Wiston Papers

Is it curating or is it stealing?

“You sure look busy today,” waitress Beverly noted as she poured coffee and watched John type away on his smartphone.

“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of work today...whew,” John wiped his brow, quickly sipped and returned to typing.

“What do you mean working?” I asked.

“I’m writing my blog,”  typing continues.

“You have a blog?  What’s it about?”  I wondered.

“Oh, I don’t know yet.  Haven’t decided.  But when I’m done I’ve got to tell everyone about it on Twitter,”  small beads of sweat beginn to form on John’s brow as he gulps more coffee.

“Wait a minute.  You’re telling me you have a blog, but you don’t have anything to write about?

“No,” John corrected. “I’m not telling you that.  You’ll have to wait and read it on Facebook.”

“So you’re friending me about something you’re writing but you haven’t decided what it’s about.” I feel a migraine coming on.

“You’re right.  I need a topic,” John looks up as if seeking divine inspiration. “I got it.  I’ll just post somebody’s else’s stuff.  That’s the ticket.  I’ll just curate for my blog.”

“Curate?  Isn’t just a fancy word for plagiarism?” I argued.

“Oh, heavens!”  John looked with a painful expression.  “I would never steal anything.  I’m just...uh...collecting and sharing.”

But, John, that’s wrong.  You can’t just...”

“After I curate my blog I should paste a picture of my topic to Instagram for everyone to see,”  John wiped his forehead with a napkin.

“A picture?”  I tried to intervene.  “How do you think that you can take a picture of someone else’s creation...”

“That’s true,” John began to come to senses I hoped. “I’ll also need to video it and upload it to YouTube, Vimeo, and maybe even CNN iReport.”  

“YouTube and CNN...?”

“Good point,”  John acknowledged, “I wonder if FOX News has a site for video, too?”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,”  as I leaned back to control myself and spilled coffee on my shirt.

“Great idea, thanks.  Listening...yes...I can get inspiration and content from Last FM.”

“Stop it, John!” I slammed my cup on the table spewing more coffee on my already soaked shirt.  “You have to post you’re own creations. Not other people’s ideas.  You’ve got lots of...uh...ideas. What about your Gay Marriage Counseling business...or...or...your campaign for Congress...and...and..you and your former lady friend were into nutritional food and healthy living, right?”

“Of course, LinkedIn, would be perfect for that,”  John is sweating profusely with droplets falling into his coffee.

“At last you’ve seen the light,”  I tried to relax.

“And I’ll use Foursquare to let all my followers and friends know that I’m here and you’re helping me.

“What!  Wait a minute...” I protested.

“I don’t know about Foursquare, boys,” Beverly dropped off the bill.  “But Two Squares here seems about right.”

Steve Coon

September 15, 2012

Wiston Papers

Remembering 9/11

At 6:00 Tuesday morning an American Airlines plane takes off on a trip to history.  Its journey will end 46 minutes later in a moment forever seared into the collective memory of virtually every American alive that day.  Only the very young are spared the horror of recollection.

September 11, 2001 changed America.  Terrorists have hijacked American Airlines flight 11 and aimed it at the north tower of the World Trade Center.  Seventeen more minutes and a second plane, United Airlines 175,  rips  into the south tower.  The Pentagon is the third target...struck by American Airlines 77 at 9.40.  The last commandeered aircraft, United 93, smashes into a Pennsylvania field just moments after 10 o’clock.

In nine and one-half hours the entire World Trade Center collapses piece by piece, four airplanes destroyed,  and nearly 3,000 persons perished.

I had just walked into the journalism building at Iowa State University when someone told me the news.  I didn’t believe it.  Just as I did not the believe the moment when I learned of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 or the attempt on Ronald Reagan’s life in 1981.

Too many evil acts this September morning have left a wounded nation paralyzed.  We are huddled around the TV set that carries the unbelievable images.  Everyone is silent, transfixed.

What do I do?  I’m scheduled to teach my classes.  But no one cares about anything that day but the attacks, death and destruction.  This is a moment of history...a moment of grief...of shared emotions.  That’s how we held class that day...the day after that...and for many other days.  Talking and sharing.

But reporters are supposed to plow through tragedies and try to make sense of the moment.   Even amid tears, anger, sorrow, and disbelief.  How can I help these young journalists both cover a story and deal with their pain?  

I have no doubt that I did little more than listen and respond.  Our answer was to take our microphones, cameras, notepads and humanity and interview fellow students, faculty, staff and friends.  But we listened more than we talked, we recorded instead of interrogated.  We were community instead of adversaries....fellow Americans as often as we were reporters.

We all were changed. Many of my students have remained in the business to this day.  I know that they are working and thinking of that moment eleven years ago and how they changed.  Other students chose another career path.  But their recollections, too, mirror the thoughts and feelings of their former classmates.   

Every September is a painful reminder of how America lost her sense of security, realized her vulnerability, responded with both anger and compassion, sometimes with vengence and foregiveness, and often with discrimination and tolerance.

I hope, however, the passage of time has made us more reflective as a nation and people.  I hope that the intervening years have allowed us to realize that evil in the world is not the domain of a single religion, nationality, race or philosophy.  All Americans were changed on September 11.  Not a resident of this nation was untouched by those events.  

Not all of the changes, I know, have been positive. We have lost some of our innocence and naivete.  Our world now is obsessed with more security and we’ve relinquished some of our freedom as a price.  Some Americans are less tolerant of divergent opinions, which was not the dream of our founding mothers and fathers.   And too many of are quick to blame the “other” for our problems.

Yet I still love America and her people.  September 11, 2001 did not change that.  Despite the solemnity of this date I remain optimistic about the essential goodness of human beings. I truly believe that we are a better country and people than before September 11, 2001.  That thought comforts me as the years pass.  

Steve Coon

September 11, 2012

Wiston Papers

Seeking answers to life and meaning

There are certain mysteries that remain beyond our understanding and by their very imponderable nature grip us with a craving for answers.  Is there a God or other divine power?  Is there intelligent life in the universe?  Will CNN and FOX News accurately report who won the presidential election on the night of  November 06?

The ubiquity of life in nearly innumerable forms is testimony to the marvelous diversity of carbon-based organisms to survive, adapt, change and proliferate.  To the human mind it seems inconceivable that this drive by the building blocks of live to rearrange themselves in ever increasingly complex forms is pure happenstance.  Rather, the very insistence  of life to duplicate itself and pass its genetic blueprint and occasional adaptive mutations to succeeding generations certainly implies presence of divine guidance.

It may be, in fact, that existence is pure chance.  But we human beings are compelled by our nature to make sense out of our universe and seek some answer to the question of Why?  Is there an answer?  Or are humans limited in our ability to accept the randomness of life when our minds refuse to accept the premise “is this all there is?”

The current Mars rover Curiosity is aptly named.  It’s mission is to seek evidence that life ever existed on the Red Planet.  It’s an ambitious project and one that scientists and lay observers hope will provide at least some strong clues to that probability if not concrete proof.  Many scientists believe that Mars once was hospitable to life whether it ever supported it.  And recent studies of meteor fragments that crashed into Earth strongly suggest that extraterrestrial building blocks of life were hitchhikers.  Perhaps from Mars eons ago.

Author Robert Macfarlane in The Wild Places provides a beautifully poetic description of how nature tantalyzingly hints of a divine blueprint and purpose.  

Michael Pollan in The Botany of Desire implies a synergistic almost sensient relationship between humans and domesticated plants as both species have traversed the world evolving and adapting to changing environments along the way.

Steve Johnson in Where Good Ideas Come From paints a strong portrayal of exaptation among living organisms--the seemingly conscious adaptation of pre-existing features  for new purposes in new environments.  Each writer presents vivid accounts of the diversity of life and its persistence to survive.  Is there an imperative for existence beyond simply assuring future generations?

Perhaps it is the hubris of homosapiens that we refuse to believe that our place on Earth is simply to produce more human beings.  Surely our intellectual achievements argue for a purpose greater than just procreation and reproduction.  We have tamed our environment, molded it to our desires.  We create poetry, we sculpt and paint, we compose music, we explore the secrets of science and medicine, we have escaped the gravitational pull of Earth and ventured to the Moon and Mars.  There must be some reason we as a species can do this?  What is it?

Some answers will emerge in time.  Others await for our children and grandchildren to discover.  Their descendents, in turn, will unravel even more mysteries.  Each generation should rejoice that it is alive to marvel at the discoveries that lie ahead.  With each answer new questions arise--awaiting the exploration that impels human beings to understand.

As for CNN and FOX News, fortunately, we have fewer than 60 days to learn the answer to that question.

Steve Coon

September 09, 2012

Wiston Papers

I don't do much, but I speak well.

President Barack Obama gives a great speech.  He’s charismatic, he’s stirring, he’s inspirational.  You could see that Thursday at the 2012 Democratic Party National Convention.  Unfortunately for America he’s a poor president and his words ring hollow.  Let's examine his rhetoric and deeds.

Four years ago he said at the Democratic National Convention. “Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.

That was true in 2008 and it’s still true today.  Obama failed to make things better.

Four years ago Mr. Obama said “Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.”

That was his promise 2008 and he repeated it this year. Why?  Because Obama failed to make things better.

Four years Mr. Obama said,  “I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.”

That was his promise 2008 and he repeated it  this year.  Why?  Because  Obama failed to make things better.

Four years ago Mr. Obama said,  “I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.  I will cut taxes - cut taxes - for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.”

That was his promise 2008 and he repeated it this year. Why? Because  Obama failed to make things better.

Four years ago Mr. Obama said  “I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars.”

That was his promise 2008 and he repeated it  this year.  Why?  Because  Obama failed to make things better.

Four years ago Mr. Obama promised  “Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance. I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American - if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.”

That was his promise 2008 and he repeated it  this year.  Why?  Because he failed to do that in the past four years.

Four years ago Mr. Obama promised this “Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime - by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy.”

That was his promise 2008 and he repeated it  this year.  Why?  Because he failed to do that in the past four years.

Four years ago Mr. Obama promised to bring change to Washington.  “You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.”

That was his promise 2008 but today our nation’s capital is more partisan than ever and the Washington's modus operandi is more entrenched than ever.

Mr. Obama fulfilled one campaign promise---he pushed through major health care legislation.  One kept promise; so many broken ones.

The president gives a great speech but does not deliver.   His words soar; but his promises crash.   He raises our hopes; but gives us despair.  

Four years ago I voted for change and cast my ballot for Mr. Obama.  I’m still waiting.  So this year I’m giving my support to Mitt Romney.

Will Governor Romney do a better job?  I don’t know.  But I’ll give him a chance.  I already gave Mr. Obama an opportunity and he’s shown what he’s capable of.  Nothing.

Steve Coon

September 06, 2012

Wiston Papers

Another fine mess you got me into

Taxdoger the Impotent is seated next to Vice President Gaffe-a-Day Plagiarist at the Democratic Party National Convention.

“Do you think we’ll win?”  asked The Impotent.

“Of course,” replied Gaffe-a-Day Plagiarist.  “Thanks to that Stimulus Package I engineered, we’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“You didn’t do that,” responded The Impotent.  “I was responsible for that.  I’m the Secretary of the Treasury.”

“Are you sure?” responded Gaffe-a-Day Plagiarist.  “It says right here on my resume that I pushed that through right after I was the first in my family to go to college and my ancestors emerged from the mines in northeast Pennsylvania and played football.”

“No, no, no.”  The Impotent corrects.  “That was British Politician Neil Kinnock who said that in 1987.  Haven’t you scratched that from your biography yet?”

“The American people will vote for President Obama and me because we have unshackled the chains and freed the plantations for the Middle Class through my initiative,” boasted Gaffe-a-Day Plagiarist.

“OMG are you really going to say that on the campaign trail…again?” reacted The Impotent nervously.  “And you do not get credit for our Housing Initiative.  That was me.  It has to do with money so that’s my department.

“Well, what about the 13 million Americans I helped put back to work?”  argued Gaffe-a-Day Plagiarist.  “According to my resume here, I…”

“Damn it,  we didn’t find jobs for 13 million people,” The Impotent exploded.  “They’re still out of work.”

“That can’t be true,” claimed Gaffe-a-Day Plagiarist.  “I specifically remember saving the Automobile Industry sometime in the past four years.  That alone should have employed…”

“Look, if anyone deserves credit it’s me for my arm twisting the Big Banks to free up money for New Businesses and  correcting the Foreclosure Crisis,”  smiled  The Impotent.

“Yeah, those Monthly Jobs Numbers don’t look so hot on your watch.  And aren’t these your same  Big Bank friends  who allowed  homeowners to overextend themselves?”  challenged Gaffe-a-Day Plagiarist.

“Uh…well…”

And aren’t these your same Big Bank friends who took big risks then needed a hugh Financial Baleout from us?”

“But you don’t…”

“And when your Big Bank friends financial institutions were going down the drain, begged for a handout, then turned around and give obscene Bonuses.  Or did you miss that while preparing your income tax returns?”

“Uh…uh…well…hm…”

“Yeah, I’d say you handled that pretty well.  It looks as if your arm twisting was more like hand shaking,” Gaffe-a-Day Plagiarist smiled broadly, tucked at his suit and leaned back in his chair.

“Gentlemen, may I join you?” asked Secretary of State Clinton.  “I see I arrived just in time.”

“Yes, just in time to settle a debate between me and Gaffe-a-Day Plagiarist,” The Impotent pleaded as he leaned toward Mrs. Clinton.

“Oh, hush now boys,” calmed the Secretary of State as she patted both men on their arms.  “I’m just here to listen to my husband explain how we’re Better Off Today than Four Years Ago.”

The Impotent and Gaffe-a-Day Plagiarist exchange surprised looks with open jaws.  “But how can he possibly say…

“Bubba is going to tell America that we should reelect Barack because he followed my husband’s example of Performance, Truth and Morality in office.”

Steve Coon

September 04, 2012

Wiston Papers

Is it tailgating or ...

“I see the football season has begun,” Beverly smiled as she poured the day’s coffee special and walked back to her counter.

“Yea, go Cyclones,” John pumped his fist in the air.

“You’re in a great mood,” I noted and took my first coffee sip.

“What’s to be unhappy about,” John enthused.  “It was a beautiful day, great crowds, cheerful noise, lots of enthusiasm,  plenty to eat and drink, great running, passing and catching.  Just perfect.”

“Wow you really liked the first game,” I acknowledged.

“What game?  No way, dude, I’m talking about the tailgating.”

“Wait a minute,” I reacted as my draw dropped. “The tailgating?  What about the game?

“Game?  Heck no.  We didn’t bother with that,” John explained as he gulped his coffee and leaned forward.  "The tailgate is where the action is, man.  You get to the stadium parking lot hours before kickoff wearing your school colors...”

“OK, but...”

“Everyone sets up their grills, hibachis or whatever new fangled cooking apparatus they have...”

“I’ve heard about the food, however,...”

“Out come the coolers with beer, soft drinks, wine, other liquid refreshments...”

“Heavy drinking,” I agreed, “but isn’t that a excessive before...”

“The kids grab their footballs and frisbees and start tossing them around...

“Yeah, the pre-game games sound like fun, but...”

“Then the big tents go up for receptions, alumni gatherings, all types of merchants selling game items.”

“Hm...money-making on the side,”  It dawned on me.  “Then the actual game starts in the stadium and...”

“Right,” John smiled, swallowed and leaned back, “then the real fun begins.”

“Real fun?”

“Sure, bro.  The crowds disappear and we real football tailgaters have the whole parking lot to ourselves."

“What do you mean...” I was afraid to ask.

“Do...do?” John sounded incredulous.  “Why we wonder from tent to tent, truck to truck, hatchback to hatchback.  We break open more brews, sample other people’s barbecued ribs, grilled chicken, hot dogs, you name it.”

“You don’t go to the actual football game?” I pressed.

“No, but...”

“You never enter the stadium?” I challenged

“Uh...well...” John retreated.

“You don’t even have a ticket do you?”  I advanced.

“You don’t understand, it’s...” John tried to recover.

“No, No.  I get it all right.  You just show up at a party or a wedding with no interest in the reason for it,” I saw my advantage.

“Wait...”

“You’re party crashers.”

“It’s not like that...” John weakly tried to counter.

“You’re hangers on with no real purpose.”

“Hey...”

“Leisure lizards who arrive for fun but no responsibility,”

“Now just a darn minute...”

“You’re dung beetles who drop in after the horses do their duty and the parade moves on.”

“Dung beetles?  How can you...”

“You arrive early, stay too long, and leave late.  Really, John, what in the world are you people doing there?  You show up, but never go to the game?

“It’s a tradition that...”

“It’s scary.  You people are scary. Really, scary.  You’re beverage beggars, hotdog hoboes, sports stalkers,” clearly feeling the effects of my caffeine rush.  "You're alumni aliases, fraud fans.  You people should really get a life.”

          “You don’t...”

“How’re we doing, sports fans?” Beverly asked as she brought a final round of coffee and the bill.

“John’s picking up this week’s tab,” I stood up “from the money he saved by not buying a ticket to the football game.”

Wait, that’s not fair...” John attempted.

“Don’t feel bad about it, John, “Beverly comforted.  “At least you know we won, right, right?  Oh, maybe not.  I forgot,”  Beverly joked  “you get all your news from CNN and FOX news.  OK, so here’s what really happened...”

Steve Coon

September 02, 2012