The
month of May boasts a wide array of commemorative days, starting out with May
Day on May 1. But rather than trying to list them all, I’ll just mention one, Cinco
de Mayo, May 5, celebrating Mexico’s victory over the French in 1862, as well as Mexican-American heritage here in the USA. 
This month started out on a somber note for me, with my attendance at a memorial service for a friend.
A lone heron was spotted recently at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.
We have a beautiful, friendly neighborhood where I've lived ever since 1969.
Actually, the houses shown below are not quite that colorful and the cherry trees by the Washington Monument have already bloomed, but I just received displays of these images and decided to share them.
Below is a watercolor of the river, painted by a local artist.
Just as the Covid emergency is about to be declared over, my granddaughter living in Florida, whose 35th birthday was featured here recently, has come down with Covid and is off work with no sick leave. She thinks she might have been infected by someone attending one of her teenage son’s basketball games.
Traditional Islamic art, featured in a class offered at our local Hill Center, avoids representations of human figures and even of objects found in nature. Rather, Islamic art typically portrays abstract patterns arranged in almost infinite variety.
Wash. Post, A
banana duct-taped to a wall was art. A student said eating it was, too. He said he
was hungry. 
NYTimes, Biden Gets a Chance to Mock Fox News, and Gleefully Takes
It
In contrast to President Biden’s display of self-deprecating
humor, Donald Trump had avoided the Correspondents’
dinner. He is not known for making light of his own behavior and prefers going out golfing
all alone. He projects the image of a somewhat pitiful unhappy guy bearing a
lot of grudges and lacking any close friends. What has happened to him that has
so soured him on life and on other people? Unfortunately, he still has
followers who can identify with his many grievances. 
Displaying a shovelful of
dirt during a recent visit to Scotland, Trump grumbled: “And we throw it at the
press, right in their faces. We throw it right in their faces.”
Justice Clarence Thomas has now been
revealed to have a long-time friend and generous benefactor with very deep
pockets, Harlan Crow. Crow has showered
the justice, his wife, and other close relatives with such an abundance of
benefits that outsiders might wonder what Thomas actually does with his own ample
salary.
Until recently, most Americans trusted banks to safeguard their
money, but now just keeping it under the mattress may actually seem safer. Bank
runs undertaken in a panic have become self-fulfilling prophesies. Wash.
Post, Three of the four largest-ever bank failures have
happened since March
Complex, Serbia Responds to Mass Shootings With ‘Almost Total
Disarmament’ Instead of Thoughts and Prayers Good for Serbia. The US should follow suit.
AP, 'We started running': 8 killed in Texas outlet mall shooting Does this happen every day now? Is it best never to go out? What can each of us do to stop it? I’m trying to figure out what to do now myself. Most of us seek human contact, so we cannot stay home becoming hermits. Texas seems to be the most dangerous state, so stay away from Texas.
Capital Gazette, ‘Targeted’ shooting at Annapolis Town Center leaves 3
people dead, including suspected gunman, police say It’s also happening bear here, very close to home.
Insider, A Florida judge revoked bail for a 65-year-old man
accused of shooting a teen in the stomach for driving an ATV past his house
Chill out old folks; just try to put up with some annoyances.
AP, Sex offender fatally shot 6, then killed self, official
says
NBC News, What we know about the 7 people found
dead at an Oklahoma property
Mass shootings just keep on happening daily in this country.
We are living in a war zone. A firearm allows a shooter to kill a whole bunch
of defenseless people almost instantly, just on a whim. This is an on-going national
emergency. It’s hard now to even keep track. And shooters keep on triggering
others via their example spread on the internet.
Washington
Post, Five
of seven Oklahoma bodies were family members, grandmother says
ReformAustin, Texas Mass Shootings
Up 62.5 Percent Since Permitless Carry Bill Tighter gun laws are urgently needed, especially in Texas
where so many recent mass shootings have been occurring.
Washington Post, Central
Florida shooting leaves 4 dead, including 1 child
USA Today, Four people of interest identified in Texas after-prom shooting; victim count rises to 11 Two of these victims have now died. Shooters keep on incentivizing each other. This happened only a day after the shooting reported next.
Washington Post, Texas police search for shooter who killed 5 people, including 8-year-old A Texas man went next door with a rifle and began shooting his neighbors, killing an 8-year-old and four others inside the house, after the family asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep, authorities said.
Business Insider, Man kills 5 neighbors after one asked him to stop firing AR-15-style rifle, sheriff says The gunman had been shooting his rifle in his Cleveland, Texas, front yard and allegedly became angry when his neighbors asked him to stop.
Wash. Post, Man accused of fatally shooting 5 neighbors in Texas is caught after manhunt Authorities said the suspect, identified as Francisco Oropesa, killed his neighbors Friday after they asked him to stop shooting near their yard, then fled. Others arrested after Texas man accused of killing neighbors is caught.
Now someone should claim the reward. The shooter is reported to have planned fleeing to Mexico.
USA Today, Woman accused of hiding suspected gunman who killed 5 in Texas arrested, sheriff says
AP, Alabama church shooter gets life for killing 3 at
potluck This
71-year-old shooter was sentenced to life after a killing last June.
Kansas City Star, 2-year-old shot in head after accidentally knocking gun off shelf, Texas family says This child died of his injuries. A gun being kept for home protection is much more likely to kill or injure a family member than ever to be used to ward off an intruder. Keeping a firearm in the home is a huge risk, not a protection.
Wash. Post, California
shifts to an experiment in coercion to treat the homeless A new court system seeks to find a
middle road between jail and ignoring the mentally ill, many of whom live on
the streets
Contributing
to the homeless problem in California is its usually mild climate, allowing year-round outdoor
living in most areas. But probably another factor is a permissive attitude, since
crowds of homeless people have failed to congregate in Florida, Texas, and
other states which also typically lack harsh winter weather.
Haiti
is now practically in a state of civil war.
Guardian, ‘It’s hell’: vigilantes take to Haiti’s streets in
bloody reprisals against gangs
AP, 5 killed in Haiti as vigilante crowds target suspected gangs
Guardian, UN urged to reject antisemitism definition over ‘misuse’ to shield Israel More than 100 Israeli and international civil society organisations have asked the United Nations to reject a controversial definition of antisemitism because it is being ‘misused’ to protect Israel from legitimate criticism. The groups have written to the UN secretary general, António Guterres, saying he should resist pressure from Israel to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) ‘working definition of antisemitism.’
“Adoption of the definition by governments and institutions is often framed as an essential step in efforts to combat antisemitism. In practice, however, the IHRA definition has often been used to wrongly label criticism of Israel as antisemitic, and thus chill and sometimes suppress, non-violent protest, activism and speech critical of Israel and/or Zionism, including in the US and Europe,” the letter said. Signatories include Israel’s largest human rights group, B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups.”
Wash. Post, In
latest protests, Israelis call out special privileges for ultra-Orthodox
NYTimes, Unreleased Report Finds Faults in Amnesty
International’s Criticism of Ukraine The rights group commissioned an independent
review of its August accusation that Ukrainian forces illegally put civilians
in harm’s way. Amnesty Int’l staff
have told members that they are preparing a response to this article
and to the report mentioned there.
NBC, U.S. military is tracking another mysterious balloon What’s going on with all
these balloons now evidently being launched by China? 
China is reportedly barring its own citizens from leaving the country and
inventing reasons to also keep some non-citizens from leaving. Xi has been gradually increasing his control. It was not so long ago, just in 2020 in fact, that
Peace Corps volunteers were in China teaching English. However, it’s hard to ever
see them returning now under Xi.
Gender affirming care has become another battleground in the culture wars.
AP, Oklahoma governor signs gender-affirming care ban for kids Oklahoma’s governor
signed a bill making such care for minors a felony. At least 15 other states have
enacted a similar ban.
Revolt, White Indiana councilman comes out as Native American lesbian Here’s a guy making fun of the whole concept
Hill, Majority of Americans oppose gender-affirming care for
minors, trans women participating in sports: poll Looks like I’m part of that majority.
Fox, De-transitioner
reacts to Biden DOJ suing Tennessee over sex changes for minors A male-to-female transitioner and former online
trans advocate, who then “transitioned” back to being male once again, is
now advocating for prohibiting any gender changes for minors. He also would advise adult
transitioners to reconsider ever so doing either.
Fox, Ex-trans teens voice support for state bill to ban sex
change surgeries for minors: 'Severe and irreversible'
These former trans teens were testifying in Louisiana. Some had
undergone irreversible surgeries that they came to regret.
People, Kim Petras Says She Was 'Suicidal as a Kid' Over Trans Identity and Parents' Support Kept Her Alive In a study of more than 300 transgender kids who socially transitioned between the ages of 3 to 12 years old, researchers found that just 7.3% chose to retransition... “retransitions are infrequent," the researchers said, “More commonly, transgender youth who socially transitioned at early ages continued to identify that way.”"
YahooLife, What is hormone therapy for transgender people? Experts
explain this decades-old treatment. This article, which openly advocates for transgender
treatment, describes trans evolution over the years. The author is a well-known self-identified
“queer” journalist.
If you or I actually spoke with a self-satisfied early "transitioner,”
we’d be probably be convinced by them that they'd made the right decision. But how might
they have felt later if their transition had been delayed or not undertaken at all? It’s
impossible for anyone to take the road not traveled.
Stepping back, my own life experience of more than 80 years
has made me wary of considering any individual’s status or social manifestation
to be permanent and inborn. I’ve become sensitized to cultural effects on all opinions
and behavior, including my own, after witnessing so many variations. Most behavior
patterns are due to both cultural influences and family experiences, I contend,
while I'd also acknowledge that some individuals may be born with strong proclivities
that are either suppressed or encouraged by family and social support. Most people
everywhere follow common socially approved patterns or seek out their own cohorts
now in the digital age, as imitating one another and finding and providing social
support forms the basis of all culture and human relationships. There will
always be a few outliers, experimenters, and mavericks stirring things up,
sometimes initiating new behavior trends or even leading back to old ones. Will
“gender transitioning” be something actually sparking a bigger movement, or will
it eventually fade in popularity?
Being unhoused, especially in a mild climate, its practitioners might argue, is the freest status of all, no job, no mail, no bills. Is that why homelessness is rising in some places? And what about “childfree,” a current popular fashion with possible long-term consequences for all of humankind? The recent spate of gun violence is an unfortunate example of shooters incentivizing each other. How many people now living in Finland would pick up a gun to murder strangers? How many in Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia would express transgender yearnings or vow to remain child-free? Probably near zero. Residents of red states are not being totally irrational in trying to suppress social and legal support for certain behavior choices.
Wash. Post, In defense of the childless
The Ehrlichs’ widely disseminated 1968 warning about a “population bomb” has never come to pass and Covid has further decimated population growth. So being childless has begun losing cachet, though books promoting it keep finding an audience. Nonetheless, now alarm bells are going off in the other direction about the perils of childlessness.
Newsweek, Why the Choice to Be Childless is Bad for America As the result of both birth control and abortion, along with more options and opportunities available for women and a culture of individualism, someone can spend an entire lifetime without ever having children or even having a regular partner. Possessing no ties to anyone or anything, no obligations whatsoever, is sometimes represented as the ultimate expression of personal freedom. Individualism remains near the top of our national values. Yet loneliness can be the flip side of that coin. Wash. Post, Loneliness poses profound public health threat, surgeon general says
“Abortion rights” has also contributed to the people
shortage. Concern for one’s self—“my body, my choice”—has been the main anthem of
“abortion rights,” yet it could be argued that the unborn also have “rights,” though
lacking any means to express them. The cult of individualism combined with a
gun culture has proved especially volatile and destructive, as exemplified by recent
mass shootings, mostly carried out by men living alone who reject any controls
on their own behavior.
After having lived in many different US states and various countries myself, speaking 2 languages, made visits and humanitarian missions to over 45 countries, worked at several very different jobs, and also raised 4 kids and a Cuban foster son as a single mother--then after tragically losing my older son and foster son when they were far too young--now late in my life, I have come to feel that far too many people expect way too much from this finite human existence. According to their expression of constant efforts and frustrations now being shared on social media, they are always hoping to end up somewhere even better than where they are. In their postings, these folks report spending considerable time, effort, and energy exploring and churning through possible life options, always seeking an elusive something, always more and even more.
Online, a woman with a long-running apparently comfortable marriage decides to explore becoming a lesbian, thereby jettisoning the man who has stood by her for so many years. Maybe she needs more excitement in her life? Instead, how about making a renewed effort to get on better terms with her husband so as not to risk hurting or losing him altogether? What about actually trying to satisfying him? If she rejects him now just on a whim, she may never win him back and may come to regret it. She might also try becoming more active in her community and cultivating new friendships to replace her current myopic self-focus and her dogged search for online fame.
In spite of my many life experiences,
I’ve never been looking for a holy grail or ever expecting to find it, but some
others, judging by their online postings, do seem intent on doing just that, embarking
on a risky and hopeless quest. Do these folks simply have too much time on
their hands and really too much choice? While navigating life’s
usual ups and downs, they may still be searching for that elusive pot of gold
at the end of the rainbow. But any life, unfortunately, is finite. One choice
closes off another. So some folks may ruminate about being single or married,
having children or not, exploring sexual identity, changing jobs and locations,
all the while imagining that something even better—their true destiny?—is waiting
for them “out there.” Then sometimes, to the complete shock of their associates, they end up taking their own life.
In my opinion, it’s fine totally to
explore—I’ve explored much of the world and met many different people myself—but
there is also a time to “settle,” to savor and enjoy what you already have. Otherwise, you
may reach my age when your life is almost over, after never finding whatever
you were looking for and having failed to take advantage of and enjoy what you’ve
already had all along. Does that make any sense? No one has unlimited time or options
and life is shorter than you think.
Living is much like boating out on the ocean, often floating peacefully on a placid sea, then at times encountering battering waves, until that big wave finally engulfs us at life’s end. It’s often challenging enough just trying to keep your boat afloat. But if the ocean were always calm, we would soon be overcome by boredom, which may explain some people’s continued life quests. I try to keep in mind the occupational therapy maxim that humans (and also animals) will always seek purposeful activity. Women used to consider caring for children, preparing tasty meals, and keeping a comfortable home to be their main task in life. Many still want to do that while also working outside the home. As a result, American women are now having fewer children, just 2 at most. At the other end of life, hospitals are also experimenting with in-home care, supervised remotely via video with a spouse or someone else at home keeping a watchful eye on a patient. As individuals and members of society, we all evolve and keep on changing.
Some single women and a few single men are now buying homes on their own, often living there alone or with a pet. I’m actually living alone myself now in a large 3-story house, but never until recently. I raised 4 kids and a foster son in my home, then hosted housemates and visitors from all over the world, so I’ve paid my dues in terms of providing a home for others. That experience has been interesting, purposeful, and rewarding for me. But these days, just taking care of myself is about all I can manage.
Thanks to the distance of time, I've become better able to appreciate the years spent with my older son Andrew and Cuban foster son Alex, though still sorely missing them both. Of course, everyone will die. We expect folks older than ourselves, like our own parents, to go before us, so their deaths, while sad, are not so shocking. My younger brother’s death was harder. The hardest of all was my son’s death, something totally unexpected that seemed to go against the natural order. We invest in our children, expecting them carry on when we are gone.
The result of individualism carried out on a national scale may be a shrinking population and a shrinking work force. Taken to extremes, the childlessness movement now in vogue could mean the end of our country and even, eventually, of all of humankind. Perhaps the anti-abortion measures being introduced now in some states are a counterreaction? Overpopulation has always been a threat, yet suddenly now, our country and the world at large may be veering too far in the other direction. Neither Joe Biden, with his support for abortion, nor I, in my opposition to it, will live to see the day when our national and world population may actually start to decline. With the internet taking over so many functions and with artificial intelligence on the rise, fewer people may even be needed in the future. Our descendants might actually face the prospect of the demise of humankind, provided any descendants are still left by then.
A proposal in the So. Carolina legislature that failed to pass would have outlawed abortions from the moment of conception, thus, de facto, resulting in a total abortion ban. But when does that crucial point of conception actually occur? Conception could be pinpointed in a lab by observing a live sperm and an ovum interacting, though what defines conception? Is conception the instant when the sperm penetrates the ovum or is it when cells actually begin to divide and grow? Whatever might be considered conception, it has already occurred by the time an actual woman discovers she’s pregnant.
While the once
threatened baby boom has now deflated into a baby bust here in
North America, as well as in Europe, Japan, South Korea, and China, another countertrend
has emerged. Some women are seeking motherhood by turning to sperm banks,
especially in Europe and North America.
Sperm banks are being used not only by wives of husbands who are infertile or
likely to pass on harmful inherited conditions, but also by women without a partner and
those in same-sex relationships. I once helped my granddaughter care for a friend’s
baby conceived through a sperm donation.
People, Single Mom Welcomes Twins After Finding Sperm Donor
Through Facebook: 'We Actually Became Quite Good Friends'
Fox, Prolific sperm donor with over 500 children must pay
$110K if he donates again, court rules That particular fine was actually threatened in the Netherlands,
his home country, but after facing scrutiny, Jonathan Jacob Meijer, age 41, moved
to Kenya, where he continued donating to other women, including in Denmark and
Ukraine.
USA Today, Newborn, meet great-great-great-grandma: 6 generations
of same family gather in viral photo The
female family members featured in this story range in age from infancy to 98
years. In my own family so far, we have only 4 generations, going from myself to
my teenage great-grandson. But we’ll never reach 6 generations, as I started out
too late.
A posting cannot end without featuring lost pets, either sought by their original owners or found just wandering around.
Telegraph, Newly adopted golden retriever bolted and walked 40 miles back to former home Alas, after finding his original home, he was returned once again to the new owner.
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