Last night I was watching the news and saw the federal police use horses to push peaceful demonstrators off the streets in front of the white house, they used rubber bullets and tear gas as well as their horses and batons to move people, so that the president could speak on the lawn and tell the states to get their act together, to beat up and rough up the protesters, or he would send in the military, and he was doing this to protect our rights to have guns (2nd Amendment) and law and order. … the guns-right thing could only be to send a message to his right wing-nuts that they could carry guns into state capitols and intimidate others to get the country open and protect their businesses literally and figuratively. And he made no mention of the tragic killing of yet another black man at the hands of criminal police that need to be justly arrested, tried and convicted, a right they denied George Floyd… then it became clearer why the streets were cleared of protesters, as he walked across the street for a photo-op in front of St. John’s church that was boarded up because of previous night damage during protesting turned violent. People were hurt and treated roughly so he could go for a photo-op holding a bible, initially upside down until one of his sycophants corrected the pose. Protesters were wrong to do damage to property and hurt others, including police, and the president is wrong to stoke divides in this country.
My God, what evil has been unleashed on our country by our own people, by our votes that said we don’t care what kind of person he is, just tear down the (deep) state… the mechanisms of government that protected us for years and still work despite his drive toward authoritative rule …. we are descending into a hell of our own making… rather than taking the opportunities to address the sins of our past and present with just changes and understanding and sympathy for others. Donald, just go to your bunker and stay there locked away with your fear and go ahead and spin your narcissistic stories of greatness, but keep it to yourself, your form of help is not needed anymore.
Category Archives: Blog
If Mark Twain was here
I was watching a biography by Ken Burns on Samuel L Clemmons, better known as Mark Twain. He was a fascinating humorist, wit, and world traveler, as well as the defining American author. Mark Twain made wonderful observations of the human condition. I wonder what he would be saying about our world today… here are some thoughts. He would be 185 this year.
If the man wants to put his name on everything, including stimulus checks, then let this be known as the Trump virus.
With all this wonderful new technology, planes and such, we can travel so much faster today, but we cannot seem to travel faster than a virus.
I found that through paper I could get any fool idea to millions of people in a few months, now I can get any fool thought to billions of people in less time than I finished this thought.
In my day I, saw the ravages of slavery and racism, but also the willingness of Finn to go to hell to save Jim… Today he might be providing food and medicine to the deserts of poverty, and still willing to go to the hell prescribed by those still waving a flag for a war they lost when I was just 30 years old.
I’ve been watching our President now for a long time, tell me first not to worry, it’s all going to go away, that it is a hoax, that we will do better than any nation, that we are prepared, that anyone who wants a test will get a test, and they are beautiful… We loved to be entertained when the carnival barker came to town, now he’s here every day, and the only entertainment is that we now are willing to believe the huckster!
There is something about writing a book, something about telling a story, where lies can be woven together with truths so that we are moved toward a higher thought, or enjoy a laugh with each other. Seems to me tweets are a poor substitute, and only purpose is to enjoy a laugh at each other instead of with each other.
If this virus gave us dysentery, I wonder if all the Kleenex would be off the shelves at the market?
There are 450 channels on TV and nothing to watch… It’s like being at a library and all the books have nothing in them.
You know shaking hands can tell you a lot about a man, now if you see it happen, it can tell you even more about both of them.
I saw a politician go into a hospital without a mask to meet with pandemic patients, doctors and nurses, and shake their hands, my gosh they don’t make them any smarter today than they did when I was young.
Mark Twain (imagined)
Transformational Times and Easter Sunday
Every few generations, every 50 or 70 years, the world seems to present a seminal event that transforms who we are, that brings about the creativity and the initiative that is needed to move humanity toward a better future. These seminal events always are painful, with great suffering, then we rise above it. Jesus showed us the way two millennial ago, when he overcame great suffering and death to rise again and to teach us. We are still commemorating this transformational gift to humanity today, even this very day!
So too, it is right for us to reflect on what presents as challenges today. The suffering must change all of us. These times present an opportunity to our next generation to bring science, math, testing, service, sacrifice, compassion, even humor in a creative and innovative way to problems we have previously ignored. Problems with poverty, social/economic divides, politics, mythologies that affect the very survival and health of humanity. We don’t know what the changes will be, but there will be change. We don’t know what the lasting effects will be, but they will be there and they will be the legacy of the generation that is learning today about what things we must value. Education, health, science of testing, of data, of modeling, and how and who pays to reconstruct our economies. Maybe universal healthcare will be viewed differently when the bills come due for the battle being fought. Maybe we’ll have a different understanding of the impact of improper nutrition and inadequate education on the communities that will pay the highest price in this pandemic. Maybe we’ll value frontline warriors currently in this fight more generously. Maybe those that are homeschooling will value anew the educators in our society. Possibly we’ll have a renewed sense of what is important in our lives as we socialize at a distance.
But for sure we will change. For sure our next generation will bring forth ideas and creativity and purpose and they will do it with more compassion and more love than some of us that came before.
Yes, there are profiteers, and scammers and others that evilly take advantage of this situation, just as there were soldiers casting lots for the garments of Jesus… but they will not fare well in the coming world and coming times.
I put my faith in the resurrection of humanity led by a new generation that is coming into awareness at this time. A new generation that will transform our world in ways hard for us to imagine today. But it will happen. It must, for it is the history and legacy of humanity. For every tragedy there is a response, an advancement, and I for one have great hope in humanity and our young adults that are truly amazing.
Happy Easter!
Hope…
This is a crazy time, and to feel the stress and worry is normal, I certainly have experienced stress. But there is always hope. There’s always hope in each other.
My mind is bouncing around today. In part because I was thinking of all the changes we’ll experience in the world going forward, it is mind boggling. I just read a part of an article about how things will change culturally, post pandemic, how much travel might change, for example. It caused me to remember how much travel has changed in the last 40 years. The early days of travel for me was very different than what we have experienced recently. Then it was as if I was leaving planet home. Calls were hotel room calls, that were expensive, there were no cell phones. I remember that more than a couple of bucks of calls and you’d get called out by your boss for travel expenses. I remember a boss telling me that he cannot understand how we could possibly spend more than $25 a day in meals… this was when we were traveling in the LA area. All reservations, and ticketing and even maps were paper. Do you know how to read a map, let alone fold a map? I always had a file with me of stuff I might need. Traveler Checks were even a thing. Travel agents, their phone number and always some change for pay phones were vital if something went wrong. Now everything has been made easy, fluid, and connected. We like to explore, and we can. But will we after this? How long will it take for us to forget, to let our guard down? We went from traveling half-way around the world on a whim, to not being able to visit friends for dinner at the restaurant on the corner. What a crazy time.
But back to hope… It is what we must always keep, and hold precious. Yes, everything changes, and certainly our world has changed more quickly than ever before. But it is our option to look forward with hope. Emily Dickinson was an amazing poet of the 19th century. I read this poem, “Hope is the thing with feathers” and thought it is great, and we could all use a little more hope. That little bird hope, that chirps in our souls and keeps us going at all times, keeping us positive. It asks so little of us, and gives so much!
“Hope” is the thing with feathers – (314)
By Emily Dickinson
“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –
And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chilliest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.
Virtually Exploring Art Museums…
This morning, I’ve been thinking about, actually I’ve been exploring art and art museums virtually. Clearly there is no possibility of travel, even to the local St. Petersburg museum of fine art, or others that are local such as the Ringling Art museum, and Dali Art museum. However, there is amazing fine art to be viewed and museums with tours. Some of the site’s I’ve visited this morning include https://artsandculture.google.com/project/art-camera
A google project that includes high resolution photos of paintings with an explanation of the approach that the artist was taking, and the spirit of the painting. There is the cave art, the earliest art by man, explored and viewed at Chauvet, https://artsandculture.google.com/story/sgUB9Mfa0DpmPA
There are virtual tours also using the google street map technology, I found however that some of that was tedious and difficult to navigate, but I admire the intent and ambition to allow us to wander and browse from our couches.
David Morgan of CBS news posted a guide to museum virtual tours that I’ve done some exploring with. https://news.yahoo.com/virtual-museum-going-guide-socially-102021811.html
As I clicked thru on to the MET from this article, I found myself looking at the sculpture tour, called body language. On the ‘Vine’ I found the video of an interpretive dance reflective of the statue, as well as description of the art. Very interesting. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/viewpoints/the-vine
A painting featured here is a photo I took at the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Art.
Painted in the 1830’s it is a pre-impressionist (like I really know what that means) piece that is brilliant, colorful, and even though it is not realistic, it seems to be alive. This little girl of maybe five, alive forever, anxious to go play, but obedient to the artist, thinking not of any great future, but of only the moment, and the inspiration, or instinct for the next moment. Bright and buoyant, captured forever, just at this moment.
Bright and Buoyant
My silent protest, I’m alive
Sitting for a moment I’m told
But I want to play, I’m five
Holding flowers, I’m bold
Of color, from the fire glow
Forever, I’ll be bright, and five
Forever here, I couldn’t know
Bright and buoyant and alive
Beyond this I’ll never show
A life beyond the age of five
We The People
Two weeks ago, I wrote Beware the Ides of March. In that blog I point out that by mid-March (the Ides) we may be at a pivotal point, where we find out if we can rise to the challenge of a global crisis or we fail because we cannot believe and accept that continued growth and prosperity could be vulnerable. So far as this time approaches, I’m very encouraged, not so much by our Federal leadership, but by the actions of State and Local governments, the sports and entertainment industry, the education, religious and healthcare institutions. So many making smart decisions about reducing large crowds, encouraging safety, and preparing for a surge of patients that will challenge our healthcare systems. The social distancing and containment actions of society will help flatten the curve of patients needing critical care, thus avoiding overwhelming our healthcare capacity. It is remarkable that this understanding, and these actions are happening as rapidly as they are prior to emergency declaration, and while it will do great good. The Federal government is almost being dragged along in this crisis instead of leading it. We are a society that still believes and operates with democratic principles of it is We The People that will govern, and ensure our elected leaders come into alignment. The release of emergency funding, and the actions to soften the financial blow to millions that will be out of work, as well as millions that have no healthcare insurance, are in all our best interest and We The People understand. Sure, many will complain about overreaction, about March Madness being cancelled and a host of other inconveniences, but I see our society showing that it can pivot rapidly to meet a global, crises. And yes, there will be some that hoard what others need, but when the time comes I think most of them will share what they have. I believe in the collective good and wisdom of people, and we will learn from this as we have with every global challenge, that We The People are resilient!
Beware the Ides of March…
I woke this morning, thinking. Thinking about the threat of this virus, and the stock market’s reaction. I wonder if there is something to the stock market drop that goes beyond the herd mentality of predictive growth slowing. Maybe it smart money betting that something is changing. We have become so accustomed, since the end of WW2, to expect continued growth and improvement in the quality of life, and life expectancy, that maybe it is difficult to imagine and to remember that continued improvements are not guaranteed. The world has suffered greatly in many parts over the recent decades driven largely by war or local weather phenomena, such as the fires in Australia a couple of months ago, the war in Syria and other places. But we have not seen a world-wide crisis since the end of the second world war. We have enjoyed 75 years of relative continued improvements in prosperity, reduction in poverty, and advancements in science, art, and human understanding. Sure, there are plenty that resist change, resist the opening of thought, of understanding, and even the globalization of commerce and advancement, but they have never really won the day. Optimism, philanthropy, science, and human spirit for growth have been the winners, and have shaped our recent history. However, progress and growth are not guaranteed. A crisis, be it a pandemic, or climate change, and the simultaneous loss of faith in human ingenuity and values could tip the cart over and our future could be one of decline and dismay. If we allow it, or we deny and resist reality. And if we give into global challenges with a loss of spirit, with a loss of fire, intellect and desire to make the future better for our children, and grandchildren.
I don’t know why, but I feel we are at an historically pivotal moment that could be a major world-wide crisis, or more hopefully a wakeup call that reminds us that we are, and remain vulnerable to the randomness of nature and our response to it determines our futures. Beware the ides of March.
Announcing Book 2…
Wealth of Religious Organizations
From Wikipedia:
Religious organization’s wealth
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
$67.0 B (alleged to be as much as 100.0 billion) - Catholic Church Germany $25.0B
- Catholic Church Australia $30B
- Church of England $7.8B
- Opus Dei (part of the Catholic Church) $2.8B Italy
- Church of Scientology $2.0B
- Catholic Church Vatican – Unknown – Vatican City (some estimates are about $15B in investment holdings)
How does poverty persist
In a world where religious leaders advocate charity
And religious institutions hold billions in wealth
How is the glory of God to be served?
Lifting the unfortunate with opportunity and investment,
Bringing clean water to every soul,
Eradicating disease like malaria and AIDS,
Establishing stable energy for those that would welcome the light,
Or maybe they should just continue to build ever greater monuments of wealth?
And the collection of donations, tithes and zakat (Islamic version of tithe) continue and the wealth builds tax free.
What do they spend on charity services? What do they define as charity services? There is no way of knowing, but the wealth accumulation relative to the problems of the world certainly suggests that religious institutions are better at building wealth than helping the poor and less fortunate. Transparency of non-religious charities are such that they are rated for how much of donations find their way to the targeted needy. However, church institutions seem dramatically less transparent. But opulence seems to be a common feature at the top of the institutional pyramid.
A thought today…
Vision of a destination is the mother of a journey … and curiosity the father of innovation!