikes for Christmas or Hanukkah? Nope. Absolutely not. Why? AT $250 to over $3,000 per bike, THEY ARE expensive DEATHTRAPS. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise. 

Case in point: A week or so ago, my former musical partner in Jersey felt the need to text me some horrific news as I was preparing dinner here in SoCal. A thirteen-year-old-middle-school student who had been e-biking home from school collided with a landscaper's truck and was killed instantly just a few yards from her front lawn. The boy was moving so fast that the driver of the truck didn't even realize that the accident had taken place until he was over a block away. Rumor has it that the boy had been simultaneously texting and riding his e-bike at maximum speed, a trick that had obfuscated his awareness. Obviously, the adolescent was not mature enough to realize that what he was doing had the potential to be lethal. The tragic collision prompted local authorities to ban the e-bike from parks, but I am sure there will be some parents who will still permit their kids to ride them everywhere else. 

Here in L.A., there is a group of middle-school boys who have formed a nightmarish gang called the "Wheelie Boys." They joyride on e-bikes at top speeds, wildly traversing boulevard traffic at night, doing wheelies (a balancing act involving putting all of their weight on the rear wheel of their e-bikes so that the front wheel is forced up into the air). Why their parents would let them out of their homes at dinner time to do this sort of thing is beyond me. (These kids are from wealthy families for the most part.)  Why anyone would buy youngsters these dangerous bikes is just not in the range of common sense. 

Listen, parents. Take it from a retired, middle-school English teacher who raised a daughter pretty much by herself. If you want your children to grow up to a ripe old age in or out of your house, don't allow them to cajole you into getting them this toxic excuse for a modern invention. Buy them a "Keep Calm, I'm an Official Teenager" blanket on Amazon for $24.99 instead. It's cheap; it's comical; it's safe; it's worry free. Most of all, just think before you act when it comes to supplying your kids with the latest in trendy technological purchases. Voltaire would be proud of you for using genuine logic.

#blog, #social commentary, #personal essay, #e-bikes, #parenting, #opinion

Dualities

 

duality - noun - an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or aspects of something (Oxford Languages)

For over twenty years, I taught various classic literary works to a total of about 2,000 adolescent student listeners (well, maybe all 2K weren't always listening) in a handful of secondary schools. Most of our discussions hinged on thematic dualities present in poetry, short stories, plays, and novels. The most popular themes in all were good versus evil and love versus hate, relative terms. It makes sense as we know that art reflects life. Lately, both good versus evil and  love versus hate are relevant dualities, not that they have ever been out of fashion. 

Life is filled with opposition, dualities. Without which, there wouldn't be balance, but why is it that when people latch on to an ideology that they can wear comfortably almost like new prescription eyeglasses, they tend to become blind to the negatives. Oh, the irony of it all. In every saint, there is a sinner. And I don't have to name names here. In our impatient efforts to espouse the second coming, we who believe in God (and maybe some who don't) deify those who should not be deified. If all of the recorded saints were interviewed on podcasts today, I doubt any would admit to being 100% perfect. Why? They were human beings built on the concept of duality. Ergo, we as humans are all walking dualities, prone to making mistakes. 

Can we shift the balance of good versus evil, right versus wrong, good versus evil? Yes, we can, but it requires self-awareness and common sense, and neither is prolific in our world today. What I have been finding worthy of note–if not just hopeful– recently is the number of social media posts remembering Robert Redford. Which is a positive sign as he was not known to activate hate by being divisive in any sense of the word. His goal was to stand up for what is right and did so via an artistic medium that has the ability to reach millions all at once. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't recall that he said anything off color about any marginalized groups. Which is why people are bothering to remember his life via extravagant tenderness. Such a beautiful concept! 

While we are in the neighborhood of that, my church book club members and I am reading The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness by Father Gregory Boyle who has been working for over thirty years with felon gang members here in Los Angeles via his organization Homeboy Industries. His words are rearranging my perspective on what it means not only to be an authentic Christian (who loves exclusively), but to be the best version of my human self. And don't we all strive to do that as well? Just be decent people? I will share a passage from the book that has stayed with me:

 "The goal of our extraordinarily humble God is less union with God, but union among us, (which is,          of course, unitive with God). Then we can rest in the stillness of love and go forward, to love in the          stillness of love and go forward, to love in the stillness of God. Then we are the river winding its                 way to the sea: the union with God and 'neighbor.' We are all just trying to get to the sea." (3)

In his own subtle way, "G," as he is affectionately called by his mentees, infers that we humans can consciously choose between love and hate, intentionally upsetting the balance in favor of love by eradicating division that plagues our society caused by two topics banned at the dinner table by most parents in the 1960s: religion and politics. This is easy to do. All it takes is losing the blinders, accepting truth, and embracing positive change...or maybe just keeping controversial opinions under wraps? 

I have many friends and family members who do not share the same religious or political beliefs as I do. As we can't seem to have peaceable discussions, we simply choose not to. Instead, we focus on that which we have in common (common ground). By doing so, the love between us remains a constant focus, towering above hate. Unity is always possible.

#blog, #blogger, #personal essay, #society, #advice, #love, #GregoryBoyle, #Christianity 

Human Gemstones

 

gemstones - noun - a precious or semi-precious stone, especially one cut, polished and used in a piece of jewelry.

In the past 24 hours, I have been reminded that although there are quite a few manufactured newcomers to celebrity who perhaps don't exactly qualify as feed for jewelry, there were and still are the polished few gemstones from the past that dare to shine on like "crazy diamonds." (Thank you, Pink Floyd.)

In the a.m. of September 16th, I awoke to my daughter's esoteric text that read, "Sorry for your loss." As I was completely unaware that I was missing anything or anyone, I followed through with "What loss?" Her response was "Just look on the internet. Mind you, it's a heavy loss." And she was right. Upon learning of the death of Hollywood's iconic matinee idol, indie film's grandfather, and Utah's environmental savior Robert Redford, my emotional blood pressure dropped to zero. Okay, I know. He was 89 and had lived a rich, successful life by anyone's standards, even Emerson's lofty ones, but a loss is still a loss no matter the age of the deceased. And what a loss.

Clearly, Redford was more than a movie star. To me, on the silver screen, he was male beauty and sartorial elegance personified, but he was also someone whose film characters got me through adolescence sans committing suicide, fratricide, or parricide. His movies allowed for escape from a tough reality happening via the 24-7 news cycle, or in the case of some of his more dramatic films (like Ordinary People or All the President's Men), he offered a connection to the difficult elements, which enlightened us teens in his heyday and led us to evaluate closely the world spinning around us.

On a more personal note, Redford's Sundance General Store, a modest gift shop nestled in a cabin on his ski resort of the same name, carried my naive art in the form of Torey the Turkey Goes Skiing, a thin, meagerly crafted children's picture book, when no one wanted to take a chance on it due to its rudimentary simplicity. I thank him for that albeit it is possible that he might not have had knowledge of the purchase. (I'm hoping that is not true.)

Another diamond albeit in the rough is the very much alive Neil Young. Last night, Bond and I said an unofficial goodbye to the summer by attending the classic musician's concert at the Hollywood Bowl, a venue the artist admitted that he had not played since 1966. Like so many of his musical contemporaries who thrived during the tumultuous 1960s, Neil's tunes are political, far left, but with an ironic bent, a sense of humor. Which so many in the political realm no longer possess. At 79, he may just have another ten years left in him, especially if he loses some weight. Yet his voice is as lucid and limber as when he performed at Woodstock with his band mates, Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The soprano notes of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" in particular soared through the air like a dove carrying an olive branch. Neil's emotionally genuine performance of the song brought me to tears. Offhand, I can't think of one recording artist under the age of sixty who can do the same for me.

Like ageless gemstones, our pop culture icons from the past–whether dead or alive–linger on indefinitely through their artistic legacies. Although there has been much vitriol thrown at the internet lately, there is still much good, the aforementioned men's work preserved on YouTube, for example, an easy escape for a disillusioned society.  

#blog, #blogger, #society, #Robert Redford, #Neil Young, #personal essay 

Greed by Gender and Genes?

 

larceny - noun - unlawful taking and carrying away of of personal property with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it permanently (Merriam-Webster)

On the list of the Seven Deadly Sins, greed comes in second only after pride, which is said to beget greed as well as the other five that follow. But is greed a learned behavior (environmental in origin) or is it ingrained (a product of genetics)? Based on my own observations (years of teaching multiple grade levels), I believe that the greedy (more males than females) are born with the propensity to desire more than their share and will go an unlawful distance (commit larceny) in order to obtain it.

Case in point: Yesterday, I had the privilege to be one of over a hundred children's book authors (mainly self-published) at the third annual LA Kids Book Festival in West Hollywood. Due to the stiff competition, to attract interest in the wares I was selling, I decided to offer Halloween candy in advance of the holiday to those children who participated in my contest involving guessing the number of Tootsie Rolls in a large canister. In other words, in order to receive the trophy (a piece of candy), they had to do something to earn it (a new concept, I know). Naturally because of sloth (number seven on the list of sins), most of the kids just wanted to dig their fingers into the basket and take as much as possible without so much as nominal conjecture. The younger the child, the more he felt he deserved. I say "he" because most of the culprits were boys. Hmm. Toward the end of the day, a male youngster of ten who looked very familiar approached me with the correct number of treats in the can. After he had left with a free book, I remembered that he was present at the time that one of the dads guessed correctly and won, meaning he "stole" the correct answer to win. Clearly greed and deception are related. 

And then I found myself asking this question: Are boys just more prone to beg, borrow, or steal than girls? Let's go with "steal." According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, 94% of individuals sentenced for robbery recently were men, and the average age was 33. I do think that environmental factors contribute to the high figure, but I also think testosterone and genetics play a role. For instance, a close male friend of mine just happens to be the descendant of British pirates. Recently, he admitted to me that when he was in his twenties, he would "borrow cars," meaning he would break into them, start them up, drive them around town, and then leave them unharmed a few miles from where he had entered them. Although he was never arrested and charged with theft, he definitely entered someone else's property illegally (sans permission). This action he claimed fell into a "gray area." I disagreed. He had the earmarkings of a car jacker despite the fact that he didn't wind up selling the cars for parts. A rose by any other name is still a rose; albeit not quite full throttle, he is as much of a pirate as his ancestors. And get this. His biological brothers were cat burglars who also were never apprehended. I rest my case. Toss the coin. Heads, environment. Tails, genes. Genes it is. 

It comes down to this. Parents beware. Teach your children well, particularly if you have boys. Human nature tends to creep up on them more vehemently than it does on girls. Although some feel that girls are harder to raise than boys, in this case, I'd argue that the opposite is true. 

Just sayin'.

Remembering 9/11 with peace, hope, and love for all of those who sustained losses.

#blog, #blogger, #greed, #human nature, #genetics, #social commentary, #personal essay 

Ubiquitous Grunge

 

ubiquitous - adjective - ever present

grunge - noun - a style of rock music featuring raucous guitar and lazy vocal delivery. In fashion, it features loose clothing and ripped jeans. 

Sometimes I think I'm Oscar Wilde regenerated as I ascribe to his philosophy of Aestheticism: One should reflect art. Beauty should exist for the sake of beauty. Gosh, I'm dating myself by over a hundred years. If the actual Oscar were to come back to life for one day and attend a Broadway show where it is not unusual to see young audience members in shorts and flip flops, he would be astonished. 

The ubiquitous grunge that dominated fashion in the 1990s is still ubiquitous. It is said that Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs, and Alexander McQueen introduced grunge into the realm in the 1990s, and suddenly, "ugly" (baggy pants, dirty T's, ripped jeans and plaid flannel) became trendy. Groundbreaking (?). Yes, some thirty years ago, grunge entered stage left. And suddenly, anything remotely attractive, melodic, inspiring artistically exited stage right. 

Grunge was and is all about tasteless dressing down. Tasteful dressing up takes effort. Growing up, Gen X and Millennials received trophies for zero effort. Why wouldn't their clothes reflect their lackadaisical state of mind? Much to my dismay, because Gen X is now just the right age to stand on center stage and command the spotlight, the comfort and ease of ugliness and/or mediocrity will stick around for awhile. Millennials don't seem to have a problem with it,  probably because they were old enough to participate in the movement to an extent. (Remember Gothic? I do.) 

Personally, I am hoping the kids of Gen Alpha will push out ubiquitous grunge in their own journey to the center if only as a form of rebellion. Sadly, I may be dead by the time genuine beauty and stunning, artistic excellence make a comeback, and I pray that AI has nothing to do with it. Perhaps in thirty years, a futuristic version of Jessica Daves will stumble upon an antique suitcase in the last remaining Victorian home and open it to uncover a copy of Vogue from the 1950s. She'll want to share it with fashion designers and poof! The effort of elegance will be in style again.

As for music, I am still seeing young folks playing in jazz bands and genuinely enjoying the melodies known to occupy the American Songbook. A short while ago, I actually met a twenty-three-year-old male who told me just how much he loves Sinatra. So there is hope that quality will make a comeback. 

Okay. I'm allowed to dream. Aren't I? 

"Never, never, never give up." 

Thanks, Winston. 

#social commentary, #blog, #blogger, #personal essay, #writer , #grunge, #art, #fashion 

Sensationalism vs. Truth

 

sensationalism - noun - (in journalism) use of exciting or shocking stories or language at the expense of accuracy in order to provoke public interest (Google). 

Throughout history, journalistic sensationalism has played a huge, egregious role, and it is still omnipresent today. I don't know about you, but I have pretty much given up hope in ever coming face to face with one-hundred-percent accurate reportage from any one media source. Much of what you see and read on social media is completely erroneous. What can be considered "news" that I pay attention to I either witness myself or hear secondhand from valued friends who would never fall into a pot hole as deep as sensationalism. 

Case in point, this past Monday night, an award-winning storyteller, one of my closest SoCal pals,  someone with whom I attended undergraduate school, held about fifty barflies rapt with her personal account of the L.A. ICE protests back in June. She was one of about 10K peaceful protestors towards the front of the procession downtown. According to her eye-witness account, the news media ignored her and her benign colleagues in activism in favor of filming some one hundred whose anger and frustration caused them to torch a few Waymo electric cars on the side of the freeway. The media took an isolated incident and exploded it so that Americans throughout the country walked away from their screens with an inaccurate, negative impression of what was in actuality nothing like what was recorded on video. 

Three days after hearing my friend's story, I volunteered to serve food to homeless people in a Venice restaurant. I had not been called into Bread and Roses for at least a month as my services were not needed. What I witnessed yesterday with my own eyes amounted to a truth that reporters were not privy to. No matter what laws are bandied about in D.C., the homeless problem is not going away. From my perspective, it is getting worse. I served about 150 individuals, mainly young, white men, within three hours. Seriously, I didn't think they would stop coming. We were that busy. Ease-dropping on one conversation, I learned that although at least one of the many was actively looking for a job, he was not finding any. Hence, based on my own observations, I can infer that if you are reading that the economy is improving, just know that it isn't here in Los Angeles. 

The aforementioned examples are true. You won't find this kind of verity online or on TV. Whatever you experience yourself, you can believe. Don't be fooled by agencies who are just trying to make money by infiltrating reality with fantasy. 

Just sayin'. 

#social commentary, #blog, #blogger, #writing community, #truth, #sensationalism