22 replies to this topic

[bridie]

I don't often attend Open Circle but I am glad I chose to go today.

A big thank you to Dave Truly for setting the record straight and explaining about why things are happening here the way they are!! I feel more secure now.

Thank You Dave!

[joyce]

Don't leave those of us who missed hanging, bridie! What did he say? (paraphrased, of course). Thanks.

[halcon]

what are you talking about ?

[traderspoc]

The idea that I left with in my own opinion form MR Truly's talk


The next time you vote in the in United States or Canada vote for someone thats pro drug legalization.

its the only way we can stop demand.

Mexico and south of mexico is the supply, it the new idea, that needs to go forward
is to control the demand side that is in United States

Mr. Truly beiieves that in five or ten years this will happen on the demand side in th U.S.

[giltner68]

Good luck with that one, in today's world and political climate you'd be hard pressed to find half a dozen legislators of any stripe that will support that.

I guess I'm not familiar with Open Circle or Mr. Truly, what expertise does he have that would bring him to that conclusion?

[Malaya]

Canadians cannot vote after they've been out of the country for a certain period of time. I believe it's five years. Sad...we get no say but still pay taxes.

[Ajijic_hiker]

Even if the US and Canada were to legalize marijuana, and I doubt that any more than a few states in the US and maybe BC in Canada, would do that, marijuana is only about 10-20% of the drug trade...far worse are cocaine, heroin, weapons, and the most destructive drug and easiest to manufacture anywhere in the world is crystal meth, which is the most addictive. I enjoyed Open Circle today, but even though he says we should not let the 'narco terrorists' terrorize us...I can't help but feel a certain amount of terror here at Lake Chapala.

[halcon]

so no one cares to say what open circle is or why dave truly,albeit a great guitar player, is held in such high regard ?

[redpepper]

One way to solve the problem is to stop the flow coming into Mexico.

[joyce]

giltner68, this is what Senor Goggle has to say about Mr. Truly: BTW, I don't see anything here that would show that his opinion is any more valid than anyone else's.



David Truly
Traveling from Band Leader to Tourism/Hospitality Professor

It has been a long and winding (but fascinating) road for David Truly, and as he stands strumming his guitar and singing “This Land Is Your Land” for his Geography of the Popular Music Industry class, strands of his rich experience intertwine. Before Dr. Truly joined the Geography Department in 1999, he led the Truly Dangerous Swamp Band, traveling widely in the ’80s and ’90s to delight, in particular, southeastern college audiences.
“I’m using music (not teaching it) to introduce basic geography concepts—to look at the people who created it, their time and place. Music becomes a contextual tool to study migration, diffusion patterns (dissemination of knowledge, ideas, or cultures) and cultural landscape, that is, the imprint of human activity on the natural landscape and how we alter it to suit our means,” says the associate professor.
Woody Guthrie’s folksong chorus (“I see my people and some are grumblin’ and some are wonderin’ if this land’s still made for you and me.”) illuminates the cultural milieu of 1956 when it was released. Truly elaborates, “Just as Bruce Springsteen sings about social/political conditions, Guthrie wrote songs about Dust Bowl days and farmers migrating, about unionization, Hoovervilles, and marginalized itinerate laborers. Students can learn about social dynamics and economics.” For example, when students consider how the style of playing Mississippi Delta blues guitar evolved, they discuss issues of the slave trade and how West Africans, familiar with a one-stringed instrument used by Bushmen, easily adapted the guitar to their own music styles.
Eclectic Background Transplanted into Teaching Philosophy
Truly, last year an Excellence in Teaching semi-finalist, says his eclectic taste in music has influenced his teaching philosophy. He recalls that when he was co-owner of The Old Post Office Emporium, a night club in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, in 1983–84, he presented artists as diverse as Charlie Byrd, Stan Getz, Wynton Marsalis, Bonnie Raitt, Dave Matthews (“before he was famous”), and Hootie and the Blowfish. He studied choir/classical music, specializing in guitar, at Tulane University and at George Peabody College in Nashville and then received the bachelor’s degree from University of South Carolina. Whether he’s teaching World Regional Geography, Tourism Planning, or Geography of the Popular Music Industry, he observes, “Just as my eclecticism helped me to value diversity, I’d like my students to appreciate, not only the range of music but also different points of view. I want them to grasp theoretical foundations along with being able to synthesize information. I want them to think hard about society and the many ways of understanding.”
With a performer’s knack to read an audience, he smiles, “My classroom is my stage, and I draw student interest by using technology, media, music, and demonstrations. I keep them entertained while they’re learning.” Senior Katie Gonzales, a hospitality/tourism major, appreciates Truly’s “PowerPoint slides and his use of great details in teaching,” along with his ready availability after class “to give pointers about assignments or internships, jobs, or whatever.”
From Fires to a Ph.D.
“I never thought I’d be a college professor,” reflects a bemused Truly. Born in New Orleans, he thought when he was growing up in Saudi Arabia he might become a doctor like his father. But after a long career as a musician/entrepreneur, he recalls soberly that in 1992 a devastating fire destroyed his Emporium night club, and a year later when the band was on a road tour, the equipment truck caught fire. “It was time to take stock, and I decided to go back to school, taking a Latin American geography course at the University of South Carolina. I discovered I loved geography, because it was like what I enjoyed in music—the travel and transience,” he remembers. “I got on a fast roller-coaster ride, earned my master’s in 1996, came to Central in 1999, and received my doctorate from University of South Carolina in 2001.”
Director of Tourism and Hospitality Program
With his managerial bent, Truly enjoys his role as director of CCSU’s Tourism and Hospitality Studies program. This interdisciplinary degree program prepares students for careers in hotel and convention management, tourism planning, heritage tourism, and eco-tourism. “Our hospitality courses emphasize applied experiential courses and our instruction features project-driven exercises building skills in leadership and organization.”
Katie Pelletier ’05, now works as a catering and events assistant at the Hartford Marriott Downtown. She credits Truly for helping her (and three other CCSU geography majors—Margaret Smith, David Ascenza, and Patrick Keenan) get a foot in the door. “We’ve all been hired here in the hospitality and tourism area,” she remarks. “Dr. Truly pushed us hard, but we learned a lot. He seemed tough, but he wanted everyone to succeed, and we could always go to him for special help.”
Research South of the Border
Truly is one of a handful of researchers studying international retirement migration. On sabbatical this fall, he will expand his doctoral dissertation by examining the profiles of people who immigrate in retirement to the Lake Chapala Riviera in Jalisco, Mexico. To a long list of publication credits and professional presentations, Truly has added an upcoming chapter, “The Lake Chapala Riviera: The Evolution of a Not-So-American Foreign Community,” in Adventures into Mexico: American Tourism beyond the Border, to be published this year by Rowman & Littlefield. He’s thinking of possibly producing a film documentary on his retirement migration research, with short videos to use in his classes.
On the Horizon, More Horizons
Linda DiGiro, a graduate student and retired West Hartford geography teacher, praises Truly’s guidance with her special project—the production of a CD, titled “The Migrating Guitar: Geographic Influences,” which could prove a useful social studies teaching tool. DiGiro declares, “Dr. Truly is incredibly dynamic. He’s helped me see there’s always so much to learn. There’s always a new horizon beyond the horizon.”
— Geri Radacsi

[Ajijic_hiker]

Open Circle at Lake Chapala Society, begins each Sunday Morning with Coffee, Tea and Sandwich Bites at 10am for socializing and the presentation begins at 10:30am gt (gringo time)

This Sunday: David Truly PhD

“Mexico and Crime: Fact, Fiction and Analysis” For the last few years, Mexico’s image as a sun and fun tourism destination has been eclipsed by its new reputation as a dangerous country where no one is safe. The impacts on tourism and retirement migration have been significant and many have fled the country. This presentation will objectively examine and discuss the facts and fiction surrounding this important topic.

David Truly was an Associate Professor at Central Connecticut State University for 12 years before moving to the Ajijic permanently in 2010. He has studied international retirement migration to Mexico for 15 years and currently teaches part time at Autonoma University in Guadalajara as well as some local schools in the area. He received his PHD from the University of South Carolina in Geography where he studied under Dr Morris Blachman, co-author of Drug War Policies: The Price of Denial, a book that examined governmental approaches to drug usage and trafficking.
David is also a well known musician and consultant.

[giltner68]

Hmm, I was hoping to see something a bit more significant that might qualify him. I'm afraid his academic opinions are somewhat misguided when it comes to the drug question and the real world. He may be a great band leader, super at tourism and geography, but he needs to rethink his views a bit -- and of course, that's my opinion.

[giltner68]

FOUND ONE: Yes, this is 1 of 6 who I mentioned earlier, I suggest we watch his campaign closely and see if it "gets legs"
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76574.html

[ValGal]

Hmm, I was hoping to see something a bit more significant that might qualify him. I'm afraid his academic opinions are somewhat misguided when it comes to the drug question and the real world. He may be a great band leader, super at tourism and geography, but he needs to rethink his views a bit -- and of course, that's my opinion.

" I'm afraid his academic opinions are somewhat misguided when it comes to the drug question and the real world."

I mean no disrespect to you. I am interested in everyone's opinion. However, your statement gives me the impression that you believe your opinion is based on something more substantial than the references and/or education that Dr. Truly relied on.

What are your credentials? I think those of us that are reading all the available articles, blogs etc are likely reading the same stuff. Have you found some examples or where legalization of drugs did not have an impact on reducing crime? I am sincerely interested. Always looking for new sources of information.

[giltner68]

Without intent to discredit the good doctor because I wasn't there, but long ago I ceased being impressed by people with "letters", they mean little outside the halls of academia. An example: I was a head hunter for a time working in Environmental Engineering, I received a CV from a fellow that was literally 30 pages long, he had degrees in degrees, he had accolades from places and people I'd never heard of before, to read his CV you would assume, or at least think he was the next Einstein; he was unhireable, companies wouldn't even talk to him. I suggested he lose about 95% of his accolades, cut his resume to 2 pages. Sadly, the old saying is often too true: "those who work do, those who can't teach".

So, lets'a ask better questions, did the doctor provide sociological stats from countries that have legalized drugs? In fact, what countries have legalized drugs on the scale he proposes? What is the socioeconomic impact of legalizing drugs in those countries? What are the differences between "decriminalization" and "legalization" and what are the success/failure rates of those programs and the extended affects and implications of those programs not only on the individual, but communities and the cost of implementing, funding and maintaining those programs?

Better yet, and much closer to home; if you effectively take the profit out of drugs and drug trades without eliminating the personnel involved in these trades, what will they do to continue their revenue streams? i.e., will they turn on the local, available more affluent gringo population for theft, extortion etc.? What resources will be available, above and beyond, the current levels of law enforcement to protect citizens of all nationalities?

That's for a start off the top of my head; or did the good doctor simply provide a comforting dissertation (see college lecture to skulls full of mush) on what he thinks is happening, may happen, might happen if some form of decriminalization or legalization occurred?

If you are sincerely interested in what would happen, just answer one rather simplistic fact and the resulting question: Fact: there are (apparently) literally thousands of hardened criminals that chainsaw people into pieces to make a point, they drive nice vehicles, live well and many have tons more money than you or I can imagine. Question: exactly what are these people, these hardened criminals going to do to perpetuate their lifestyles? Are they going to go back to brick laying or the cane fields?

When you have honestly answered that question you have begun to scratch the surface of unintended consequences.

[jorgensen]

Gitner68: It's clear that academic credentials don't mean anything to you, since you've cited such an extreme example of a highly educated buffoon. So, you're most likely going to negate and pick apart anything said in this thread - since you know so much more than anyone else. I, for one, am just going to ignore you from now on, and hope others won't bite your bait.

[giltner68]

Your privilege, but did the Dr. answer the questions and can you honestly answer my final one?

I should have added, I don't do this, or ask these questions for me, I believe I know the answers, they are self evident. I ask these for you, for the greater community, to help generate serious thought and to ask the real questions that must be answered, and not by some traveling troubadour passing through our hamlet.

[Mad_Max]

Gitner68: It's clear that academic credentials don't mean anything to you, since you've cited such an extreme example of a highly educated buffoon. So, you're most likely going to negate and pick apart anything said in this thread - since you know so much more than anyone else. I, for one, am just going to ignore you from now on, and hope others won't bite your bait.

Actually, in my opinion, his questions are quite pertinent.

[The traveler]

I was at Dr. Truly's talk at Open Circle and it was informative. Especially haw the narco's have now gone to narco terrorist and also the U.S. consumes 38% of the woulds cocaine production. The cartel will always have a job aslong as the drug users demand it, per Hilary Clinton on national T.V. a while back.

[colibri]

Canadians cannot vote after they've been out of the country for a certain period of time. I believe it's five years. Sad...we get no say but still pay taxes.

I'm sorry to contradict you, but I believe you are wrong on this one. Once a Canadian always a Canadian. If I want to vote, it is my choice even if I am a non resident for a long, long time.