Saturday, June 18, 2005
Fathers Day Message from a former Lion/Brown...
What is a father, anyway?
A vitally important part of the family structure – one whose presence can help keep men out of prison, and maybe help those who are already there.
That’s according to a recently-released book co-authored by Bill Glass, the former Browns standout defensive end who played on the 1964 NFL championship team.
Bill Glass
Photo By John H. Reid IIIJust in time for Father’s Day on Sunday, “Champions for Life; The Power of a Father’s Blessing,” was also written by Akron Beacon Journal sports columnist Terry Pluto. The 187-page book, published by Health Communications, sells for $14.95 and is available in all major bookstores.
“The book is the result of my life for the last 33 years, for most of the time since I’ve been out of football,” said Glass, a first-round draft pick of Detroit in 1957 who played with the Lions from 1958-61 and then with Cleveland for seven seasons (1962-68).
A devout Christian for almost all of his life, Glass began his prison missionary work in 1972.
“We took a bunch of athletes into the Marion (Ohio) State Correctional Institute,” Glass said.
That trip has mushroomed into a crusade that sends Glass and his group of former athletes into more than 400 prisons all across the world, per year, where they talk to over 100,000 inmates. It is these trips, and what he has learned from them, that serve as the foundation for his 11 books, especially this one.
“We began observing something in the prisons we were going into,” he said. “It’s that all the inmates had a problem with their father. They loved their mother, but they hated their father.
“When I was a little boy growing up, my father would come into my room at bedtime and sit on the edge of my bed. He would rub my back and tell me how much he loved me and how I was going to do great things. He would even kiss me on the lips.
“I thought every dad was like mine, but I was wrong. To my amazement, I found that these prisoners had fathers who raped them, deserted them, beat them or abused them. A father’s impact, as far as the whole psyche of these prisoners is concerned, is the underlying reason for them getting into crime.”
As a young man and then an NFL player, Glass was completely different from these inmates.
“I grew up as the All-American boy,” he said. “The worst thing that ever happened to me was that I got a speeding ticket one time.”
It made him an exemplary citizen and, at the same time, he said it turned him into a “self-righteous” person. He didn’t understand prisoners and wanted nothing to do with them. In fact, he didn’t even think about them. They were, to him, just bad people.
But through his ministerial work once he retired from football – “I finished my studies in the seminary, but I’m not an ordained minister,” Glass said – he was drawn into the prisons and the plight of the men there.
When he saw the issues they had with their fathers, and he looked at his own situation, he realized the importance for “boys” of all ages to have a dad.
“There was a great vacuum created in my life when my own dad died when I was 14,” Glass said.
Something then happened that changed Glass’ life and steered him toward the eventual writing of this book.
“My high school football coach became my surrogate dad,” Glass said. “When he died, my surrogate dad became a man who is now 89 years old.
“I’m on my third dad now. You see, even at my age (he will turn 70 in two months), you need a dad. Everybody needs someone they can look up to as a father figure.”
Trying to help those prisoners – to be a surrogate father to them if he could – became Glass’ role in life.
“It’s what I was put on this earth to do,” he said.
Glass believes this so strongly that, in his present mindset, he would probably become offended if you remembered him as just a former star football player – he still holds the Browns’ team record for most sacks in a season with 14.5 in 1965 - and not also a humanitarian who is trying his best to give back to his fellow man.
“I had a great time last year when they had the 40th anniversary party for the 1964 Browns championship team,” said Glass, who now lives just outside Dallas. “When I got home, I was really reveling in those memories.
“But then I got to thinking about things. We had a room in our house where my wife (Mavis) had displayed all my athletic trophies and awards on shelves and everything. I went in there, took all of those things, put them into a big box and packed them away.
“I can’t stand it when people live in the past. You’ve got to live in the present. And what I’m doing now is imminently more important than anything I did in professional football.”
A vitally important part of the family structure – one whose presence can help keep men out of prison, and maybe help those who are already there.
That’s according to a recently-released book co-authored by Bill Glass, the former Browns standout defensive end who played on the 1964 NFL championship team.
Bill Glass
Photo By John H. Reid IIIJust in time for Father’s Day on Sunday, “Champions for Life; The Power of a Father’s Blessing,” was also written by Akron Beacon Journal sports columnist Terry Pluto. The 187-page book, published by Health Communications, sells for $14.95 and is available in all major bookstores.
“The book is the result of my life for the last 33 years, for most of the time since I’ve been out of football,” said Glass, a first-round draft pick of Detroit in 1957 who played with the Lions from 1958-61 and then with Cleveland for seven seasons (1962-68).
A devout Christian for almost all of his life, Glass began his prison missionary work in 1972.
“We took a bunch of athletes into the Marion (Ohio) State Correctional Institute,” Glass said.
That trip has mushroomed into a crusade that sends Glass and his group of former athletes into more than 400 prisons all across the world, per year, where they talk to over 100,000 inmates. It is these trips, and what he has learned from them, that serve as the foundation for his 11 books, especially this one.
“We began observing something in the prisons we were going into,” he said. “It’s that all the inmates had a problem with their father. They loved their mother, but they hated their father.
“When I was a little boy growing up, my father would come into my room at bedtime and sit on the edge of my bed. He would rub my back and tell me how much he loved me and how I was going to do great things. He would even kiss me on the lips.
“I thought every dad was like mine, but I was wrong. To my amazement, I found that these prisoners had fathers who raped them, deserted them, beat them or abused them. A father’s impact, as far as the whole psyche of these prisoners is concerned, is the underlying reason for them getting into crime.”
As a young man and then an NFL player, Glass was completely different from these inmates.
“I grew up as the All-American boy,” he said. “The worst thing that ever happened to me was that I got a speeding ticket one time.”
It made him an exemplary citizen and, at the same time, he said it turned him into a “self-righteous” person. He didn’t understand prisoners and wanted nothing to do with them. In fact, he didn’t even think about them. They were, to him, just bad people.
But through his ministerial work once he retired from football – “I finished my studies in the seminary, but I’m not an ordained minister,” Glass said – he was drawn into the prisons and the plight of the men there.
When he saw the issues they had with their fathers, and he looked at his own situation, he realized the importance for “boys” of all ages to have a dad.
“There was a great vacuum created in my life when my own dad died when I was 14,” Glass said.
Something then happened that changed Glass’ life and steered him toward the eventual writing of this book.
“My high school football coach became my surrogate dad,” Glass said. “When he died, my surrogate dad became a man who is now 89 years old.
“I’m on my third dad now. You see, even at my age (he will turn 70 in two months), you need a dad. Everybody needs someone they can look up to as a father figure.”
Trying to help those prisoners – to be a surrogate father to them if he could – became Glass’ role in life.
“It’s what I was put on this earth to do,” he said.
Glass believes this so strongly that, in his present mindset, he would probably become offended if you remembered him as just a former star football player – he still holds the Browns’ team record for most sacks in a season with 14.5 in 1965 - and not also a humanitarian who is trying his best to give back to his fellow man.
“I had a great time last year when they had the 40th anniversary party for the 1964 Browns championship team,” said Glass, who now lives just outside Dallas. “When I got home, I was really reveling in those memories.
“But then I got to thinking about things. We had a room in our house where my wife (Mavis) had displayed all my athletic trophies and awards on shelves and everything. I went in there, took all of those things, put them into a big box and packed them away.
“I can’t stand it when people live in the past. You’ve got to live in the present. And what I’m doing now is imminently more important than anything I did in professional football.”
Friday, June 17, 2005
As Good as it Gets?
You know, I tried to think the other day and nothing happened. If you don't get this message, just let me know and I will leave you another one. Is this as good as it gets? Is that all there is?
Last night, the light still in the sky at 10:20 last night on my way home, this morning the light in the sky this morning, answered prayers, and peanut butter (Jif Creamy for the legalists out there) just make me want to ask: "Is this as good as it gets?". Absolutely just a beautiful day. Even the stormy looking clouds were at the very least interesting. Just How Great is Our God? (say that reminds me of a song).
I cannot explain the overwhelming peace of mind I have been blessed with. Not that long ago I would have attributed it to obviously not being aware of what was going on around me. Now I know that this peace is the grace of our sovereign Lord being showered down on us. (There is that mental shower picture thing again).
My oldest daughter called me last night to make more plans for my visit to Tucson. We are thinking that over the weekend of the July the 10th may be good. The weekend of the 4th was considered but then last night I heard my sister-in-law Susie might be in for a visit and there are two very important events over the 4th, but I can't remember what they are! Anyway, Martha was so excited, not about my trip, not about my two beautiful grandchildren, not about her pending Mary Kay directorship, but an opportunity to go on a retreat with the inter or non demoninational faith group she has become involved with. Just bring tears to an old mans eyes. (mine too). Just kinda makes you wonder what God is preparing her for. Kinda scary. I am a little scared too because I know that when God is strengthening your faith he has something in mind for you. But in the same we can assured.
Well the answer is yes and know. Yes this IS as good as it gets as we are in God's Kingdom here and now, and know, as we know we have that day to look forward to and what a day that will be!! (Seem that reminds me of a song too!)...Well, I must be off!!!
Last night, the light still in the sky at 10:20 last night on my way home, this morning the light in the sky this morning, answered prayers, and peanut butter (Jif Creamy for the legalists out there) just make me want to ask: "Is this as good as it gets?". Absolutely just a beautiful day. Even the stormy looking clouds were at the very least interesting. Just How Great is Our God? (say that reminds me of a song).
I cannot explain the overwhelming peace of mind I have been blessed with. Not that long ago I would have attributed it to obviously not being aware of what was going on around me. Now I know that this peace is the grace of our sovereign Lord being showered down on us. (There is that mental shower picture thing again).
My oldest daughter called me last night to make more plans for my visit to Tucson. We are thinking that over the weekend of the July the 10th may be good. The weekend of the 4th was considered but then last night I heard my sister-in-law Susie might be in for a visit and there are two very important events over the 4th, but I can't remember what they are! Anyway, Martha was so excited, not about my trip, not about my two beautiful grandchildren, not about her pending Mary Kay directorship, but an opportunity to go on a retreat with the inter or non demoninational faith group she has become involved with. Just bring tears to an old mans eyes. (mine too). Just kinda makes you wonder what God is preparing her for. Kinda scary. I am a little scared too because I know that when God is strengthening your faith he has something in mind for you. But in the same we can assured.
Well the answer is yes and know. Yes this IS as good as it gets as we are in God's Kingdom here and now, and know, as we know we have that day to look forward to and what a day that will be!! (Seem that reminds me of a song too!)...Well, I must be off!!!
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Time to FLY!!
Well, I must be off!! I cannot put it off any longer. I am planning a trip to Tuscon, AZ. It has finally warmed up enough down there for me. As they say, some like it HOT!!. And I am some and I like it hot. Lets see, there must be some other reason to go to Tuscon? What can it be?? Could it be those two beautiful grandaughters of mine? Its bad when the little one gets on the phone and says Hi Pappy, love you! Why is that bad? Because I have not seen her in person this year!! That is unacceptable!. So, I must be off. Pitts Off!
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Blogging can get you FIRED!!
Like a growing number of employees, Peter Whitney decided to launch a blog on the Internet to chronicle his life, his friends and his job at a division of Wells Fargo.
Then he began taking jabs at a few people he worked with.
His blog, gravityspike.blogspot.com, did find an audience: his bosses. In August 2004, the 27-year-old was fired from his job handling mail and the front desk, he says, after managers learned of his Web log, or blog.
His story is more than a cautionary tale. Delta Air Lines, Google and other major companies are firing and disciplining employees for what they say about work on their blogs, which are personal sites that often contain a mix of frank commentary, freewheeling opinions and journaling.
And it's hardly just an issue for employees: Some major employers such as IBM are now passing first-of-their-kind employee blogging guidelines designed to prevent problems, such as the online publishing of trade secrets, without stifling the kinds of blogs that can also create valuable buzz about a company.
"Right now, it's too gray. There needs to be clearer guidelines," says Whitney, who has found another job. "Some people go to a bar and complain about workers, I decided to do it online. Some people say I deserve what happened, but it was really harsh. It was unfair."
Wells Fargo declined to comment, but a spokeswoman said in an e-mail that the company doesn't have a blogging policy.
Blogs are proliferating as fast as a computer virus. According to a report this year by public relations firm Edelman and Intelliseek, a provider of business-intelligence solutions, about 20,000 new blogs are created daily, and an estimated 10 million U.S. blogs will exist by the end of 2005. Together, these blogs link up to create what is known as a blogosphere, a collective Internet conversation that is one of the fastest-growing areas of new content on the Web.
More than 8 million adults in the USA have created blogs, according to two surveys by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, a non-profit research center studying the Internet's social effects. And 32 million Americans are blog readers - a 58% jump in 2004.
Recognizing potential risks
Employers are just beginning to wake up to the potential risks that blogs pose.
"The law is trying to catch up with the technology," says Allison Hift, a telecommunications and technology lawyer in Miami. "This is like what we saw a few years ago with employers passing polices about e-mail. Now we're seeing it with Web logs."
The concerns are myriad. Employees who create blogs set up a direct way to communicate about their company with the public, because customers and clients can stumble across a blog. (Blogs often jump to the top of search engines because they are updated often.) Bloggers may spill trademark or copyright material on their sites, they may post pictures of yet-to-be-released products, and they may libel or slander another employee or a client.
A blogger can even get the ear of Congress. Douglas Roberts, a computer scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M., started a blog (lanl-the-real-story.blogspot.com), and anonymous posters blasted management as incompetent. During a House subcommittee hearing in May, the blog was mentioned in a discussion about the fate of the nuclear research facility.
"I was quite surprised. I had no idea it would be this popular," Roberts says, adding that lab management has been supportive of his blog and that he believes blog policies in general are unnecessary.
Says lab spokesman Kevin Roark: "Open, honest, constructive discussion of issues is a good thing ... (but) the personal attacks were unnecessary and disappointing."
A number of employment lawyers, such as Hift, and bloggers, such as Whitney, are urging companies to enact guidelines and communicate blogging rules to employees. Some companies are doing just that: In May, IBM unveiled blogging guidelines for its 329,000 employees. The guidelines state that employees should identify themselves (and, when relevant, their roles at IBM) when blogging about IBM.
"You must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of IBM," the guidelines state. They also say bloggers should not use "ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc." and that they should "show proper consideration" for "topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory - such as politics and religion."
Others such as Microsoft have no formal guidelines specifically on blogging, but do encourage blogging as a way for employees to reach out to customers and clients. Says Jeff Sandquist, a group manager at Microsoft: "It's great. It's instant feedback. ... We give a lot of support to blogging and on how to be a good blogger."
Stifling free speech?
But it's tricky. Some civil libertarians fear blogophobic companies may adopt policies that stifle the free exchange that has made blogs so popular.
"The concern is that it becomes a chilling effect," says Annalee Newitz, a policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based civil liberties organization dealing with high-tech issues. "We don't want people to feel like ... they can't express their feelings."
Others argue that more explicit guidelines are needed.
"Companies probably need separate policies," says Robert Cox, president of the Media Bloggers Association.
Guidelines, some bloggers say, could even help save jobs. When Ellen Simonetti started her blog chronicling her life and work as a Delta Air Lines flight attendant, she posted some pictures of herself on her site, queenofsky.journalspace.com. There's a shot of her in her blue uniform, bending over an airline seat as her white bra peeks out. A shot of her backside. Another of her in her uniform, sprawled across the tops of the seats of an empty plane. Another shows her eating in a seat.
In October 2004, Simonetti, 30, of Austin was fired, she says, for the pictures on her blog. She has filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying the suspension amounted to discrimination, because male employees with similar online photos were not disciplined. The EEOC case is pending.
"Companies should have policies so that we know if we're breaking the rules," says Simonetti, who is unemployed. "I feel I was mistreated and treated unfairly. I'm fighting for bloggers' rights and free speech."
A Delta spokeswoman declined to comment.
Some bloggers are adding disclaimers saying they don't represent the company, or they are taking precautions not to blog from work. That may be wise: A Society for Human Resource Management survey found that some employers also are looking at job candidates' personal blogs before hiring them.
Legal status unclear
Blogging is so new, lawyers say it's unknown how courts will rule as cases come forward. Bob Blackstone, a Seattle-based employment lawyer, says employees may argue that blogs fall under federal laws that protect labor-organizing activity. They may also argue that their blog content is allowed under certain state laws that bar employers from discriminating against workers for off-duty actions.
Cases continue to climb. Heather Armstrong was fired in February 2002 by the Los Angeles-based software firm where she worked after venting online about the company on her blog, dooce.com. Some excerpts from her blog: Take a two-hour lunch: one hour for the bean burrito, one hour for the nap in the front seat of your car.
Reasons I should not be allowed to work from home:Too many cushiony horizontal surfaces prime for nappage. ... I can lie down underneath my desk, and no one is going to know. No one.
Her case garnered attention and put the blogging world on notice. UrbanDictionary.com now defines "dooced" as losing your job for something you wrote on your online blog.
Both sides now
And Mark Jen, 22, of San Francisco started his blog in January to chronicle his life and new job as an associate product manager at Google. He wrote comments about future potential products and lost his job two weeks later, he says, because of his blog, 99zeros.blogspot.com.
"I figured it would be an easy way to keep in touch with friends and family," Jen says. "I was surprised at the reaction of the company. It was shocking to me."
At his new job at Mountain View, Calif.-based Plaxo, a consumer Internet service for updating and accessing contact information, Jen recently helped draft the company's first-ever blog policy. The policy says, in part, that employees can't violate the privacy or publicity rights of another, can't personally attack employees, authors, customers, vendors or shareholders and can't post material that is "hateful or embarrassing to another person."
Employees who don't follow the guidelines can be fired.
Then he began taking jabs at a few people he worked with.
His blog, gravityspike.blogspot.com, did find an audience: his bosses. In August 2004, the 27-year-old was fired from his job handling mail and the front desk, he says, after managers learned of his Web log, or blog.
His story is more than a cautionary tale. Delta Air Lines, Google and other major companies are firing and disciplining employees for what they say about work on their blogs, which are personal sites that often contain a mix of frank commentary, freewheeling opinions and journaling.
And it's hardly just an issue for employees: Some major employers such as IBM are now passing first-of-their-kind employee blogging guidelines designed to prevent problems, such as the online publishing of trade secrets, without stifling the kinds of blogs that can also create valuable buzz about a company.
"Right now, it's too gray. There needs to be clearer guidelines," says Whitney, who has found another job. "Some people go to a bar and complain about workers, I decided to do it online. Some people say I deserve what happened, but it was really harsh. It was unfair."
Wells Fargo declined to comment, but a spokeswoman said in an e-mail that the company doesn't have a blogging policy.
Blogs are proliferating as fast as a computer virus. According to a report this year by public relations firm Edelman and Intelliseek, a provider of business-intelligence solutions, about 20,000 new blogs are created daily, and an estimated 10 million U.S. blogs will exist by the end of 2005. Together, these blogs link up to create what is known as a blogosphere, a collective Internet conversation that is one of the fastest-growing areas of new content on the Web.
More than 8 million adults in the USA have created blogs, according to two surveys by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, a non-profit research center studying the Internet's social effects. And 32 million Americans are blog readers - a 58% jump in 2004.
Recognizing potential risks
Employers are just beginning to wake up to the potential risks that blogs pose.
"The law is trying to catch up with the technology," says Allison Hift, a telecommunications and technology lawyer in Miami. "This is like what we saw a few years ago with employers passing polices about e-mail. Now we're seeing it with Web logs."
The concerns are myriad. Employees who create blogs set up a direct way to communicate about their company with the public, because customers and clients can stumble across a blog. (Blogs often jump to the top of search engines because they are updated often.) Bloggers may spill trademark or copyright material on their sites, they may post pictures of yet-to-be-released products, and they may libel or slander another employee or a client.
A blogger can even get the ear of Congress. Douglas Roberts, a computer scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M., started a blog (lanl-the-real-story.blogspot.com), and anonymous posters blasted management as incompetent. During a House subcommittee hearing in May, the blog was mentioned in a discussion about the fate of the nuclear research facility.
"I was quite surprised. I had no idea it would be this popular," Roberts says, adding that lab management has been supportive of his blog and that he believes blog policies in general are unnecessary.
Says lab spokesman Kevin Roark: "Open, honest, constructive discussion of issues is a good thing ... (but) the personal attacks were unnecessary and disappointing."
A number of employment lawyers, such as Hift, and bloggers, such as Whitney, are urging companies to enact guidelines and communicate blogging rules to employees. Some companies are doing just that: In May, IBM unveiled blogging guidelines for its 329,000 employees. The guidelines state that employees should identify themselves (and, when relevant, their roles at IBM) when blogging about IBM.
"You must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of IBM," the guidelines state. They also say bloggers should not use "ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc." and that they should "show proper consideration" for "topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory - such as politics and religion."
Others such as Microsoft have no formal guidelines specifically on blogging, but do encourage blogging as a way for employees to reach out to customers and clients. Says Jeff Sandquist, a group manager at Microsoft: "It's great. It's instant feedback. ... We give a lot of support to blogging and on how to be a good blogger."
Stifling free speech?
But it's tricky. Some civil libertarians fear blogophobic companies may adopt policies that stifle the free exchange that has made blogs so popular.
"The concern is that it becomes a chilling effect," says Annalee Newitz, a policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based civil liberties organization dealing with high-tech issues. "We don't want people to feel like ... they can't express their feelings."
Others argue that more explicit guidelines are needed.
"Companies probably need separate policies," says Robert Cox, president of the Media Bloggers Association.
Guidelines, some bloggers say, could even help save jobs. When Ellen Simonetti started her blog chronicling her life and work as a Delta Air Lines flight attendant, she posted some pictures of herself on her site, queenofsky.journalspace.com. There's a shot of her in her blue uniform, bending over an airline seat as her white bra peeks out. A shot of her backside. Another of her in her uniform, sprawled across the tops of the seats of an empty plane. Another shows her eating in a seat.
In October 2004, Simonetti, 30, of Austin was fired, she says, for the pictures on her blog. She has filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying the suspension amounted to discrimination, because male employees with similar online photos were not disciplined. The EEOC case is pending.
"Companies should have policies so that we know if we're breaking the rules," says Simonetti, who is unemployed. "I feel I was mistreated and treated unfairly. I'm fighting for bloggers' rights and free speech."
A Delta spokeswoman declined to comment.
Some bloggers are adding disclaimers saying they don't represent the company, or they are taking precautions not to blog from work. That may be wise: A Society for Human Resource Management survey found that some employers also are looking at job candidates' personal blogs before hiring them.
Legal status unclear
Blogging is so new, lawyers say it's unknown how courts will rule as cases come forward. Bob Blackstone, a Seattle-based employment lawyer, says employees may argue that blogs fall under federal laws that protect labor-organizing activity. They may also argue that their blog content is allowed under certain state laws that bar employers from discriminating against workers for off-duty actions.
Cases continue to climb. Heather Armstrong was fired in February 2002 by the Los Angeles-based software firm where she worked after venting online about the company on her blog, dooce.com. Some excerpts from her blog: Take a two-hour lunch: one hour for the bean burrito, one hour for the nap in the front seat of your car.
Reasons I should not be allowed to work from home:Too many cushiony horizontal surfaces prime for nappage. ... I can lie down underneath my desk, and no one is going to know. No one.
Her case garnered attention and put the blogging world on notice. UrbanDictionary.com now defines "dooced" as losing your job for something you wrote on your online blog.
Both sides now
And Mark Jen, 22, of San Francisco started his blog in January to chronicle his life and new job as an associate product manager at Google. He wrote comments about future potential products and lost his job two weeks later, he says, because of his blog, 99zeros.blogspot.com.
"I figured it would be an easy way to keep in touch with friends and family," Jen says. "I was surprised at the reaction of the company. It was shocking to me."
At his new job at Mountain View, Calif.-based Plaxo, a consumer Internet service for updating and accessing contact information, Jen recently helped draft the company's first-ever blog policy. The policy says, in part, that employees can't violate the privacy or publicity rights of another, can't personally attack employees, authors, customers, vendors or shareholders and can't post material that is "hateful or embarrassing to another person."
Employees who don't follow the guidelines can be fired.
Monday, June 13, 2005
