+(Gun Control Laws) -> -(Gun-related Deaths)

States with tighter gun control laws have fewer gun-related deaths (from an article in Vox, here).

More Guns -> More Deaths (not less)!

US States with greater gun ownership have more deaths, not less as argued by Open-carry and Concealed carry advocates (from a Vox Article here). The solid line is the linear regression line (Gun Deaths) = a + b(Gun Ownership) and the coefficient (b) is positive not negative.

Last Days in Vietnam

The preview above gives a pretty accurate feel for the American Experience Documentary Last Days in Vietnam. If you are really interested in detail about Vietnam, the documentary has it. For the average viewer, some of this might be repetitive, but still worth it. Here are a few interesting details:

• When then President Richard Nixon left office on August 9, 1974, Vietnam's fate was sealed. The North Vietnamese thought Nixon was a madman who would destroy North Vietnam if provoked. With Nixon out of the way, the final Ho Chi Minh Offensive began on December 7, 1974.
• Ambassador Graham Martin refused to believe the end was coming and would not allow planing for an evacuation. Army officers and Marines (Stuart Herrington, Steve Hasty, and others, to include Vietnamese officers) began planning and executing a "Black Ops" evacuation plan, countermanding their direct orders from the Ambassador.
• Richard Armitage, who was Deputy Secretary of Defense in the Bush II administration until resigning after the Valerie Plame Affair, served three combat tours in Vietnam and then was US Defense Attache in Vietnam. He organized the evacuation of the Vietnamese Navy and the evacuation of South Vietnamese military and civilians.

Starting on Memorial Day 2012, the 13 year Commemoration of the Vietnam War began with a Presidential Proclamation. When, exactly, the Vietnam War started is a matter of contention, but this year marks an increase in media and public interest. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's documentary The Vietnam War was a decade in the making and will start airing this Sunday. It is not to be missed. 

Remembering the Great War

The Great War, a six-hour documentary presented over three nights, explores how World War I changed America and the world. The film premieres April 10 at 9/8c on PBS. Learn more at pbs.org/greatwar.

Remembering America's Greatest War Chief

What a Fool Believes, Part I

Originally I was going to call this post "What I've Learned from Life" but that title doesn't actually fit what I've learned from life; the title of the great Doobie Brothers song does. As a jazz player, I shouldn't really like this tune but I love it.

What A Fool Believes:

• You should send people bad news in emails. Never, never, never ever send bad news in emails. Even a phone call can sometimes be misinterpreted. If at all possible, show up in person, let them see you, let them ask questions. Also, never put anything in an email that you wouldn't want broadcast all over the Internet. Emails are not private forms of communication. Public humiliation is as close as some unhappy recipent's send button.
• Always advertise yourself, let people know of your accomplishments and how great you are. No, never promote yourself, never. I learned this lesson from Arnold Palmer and blogged about him here. Palmer, arguable one of the all-time great golfers and an individual who had wide impact on all of sports (founded the Golf Channel, first to do celebrity athlete endorsements, founded the first sports management group, IMG, etc. etc.) claimed he "didn't win much" and didn't "hit his irons very well". Really? Arnold Palmer? He taught me never to brag about my golf shots or anything else for that matter. Whether you like Arnold Palmer or not, he knew that other people's opinion of him (or you) will never be based on any piece of puffery he (or you) broadcasted in public (but see the next point).
• People love to hear you talk and ramble on about yourself. No, there is nothing more boring than hearing people ramble on talking about themselves. Never talk about yourself unless asked and then think carefully about why you are being asked. Most people, on the other hand, love to be asked about themselves and will typically ramble on while you can think about something else at a party. If you must, be brief and be humble when asked about yourself.
• Make fun of other people, they love it. Never, never make fun of other people. The best jokes you will ever tell are on yourself. I find my own life hilariously funny, the lives of other people not so much.
• Never do anything you can't make money on.  Making money is fine, but do what you really love for fun. Get a good education. Find a stable, solid job you can count on for employment and income. Make sure the job doesn't consume your life. In my high school yearbook, I was supposed to be an artist. I would have starved and now really hate worrying about money. Doing what you love for free gives you great "freedom"!
• It's always about exactly what people are saying. No, it is never about what people are saying. Especially, when things seem weird and irrational, it's never about what people are saying. For example (I've sanitized this a little), I was trying to put a committee together. I was getting all sorts of push back from people, lots of irrational reasons that made no sense. Finally, I figured out it was about hatred of one potential member on the committee (something that could not be mentioned publicly). When things don't make sense it's about hatred, envy, jealousy, sexual urges (Sigmund Freud's contribution), racism, xenophobia, hatred of people who are different, etc. etc. People are smart enough to know that their real motivations cannot be nakedly expressed in public, so they always come up with rationalizations.
• Always follow the crowd. Never follow the crowd. They are always wrong for you. You are an individual. Think for yourself. Follow your dreams and creative ideas, even if it doesn't make money.

To continue with the song (lyrics here):

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away.

Of course, there must be more that a fool believes. That will be reserved for Parts II, III, etc. (Fools are a gift to bloggers that keeps on giving).