Mother’s Day and Beyond

 

Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, is when we all celebrate not only our mothers, but our own lives, since without mothers, none of us would actually exist. The same is true of fathers, but their contribution is more remote. Some fathers don’t even know they have offspring. On Mother’s Day, I am also celebrating my kids and grandkids, who all together have made me a mother. I'm glad to have heard from them today. 

Below is a greeting received today from a Spanish-speaking friend, who says: Bárbara que tengas un día súper especial junta a tu hermosa familia. Te queremos mucho. 

Since I took this Mother's Day photo of a local family shown here on the left, the father has died.

I’ve been single, married, divorced, a friend, a neighbor, an employee in various jobs, and a volunteer both in the US and abroad, but mother is the status that has brought me the greatest joy, and also the greatest sorrow from terrible loss. Without mothers, the human race would simply not exist. 

In Mexico, Mother’s Day comes a little earlier, on May 10. Below, greetings received from south of the border.

                A boy in Honduras attending a bilingual school displayed this greeting for his mom. 

A mother carrying a baby in a front or back carrier or just on one hip helps cement a physical bond between them. Nursing, in my experience, also helps increase that bond. The physical, almost erotic, pleasure of nursing is rarely mentioned, though is probably an evolutionary development to keep baby and mother close, with its value often overlooked in the modern age. Fathers don’t seem to have that same need for physical bonding with offspring, though maybe a father takes on that role in gay male couples? Among heterosexual couples, if the father is present in the home, he often engages in more playful roughhousing with the kids than the mother does. Is that nature or culture?

Present-day mothers in the Americas reveal much about the origin of earlier inhabitants. AFP, New study finds prehistoric migration from China to Americas 

Tracing of the mitochondrial DNA of current inhabitants of north and south America, inherited only from mothers, has revealed two main migrations from Asia. The first was between 19,500 and 26,000 years ago. The second occurred during the melting period, between 19,000 and 11,500 years ago. Many present-day inhabitants of the Americas owe their existence to those ancient mothers.

 

Anna Jarvis was never a mother herself but she hosted the first Mother’s Day celebration on May 10, 1908. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day a national holiday. Later, Jarvis  came to lament the commercialization of the day.

 

            We do have some lovely and enduring buildings here in DC, most built in earlier times.

                    Flowers bloomed on a front yard cactus just in time for Mother's Day.

Radishes below were harvested from a local home garden.

A mural was painted on a DC wall near an intersection. 

At left, Anacostia at dusk. We do live in a beautiful, fascinating city. 

I was fortunate to have attended a recent celebration of life for a deceased neighbor, Robert Krughoff, founder and just retired editor of a local publication, Washington Consumer's Checkbook. I had not been in touch with Robert for years, but reconnected with him and his wife at Christmas, while they were visiting their daughter, her Nicaraguan husband, and her family living there. Years ago, Robert had gone to Colombia for me to pick up my son Jonathan, adopted from there, as I felt I could not go myself and leave our other 3 young children with my then husband, who was blind and not accustomed to caring for them. The Krughoffs went on to adopt 2 children from Colombia themselves, one the daughter they were visiting last Christmas. After my husband left in 1980 to marry his 2nd wife, the Krughoffs and I lost touch. I had hoped to renew ties. But after their first holiday message at Christmas, the news was not good. Robert had fallen and hit his head. Whether he fell from an unknown cause or the fall itself had seriously harmed him could never be determined. I did visit him in late Feb. when he was back in DC, bedridden, unresponsive, and near death. I then attended his memorial service and met his children for the first time as adults. Today, his widow and I exchanged Mother's Day greetings.

Amnesty International recently issued the following notice: Senior leadership of prominent national human, civil and immigrant rights leaders from 11 organizations will travel to the US-Mexico border on May 11 and 12 to bear witness to the end of the harmful immigration policy Title 42 and the anticipated start of  new, restrictive border policies.

 

But, in fact, US border policy has remained in disarray due to conflicting court decisions issued just as Title 42 was ending.

The Covid health emergency may be over, but Covid has not gone away. My granddaughter, who had been staying home from work due to Covid, just went back after testing negative. She’d had 2 Covid vaccinations, which helped her experience a fairly mild case, but still did not prevent her from becoming infected. The virus keeps on mutating. While Covid’s mysterious origins may never be discovered, we know the disease first started in China, soon spreading to all of humankind everywhere and in all age groups, hitting hardest at older ages. Covid has been blamed for causing a record number of premature deaths, almost 7 million worldwide. Over a million of those deaths have occurred in the US alone, giving our nation the unenviable record of having experienced the greatest number of Covid fatalities in the world. And the toll continues, though at slower rate. Part of that high US tally has been attributable to denialism about the very existence of the virus.

 Wash. Post, Is D.C. crime bad enough to bring the Guardian Angels back? They think so. Having neighborhood youths come out as a law-abiding counterforce may dampen the bravado and destructive activities of young petty criminals, who like all of us, act with social and peer support and now find some of their peers fighting against them.

 Meat prices have fallen in the US, as Americans have been consuming less meat. Maybe they can no longer afford it. That would be beneficial for human health as well as for the wellbeing of animals. I barely eat meat myself anymore, but do consume eggs and milk products. Lacking much empathy for fish or shellfish, I do also eat fish on occasion.

Yahoo News, Jury finds Trump sexually abused and defamed E. Jean Carroll: 5 key moments from the trial The jury of 6 men and 3 women took less than three hours to reach a unanimous verdict, awarding Carroll a total of $5 million in damages. Now can we expect Donald Trump to actually pay up? Probably not, as he is already appealing the verdict. And his faithful base will still support his complete denial of all charges, though he did not make a convincing case in court and, in fact, never even appeared there in person. On CNN, he called the interviewer questioning him about the case a “a nasty person.” Name calling is part of Trump’s modus operandi. 

                                               Trump was recently golfing in Scotland.

                                               Make me great again, Trump seems to say.

NBC Universal, Por primera vez en la historia un expresidente de EE.UU. es hallado responsable de abuso sexual This Spanish-language posting says that for the first time, a US ex-president has been found responsible for sexual abuse. 

The long arm of the law has also finally caught up with brazen serial swindler, George Santos, who may have thought that being a member of Congress would give him a get-out-of-jail-free card. His capers have been breathtakingly audacious, bold beyond normal expectations, throwing off observers unable to imagine anyone fabricating such an extensive and continuing web of lies. Close examination of his record reveals a long trail of fraud left behind in both the US and Brazil. Is he even capable of telling the truth? After his arrest, Santos came out swinging, vowing to fight and, borrowing from language used by another politician, he called the charges against him a “witch hunt.” He apparently had no trouble posting the $500,000 bond. AP, Rep. George Santos charged in web of fraud, including stealing from campaign to buy designer clothes

 

AFP, US lawmaker Santos faces court hearing in Brazil But he said he’s now taken care of that problem, see next.

Wash. Post, George Santos confesses to theft in Brazil to avoid prosecution

 LA Times, Sen. Dianne Feinstein is en route back to D.C. after extended absence She was due to arrive back in DC on Tuesday evening, May 9, after an almost 3-month absence, and did finally make it onto the Senate floor the next day in a wheelchair. Feinstein looks frail and tentative in recent photos, but as someone not so far behind her in age myself, I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt. We both may be getting on in years, but we’re not dead yet!

Yet, apparently Feinstein has demonstrated problems with memory and speaking going back at least 4 years, with her staff trying to manage her without being too obvious. Next month, Feinstein will be 90, though, as the saying goes, “age is just a number.”

The minimum legal age for gun purchases is more than just a number, but a matter of maturity. It might be advisable, in addition to having a minimum age of 21, to also have an upper age limit for firearms possession, or at least require testing like that for an elder driving license. Since proper gun possession and use is at least as important as driving a car, all gun owners should be tested for their gun use competency and safe storage plans. That would not violate any 2^nd Amendment rights.

USA Today, ‘Raise the age’ gun bill passes Texas committee after months of advocacy by Uvalde families This is a very modest interim victory, which would raise the minimum age to purchase a semiautomatic rifle (which rightfully no civilian of any age should be allowed to legally possess) from 18 to 21. Already pronouncing the proposed minimum age change “unconstitutional,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott has warned of a veto if it ever gets to his desk.

AP, Banning gun sales to young American adults under 21 is unconstitutional, judge rules In a big setback for gun safety, a Virginia judge has ruled that banning young people from buying firearms does violate their 2^nd Amendment rights.

Since the 2nd amendment has caused so much death and grief because of gun misuse, why can’t we finally lay it to rest now in the modern age? Other countries have taken swift action to reduce the number of firearms in circulation after mass shootings, thereby immediately lowering the risk for everyone. But here in the US, gun manufacturers have kept gun sales going after mass shootings and even as hunting has declined by touting a need for "home protection," which simply becomes an invitation for gun accidents, as well as suicides and murders. Very rarely does a gun prove useful for self-defense, rather, an astounding number of gun accidents and deaths regularly involve gun owners and their immediate families. Even Breonna Taylor would not have been killed if her boyfriend had not shot first at police, thus hitting one of the officers, one of whom returned fire, killing Taylor. Abolish the 2^nd amendment!

The Week, Why are mass shootings rare in other countries despite high levels of gun ownership? Widespread gun ownership is still allowed in some other countries, but there are many more controls and no belligerent culture of gun ownership.

Wash. Post, Louisiana man shoots girl playing hide-and-seek on his property, police say A 58-year-old man shot at kids playing hide and seek on his property, hitting a girl on the back of the head, hospitalizing her with fortunately non-life-threatening injuries. Did he need to be so anal about protecting his precious property? As long as the kids were not unduly disturbing his rest or leaving trash behind, why not simply extend them a friendly welcome? Does he not have children himself? Being neighborly with local kids might actually end up being fun, making him feel young again.

Wash. Post, GOP candidate wants to raise voting age to 25. Some young Republicans fume. 

Age 25 is close to full adult maturity and would also be a good minimum lower age for gun purchases, as well as voting.

A bill before the DC Council would allow damage suits against the gun industry for failure to implement reasonable controls. That would not encroach on the so-called "right to bear arms."

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth, Jamaica and Belize have hinted that they may soon leave the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth, just like the British monarchy itself, may now have run its course. King Charles seems to recognize this, though he went through all the proper motions, riding through London in a golden carriage and allowing an unwieldy crown to be placed on his head. The coronation was an entertaining spectacle with little impact on ordinary modern life.

NY Times, Why So Many Nations in the King’s Realm Want to Say Goodbye

Reuters, Haiti conflict puts over 100,000 kids at risk of starving to death, UN says

Wash. Post, Ecuadoran lawmakers put President Lasso on impeachment’s path 

I asked an Ecuadorian-born friend who recently visited her birth country about this. Her reply was: ”Very unfortunate. The country is in a sad state.”

Telegraph, Pope cross with woman who wanted blessing for her dog Pope Francis admitted that he lost patience when he was asked to bless a pet dog, complaining to a conference on Italy’s sharply falling birth rates that pets are replacing children.

Every Saturday, week after week, huge protest demonstrations have taken place in Tel Aviv against Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies and plans, especially regarding his controversial judicial overhaul. Protesters have repeatedly displayed massive strength in numbers. So many thousands of Jewish citizens cannot be arrested all at once, especially as police and the army are not particularly supportive of Netanyahu either. Most Arab Israelis have judiciously stayed out of the fight. Netanyahu’s main tactic has been to keep on delaying implementation of his announced judicial overhaul, simply treading water and buying time while also avoiding antagonizing his rightwing supporters. How long can he continue to stall? Who is going to call his bluff? In an effort to bolster his own standing and distract from the judicial overhaul, Netanyahu also authorized air strikes on Gaza. He is fighting for his political life and possibly for freedom from incarceration. Most of the Israeli public seem now to have turned against him. 

Wash. Post, Israel strikes Gaza, killing 13 people, including 3 Islamic Jihad leaders

AFP, 25 dead as Israel, Gaza militants trade fire for third day

Reuters, UN chief condemns civilian deaths in Gaza, urges restraint by all

While there seems to be widespread support for “abortion rights” in the US, still, at the very moment  a baby is born alive, that life enjoys full legal protection. A jury convicted Alexis Avila, now 19, of attempted first-degree murder and abuse of a child after she threw her newborn into a New Mexico gas station dumpster. The baby was found and survived, but Avila was reportedly given an 18-year sentence for attempted murder.

A friend brightened up my photo taken in south Sudan in 2006. Here it is along with the version first sent to him. What do you think?

 

Ladies, it’s not just our imagination; the older we get, the fewer men there are in our age bracket and most of those—in my experience—are married. At ages 75-84, there are almost 2 million more American women (8+ million) than men (6+ million). In the over 85 group (my own bracket) there are almost twice as many females (4+ million) as men (2+ million). And among the 90-and-older set, women outnumber men by a ratio of nearly 3 to 1. More than 80 percent of those women 90 and older are widowed, while more than 40 percent of men that age are still married. Is it any surprise that men are no longer asking out single 85-year-old women like me anymore? The very few single men our own age still alive seem not to be particularly interested in women.

No posting would be complete without a display of lost local pets. Pets are often referred to by owners’ as their "children" in photos posted on our neighborhood website.

Spanish-language notifications.

 Las incógnitas

La pelota se manchó: los derechos humanos antes, durante y después del mundial 2022 en Qatar