Back to the Future? History as a Mobius Loop

The Emancipation statue in Lincoln Park, a park located within walking distance of my home, was dedicated in 1922. The park is commonly referred to by that same statue, which shows Abraham Lincoln with his hand over a crouching slave ready to rise up. In 1922, that statue was considered a patriotic representation, but now is regarded as being racially insensitive, sparking increasing calls for its removal. If removed, would the park then have to be renamed? The park was originally designated as Lincoln Square back in 1867.

What happens to all the tires stolen from DC cars at night? In Latin America, cars are not often left out overnight on city streets, instead parked inside garages or fenced enclosures, often with an armed guard standing by all night. I’m glad to no longer be responsible for a car.

The massive earthquake and subsequent series of tremors that have devastated Turkey and Syria remind me of a much milder, rare earthquake occurring right here in the nation’s capital in 2014. It caused considerable damage to the Washington Cathedral and also to the Washington Monument, which was then closed for repairs. I was in my home office on the 3^rd floor on my computer when the whole house began shaking and there was a loud rumbling, sounding like a giant stomping up the stairs. Old delicate artifacts fell off a shelf, shattering on the floor. I sat frozen in my chair with my heart pounding. That was followed by several aftershocks. The shock to my psyche took quite a while to dissipate. I can only imagine that Turkey’s inhabitants have endured much more severe repercussions and are facing a long road ahead. The major problem with earthquakes is that they strike out of the blue without any advance warning and allow no time to prepare.

[Various sources] Why did a mysterious Chinese surveillance balloon suddenly appear high above the continental US? For what purpose? And why was a similar balloon seen over South America? Chinese government spokespersons have tried to downplay the balloons’ importance, but their appearance has certainly proved disconcerting, leading Anthony Blinken to cancel his planned trip to China after a balloon was first spotted over US territory. The balloon seemed to be undertaking some sort of reconnaissance for unknown purposes. 

AP, China balloon: Many questions about suspected spy in the sky Pentagon says the balloon, which is carrying sensors and surveillance equipment, is maneuverable and has shown it can change course. It has loitered over sensitive areas of Montana where nuclear warheads are siloed, leading the military to take actions to prevent it from collecting intelligence.

Yahoo News, Chinese spy balloon flying above U.S. shot down off Carolina coast Finally, as the balloon began drifting over the Atlantic Ocean, it was shot down. China dubbed that a serious overreaction.

Britannica, Lantern Festival, also called Yuan Xiao Festival, holiday celebrated in China and other Asian countries that honours deceased ancestors on the 15th day of the first month (Yuan) of the lunar calendar. The Lantern Festival aims to promote reconciliation, peace, and forgiveness. The holiday marks the first full moon of the new lunar year and the end of the Chinese New Year.

The mysterious appearance of the Chinese balloon has coincided with these seasonal festivities.

At the last posting, I mentioned the visit of Pope Francis to South Sudan, reviving my own memories of my mission there in 2006. 

                                        Women greeting the Pope in Juba.  

South Sudan has apparently made little or no progress since that time. (Broadcast snippets of remarks by Francis reveal that he usually speaks in Spanish, not Latin, except during Masses when he uses Latin.) Here was my travel permit. 

After my return, I’d written the following article about my Sudan visit.

Template for a Post-TreatyDafur? Southern Sudan may show the way, .America, OCTOBER 01, 2007 Barbara E. Joe  South-central Sudan is the last place on earth I would have envisioned spending an Easter Sunday. Skirting the equator, the region is accessible only by cargo flight under U.N. or other auspices and is closed to outsiders except as authorized by the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement and Sudan People’s Liberation Army...  

Brazilian-born friend Salvador, also mentioned last time, and I have little in common, yet we have remained friends for more than 40 years. He loves playing golf, a passion I do not share, and he’s an avid Bolsonaro supporter who also admires Trump. Since Sal moved to North Carolina, we communicate via email and phone, no longer in person. I do speak Spanish, but not Portuguese, as he does. I actually understand Italian and Romanian better than Portuguese, so we must communicate only in English, as he also does now with his lady love in Vietnam. Here is a photo Sal sent me years ago when he became a US citizen, something he informed me of by singing the entire “Star-Spangled Banner” on my answering machine. 

Talking with him now always puts a smile on my face.

AP, Cubans respond with zeal to new US migration policy Meanwhile, the Coast Guard intercepted 6,182 Cubans trying to arrive by sea in fiscal year 2021-2022. Add to that 4,795 in the past three months... the Biden administration unveiled its new policy: 30,000 migrants will be accepted each month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti. The migrants can stay for up to two years but must have a sponsor already in place in the United States. Those who risk reaching the borders without permission would be deported and not be able to enter U.S. territory for five years.

Those who have a US sponsor can now come by air and enter by regular means.

NY Times, Two men arrested in 'cold-blooded' massacre of 6, including mother and baby, in Tulare County

Daily Beast, ‘Miserable’ Marjorie Taylor Greene Whines That Her Congressional Salary Is Too Low

“Becoming a member of Congress has made my life miserable. I made a lot more money before I got here. I’ve lost money since I’ve gotten here,” she groused, adding: “It’s not a life that I think is like something that I enjoy because I don’t enjoy it.” ...Members of the House of Representatives earn a salary of $174,000 a year. Additionally, the House was in session for 164 days last year, meaning Rep. Greene was required to work less than half the calendar year. [Not only is her salary too low, but she’s probably bored as well, so why not quit?]

Planned Parenthood is wasting its money bombarding me with on-line donation ads, with some also arriving via snail mail. Never are pro-life folks described there as such, just as being “anti-choice” and “anti-reproductive rights.” Maybe I’m stuck in the pre-Roe era, but my misgivings go deep, though no use going over that same ground again.

Except for my own daughters, I am the only person I know who married someone of another race or ethnicity, as well as another religion. Far beyond that, I’m the only sighted person of my acquaintance who married someone totally blind, except for my ex’s second wife, who married him only after he’d achieved success with my assistance. After his departure after 24 years of being married to me, my former husband spoke with me just once before his death over a decade later, in a surprise phone call he made to me in 1984. Though his harsh rejection was shocking at first, I did rally on behalf of my kids and, no longer under his shadow, actually blossomed in my own right. Only my older son’s untimely death set me back, but Peace Corps service revived me even after that

Given the emotional rollercoaster of my life, I think I’m doing pretty well these days, now in my 80s, all things considered. If we live into our 80s, probably we’ve all survived some serious setbacks. Can we ever predict the future? Only imprecisely, as the only constant is change. I do not fear my own death, though I would hope to avoid severe pain. I do fear losing another child or a grandchild, as I know already what that feels like.

Have time and space always existed or are they concepts invented by the human mind? Is the mobius strip somehow representative of these cosmic aspects of our human perceptions? The mobius strip was named for its discoverer and inventor in 1858, August Ferdinand Möbius, a German mathematician and astronomer.

According to Google “The Möbius strip fulfils the double paradox of being a single-sided strip and having only one edge. It is a two-dimensional object that has sneaked into our three-dimensional world.” The mobius configuration has never been found in nature but has many useful applications in science, math, and manufacturing. Unlike other objects, a mobius strip has no end and no beginning. Does it represent an infinite universe? 

                                                                 DC's Anacostia at dusk
                                                               .