Obscenity: You'll Know if When You See It

Never have I thought of an automobile as obscene. Until now. The Automobile Section for the August 29, 2010 Sunday edition of The New York Times contains a review of the 2010 Mercedes Benz E63 AMG. This car is nothing less than offensive. The $100,000 price tag isn't shocking. However, the car "burns $1 in gas every three or four miles" which translates to 9.5 miles per gallon. Is the Mercedes-Benz marketing team living in a cave?

I am not necessarily an ardent environmentalist, but I can't imagine what prompted development of this obscene machine. The market, high end included, clearly is interested in using less fuel, not more. Production of the E63 is absurd in the current climate. I can't imagine what the folks at Mercedes-Benz had in mind. I would imagine that some potential customers might think twice about purchasing a Mercedes-Benz at all. It definitely will impact my decision, and I happen to be in the market for a car.

In Jacobelis v. Ohio, 378 U.S.184 (1964), Justice Potter Stewart wrote a minority decision in a case deciding whether a particular film was "hardcore pornography." Justice Stewart stated that he could not intelligibly define hardcore pornography, but he would 'know it when he saw it.' There probably won't be many E63s on the road. However, if you happen to see one, think of Justice Stewart's statement.

Accepting Limitations

For most of my life, I suffered recurring, horrific colds and respiratory infections. My first bout of strep occurred when I was in the second grade. I missed most of the winter of grades 4 through 7 because of pneumonia. My mother would sit up with me nights while I experienced coughing fits. Eventually, I figured out how to function while ill. I remember driving from Manhattan to Hartford for a business meeting accompanied by a box of tissues, a bottle of seltzer and a box of Hall's cough drops. Finally, at the age of 48, I was diagnosed with an immune deficiency and immediately felt different in my own skin.

A friend recently discovered that she and her son lack a sufficient amount of a component in their blood called Von Willebrand factor. Von Willebrand factor enables blood to clot. This woman gave birth to two children and miscarried a third. Her son bruised easily in contact sports. It never occurred to anyone that there was a problem until the son had oral surgery recently. His failure to clot properly resulted in a diagnosis. All of the sudden, my friend and her son found themselves confronting the reality that they were, in fact, living with a flawed.


It feels slightly creepy to learn that you really have any type of non-visible disability. There is a sudden, yet invisible change. You are not who you thought you were; you deceived yourself. Instead of being a strong, healthy person, you are a person with a problem and the problem has a name. Those are two very different identities, and ours is a society in which weakness is not a positive. As always, self-acceptance remains a challenge.

Fall Fashion Economic Indicator

It's back to school time and I am busily refreshing the wardrobes of two teenaged girls. This is challenging, when style is comatose and the color palate is absolutely dead. I have been scouring malls and boutiques for the past two weeks, from high end to low end. There is absolutely nothing new or exciting on the racks. Literally. Palates are limited to grey and black, with a one muted color thrown in, depending on the line. J. Crew"s offerings followed the trend, with two mustard yellow pieces and a few pale heather pieces. The lines reflected design paralysis and depression. Even the attempt at infusing a lift through the use magenta by Anne Taylor Loft fell flat. Only the use of a lovely plum served to entice interest in a suit I saw in Lord & Taylor at the Westchester Mall.

Another noticeable trend was limited inventory. Vendors seem to be anticipating a market of unwilling buyers who will purchase only items that are absolutely needed. Interestingly, the shoe inventory seems to differ. The Aeresoles store was chock full of new designs and an array of fall colors. Thank heaven; we'll need a lift from drab grey. My survey has been entirely unscientific, but my impression is that retailers do not look forward to a successful season and are cutting their losses. If the tenor of the retail fashion market is correct, we are in for a bleak winter. Hopefully, we will see more positive signs in the spring.

Intolerance

Have you noticed that society is increasingly intolerant? A disturbing article in the August 6, 2010 New York Times reported on the campaign by the Dutch political leader, Geert Wilders to ban the Koran and impose a tax on head scarves. Does this remind anyone else of a certain dismal periods of history?

Americans interred Japanese residents. Germany rounded up Jews like cattle. Genocide was committed by the Tutsis against the Hutus in Rwanda. Scores of Muslims were killed by Serbs in Bosnia. The Shiites hate the Sunni. Now, we have all Westerners, both European and American, against all Muslims. Let's all get on the hate bandwagon!

There is a psychological comfort in the "us" versus "them" attitude. Viewing the world through the us/them lens makes for easy identity of the enemy. Trying to determine those individuals in the 'them' group who don't threaten the goals of 'us' is too hard. Directing vitriol toward an entire group is easy, yet so very dangerous. It lends credence to complaints of oppression and may entice some of 'them,' in this case Muslims, to return intolerance with intolerance, perhaps expressed through violence.

There is an undeniable basis for the conflicts among the Muslim and the Judeo Christian world. Indeed, the campaign of fundamentalist Islam is against Western Civilization. It brutalizes women and children. Peace with Israel is not even in the fundamentalist Muslim playbook. Wilders recognizes that Israel is the victim of fundamentalist Muslim brutality, because Israel serves as an easily bullied symbol of everything Western. However, the mistake lies in failing to understand that being Muslim and acceptance of a Judeo-Christian ethic are not mutually exclusive. Lumping all Muslims together in one big category of evil is overly simplistic and plain wrong. Distinguishing between fundamentalist, radical Islam and the more tolerant among the Muslim community is crucial. There are many peaceful, kind Muslims, even among observant Muslims and they need to come forward so that they can get well-deserved recognition and support.

Society needs to avoid the low road of hatred. Any tax or ban of religious garb, and certainly the ban of the Koran or bible in any country is absolutely unacceptable. Equally unacceptable are any violent attacks against anyone who criticizes either the Western or Muslim communities. As we tell children, use words, not fists, remembering always that words can be a source of healing. Wisdom often comes from the mouths of the simple and Rodney King, the robber who was caught and beaten by Los Angeles Police after a high speed chase, said it best when he posed the question: "Why can't we all just get along?" Even Anne Frank, in her diary, stated her belief that "...all people are basically good."

The Parent Trap

Parents constantly make decisions for their children. Making choices that affect someone else's future can be a frightening and intimidating responsibility. One wonders how and whether the choice will effect the child in the long term. Though life experience and educated advisors are helpful guides, it remains burdonsome to resolve murky areas for another person. The right path is often uncertain.

Some decisions are easily made, like providing food, shelter, clothes, medical care and an education. That's easy. The debatable issues, where one decision could be as right or wrong as another, invariably result in frustrating debates. Consider, for example, the decision to put a child on medication for ADHD. Medications carry risks, both known and unknown, but they also hold the promise of permitting a child to function optimally. On the other hand, the drugs don't always make a difference. It is one thing to make a choice for oneself, but quite another to make a decision for another person.

No one has all the answers. Circular debates must eventually yield a decision, and whatever decision is reached has to be accepted as the definitively right answer. Like any good corporate or government leader, being a parent requires inner resolve. In truth, though, the most any parent can do is make a best guess and assume an appearance confidence.

Criminals and Redemption

In The Joys of Yiddish, Leo Rosten defines chutzpah as the unmitigated gall, best illustrated by the example of a criminal defendant who has killed his mother and father, then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan. Yesterday's new York Times featured the stories of two criminals who bring chutzpah to new heights. As criminals go, each one of these men was accomplished.

Arthur Williams was 63 years old. He died when he lost control of the car he was driving in a high-speed police chase. At the time of his death, Williams reportedly had at least 134 convictions in the State of New York. He was imprisoned more or less continuously, between 1975 and 2009. The most recent release was granted , Williams suffered from emphysema and diabetes and was undergoing dialysis. He assured the parole board that he would not commit any more crimes, because it would kill him. Williams was married and moved to Alabama with his wife. He borrowed money from the Family Loan Company and made payments in person, but then, he robbed the place. The last spree involved a trip from Alabama to New York. Reconstruction of the trip showed that, prior to robbing a store on Madison Avenue, Williams had been in the vicinity of his childhood home in Hamilton Heights, New York, where his mother, aged 92, still lives. A dutiful son visiting his mom, perhaps?

Colton Harris-Moore is 19 years old. He gained renown as 'the barefoot bandit.' In comparison to Mr. Williams, Harris-Moore was incredibly sophisticated. In addition to robbing houses, Harris-Moore is accused of having stolen GPS navigation systems, laptop computers and airplanes. Harris-Moore, a 9th grade drop-out, was apprehended in the Bahamas on a stolen motor boat. Harris-Moore had spent two years on the run after an escape from a juvenile half-way house. One wonders at the contribution of his upbringing to this scenario. A sign outside the road leading to his mother's trailer says "Notice, if you go past this sign you will be shot." Neighbors reported that Pam Kohler, Harris-Moore's mother, does, in fact, shoot. Though neighbors reported that Harris-Moore continually sought parental substitutes he nonetheless stayed in continual contact with his mother while a fugitive. Mother and son were reported to have been in contact over the past two years, and the mother encouraged her son to go to a country that didn't have an extradition treaty with the United States. Just like a teen to disregard his mother's instruction.

Though they are both criminals, Williams and Harris-Moore are very different. Williams seems more of a lost soul. His mother is said to have remembered her son as a man who served G-d. Harris-Moore, on the other-hand, is a young man who was not served by our system. Child Protective services was involved with the family when Harris-Moore was a child. Redemption was obviously never possible for Williams. He threatened victims, but never hurt anyone. Perhaps he was essentially well meaning but addicted to something beyond his control. Harris-Moore is clearly brilliant and misguided. Hopefully the system will offer him a means toward redemption so that he can become a productive member of society. Clearly, he has the capacity. The example set by his mother, however, provides support for an argument in favor of requiring potential parents to become licensed before they produce a child.

Do Nothing

At the Equinox Fitness Club in Woodbury, New York, I have been taught the Tabata interval training and the High Intensity Interval Training ("HIIT") methods. Tabata, which was developed and studied by Dr. Izumi Tabata, involves 20 seconds of intense exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest. The intervals are repeated for a total of 8 cycles. Similarly, HIIT involves a 2:1 ratio of work to rest. Both methods have been shown to improve athletic performance and effectively burn fat. More important, though, is the life lesson these methods impart about the importance of recovery.

Kristen Gagne is the Group Fitness Director at the Woodbury Equinox and an instructor. In her classes, Kristen doesn't simply give directions. Instead, she educates. She explains what to do, how to do it and the purpose of the exercise. When using an interval training method, such as Tabata, Kristen constantly harps on the importance of the rest and recovery portion. "DO NOTHING," she shouts to a room of die hard, aggressive people. She tells us that the ability to recover quickly is the best indication of cardiovascular health, that anyone can spike a high heart rate, that we need to rest - blah blah blah -like telling so many teenagers to clean their rooms. Except that she is 100% correct.

Rest and recovery are as essential to well being as any all out effort. My life is a whirl of constant motion, driving here, driving there and then driving here all over again. Last week, though, I stopped. I went to the southwest coast of Bermuda and stayed at The Pompano Beach Club. The hotel optimizes every possible ocean view. From the room, I watched the fishing boats go out in the morning, single file, and solemnly return in the evening. I enjoyed the shallow ocean water. I sat and read a book. I did nothing.

During this vacation - or recovery process - Kristen's admonishments about recovery came to mind. Indeed, recovery can be more difficult than work and the ability to recover is an important skill. Because of a purposeful rest, I attacked my training early on Monday morning with renewed vigor. I have learned to appreciate the all out push, but also to respect the power of recovery.