Where Do We Go From Here?

 

This photo was sent to uplift my spirits during my Covid recovery. I am now very much recovered and this image from a very good friend in Canada has brought a smile to my face.

Something else making me smile is this colorful butterfly created by daughter Stephanie, a biologist and an artist, who is now back home again in Hawaii.  

I was surprised to receive the following plaque in the mail and won’t quibble about the 40-year reference when it has actually been 43 years, as 40 is a nice ballpark figure.

                              

Since then, I’ve received a raft of messages of goodwill from Amnesty groups all over the country and the world, even just today:  Thank you for your efforts, truly inspirational,  Group 133 Somerville, MA

My volunteer successor for the Caribbean at Amnesty International-USA is Ted Henken, a professor of sociology and anthropology at City University of New York. I’ve mentioned him in my writings, so his name is familiar to me. His students will be able to multiply his impact. I'm leaving Caribbean human rights concerns in his capable hands. 

Get out your Google translator for this message just received from Armando. a Cuban-born friend I managed to get out of Cuba and bring to the US decades ago:

Hola Barbara me alegro que esté mucho mejor y espero que Stephanie también. Aquí en Ocala hay muchas personas con COVID y gracias a Dios ya no mueren aunque la pasan muy mal en su recuperación. Yo estoy muy bien y trabajando. Aprendí a cuidarme muy bien del frío sobretodo en la mañana. Aqui donde vivo la temperatura es muy agradable y los días son preciosos 

 Here I am below with his family in Florida a few years ago.

Wash. Post, Punxsutawney Phil says early spring. 

GMA, Punxsutawney Phil predicts early spring after waking up to not see his shadow on Groundhog Day

Let’s see if that happens.

 

Wash. Post, Austin says cancer diagnosis was a ‘gut punch,’ apologizes for secrecy

Best to apologize late than never, especially since his “secret” has already circled the globe.

While I was still battling Covid—and completely out-of-touch--my long-time next-door neighbor had moved into assisted living. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. Her house in our very convenient neighborhood will prove valuable either as a rental or for a new homeowner. Three years ago, my recently departed neighbor had convinced me to cut down the mulberry tree where raccoons habitually hung out. They feasted on berries, then climbed over to bang on my windows. Once the tree was gone, the raccoons moved away.

Workers first cut off the branches before cutting down the tree; I was sorry to remove a tree, but it had outgrown the space and those raccoons simply had to go. 

February is Black History Month and Coretta Scott King, Martin’s widow, is a popular Black History Month icon. After her husband’s murder, she became a crusader in her own right.  

Another Black History Month figure, Nannie Helen Burroughs, was a leader for women's education here in DC. 

In 1900, 90% of Americans who identified as “black” lived in southern states. By 1960, that had fallen to about 50%, but now is trending upward once again. Members of my own family have been part of that exodus, moving from DC to points south. Though racial identity is still highly valued by many Americans, still others (myself included) are moving on, either ignoring race entirely and/or characterizing ourselves as multiracial or even non-racial, despite our actual origins. My own racial identity, to the extent I would even try to categorize it, is complicated by my being bilingual and bicultural and married for 24 years to a man of Korean descent who was also blind, so parse that detail as well.

NYC’s population tops 8 million, yet there are 10 US states with only 1 million residents or even fewer. All have a congressional representative and 2 senators each.

Now during Black History Month, it is worth noting that our city’s population has shrunk slightly from its peak, back when it was known as Chocolate City. Washington, DC, currently has 713,000 residents, still more than either Wyoming or Vermont, yet no voting member of Congress. No longer a majority black city, DC nevertheless has a substantial African American population of 44%, with a non-Hispanic white population of 37%. Some Republicans, citing a spike in crime, propose repealing even our city’s limited home rule, though we may actually have more residents than their own home states. This is democracy?  

During Black History Month, it is worth noting that my granddaughter identifies as being part black and my great-grandson, her son, even more so. Are they doing any special celebrating? Not so far. Here below they are on recent visits back to DC. 

A few years ago, we were out in my neighborhood with my granddaughter and great-grandson when he was 13. I've really missed them since they've moved away. 

President Biden has been campaigning in the crucial state of South Carolina. 

The voter base for Donald Trump, his main rival, is still rock solid, though unlikely to grow any further. In contrast, Nikki Haley might actually win over independents and even some Democrats. What does she have to lose by staying in the presidential race? If she drops out now, her chances will be zero. On the other hand, running for office is costly and she has been losing donors. Depicting her as a loser, as Trump is trying to do, directly affects her prospects and donations, threatening to create a self-fulfilling prophesy. If Haley were running in a general election against Trump, she’d be likely to attract more votes, but, of course, The Donald is making sure she doesn’t get even close to that point. 

USA Today, 'Inflection point': Gov. Ron DeSantis sends Florida National, State Guard to Texas

DeSantis may have dropped out of the presidential race, but he still wants to stay in the headlines.

 

While still recovering from Covid at home, I’ve been exploring various topics on the internet, very thankful for having that option. So now I’ll share some of what I’ve discovered

 

Since my bank account fraud, I’ve found out that many fraudsters specifically target older folks like me, and that any check or wire transfer showing an account number makes us vulnerable. I’ve also learned the hard way that banks don’t take responsibility for safeguarding our money, so now I write very few checks and no longer make any wire transfers. I also monitor my checking account via a monthly print-out mailed to my home, something costly and impractical for a bank to do for every customer, being provided for me only after the fraud.  

 

Today, Baby was left at a firehouse with a note saying 'I love you': His parents share his story

These storytellers are his new parents.

 

Online stories often highlight “love at first sight,” how someone instantly knew they’d found the "one" they would marry. After marrying, they've reported staying happily married for 10, even 20 years. Best of luck and more power to them. 

If you had talked to me at the 20-year marriage mark, I would not have identified anything amiss, certainly never anticipating a divorce. Then, in lightning speed, my husband (totally blind and of Korean descent, while I am Caucasian) divorced me to marry his much younger office assistant, since that, speaking to me only once before his death in a single phone call he made to me in 1994. Did he experience a mid-life crisis or, rather, a sudden epiphany? I did recover from that shock by changing my entire life trajectory, reviving my dormant Latin American side, and mostly surviving alone through thick and thin, including the tragic loss of my older son, then of a Cuban foster son, in successive years. I had a serious suitor but hesitated to commit myself ever again to marriage. 

A long-time friend's husband died after a 34-year marriage. During that whole time, she’d often confessed to have reached the point of divorcing him. Now several years after his death, her evaluation of their relationship has moderated. She doesn’t think their life together was so bad after all. Maybe the present moment is all we can trust.

 
Before attention had been focused on low drug prices in Canada (even for US made products), I used to buy still cheaper drugs from Mexico and Honduras, some American-made, otherwise even lower-cost local equivalents. US drug makers charge whatever the market will bear. Now that they have been found out, pressure is growing for making similar discounts right here in the USA.  

 

In Georgia, Fani Willis needs to be taken off the Trump case, whether or not she resists. Sorry, Fani, you have to go, so best to go quietly.

 

NY Times, As Kids, They Thought They Were Trans. They No Longer Do.

The trans fixation has hopefully run its course, as it has damaged the lives of too many young people while some surgeons have profited. Best to return to the simple practice of cross-dressing, much easier to abandon if someone changes their mind, as already has happened in too many cases. For many young people, “trans” turns out to be just a phase in trying out new identities. Even sex-change pioneer Christine Jorgensen who in 1950 traveled to Denmark and stayed there for 2 years undergoing sex reassignment surgery, is said to have sometimes waffled back and forth in terms of sexual identity after returning to fame in the US.  

 

Leg lengthening surgery undertaken by some men to become taller is another form of surgery that deserves more scrutiny. Why undertake such an unnecessary risk and expense when self-acceptance would be so much easier and ultimately more satisfying? Use the money and time saved to do something more worthwhile. People have only one life and it goes by faster than you think. Ten years from now, a man may be cursing some aches attributable to his surgery on those longer legs. Except in extreme circumstances, cosmetic surgery is not worthwhile. So many women have had complications from breast enhancement surgery, often having to get the implants removed, especially later on when trying to nurse a baby. One form of remedial surgery that I have always supported and assisted with is on Honduran babies born with harelip and cleft palate affecting their crucial ability to suck. But preventing that problem has turned out to be rather simple: including folic acid in the pregnancy diet.

 

Many folks indicate that they now prefer to have more agency in their lives, to put the needle on the record groove rather than resort to streaming. Skinny jeans are also back. What goes around comes around.

 

More consequently, after all the “troubles” in Northern Ireland while the UK maintained a tight hold, it’s now looking increasingly likely that a united Ireland will come about with little or no fireworks.

Wash. Post, Sinn Féin minister to lead Northern Ireland in historic first

 

Are most young women today more liberal than men their age? That seems to be the case for Generation Z, that is, for those born after 1996 in the US, the UK, and Germany, at least on immigration and racial justice issues.
 
Booze-free bars where folks can go just to socialize have been proliferating, as alcohol is not needed to meet and make new friends. Binge Bar has been busy serving mocktails right here in my own neighborhood. 

NY Times, China’s Censorship Dragnet Targets Critics of the Economy As Beijing struggles with a slumping stock market and a collapsing real estate sector, commentary and even financial analysis it deems negative are blocked.

 Beijing may control the narrative, but Chinese citizens are still feeling the pinch.

Wash. Post, Biden’s ‘catastrophic’ cutoff of Palestinian aid is more than inhumane

NY Times, Israel’s Controlled Demolitions Are Razing Neighborhoods in Gaza In addition to its aerial bombardment, Israeli ground forces have carried out large-scale detonations, destroying homes, schools and mosques.

Granted that Hamas started the war, but Gazans don’t deserve collective punishment.

Wash. Post, Israel says it will expand operations in Rafah, Gaza’s last refuge

NY Times, Where Is Hamas Getting Its Weapons? Increasingly, From Israel.

 

An Israeli settlement is seen from a village in the West Bank. 

NYTimes, Over 800 officials in the U.S. and Europe signed a letter protesting their governments’ support of Israel.

 

AP, Half of US adults say Israel has gone too far in war in Gaza, AP-NORC poll shows

Is President Biden finally taking notice?

Wash. Post, Biden issues executive order sanctioning 4 Israeli settlers involved in West Bank violence

The order marks the most significant move President Biden has taken against Israelis, as global and domestic criticism grows over U.S. support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

An Amnesty International volunteer with Israel/OPT/Palestinian Authority is convening a meeting to discuss how to “help our brothers and sisters in Gaza,” while making no mention of support for Israel. Israel now confronts a massive worldwide image and public relations problem, quite apart from any logistical and practical problems regarding its war on Gaza and the adjoining West Bank. Even President Biden has started toning down his strong support for Israel. Yes, the Holocaust actually did happen, resulting in a wholesale massacre of Jews, all the more reason that Jews and Israelis should now take pains to prevent a genocidal massacre of Palestinians.

It’s a truism that that culture is a fact of human life--that is, all people’s behavior is influenced by others and, in turn, influences them in an ongoing process. Most people the world over might agree that shooting and killing others and also smashing their cities and infrastructure to smithereens is anachronistic, crude, and unnecessarily destructive --resulting in a net loss to the world, no matter which side claims victory. Yet there is no agreement about what to do instead to settle disputes. The UN and other mediators have had limited success. In any conflict, one side is likely to come out better than the other, that is, to “win,” and no side wants to risk becoming the loser. Even on the micro level of a divorce or a job dispute, conflicts are hard to resolve. So it looks like humans will keep on killing and attacking each other, verbally and physically, as they have been doing ever since the dawn of history.

The majority of killers and other attackers are male, though of course, culture can either soften or enhance innate tendencies. When a sobbing man calls the police to report that his female partner has been found wantonly murdered, he usually ends up being the prime suspect. Even in little Berkeley Springs, W. Va., where my son works at a hotel, when he heard gunshots outside, he found the bodies of man who had killed his wife before shooting himself. What happens in intimate relationships to turn them so deadly?

As has been mentioned, testosterone seems to be a major driver of physical conflict among both people and animals. In most warm-blooded species, including humans, attackers are overwhelmingly male, with their victims often female. Testosterone has helped men forge ahead to become leaders and shakers throughout history, though now some women have started catching up. The challenge is to control that male drive without blunting its utility.