Friday, October 27, 2017
Notes On The Sharing Of News
By: Donovan Baldwin
When we read, or listen to, the "news" it's easy to believe the world is going to Hell in a handbasket.
What the "news" leaves out, or fails to report on, is the millions of kind and wonderful and exciting things that happen every day.
Social media has a failing.
Anybody who wants to say anything can, and, often when they do, as the "news" does, they tell us all the horrible and nasty things about us humans.
Still, among and around all that, there's all the good news, the exciting developments, the progress, the kindnesses and good will that the "ordinary people" on social media sites care about, share, and express.
I hear of people getting burned out from all the negativity on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites, and, I get it. I have lived with a news junkie, and I got to where I just didn't want to hear of one more senseless act of violence or evil.
Finally, I decided to look at the world around me, and within myself, with a different goal in mind.
There's plenty of people telling us about the bad. So, sometimes it takes a little mindful looking and thinking to find the good, but, as I look and think, I find it.
Humans have done terrible things for millennia, and that's nothing to be proud of.
Yet, we've also managed to reach for stars, save lives, and, in places, made the world better. I'm good with that sort of thought, and news.
What the "news" leaves out, or fails to report on, is the millions of kind and wonderful and exciting things that happen every day.
Social media has a failing.
Anybody who wants to say anything can, and, often when they do, as the "news" does, they tell us all the horrible and nasty things about us humans.
Still, among and around all that, there's all the good news, the exciting developments, the progress, the kindnesses and good will that the "ordinary people" on social media sites care about, share, and express.
I hear of people getting burned out from all the negativity on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites, and, I get it. I have lived with a news junkie, and I got to where I just didn't want to hear of one more senseless act of violence or evil.
Finally, I decided to look at the world around me, and within myself, with a different goal in mind.
There's plenty of people telling us about the bad. So, sometimes it takes a little mindful looking and thinking to find the good, but, as I look and think, I find it.
Humans have done terrible things for millennia, and that's nothing to be proud of.
Yet, we've also managed to reach for stars, save lives, and, in places, made the world better. I'm good with that sort of thought, and news.
Labels: bad news, donovan baldwin, Facebook, good news, LinkedIn, news, social media
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Thoughts On The Meaning Of Words
By: Donovan Baldwin
I think that most of us agree that words have meanings. The problem I have seen over my seven-plus decades on this Earth is that we tend to assign more meaning to certain words, nouns and verbs, and words that agree with our thoughts.
I don't know how many times I have seen big blow-ups over some statement, that was quoted over and over, but, without all the words that came with it, "what if", "could it be", "I suppose it's possible", and, "maybe", just to name a few.
People wonder, people speculate, people theorize possibilities (It's sometimes called "thinking", even "thinking out loud"...hmmmm.)
Anyway, they often do this, we all do this, without really meaning that the speculation whidh follows the modifying phrase, "maybe", and so on, be taken as our final and absolute say-so on any given subject.
Headlines, whether in the "news", or printed on images, are short to grab the reader's attention, and provoke interest. They seldom are meant to instruct or define.
So, if you see something on a social media site, or in the news, that sounds like a headline...it probably is...and, it's goal is NOT to inform, but, to hook your interest.
However, if you want to know the facts behind the headline, you'll have to do some "due diligence" and find out what actually was said or intended.
Do this a few times, and you might be surprised how many headlines don't really tell the truth.
I don't know how many times I have seen big blow-ups over some statement, that was quoted over and over, but, without all the words that came with it, "what if", "could it be", "I suppose it's possible", and, "maybe", just to name a few.
People wonder, people speculate, people theorize possibilities (It's sometimes called "thinking", even "thinking out loud"...hmmmm.)
Anyway, they often do this, we all do this, without really meaning that the speculation whidh follows the modifying phrase, "maybe", and so on, be taken as our final and absolute say-so on any given subject.
Headlines, whether in the "news", or printed on images, are short to grab the reader's attention, and provoke interest. They seldom are meant to instruct or define.
So, if you see something on a social media site, or in the news, that sounds like a headline...it probably is...and, it's goal is NOT to inform, but, to hook your interest.
However, if you want to know the facts behind the headline, you'll have to do some "due diligence" and find out what actually was said or intended.
Do this a few times, and you might be surprised how many headlines don't really tell the truth.
Labels: donovan baldwin, headlines, meanings of words, news, social media, telling the truth, words
Wednesday, October 04, 2017
News, Information, And Knowledge
By: Donovan Baldwin
News is important. Information is important. Knowledge is important.
Most of us cannot "manufacture" knowledge, we have to arrive at it by keeping up with news and information. But, there are a lot of people on the internet who are manufacturing "news" and "information".
There are websites which specialize in publishing parodies of real news.
In other words, fake news.
There are websites where people can publish almost any story they like...even here.
Many of these websites are very professional looking, and some even mimic "real" news and information sites.
That's bad enough, but, compounding the problem are those people who don't check the validity of the story they are reading or sharing, or the reliability of the site...many of which state on their home page that they publish parodies of the news.
Believing what you see on these so-called "news" sites is the same as believing a Saturday Night Live comedy routine is news.
Another problem is, that once it's on the internet, true or false, the story assumes its own life, grows its own followers, and, is promoted and passed to friends on social media and through email, by others who either do not know it's false, or don't care.
Do the legwork, folks. Do your "due diligence".
Before you post or re-post, check to see it that "information" and "news" that you like or hate so much, is actually the truth.
Most of us cannot "manufacture" knowledge, we have to arrive at it by keeping up with news and information. But, there are a lot of people on the internet who are manufacturing "news" and "information".
There are websites which specialize in publishing parodies of real news.
In other words, fake news.
There are websites where people can publish almost any story they like...even here.
Many of these websites are very professional looking, and some even mimic "real" news and information sites.
That's bad enough, but, compounding the problem are those people who don't check the validity of the story they are reading or sharing, or the reliability of the site...many of which state on their home page that they publish parodies of the news.
Believing what you see on these so-called "news" sites is the same as believing a Saturday Night Live comedy routine is news.
Another problem is, that once it's on the internet, true or false, the story assumes its own life, grows its own followers, and, is promoted and passed to friends on social media and through email, by others who either do not know it's false, or don't care.
Do the legwork, folks. Do your "due diligence".
Before you post or re-post, check to see it that "information" and "news" that you like or hate so much, is actually the truth.
Labels: donovan baldwin, due diligence, fake news, information, knowledge, life lesson, news, social media sites
Friday, March 16, 2007
Who Will Rid Me Of This Meddlesome Priest?
Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin
It was late in the year 1170 when Henry II of England supposedly uttered the famous words which have come to us as, "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" Actually, no one really knows the exact words spoken, but the idea was apparently conveyed in some similar language. Supposedly, the statement was preceded by something similar to, "What sluggards, what cowards have I brought up in my court, who care nothing for their allegiance to their lord."
Whatever the exact words, the idea put forth by the king with such fervor was enough to encourage four knights who were with Henry in France, to take horse, cross the channel, and ride to Canterbury cathedral where they found Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, taking refuge at the altar. There, on the afternoon of December 29, apparently believing they were acting on the wishes of their liege lord, they brutally hacked at him until he was dead.
Throughout history, and at all levels of power, words and wishes of those in positions of authority, even words and wishes not specifically defined but merely implied, have often been translated by others as statements of fact or even as direct orders.
Whenever I hear of people taking it upon themselves to manufacture a standing structure out of an illogical (sorry Spock) pile of rubble, I remember a cold morning in Germany when two young soldiers approached me and asked, "Sergeant Baldwin. Are we going to have an alert?"
For those of you who never knew the joy of getting a phone call at two in the morning and hearing a gruff voice on the other end say, "We're on alert! Grab all your gear and get here now!", it was, and probably still is, something to be expected by any soldier stationed overseas, and many in the States. At that ungodly hour, the real thrill was kissing your loved ones good-bye as you headed out the door, not knowing if, as everybody wanted to know, "the balloon's gone up for real" this time.
Back to the cold morning in Germany. I tried to answer as noncommittally as possible, "Well, I don't really know, but they normally call one a month and we haven't had one yet this month. It's been about a month since the last one." I shrugged my shoulders and went on about my business. A few hours later, I overheard one soldier tell another, "Sergeant Baldwin says there's going to be an alert tomorrow." A little later, the company First Sergeant wanted to know why I was telling the troops we were going to have an alert. My protestations of innocence must have really seemed untruthful when the next morning the battalion to which our company was assigned, called an alert.
I believe the First Sergeant believed me, although some of the soldiers seemed to take my denials with a grain of salt and a knowing grin. What is important to note is that the First Sergeant knew that I had this disgusting habit of telling the truth, particularly when it would have saved certain portions of my skin if I had lied just a little bit!
Based on this and other events in my life, I long ago learned to be very cautious of what I said and how I said it in certain situations. I am sure that the President, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Trump, and the local mayor have all learned this lesson long ago. Therefore, when executive officers of companies both major and minor, and political office holders and bureaucrats disclaim knowledge of or participation in certain activities or events such as the mass firing of a large number of employees, the revelation of supposedly secret information, or the redeployment of resources to new areas for unknown or illogical reasons, I find myself going back to square one.
In square one is the basic question: How honest and reliable has this individual proven himself or herself to be?
As very often happens today, particularly in the political arena, many officials do not have a good track record. In fact, it often seems as if many "knights" have jumped on horses and crossed the channel to rid their bosses of some "meddlesome priest". While they at least might have been acting from the highest motives and in the belief that they were fulfilling the desires of their boss, I wonder how often the boss made sure that his or her unvoiced desires and wishes were loud enough to be heard.
About the Author
Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.
Learn how you can save hundreds of dollars with do-it-yourself legal forms and software at http://www.legal-forms-supermarket.com/ .
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
--
It was late in the year 1170 when Henry II of England supposedly uttered the famous words which have come to us as, "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" Actually, no one really knows the exact words spoken, but the idea was apparently conveyed in some similar language. Supposedly, the statement was preceded by something similar to, "What sluggards, what cowards have I brought up in my court, who care nothing for their allegiance to their lord."
Whatever the exact words, the idea put forth by the king with such fervor was enough to encourage four knights who were with Henry in France, to take horse, cross the channel, and ride to Canterbury cathedral where they found Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, taking refuge at the altar. There, on the afternoon of December 29, apparently believing they were acting on the wishes of their liege lord, they brutally hacked at him until he was dead.
Throughout history, and at all levels of power, words and wishes of those in positions of authority, even words and wishes not specifically defined but merely implied, have often been translated by others as statements of fact or even as direct orders.
Whenever I hear of people taking it upon themselves to manufacture a standing structure out of an illogical (sorry Spock) pile of rubble, I remember a cold morning in Germany when two young soldiers approached me and asked, "Sergeant Baldwin. Are we going to have an alert?"
For those of you who never knew the joy of getting a phone call at two in the morning and hearing a gruff voice on the other end say, "We're on alert! Grab all your gear and get here now!", it was, and probably still is, something to be expected by any soldier stationed overseas, and many in the States. At that ungodly hour, the real thrill was kissing your loved ones good-bye as you headed out the door, not knowing if, as everybody wanted to know, "the balloon's gone up for real" this time.
Back to the cold morning in Germany. I tried to answer as noncommittally as possible, "Well, I don't really know, but they normally call one a month and we haven't had one yet this month. It's been about a month since the last one." I shrugged my shoulders and went on about my business. A few hours later, I overheard one soldier tell another, "Sergeant Baldwin says there's going to be an alert tomorrow." A little later, the company First Sergeant wanted to know why I was telling the troops we were going to have an alert. My protestations of innocence must have really seemed untruthful when the next morning the battalion to which our company was assigned, called an alert.
I believe the First Sergeant believed me, although some of the soldiers seemed to take my denials with a grain of salt and a knowing grin. What is important to note is that the First Sergeant knew that I had this disgusting habit of telling the truth, particularly when it would have saved certain portions of my skin if I had lied just a little bit!
Based on this and other events in my life, I long ago learned to be very cautious of what I said and how I said it in certain situations. I am sure that the President, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Trump, and the local mayor have all learned this lesson long ago. Therefore, when executive officers of companies both major and minor, and political office holders and bureaucrats disclaim knowledge of or participation in certain activities or events such as the mass firing of a large number of employees, the revelation of supposedly secret information, or the redeployment of resources to new areas for unknown or illogical reasons, I find myself going back to square one.
In square one is the basic question: How honest and reliable has this individual proven himself or herself to be?
As very often happens today, particularly in the political arena, many officials do not have a good track record. In fact, it often seems as if many "knights" have jumped on horses and crossed the channel to rid their bosses of some "meddlesome priest". While they at least might have been acting from the highest motives and in the belief that they were fulfilling the desires of their boss, I wonder how often the boss made sure that his or her unvoiced desires and wishes were loud enough to be heard.
About the Author
Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.
Learn how you can save hundreds of dollars with do-it-yourself legal forms and software at http://www.legal-forms-supermarket.com/ .
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
--
Labels: Becket, Canterbury, current events, Henry II, history, news, politics
