Social Network Services Diminish Family Life And Friendships

The term social network has expanded to mean more than what it used to mean, especially given the electronic age with internet services, e-mails, texting via cell phone, blueberries, blacktooth, and whatever else these new-fangled techno things are called.

A social network, none-the-less, should not be confused with a social network service. All these social network services have provided a means to communicate with others.

But wait! Is that necessarily an advancement in human interpersonal communications? I have always been of the opinion that the best communication occurs when people are doing so face-to-face. More communication takes place that way in that nonverbal cues are part of the overall communication process.

The problems with social networking via e-mail, texting, and social network services are many. I will list just a few of those problems as I perceive them:

* It is less effective than communication that takes place live and in person in the same physical proximity.
* Nonverbal cues are not part of the communication.
* One-way communication tends to occur in that immediate feedback is not the norm.
* Misunderstandings may easily occur.
* Sniping, impoliteness, rudeness, etc. seem more common while civility seems less common.

Those are, as I wrote previously, just a few of the problems. However, in my opinion, there is another major problem that has occurred as a result of texting, e-mails, and electronic internet social network services.

That problem is:
More time is spent communicating electronically than in person. Interpersonal relationships are diminishing in both quantity and quality. Family and friends seem to spend less and less quality time visiting one another in person. While the younger generation may disagree with my assessment, I suggest that older people may tend to believe as I do.

Tell a grandparent that a text message or a note on a public electronic social network services is just as good as a loving smile, good live conversation, and warm hug. I suspect I know what kind of response may be given.

Toledo, Ohio: Old Orchard Neighborhood versus Glass City Academy Charter School

Back on May 13, 2009, I authored the Roland Hansen Commentary Glass City Academy: Charter School Uproar in Toledo, Ohio.

Some pea-brained, anonymous, gutless, coward, flaming troll using the pseudonym of Kenwoodrocket made a few accusations toward me trying to divert and hijack the topic of my commentary. If you had not read that commentary and the exchange brought about by it or if you do not recall it, I suggest you now click on over to read Glass City Academy: Charter School Uproar in Toledo, Ohio.

Here we are two months later, and the Old Orchard dissidents are still unhappy. If you may recall, some of the folks in the Old Orchard neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio said all they "wanted ... was simply due process" and that they wanted to be heard.

Well, they were heard - and heard again.

Toledo City Councilman Tom Waniewski held a public meeting with the Old Orchard residents that excluded representatives of Glass City Academy, and politician Waniewski even "... introduced an ordinance to 'strongly urge' the Toledo Plan Commission to strip Glass City Academy of its ability to relocate ..." (The Blade, May 21, 2009)

Then, there was the June 15, 2009 decision of the Toledo Board of Zoning Appeals that denied the appeal of the group from Old Orchard. (The Blade, June 16, 2009)

Flash forward to the present day.
The Old Orchard malcontents are at it again. This time, the malcontent dissidents are taking their crusade to the courts, as you may read in the July 15, 2009 Blade article Residents sue to stop school in ex-synagogue.

A question for Kenwoodrocket and others like Kenwoodrocket:
Can you define classism?

Chris Myers and the Toledo Board of Education

Will Chris Myers be appointed to the vacant seat on the Toledo Board of Education for the remainder of the term ending December 31, 2009?

Click on over to read Chris Myers' letter of application for the open TPS board seat.

I wonder what Toledo school district residents think of Chris Myers being appointed to the vacant seat on the Board of Education.

Consumer Beware: Are cars overpriced?

It is absolutely sickening that the hawkers of merchandise of all sorts attempt to persuade the consumer that it only costs "X" amount per month to purchase an item. This is especially true of automobile and truck sales gimmicks that most often boldly advertise the monthly payment of a vehicle rather than the actual purchase price of the vehicle.

I have been thinking for the past several years that the prices of cars and trucks are way out of control and that most cars and trucks are way overpriced. This thinking surfaced in my mind once again this morning when I read the Forbes article America's Most Overpriced Cars.

Upon reading the aforementioned article, it was with eyebrows raised that I performed an internet search on the cost and price of cars. After well over an hour, I threw my arms up in despair and frustration because most of the returns I received from my search that used a variety of terminology contained very little factual information and a whole lot of opinionated commentary about who thought what was the reason for the prices of cars.

On many of the web sites, web pages, forums, etc., I found a recurring theme of persons opining that American cars are overpriced because of unions, the UAW in particular, and because of highly paid automobile workers. Often, I read people stating that auto workers make $60 to $70 an hour. WHAT!!! - I said to myself. How can that be?? Then, I went over to FastCheck.org where I read the answer to the question: Do auto workers really make more than $70 per hour?

Somehow, I doubt that the facts will be used by many of the people who choose to fault the American auto worker and the UAW for the high price of cars and trucks. A union basher is a union basher.

It is my opinion that the people who strongly advocate America's free enterprise system of capitalism, open markets, supply and demand, private business, etc. would totally eliminate labor unions and government laws and regulations concerning minimum wages, health care benefits, sick leave PTO, disability benefits, retirement plans, and all the other aspects of employment that are employee oriented. Heck, if those folks had their way, I would not be surprised to see them advocate a return to the policies of slavery. Sometimes, I think that the conservative private business advocates might secretly hold the opinion that slavery is free enterprise at its finest. To them, I believe, their thinking is private ownership, maximize profits, and accumulation of wealth without regard to people or the effect on the environment.

I strayed. Back to topic.

I am of the opinion that cars are overpriced, as are trucks. However, I admit that my opinion is not factually based; and therefore, my opinion is subject to informed modification.

What do you think? Are cars overpriced? If so, why? I am interested in your opinions.

I would also appreciate if someone can help me with the facts. Perhaps, someone out there may know of a web site or two or three that can provide me with the factual information I seek.

Ben Konop: Buying An Election?

I never understood why a politician would need to pay people to circulate his or her nomination of candidacy petitions. It seems to me that a person seeking elective office should have the initial support of interested voters who would volunteer their time to support the potential candidate. If not, that tells me the potential candidate does not have a loyal following; ergo, that person is not a leader and is not worthy of my support. Such seems to be the case of Ben Konop, former Congressman wannabe, present Lucas County Commissioner, and Toledo Mayor wannabe.

It is my opinion that paying people to circulate petitions in order to seek elective office is the same as trying to buy an election.

Read Judy's Jewels Konop, Konop.

You see, when the young fella knocked at our door seeking our signatures on a Ben Konop petition in order for Ben Konop to appear on the primary election ballot as a nominee for Mayor of Toledo, we posed a couple questions accompanied by our own opinionated comments. It was from that discourse that the young man told us that he was doing the door-to-door thing as a part-time job to get some extra money. Gee, maybe that is why Ben Konop wants to be Mayor of Toledo.

Maybe, Ben Konop just wants some extra money from the salary. Who knows? I don't.

I just think Ben Konop is on one big ego trip, just like his sorrowful Aunt Sandy Isenberg, former Toledo City Councilman, former Lucas County Recorder, former Lucas County Commissioner, and former Lucas County Democratic Party Chairman. They are both so full of themselves as demonstrated by their egotistical, egocentric actions and behaviors and what seems rather apparent to me in what I perceive as their very own self-impressions. It makes me want to vomit.

Happy Independence Day and the Free Press Under Scrutiny

Today is the Fourth of July, Independence Day for the United States of America. We celebrate the country's Declaration of Independence. In addition to the Declaration of Independence, I also think about our Constitution and its Bill of Rights along with other Constitutional amendments that make our country great.

Today, as I write this Roland Hansen Commentary, I am thinking of the First Amendment which amongst other things provides for a free press. And my thoughts evolve into the following commentary.

I found The Blade article in regards to the Toledo Free Press to be quite interesting. Click on the embedded link so that you may read for yourself the article Plagiarism at weekly used as teaching tool from toledoblade.com.

The major thrust of the article revolves around a fellow by the name of Gregg Schwartz who had written a monthly column for the Toledo Free Press from sometime in 2007 up until April 2009. Apparently, Mr. Schwartz did not totally use his own words in the columns carried by the Toledo Free Press. It appears Gregg Schwartz may have used the works of others without attribution in the writings he had submitted as his own to the Toledo Free Press and that they had been published by the Toledo Free Press as the works of Mr. Schwartz.

First off, for the record, I do not question the concerted efforts by the Toledo Free Press to provide adequate and proper attributions, to eliminate plagiarism, and to assure the veracity of the facts contained within its articles.

However, I do have several areas of concern regarding several items that are contained in the preceding referenced article, if indeed, those items have been reported accurately.

If you have read The Blade article or if you go back and read it now, you will note that there are several statements or reported references to statements that have been attributed to University of Toledo associate Professor Mary Lineham. I am focusing on two of those which I have copied and pasted as follows:

"She wrote a letter to Tom Pounds, the weekly's publisher and president, dated April 23, and included at least a half-dozen examples from a one-year span of Mr. Schwartz's work highlighting portions of his columns that were lifted without attributions from other publications." to which it is also being reported that "Ms Lineham said she did not receive a reply to her letter to Mr. Pounds and it wasn't published in the Free Press with other letters to the editor."

and

'What really makes some furious and angry and outraged and makes me feel threatened as an individual is that the Free Press would give Gregg my letter without bothering to answer it and send him on his way to hassle me,' "she said"

In addition to those items, there is another thing that causes me to raise my eyebrows in curious wonderment..The eyebrow raising is my reaction to The Blade statement that "Mr. Pounds did not return calls from The Blade seeking comment, and Michael Miller, editor-in-chief of the weekly, refused to answer specific questions about the allegations of plagiarism from The Blade, ... "

That sure seems to me like "the pot calling the kettle black" if my recollection of past events is correct. Unless I am mistaken. I seem to recall that Tom Pounds and Michael Miller have used the Toledo Free Press in the past as a means to attack the Blade and its publisher and editor for questionable practices and for not responding to inquiries from representatives of the Toledo Free Press.

This current situation as reported by The Blade gives me the distinct impression that there appears to me to be a "double-standard" on the part of Toledo Free Press. After all, if my memory is correct and if the Blade report is correct in that neither the publisher nor the editor of the Toledo Free Press have responded to inquiries from The Blade, then why has the Toledo Free Press in the past made negative remarks about The Blade not being responsive to inquiries from the Toledo Free Press.

Then there is the matter that causes me to think that there may be some serious concerns regarding Michael Miller in the area of ethics and possible conflict of interest. Of course, I may be totally off base in my thinking; perhaps I should not even think that there is any such possibility of a breach of ethics or that there might have been a possible conflict of interest. However, I cannot help but wonder when I read that portion of the article that states "And Mr. Miller has revealed publicly that he was once a client of Mr. Schwartz, writing in a September, 2007, column that he was trying to get in shape and that effort included strength training with Mr. Schwartz."


With all due respect, the bottom line for me is that it appears that the publisher and editor of the Toledo Free Press are exhibiting the very same characteristics of which they have been critical of the Blade publisher and editor.