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All posts for the month December, 2023

FRIDAY JOURNAL

Published December 16, 2023 by Nan Mykel

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS:  Apparently when we have a win in the battle with energy corporations over their continuing damage to the environment, “we” may make it up to them with million dollar judgments from the public coffers.  Did you know that? How and who allowed this to happen?

The U.N. recently released a ground-breaking report titled “Paying Polluters; The Catastrophic Consequences of Investor-State  Dispute Settlement for Climate and Environment Action and Human Rights”  (ISDS).  The article is by Melanie Foley in the Nov./Dec 2023 Public Citizen News, and includes the words of Special Rapporteur Professor David R. Boyd  to the U.N. General Assembly:

“Please consider how crazy this system is. States that are trying to tackle the climate and environmental crisis and safeguard human rights of their people are being forced to pay billions of dollars in compensation to the very corporations that have caused this crisis. Instead of making polluters pay, states are paying polluters.”

The report concludes that ISDS has become ” a major obstacle to the urgent actions needed to address the planetary environmental and human rights crises.”
By IISDCIELClientEarth on June 15, 2023

I suppose this could be one of my jaded “HO HUM” sharings. I went, and found via Google:

The report concludes that ISDS has become ” a major obstacle to the urgent actions needed to address the planetary environmental and human rights crises.”  Some of he cases are international but I chose not to wrap my brain around those, for now at least. P.S. ISDS is not related to the Inflammatory Skin Diseases Summit nor the International Spinal Deformity Symposium.  (Shame on me for being cocky on such a serious topic!)
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Thank you, PRESBYTERIAN OUTLOOK –  This week serendipitous workings connected me with the June 2023 issue at the free bin at the Library.  The entire issue is on “GUN VIOLENCE,” heralded on the cover as “A Christian case for repealing the 2nd Amendment.  Enough already!  From Despair to hope.”  [I’ll drink to that!]
An observation worth quoting: “While you may choose to be silent when it comes to gun violence out of concern for who you may anger, your silence is also sending a message to those who are most impacted by gun violence (women, children, youth, LGBTQ+, and people of color) that their trauma and suffering don’t matter.”
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OOPS!  Just misunderstood Time’s”Person of the Year.”  I thought for sure it was an A.I. construction but my daughter, more familiar with the music culture, identified her as Taylor Swift, as does the cover.  But I doubted the labeling,  you see.  Upon further thought, I wonder if that is really Taylor, or a costly look-alike? It’s true Time’s CEO of the year is the AI leader Sam Altman. ….Now that I think about it, Altman doesn’t look real alive, either.
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REMARKABLE:  There are more mobile phones in the world than people.  (Per Time, Dec. 25, 2023, p. 27–Oops, it’s an advertisement.  Does that matter?)
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This August 14th, in a decision that the Republican state attorney general of Montana Austin Knudsen has appealed,  a judge ruled that the state of Montana must consider the effects of climate change when deciding whether to begin or renew fossil-fuel projects.  Held v. State of Montana  is a first-of-its-kind case, but–“given a rising generation of young activists who know the power of speaking their minds”–is unlikely to be the last.  (The 16 plaintiffs, ages 5 to 22, had taken the state of Montana to court for violating their right to a clean environment, which is enshrined in the state’s constitution.)  –Ninis Twumasi

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QUOTE OF THE DAY – It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not: Oscar Wilde

This One’s On Me

Published December 15, 2023 by Nan Mykel

When I looked at the new charge card I’d had to drive to another city to get, I recognized it as the one I’d thrown away two month’s earlier and thought the real one never arrived.  It had been sent without notice, without anything on the outside of the envelope, and nothing explaining it on the inside accompanying the unfamiliar card.  Since every day I’ve been throwing away several unopened  “wanna” envelopes, I just tossed this, opened-out-of-curiosity anyway.  Ergo, I’m having to contact beaucoup automatic billing accounts.  However, when I call needing to talk to a real person, it’s unbelievable how many “clicks” I have to make before giving up.  Even my own town’s water department is impossible.

I know it’s my own fault for disbelieving, but perhaps I should disbelieve the 9-11 panel and the real story about Roswell and the UFO’s?  And how about A.I. and the reassurances by Musk about Earth humans colonizing Mars by 2050?  And Santos and…?

 

Sound like a failing and flailing old biddy, don’t I?

What possibly fertilized the idea of avoiding the truth appears to have been sidetracked and weaponized by its political opponents. I’m referring to MAGA’s focus  on protecting youth and even those at the college level from historical (and current?) truths.  Beyond the well-publicized school mufflers is, for example the recent movement by Ohio Republicans to cut  State funding of  centers of higher learning such as colleges and universities for continuing actions of allowing protests by students and faculty.  NEWS FLASH: On Nov. 29, 2023, The Ohio House has seemingly killed the controversial legislation to overhaul the Ohio education system, resulting in a win for public education advocates.  We’ll follow this report…(Ohio bills limiting college protests – Google Search).

Google can lead you to varieties of political correctness, also:

adjective as in not causing offense: Strongest match

 

Monday Already?

Published December 14, 2023 by Nan Mykel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today we’re going to visit Molly at GDC.  That’s usually a Sunday occurrence, but …well, nothing is ever written in stone.  We wanted to bring her home for Christmas, but the last time she had refused to leave, and also two grandchildren will be visiting me and their mother in my small Ohio condo.  And her Downs Syndrome turned into dementia a coupla years ago.  By the end of weekly visits from us she recognizes her sister and me, but  we don’t want to risk dive bombing the grandchildren’s Christmas…  Molly’s birthday is a bigger day for her anyway, three days later, at now it will be 52.  The connection between Downs and dementia is a recent truth now that their lifespan has increased.  The photo is one of our earlier photos.  (Molly is a near-miss for her name).  I just vsited Dear Downs, one of my “pages,” and had no ideda so many folks had visited it.  (It is not reproduced on ths site).  Sorry I never responded to any of you.

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WE TOOK MOLLY TO SEE THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

The city of Gallipolis has a central park ready-made for a Christmas light extravaganza.  If you happen to be anywhere near this old French-settled town on the Ohio River, take a look during December.  Stupendous!  Molly liked it too, and I suspect Uri our chihuahua puppy did also. Here’s one shot of many:

 

 

 

 

 

 

HO HUM — On the way to see Molly we had to go through the town of Cheshire, owned by the energy company.  Here’s what we saw there:

FUN: The “F” Word

Published December 13, 2023 by Nan Mykel

1. WHAT’S THIS?

 

 

 

 

 

2. AND THIS??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. AND THIS?

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANSWERS:

  1.  Statue of Sigmund Feud hanging by one hand in Prague, Czech Republic. called “Man,” by sculptor David Cerny.

2. A pillow of Sigmund Freud for sale at Amazon

3. The couch in Feud’s office where patients reported dreams.

TO YOU

Sweet dreams…,

Struggling for Empathy

Published December 10, 2023 by Nan Mykel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s amazing how many postings Google has about the difference between empathy and sympathy.  So if I struggle to understand the humanity of members of the new super rich super exclusive super expensive  social clubs in, say, New York City, which should I be?  If I feel sympathy I might think  “poor–”  no, I couldn’t say “Poor.”  I couldn’t say “heartless,” “alienated” or “greedy,” for that would not be true sympathy.  So, for me, sympathy would not be possible.  Empathy…will be a challenge.

We’re all born to a “blooming, buzzing confusion,’ wrote William James, and we are, too.  Entirely innocent.  And then…Money and prestige, maybe power, became the most important existence in the world. Is it their fault  that Mommy and Daddy and friends  enjoyed the greatest posessions and status possible?  Probably not their immediate fault that the unclean hordes were…inconvenienced,  homeless, hungry.  My way or the highway?  Stop!  That’s not empathy.

So…growing up without empathy, basking in perks, setting the styles, feeling entitled,  envied by many, reinforced by parents, a glory in the mirror, what’s the problem, Bozo?

What is my struggle with being emphatic…I mean empathic?  Jealousy! That’s it!  If I had it would I want to spend  money on building homes for the homeless or pay the initial  $20,000 fee plus an annual fee of, say, $5,000— an exclusive members-only social club in New York City?  Or being able to buy a table, immediately, in any exclusive restaurant for anywhere between $100 – $1,ooo, say?  Or a purse from Louis Vuitton for $3,400? …but wait, delivery is free.

Today’s Quotation: What is the meaning of “there but for the grace of God go I”?   However it is expressed, “there but for the grace of God go I” is a statement of humility and gratitude that acknowledges one’s own sinful nature

SATURDAY JOURNAL

Published December 9, 2023 by Nan Mykel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THANKS TO NED HAMSON for his referral to yesterday’s best referral:
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HO HUM- The Texas Supreme Court put a hold  on a lower court order that had allowed an abortion for a woman’s fetus that has a fatal condition, in response to an appeal from Attorney General Ken Paxton….In two days Mr, Santos is making more money than he did when in Congress.  He has threatened to bring ethics charges against three New York Republican representatives. (TheWeek 12/15/23)
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MISCELLANEOUS – A Royal Academy of Arts-trained pianist from the U.K. has played about 150 piano concerts for elephants at a Thai animal rescue organization. (The Week 12/15/23)
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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:  It’s a hard nut to crack, and I doubt that I shall ever get into the real meaty part of it, but two opposing articles have come to my attention, and I just want to point that out, not to solve the problem.  The first is in Will Self’s December 2021 essay in Harper’s magazine, “A Posthumous Shock: How Everything Became Trauma,” and the second a Health and Science article in The Week of December 15, 2023, “Why Trauma Feels Current.”  Although Self’s lengthy essay is quite erudite and appears to address a misconception of some of the facts–{such as the separate but earlier belief that mothers were responsible for schizophrenia)–The Week article raises the question of the difference in brain storage of traumatic memories versus neutral and sad memories.  (The former memories are stored in the posterior singular cortex while the latter are stored in the hippocampus). 
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GOOD GOLLY, MISS MOLLY
 
My thoughts are covered with moss
in words as old as myself.
Why in a blue moon should I
assign them all to the shelf?
 
They’re as real as jabber wock
and twice as long in the tooth.
Like, who’s your elder anyway?
Tell me that, young’un. Forsooth!
 
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QUOTATION OF THE DAY:   “In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.”   — Confucius, Chinese teacher and philosopher
 
 
 
          

TODAY’S JOURNAL….Friday

Published December 8, 2023 by Nan Mykel

 

 

 

 

 

I thought perhaps re=fashioning my post would better describe its current form.  Ergo: TODAY’S JOURNAL….Friday…

HO HUM…In France, teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded by an 18-year-old after showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to his students to illustrate free speech.

Just completed an enjoyable detective novel with far too much sex in it but engrossing plot: A 2013 novel by Linda Howard. (The library’s serendipitous discards continue to entrap me).

Believe me, no matter how old, it’s Polar Express for the holidays.  It kept my spoon in the air for minutes while I watched, charmed.

I can’t understand why so many people are blase about A.I.: Altman and his prepper household with guns, water, food, etc. Duh, what does that suggest re A.I.’s safety?

Meghan Bobrowsky Thu, December 7, 2023 — The OpenAI Board Member Who Clashed With Sam Altman Shares Her Side
In an interview, Helen Toner, an AI academic from Australia, explains her posture in the power struggle at OpenAI.  I’ll just refer readers to her:

From <https://finance.yahoo.com/m/f9b17c5b-5700-37cd-9710-7a5ffc14d022/the-openai-board-member-who.html>

Texas Nationalist Movement:  BE WARM While you secede from the USA: “Allow yourself to be enveloped in comfort and style with the TNM Logo Hooded Sweatshirt. Made of a blend of 50% pre-shrunk cotton and 50% polyester, this hoodie provides both comfort and durability. Air-jet spun yarn gives this hoodie a soft feel and reduced pilling, while the double-lined hood with matching drawcord ensures a secure fit. The rib-knit cuffs and waistband with spandex, as well as the front pouch pocket, add optimal style and function. The double-needle-stitched collar, shoulders, armholes, cuffs, and hem ensure that this hoodie will stand the test of time. Get ready to stay warm and stylish in this TNM Logo Hooded Sweatshirt.”

LIFE METAPHOR
A.I. Oh my. I’ll cry!
We were gifted somehow
as caretakers of life
on Earth. Toss a penny:
Save or destroy was
the question.   What would
we do with all our power?:
Make or shake or desecrate?
We lost control and as the
nasty pus of greed triumphed,
now steaming toward 2050,
what will be will be.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY: Advice for Transgenders? : Polonius’ advice is summed up with the lines: ‘This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.’  (And advice for all)

 

 

 

Soft on the Animals

Published December 2, 2023 by Nan Mykel

Alongside some cutthroat actions by humans upon humans, it is refreshing to hear about kindness being given to guilt-free animals.  Two instances came across my desk recently: a vetrinarian caring for pets of the homeless  and, earlier, a behavoral scientist teaching a migration path to birds extinct in the wild.

Dr. Kwane Stewart’s outreach on the streets started more than a decade ago as a personal mission that he kept to himself.  “It was my way to heal,” said Stewart, a veterinarian whose nonprofit, Project Street Vet, provides medical care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness. “Maybe some of it was guilt. Maybe some of it was I just wanted my own little crusade.”https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/14/us/california-street-veterinary-medicine-pets-cnnheroes/index.html>

          Separately, Johhannes Fritz, a behavioral scientist, built an aircraft and learned to fly in order to teach the bald Ibis, a bird extinct in the wild for 300 years, how to fly a 3-week migration path  south from Germany through the alps by following his ultra light aircraft.   Fritz founded the Waldrapp team to better understand the Ibis’s requirements, and began a bond with these species, which turned into a passion to save them.  Granted, this was in  2001, but the team Fritz initiated appears to still be operative.   https://www.waldrappteam.eu/en/

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THANKS!

Many thanks to friend Sallie for directing me to the following related to Christians for Judaism, discussed in my  Nov. 30 post.  You can check it out, but here ‘s part of it, from Wikipedia via Google:

Christian Zionism is an ideology that, in a Christian context, espouses the return of the Jewish people to the Holy Land. Likewise, it holds that the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 was in accordance with Bible prophecy: that the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty in the Levant — the eschatological “Gathering of Israel” — is a prerequisite for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.[1][2] The term began to be used in the mid-20th century, in place of Christian restorationism, as proponents of the ideology rallied behind Zionists in support of a Jewish national homeland.[3][4]

Advocacy on the part of Christians for a Jewish restoration grew after the Reformation, and is rooted in 17th-century England.[1] Contemporary Israeli historian Anita Shapira suggests that England’s Zionist evangelical Christians “passed this notion on to Jewish circles” around the 1840s,[5] while Jewish nationalism in the early 19th century was largely met with hostility from British Jews.[6]

Christian pro-Zionist ideals have generally been common among Protestants since the Reformation. While supporting a mass Jewish return to the Land of Israel, Christian Zionism asserts a parallel idea that the returnees ought to be encouraged to reject Judaism and adopt Christianity as a means of fulfilling biblical prophecies.[7][8][9][10] Polling has suggested a trend of widespread distrust among Jews towards the motives of evangelical Christians.[11]

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GRIM

“My favorite ‘Twilight Zone’episode is the one where aliens land and, in a sign of their peaceful intentions, give world leaders a book. Government cryptographers work to translate the alien language. They decipher the title — ‘To Serve Man’ — and that’s reassuring, so interplanetary shuttles are set up.

“But as the cryptographers proceed, they realize — too late — that it’s a cookbook.

“That, dear reader, is the story of OpenAI.”…. much more

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SOMETIMES

I wonder, did I write my life?

If so, I was clever and did

A good job. So many dear things

Were included. Best of all was a

Sterling sense of humor. I laugh

At myself for spilling my soup

Or getting into the wrong car

(That was a hoot) or taking a

Year of French but not learning the

Word for potty when needed in

Calais. The black and yellow writing

Spiders at the farm, the fig tree,

Even the scupernong arbor, too.

Red tomatoes warm from the sun–

Patrol girl in the sixth grade and

Best of all, a grandmother with

a soft lap and dimpled elbows.

A Near Miss and a Recommendation

Published December 2, 2023 by Nan Mykel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A questionable serendipity at the library brought me in contact with Naomi Wolf’s first big seller, but just to be sure I Googled her and had to back off.  (Maybe I’ve learned my lesson? About time!)

What I did stumble across possibly makes a lot of sense. Read this and tell me what you think:

The reason the Hamas-Israel war can be hard for outsiders to understand is that three wars are going on at the same time: a war between Israeli Jews and the Palestinians exacerbated by a terrorist group, a war within Israeli and Palestinian societies over the future and a war between Iran and its proxies and America and its allies.

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Very accidentally I came across a post that said climate change will wipe us out and nothing can help, so we’d best give up our efforts.  I surmise that that: 1.the author is sadistic  2.the author is backed by the fossil fuel industry  3.the author is dangerously depressed or 4.the author is correct.  At any rate, I’m not referring him to you.

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