Do You Want Fries with That?

Education for a High Technology Workforce

I absolutely love fast food. Back in the day when my metabolic system actually functioned, my standard fare included a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, large Fries, 8-piece McNuggets with barbecue and mustard sauce, and a large Coke. While studying abroad at Mansfield College, Oxford I even made it a point to taste this combination in Oxford, London, Cambridge, Bath and Stratford-Upon-Avon -- just so I could say my love of Quarter Pounders with Cheese demonstrated my taste in foreign cuisine.

But after reading about today's unemployment figure climbing back up to 9% and then learning that of the 244,000 jobs created last April, 62,000 (a full 25%) of those positions are at McDonald's; it continues to make it difficult to explain to my college students why they and their parents are financing such a fortune for a college degree.

Hooray for McDonald's for operating a great business that provides a fantastic service. This is welcome news for those young persons needing that first job. Young person unemployment is reportedly around 25%. But I hope all of those college-educated economists that decide administration policy and regulations will use this information to guide their thoughts on the effectiveness of their designs.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report, 51,000 jobs were created in the area of Professional and Business Services during the same period. Given this month's college graduation ceremonies that will inject an estimated 1.75 Million new graduates into the system, those policy makers may wish to choose a different approach. Unless this situation is unfolding exactly according to plan. My university offers courses in comparative philosophy and comparative religion. I'm assuming our leaders have studied comparative economic theory. As a science major I took a course in Political Systems & Ideologies over twenty years ago. While others often complain about the liberal arts, I acutely remember the concepts covered in this class. And I am currently witnessing their application.

Fair Winds and Following Seas

Navy to Christen USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112)

(From the Navy News Service)
The Navy will christen the newest guided-missile destroyer, Michael Murphy, Saturday May 7 during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine.

The new destroyer honors Navy SEAL (Sea, Air, Land) Lt. Michael P. Murphy who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan June 28, 2005.

Murphy led a four-man team tasked with finding a key Taliban leader in the mountainous terrain near Asadabad, Afghanistan, when they came under fire from a much larger enemy force with superior tactical position. Mortally wounded while exposing himself to enemy fire, Murphy knowingly left his position of cover to get a clear signal in order to communicate with his headquarters. While being shot at repeatedly, Murphy calmly provided his unit's location and requested immediate support for his element. He returned to his cover position to continue the fight until finally succumbing to his wounds.

Designated DDG 112, Michael Murphy, the 62nd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Michael Murphy will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and will contain a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime warfare in keeping with "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower."

USS Michael Murphy DDG 112 ship's crest

Shield: The shape is taken from the shield on the New York shield to indicate Michael Murphy's home state. Navy blue and gold are the traditional colors of the Navy and the shield is divided by a chevron which symbolizes the ship on a dark blue sea horizoned by a starry sky which here is the light blue chief with seven white stars that recalls the Medal Of Honor colors with the stars elluding to the ship's and the SEAL Team operations across the Seven Seas. The Maltese Cross stands as recognition of the FDNY Engine Company 43 which was used as inspiration for LT Murphy's SEAL Team and tied his motivation to the events of 9-11. The flaming sword of Michael the Archangel, for whom he is named and the Spartan shield are reflective of his fateful battle and SEAL ethos. The purple detail line on the sword, double saltire and chevron reversed on the Spartan shield is representative of the Purple Heart awarded to the 20 Americans who were part of Operation RED WINGS and all the service men and women who have sacrificed for their country. The Medal Of Honor, the nation's highest declaration for valor, draped as being worn by LT Murphy , is a reminder of his ultimate sacrifice for his Teammates and his being the first Medal Of Honor recipient from the war in Afghanistan and the first Navy recipient since the Vietnam War.

Crest: the rolled and turned Red, White and Blue Ribbon honors the patriotic service of the SEAL Teams since their formation, surmounted here by the SEAL Trident which LT Murphy was proud to wear.

Supports: The sword and the cutlass represent the officers and crew of the USS Michael Murphy.

Motto: A Navy blue scroll bordered and turned gold and forming the initials M and M are a tribute to the ship's namesake and his mother Maureen Murphy and inscribed "LEAD THE FIGHT" in gold letters.

May God bless and keep all who serve on the USS Michael Murphy!!

Of Ignorance and Bliss

Outsmarted by a Gadget, Again.

Today, May 4th, is special for a couple of reasons. Of course it is Star Wars Day. "May the 4th Be With You". It is also special in my little corner of the universe as it is the day SiriusXM satellite radio shuffled its channel assignments to bring the merged services into concert. It was very inconvenient and I'm sure costly to have a single broadcast feed that had to announce and advertise its channel assignments on the previously separate networks.

Folks that know me in real life constantly get assailed by enthusiasm for my satellite radio. The thought of not having the correct presets on my little unit this morning prompted me to visit the SiriusXM website and jot down the new channel assignments. Much like setting the clocks for Daylight Saving Time at bedtime rather than 2 am, I took the time to reassign the presets last night so that I would not have to fiddle with the unit during my morning commute.  Three of my ten presets could not be changed as the new channels were currently unused or not part of my subscription. Those channels I planned to change in the morning during breakfast.

So first thing this morning I powered up the unit to marvel at my handy work and was greeted by a French-speaking announcer. Whoa.  Must have made a mistake. After some short hopping through my presets I realized the smart little unit migrated its presets to the new channels automatically. The three that I could not change last night were correct and the seven that I did were most definitely off my listening preference reservation. A return to the list and another seven preset assignments later my world was right again. It didn't ask me to press OK and it didn't alert me. It just performed the necessary function.

If I had not messed with it, all things would have been well. I probably would not have even noticed the change in channel number as I often refer to the channel by name. I'm sure the mystery of the nomadic channels would have turned up sometime in the future, but I'm not sure the time spent attempting to manage the event was worth it. I guess the adage holds true - It is much better to act and ask forgiveness than to ask permission and never act. If it is the right thing to do, the forgiveness is rarely required.

Double Your Failure Rate

A Leader is not Defined by their Followers

This past week Atlas Shrugged producer John Aglialoro told the New York Times, "Critics, you won," adding, "I'm having deep second thoughts on why I should do Part 2." Given a release on only 299 screens and the reality of openly hostile critics of such a conservative/libertarian free market opus from Ayn Rand, I'm surprised it was seen by as many people as it was.

Published in 1957, it has taken over 50 years for this classic tale to make it onto the big screen and Mr. Aglialoro is contemplating failure only two weeks after the film has been released? Oh my.

How long did it take Hank Rearden to perfect the alloy recipe for Rearden Metal? How long did it take John Galt to create his new motor? How long did it take for Ayn Rand to develop her philosophy of Objectivism? Even getting this movie to the screen took Mr. Aglialoro 20 years.

Some things are ahead of their time. Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center invented the desktop PC in the mid 1970s but shelved it. Steve Job's NeXT Computer used an optical CD-ROM drive, but it failed. MySpace was to create an entirely new discipline of Social Media. Star Trek the Original Series used the Floppy Disk, the Flip Phone and the Tricorder handheld smart device -- in 1966.

A few days later Mr. Aglialoro suggested he should spend more money on traditional advertising before he pulls the plug on Episodes II & III. Perhaps we simply need to wait until more folks realize the folly of centralized government control.

Related articles

• Hollywood Shrugged (reason.com)
• Atlas Shrugged 'Part 1' Coming to DVD and Blu-Ray this Fall (prweb.com)
• Who Is John Galt and Why Is He on Lululemon Bags? (slate.com)

Justice is Served

Congratulations and gratitude to all those who choose to serve.

A Victimless Time

A Rare Celebration of Excellence

My daily commute inserts me among a throng of automobiles between 6:00 am and 7:00 am Eastern Standard Time. As I often proselytize to everyone within earshot, my XM satellite radio provides literally hours of enjoyment while I make the trek to and from work. This past Friday morning our region of the country was emerging from a rough patch of storms that resulted in one the clearest, blue-sky mornings in quite a long while. The birds were chirping, the tulips were in full bloom, the dogwood trees were bedecked with their vibrant pink and white trappings -- an all around beautiful Spring morning in April.

As I powered up my audio system, I was presented with my morning dilemma -- do I listen to music or talk radio? I have scores of music channels from which to choose and I may discover a new favorite. On the other hand, what did I miss since I was in the car a short twelve hours ago? As a college professor I'm asked a lot of questions as a regular part of my duties. What if I am not up on the latest current events?

But in 2011, learning about the current events is a minor component when compared to the onslaught of opinion and commentary that effuses from my speakers. No matter if it is the Left responding to the Right or the Right responding to the Left, my day will start off hearing about the poor, the under-privileged, the under-represented, the failed programs, the failed institutions, the failing systems. In short, this beautiful God-given morning will be spent obsessing about failure.

To my delight, I was instead greeted by the audio of Catherine Elizabeth Middleton processing up the isle of Westminster Abbey to be wed to Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge. Earlier, commentators were marveling at the clockwork precision of the entire affair as if glancing at a wristwatch or cell phone screen and making it to an appointment on time is major news. The Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster was filled to the brink with relatives, friends and dignitaries sporting their very best who participated a life-celebrating ceremony complete with ancient traditions, wise words, celebratory music and something that I don't often hear from my radio - Existentialism. An honest admission that there is something greater than ourselves. And a something Greater that does not force us to be Lesser. A something Smarter that does not require us to be Dumber. A something Knowledgeable that does not require us to be Ignorant.

A Winner that does not require us to be Losers.

For that brief hour commute there were no Victims. There was only a world-wide audience of observers that celebrated life. Choose. Choose to be a victim and forever permit others to control your destiny. Choose to be responsible for your own condition and permit yourself  the enjoyment of Freedom.

Related articles

• The Royal We (time.com)
• Westminster Abbey (roundaboutlondon.wordpress.com)