Your Own True Self

Hey All!

We've recently heard at least two stories involving people who sought to essentially be people they weren't.  I think I've had enough of that, and I'll present the Bold Betas take on it all.

(1).  We all have temporal characteristics and immutable characteristics.  

(2).  The temporal characteristics are our thoughts, passions, opinions, and overall maturity level.  It is expected that these traits change as we grow, learn, and reach self-actualization.

(3).  The immutable characteristics are those that define us are those meant to remain constant before and after self-actualization.  Growing and learning cannot alter them - rather, growing and learning only make those characteristics stronger.

(4).  Some think that these immutable characteristics are somehow optional, and can be altered at any time.  They are sadly mistaken.

(5).  We are the human race.  By definition, we are all made distinct, discrete, and unique.  We have many different nationalities, several distinct cultures, and two genders.

(6).  Without mocking those who produce and create science fiction, the human race simply can't be anything else.  We were never meant to be one uniform group of all one nationality or culture, and it goes against our very being to be only one gender.

(7).  You are not becoming your own true self if you are thinking of altering any of these immutable characteristics.  You are destroying your own true self.  There is nothing brave, courageous, open-minded, tolerant, or accepting about doing so.

To be a Bold Beta is not to negate masculinity.  Not by a long shot.  It is to embrace the type of masculinity that is not governed by the alphaganda, rejects the "might makes right" way of living that others assume to be the only way, and to play up to those strengths that the alphaganda minimizes.  Nowhere among these pages has there been a suggestion that a Bold Beta male become a woman.  Nowhere has there been a suggestion that a woman become a man if she's unhappy being a woman.

And nowhere, for any reason, has there been a discussion of race on this blog.  Nor will there ever be.

If you find yourself to be uncommon compared to other members of your faith, stripe, or club, embrace that uncommon-ness.  That means being who you are, and not being who you are not.

I have now concluded my discussion of this subject. 

DISCLAIMER:  The above post does not insult, smear, besmirch, slander, belittle, or otherwise disrespect anyone who has already chosen to make such a transformation.  It merely points out the fact that this type of transformation is the wrong move to make, and serves as an admonition to this blog's audience to never even consider it.

Another Controversial Decision

Hi All.  Sunday night, and you know what that means. . . .

Last night, a jury in Seminole County, Florida found George Zimmerman not guilty, even after the charge of manslaughter was added.  The reaction to all of this was huge, and seems to be dividing our society along political lines, and to some degree, along ethnic backgrounds.

First and foremost, I want to extend my thoughts and prayers to the family of Trayvon Martin.  It is not only tragic, but unnatural, for a parent to outlive a child.  I will never know what Trayvon's parents have been going through for the past year and a half, but I extend my sympathies for their loss, and I pray that they'll find justice in another venue.  That being said, I'd like to give my take on it all.

(1)  THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE.  I already mentioned this in an earlier post and video when I noted how unfortunate it is that people made it a racial issue when it wasn't one.  This seems to happen quite often because racism is what I like to call a "soft issue."  That doesn't mean I deny its existence or I minimize its impact on our society.  That does mean that it's an issue that the masses can grasp far more easily than facts and substance.  It's a lot easier to make a fuss over buzzwords and catchphrases than it is to ask questions, research, study, and figure out everything that happened.  The only reason why jumping to conclusions is not an Olympic event is because it requires no skill.  No matter how passionate the rhetoric is, no matter how many examples of similar situations decided differently have been discussed, and no matter how righteous it may seem, it is completely disingenuous to make this case a racial issue, or to blindly follow any demagogue who would have you believe that there is a racial issue.  And now that you've had a day to get it all out of your systems, I suggest that further discussions of this inflammatory topic be contained.

(2)  THIS HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE LAW.  The United States Constitution and Bill of Rights delegate the police power to the states and their subdivisions.  This is why every state has some form of penal code.  And this is also why, as Judge Wapner told us decades ago on "The People's Court," the laws of your state may or may not be different.  In Florida, the statute defining murder in the second degree is drafted and worded differently than it might be in other states in defining the intent that must be proven for a conviction.  That state also happens to have a "stand your ground" law that is somewhat broader than the self-defense affirmative defenses that are available in many other states.  The essence of criminal law is that crimes can only be defined by statute, and that jurisdiction can extend no further than the county and state where the crime is alleged to have been committed.  Accordingly, this case had to be tried under Florida law, regardless of what the rest of the country may have thought about it.

Congress cannot force a state to repeal its own laws because it does not agree with them.  Neither can any other state in the union.  The U.S. Supreme Court can only deem a state law unconstitutional (should it even elect to consider the matter at all) if it violates constitutional rights, and not if it increases them.  Laws that protect defendants accused of crimes are sacrosanct in the United States of America, as they prevent us from becoming a one-party dictatorship where a mere accusation of a crime sends one hurtling towards oblivion.

In all 50 states, the prosecution has the burden of proving a criminal defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  In Seminole County, Florida, the State's Attorney did not carry that burden.  Its witnesses testified favorably for the defense.  Their testimony revealed that Martin was on top of Zimmerman, assaulting him, actually supporting the self-defense issue.  There was no testimony that Zimmerman was ordered to remain in his car.  There was nothing to indicate that Zimmerman's mental state was as described by statute.  And last but not least, manslaughter was added at the last minute, sending a clear signal that the State's Attorney realized it might not win.

All of these factors, and then some, led to the only proper result, an acquittal.  We do not send people to prison because they're ugly, because they're stupid, because the victim is a different color than the defendant is, or because they "probably" did it.  We send them there when the prosecution carries its burden, covers all bases, eliminates all wiggle room, and leaves nothing to chance.  Here, they did not.  If anything, they fulfilled the defendant's burden of proving self defense, eliminating the need for him to testify on his own behalf.

On the facts and the law, George Zimmerman was not guilty.  And there is no appeal from an acquittal.

There has been talk about a possible federal prosecution for civil rights violations.  However, since the FBI already performed an investigation and found no such evidence, it does not seem likely that the Government would press this further.  They've already lost to Roger Clemens and John Edwards -- does the Department of Justice really need another front-page acquittal?  I think not.

(3)  THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES NONETHELESS.  I never said that Zimmerman was a hero, either.  Guilty or not, he killed a teenager.  He will be a marked man the rest of his life, like Cain himself.  He will have no employment prospects, he will have lost most of his close friends, and family will always have to tiptoe around this issue from now on.  Other than to promote the book he may write, or to consult on the TV movie that will be made, he will be at risk wherever he goes.  Unless he and Casey Anthony want to cohabitate in hiding, and put a Netflix account in someone else's name, they will both be personal non grata forever.  The jury was free to make its finding at trial, but the rest of society is free to make its own findings as well.

And more importantly, a family remains without a son.  Regardless of the outcome of this trial, they would have remained without Trayvon Martin, and that pain still would have followed them the rest of their lives.

SO NOW WHAT?

(A)  I appeal to the public to become more educated as to these basic civic matters.  I find it distressing that every time there is a sensationalist case like this one, people pretend that they never took seventh grade social studies, and rail against the perceived injustice of a criminal justice system that has been in place for more than 200 years.  Everybody knows about "innocent until proven guilty," and everybody knows what "beyond a reasonable doubt" means, but they let emotions and feelings get in the way of their judgment of the result.  Sooner or later, we've got to become mature enough to understand why it's done this way, and save the teeth-gnashing and rancor until the process is finished.  You don't decide who wins a sporting event until its over, don't make premature judgments about trials either.  And once it is finished, let those feelings be tempered by wisdom.  Especially when we don't live in the jurisdiction where this happened, and the laws of that state have nothing to do with the rest of us.

(B)  However, the people of Florida have more thinking to do than the rest of us.  Are they content to let a law remain on their books that allows for this kind of result?  Is this the kind of self-defense that the legislature intended?  Apparently an amendment of this statute down in Tallahassee may be in order.

(C)  This is why we need to think before we act, all the time.  A neighborhood watchman could have thought before he got into a confrontation with someone who posed no threat.  A teenager could have thought before he wore clothing that would make him appear more threatening than he was.  They were both wrong, and they both had their lives ruined.  Please see Paragraph (1), above.

As a child, I disliked it immensely when my parents would "test" me to make sure I had thought of everything, and was prepared for anything, no matter what I did.  How right they were.

Yes, this one was longer than normal, but that's only to drive home the message even further:  (A)  Educate yourselves on the substance, and don't be swept away by the "soft issues;" (B)  If a law provides an inequitable result, in the jurisdiction where you live or work, contact your representatives and let them know that if they don't make changes, they will be voted out of office;  (C) Don't make the same mistakes they made:  THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK OR ACT, ALWAYS.

That is all, check the video.

DISCLAIMER:  The above post is not intended to smear, besmirch, malign, or cast aspersions on anyone, beyond what is objectively and obviously true.  While it may invite opposing arguments, it is still not intended to invite libel, slander, personal attacks, accusations, preaching, or any other adversarial responses, whether the audience agrees or disagrees.  See also Paragraph (1), above.  The author reserves his rights to take appropriate action against anything other than a rational and thoughtful argument.

The Show On The Road

Hi All!

Today was my latest travel race -- the Buffalo Half Marathon.  Saw the sights of a city and region I'd never been before.

There was a 7am start, not too bad.  Everyone made their way through the center of town to Pearl Street, a few blocks away from Niagara Square the familiar art-deco sight of Buffalo City Hall.  I had my fuel belt carrying two flasks of red Gatorade -- I would have preferred the blue, which my father affectionately called "Romulan ale," but the red always does in a pinch.  Fruit punch flavor is the best by default.

For the pre-race ceremonies, an honor guard stood at attention as we were treated to the inventive stylings of a female vocalist who sang O Canada (we are right near the Peace Bridge, of course) and The Star Spangled Banner.  To keep us on our toes, she would shift octaves and keys when least expected.  My thing is to hum the bass harmony to our national anthem whenever it is sung at a live event, but this one got me a little distracted.  Now that I think about it, she kind of did her own bass harmony!  :)

And then the race began!  It took us down Pearl Street, through Niagara Square, up Niagara Street, then hang a left towards the water, and we began a grand tour of some choice lakeside real estate.   Everyone came out of their condos and duplexes to cheer us on, giving me that old Brooklyn Fourth Avenue feeling.  Always magical!

We then headed towards a turnaround at the Erie Basin Marina.  Somewhere between Mile 5 and Mile 6, I caught sight of one of my blue-camouflaged teammates running the other way.  We high-fived, shouted encouragements, and kept on going.  The other side of my brain then woke me up and said:

"Hey Allweiss, you know she's going faster than you, right?" 

Yeah, obviously.  That's why she's on that side of the road.

"You're not gonna let that phase you, are you?  You know I'm just saying, that's all."

Of course.  Didn't I just preach the gospel of pacing oneself last night? 

"K.  Just keep it going dude."

And so I did.  The timer at the 5K mark read 55 minutes and since the starting gun.  Although I was running without my less-than-trust Garmin, I did my own math and decided that I was running slightly faster than a 9-minute pace.

I would eventually see them all on the course at one point or another.  The face-to-face opposite-direction sightings would increase as we headed down Ohio Street, over some unexpectedly steep bridges and overpasses, onto Outer Harbor Drive.  The race became decidedly uncomfortable at this point, yet we all persevered.  Although it became somewhat more difficult to stick to, I forced myself to hydrate from my Gatorade flasks once every two miles, no matter what. 

As luck would have it, I did have just enough left in the tank.  At Mile 12, I unconsciously put up the "1" sign, since there was only one mile left.  At the 20K mark (12.4 miles), the timer read 1:44 since the starting gun -- just had to muscle my way through.

Ahhh, the finish line!  I felt that sense of relief that can only come with ceasing running after an extended period of time -- downed a bottle of water and finished the Gatorade, and shuffled over to the sidelines to engage in what some would consider an even more important part of the race -- cheering for all teammates who would cross the finish line afterwards.   One by one, two by two, they all made it in.  As they approached the finish line, they all had that look of sheer determination that baffles non-runners, but is only too familiar to and expected from our people.

I then took a gander at the post-race jam happening upstairs in the convention center.  Pizza and beer were available -- you know, real runner's food!  :)  Hey hell, we all burned so many calories today, why not?  While there, I saw what appeared to be every one's gun and chip times, and brought down a few beers for the team.

And then it was time to say good bye to the Queen City and return to Queens.  It feels like a big city and a small town at the same time, and that's not bad.  I'd like to return to this place again, and make it a longer stay.  Since I'm doing NYC this year, this was a good way to shake off whatever cobwebs had materialized in the past few months and get ready for what I hope to be a sub-4 hour time.

DISCLAIMER:  I earlier misquoted my time to my people -- in my slightly-buzzed state, I reported what was actually my age-graded time, and not my chip time.  My chip time was actually 1:53:23, averaging an 8:39 pace. 

FURTHER DISCLAIMER:  I'm still not sure if she finished ahead of me.  The times speak for themselves, but it doesn't matter who was faster than the other.  That's the beauty of running - the only opponent you really compete with is yourself. 

Good night all -- a Memorial Day post for the troops is coming your way tomorrow!

The Walt Disney World Marathon

This morning, I ran my most recent marathon one of the happiest of places -- Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida!

This being Florida, and this being run through a theme park that usually opens at 9am, the marathon was scheduled to begin at 5:30 am under cover of darkness.  So at 3:15 am, there I was, in the Epcot parking lot, with several thousand other runners, and several porto-johnnies, attempting to stay warm in the 50-degree chill that Florida was stuck with until dawn.

I was armed with my bib, which had a B-Tag securely attached (every race should have them, and not those lame-o D-Tags that nobody knows how to use), and a fuel belt containing one flask of Gatorade and one flask of Powerade, as well as three Gu's just in case Popeye needed his spinach.  I was sporting the pair of black-and-orange Gel Nimbus 12 sneakers I'd bought six weeks earlier to "break in" for this event, since it was designed for my pronation.

As we approached the starting line, I assembled in Corral B, and got myself ready as Mickey, Goofy, and Donald took the stage next to the starting line, addressed us with a few jokes through animatronic masks, and gave the ready-set-go start to each wave of runners.  My Garmin was on, I was receiving perfect GPS signals (for a change), and I depressed the start/stop button as I proceeded over the starting line.

I was on my way!  I had shed the old long-sleeve tee from the 2005 Long Beach Snowflake Run and the old sweatpants that I'd worn prior to the start, and saw the fireworks and pyrotechnics overhead as I began my run.  I enjoyed the brief moment of warmth the flames provided, and then proceeded to warm myself up.

I had sworn that I would not commit the ultimate runner faux pas, and "go out too fast."  My sole intention was to take it nice, easy, slow, and comfortable for at least the first half of this race, and then turn on the juice for the second half.  A glance at my Garmin, however, confirmed that my slow and comfortable pace was ranging anywhere between 8:54 and 9:14, when I intended to run a 9:30 or slower.  I would later discover that the reason for this unexpected display may have been my consumption of Powerade instead of Gatorade.  Apparently, it really does have more carbohydrates and electrolytes, etc.  Next time, better switch flasks, ha ha!

Still, it felt good sticking to this pace.  We would run through some of the back roads of the park, encountered by Disney characters near almost every mile marker.  We saw Peter Pan and Wendy, Captain Jack Sparrow, the Jungle Book characters, and many others!  I especially got a kick out of two characters who were meant to be vacationers who had gotten hopelessly lost, and were consulting an old fashioned map.  One of them warned us that we were all running the wrong way!

Also for nearly the entire course were speakers blaring songs designed to keep people moving -- "Every Day I'm Shuffelin'," "Hey-Yo, Baby Let's Go," and "Don't Stop Believin'!"  There were also tons of volunteers handing out Powerade (figures) and water, but I saw that as an opportunity to run with a little elbow room, since I'd brought my hydration with me.

As dawn broke, we journeyed through Epcot and the Magic Kingdom.  I marveled to myself how Spaceship Earth and Cinderella's Castle seemed much smaller than expected -- the fact that I was no longer a child may have also had something to do with that.  We also journeyed through the Disney's Animal Kingdom and Beach Resorts -- it was not unlike crossing bridges between boroughs at the NYC Marathon.

On I pressed through the highways, back roads, and sometimes narrow trails.  Between miles 12 and 18, I listened to a few war stories from the 4-hour pace-keeper, designated to run even splits so that everyone near him could go at the same pace.  I got a chuckle at Mile 21 when one of the green toy soldiers from Toy Story exhorted us runners to "mooooove it, mooooove it, take that hill!"  He wasn't kidding, since he was placed right before a really steep one!  Good thing I'd taken that Gu first!

Somewhere between Mile 23 and 24, I felt myself slipping a little.  Ran out of both Gatorade and Powerade, and my legs began to question whether just running this far was "good enough."  I swore that I'd force them to go all 26.2 miles whether they wanted to make it or not, and that I would not permit them to walk under any circumstances, no matter what Jeff Galloway said!

The question was, exactly when did I reach 26.2 miles?  Towards the end of the race, the mile markers detected by my Garmin were exactly halfway between the mile markers on the course.  Another runner asked me if I though the course was somehow longer than it was really supposed to be.  I disregarded that remark, since everyone thinks the finish line is too far away at this point in the race.  Still, it was not clear why my Garmin's mile markers did not match.

So as a compromise, I stopped the clock once my Garmin showed 26.2 miles, and just kept plowing away until I reached the finish line.  Although my Garmin would indicate a hard-earned time of 3:56:36, my official chip time for the race would be a slightly frustrating 4:00:38.  I've got no reason to complain to Disney and demand that those four unsightly minutes be reduced from my chip time, but I am now considering an upgrade in my own personal timekeeping equipment.

Obviously, making it under the 4-hour mark would have been a real win.  But even though that didn't happen, it was a real treat running through Disney World.  In fact, I will most likely do this race again in the near future -- or several options that Disney provides.  I might try the Goofy Challenge, and do the Half Marathon on Saturday and the full Marathon on Sunday, like many people did this weekend.  Or if I have a willing partner, do the Chip & Dale Marathon Relay!

Either way, I had a great time at this race, and I'd recommend it to anyone else who wants to run a unique out-of-town marathon.  It's even better if you make a whole Disney vacation out of it, since the resort hotels have shuttles taking everyone to the race and back!  Not to mention, after the race, you have the whole day to go on rides, etc.

So now to treat myself to a week of cheat meals, and to attempt to avoid running for the next several weeks.  And to attempt the feat of walking up and down stairs tomorrow!  :)

A good night all -- don't forget to comment!