I'm Right Again Dot Com

A new commentary every Wednesday   -  February 4, 2015


 

Short Takes on January, 2015: Superbowl reflections, Women C.E.O.s and remembering Dr. Floyd Dunn

    I have been a Patriots fan ever since the University of Arizona phenom Teddy Brushi walked onto the field in Foxboro—miraculously for a second time, for a long and successful career following a life-threatening illness, and I have followed "Bronk" (I hope I don't have to explain who he is) since before he was injured at the U. of A. and also soon after he began his career in Massachusetts. Two come-back kids from the same school.

    The game was personally the most exciting if not the most freakish Superbowl game I have witnessed, in at least 49 years. Both teams deserved to win their run-up titles and it was truly a toss-up, especially in the last, breathtaking few minutes.

    El Paso wise man, C. L. "Tex" Kidwell, came out of his cave on the summit of the Franklin mountains following the climax of the festivities and pronounced this solemn and prophetic pronouncement: "There are three things that can happen when one passes a football, and two of them are bad."

    I only wish someone could explain to me what the half-time, hip-hop extravaganza was all about. I did not understand one single word. They could just as well have sung the lyrics in Mandarin Chinese. I would have gladly welcomed seeing all of the commercials again, instead, and saved the fireworks.

   I've a suggestion that would not only solve the impasse and investigation into "Pressuregate," but is bound to improve the most celebrated annual event in the United States: If lowering the pressure in the football makes it easier to throw and catch, why not agree upon a lower pressure and deflate all footballs used in the sport—to the same pressure. This will, of course require a security team of former Blackwater snipers to insure that someone doesn't over-inflate some of opposite teams pigskins. 

(BREAK)

        Jan. 21-24 The World Economic Forum's annual meeting, at Davos, Switzerland. In case you were not invited or missed this on page 2 of the Feb 5th edition of Time: a report from the magazine's Editor Nancy Gibbs about a dinner attended by 34 of the world's top CEOs and academic leaders. Miss Gibbs quotes Facebook's Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, who had this to say to the planet's top business big shots. "We examined the gender gap in leadership with executives who collectively employ more than 4.5 million people," Sandberg said. "Girls have been outperforming boys for decades—but they still represent only about 5% of the FORTUNE 500 CEO's. We have to explore—honestly and deeply—why that is and what it will take to change it."  (Maybe it would help if we guys read Sandberg's book: "Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead"). (Or maybe, not).  

(BREAK)

    I must tell you that one of the greatest electrical engineers and teachers of the discipline of magnetic imaging, such as the CT scan and MRI, passed away in Tucson on January 24th.  Floyd Dunn, three times a PhD, lived for 90 years and passed away 30 days after the death of his beloved wife, Elsa. After being an infantryman, surviving long combat on the ground in Europe during WW II, he began his studies in electrical engineering under the GI Bill. He said he came home penniless and was in no position financially to pay for his education. He taught at the University of Illinois for 50 years and became a giant of his field! Dr. Dunn deserves that exclamation mark, for he led the development of marvelous medical imaging devices, beginning with prenatal sonograms. He should be widely identified in the annals of medicine for that accomplishment alone. His last work of consulting and writing scientific articles was under the aegis of the University of Arizona.

    This leaves me wondering why we don't have a new GI Bill for today's Veterans...?
 

-Phil Richardson, Observer and Storyteller


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