This is a rather long post, so put on your reading glasses!
Thankfully, my family members living on Florida's Gulf coast, right in the eye of Hurricane Helene, have all survived without any major problems or damage.
CNN, 1 storm, 95 dead and a 500-mile path of destruction. Now comes the hard work of recovering
from Helene
Meanwhile, I experienced a minor calamity here in DC when a workman who had gone up on the roof
left the cover off an opening, so that overnight rain, perhaps the vestiges of Hurricane Helene, dampened
items stored in a closet below. Next morning, I first noticed water seeping out under the closet door. The
workman hastily returned to put the cover back over the opening, then rushed on to another job, leaving
me to pick up the mess and throw away wet items that I had once planned on taking to Honduras. But
since I don't expect to return there again, no use drying them out, so into the trash they went.
Just today, we have arrived at Oct. 1, the 100th birthday of a dear friend, former President Jimmy Carter. Wow! He's managed to survive this long, even after the death of beloved wife Rosalynn. a mother of 4. who died at age 96. I knew them both. If President Carter's memory has not faded entirely, I think he would remember me.
My family met with President Carter at the White House in 1979.
A photo of me with President Carter when we were both election observers in Nicaragua in 1990 appears in my Confessions book.
Because our family has contributed to scholarships at Virginia Tech, I've been invited to an event there, but don't expect to actually go, though still glad to be invited.
College of Architecture, Arts, and Design |
Friday, Nov. 15 |
| Moss Arts Center190 Alumni MallBlacksburg, VA 24061 |
| We invite you to join the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design as we thank you for your support of time, talent, and treasure. Together, we will celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of our students and celebrate the generosity of our committed donors, board members, volunteers, and friends. |
We are also coming up now on the one-year anniversary of the attack on Israel that started the current regional war. A ceasefire sign has been in my front yard for almost a year now. 
Now the Harris "Victory Fund" has asked me for a donation.
Here I was some years back, visiting in Florida with the family of a young man I had brought out of Cuba via Mexico almost 30 years ago. He had once sent a letter in Spanish asking for help for his medical problems to the organization where I was working then, a letter given to me to translate. So I decided to help him myself and was able to bring him to the US by first getting him a visa to Mexico. I then met him
Amnesty International
Going way back in time, a team of archeologists in Egypt has uncovered a sword with hieroglyphs from some 3200 years ago bearing the name of pharaoh Ramesses II. Such artifacts reveal that thousands of years before our own era, sophisticated civilizations had developed and flourished. 
AP, Spending deal averts a possible federal shutdown and funds the government into December
Whew! Fiscal calamity was averted once again, just in time.
Donald Trump continues to make news, always managing to grab the spotlight.
Salon, "Fine with me if they decided not to visit":
Springfield mayor tells Trump stay away following smear
Yahoo, Ohio Republican Leaders Gently Beg Trump To Please Not Visit Springfield
Yahoo News, Springfield, Ohio, mayor granted emergency powers as Haitian immigrants
say they fear for their safety amid Trump and Vance’s false claims
Springfield's welcome mat was not rolled out for Mr. Trump.
Yahoo, weeks'
Maybe, maybe not.
Mr. Trump has reportedly undertaken a new endeavor, selling pricey watches.
Miami Herald,
‘Big mistake’: South Florida Haitians slam Trump’s false claim about immigrants eating pets
Yahoo News, With Election Day less than 2 months away, Harris agrees to October
CNN debate against Trump — but he says it's 'too late'
After the first debate with Harris didn't go so well for Mr. Trump, and with Harris still slowly gaining
ground ever since, especially with female and black voters, now he apparently wants no more debates.
For some American men, the idea of a woman president simply goes against the grain and Trump seems
to be one of those men.
Whatever happens, the Donald remains effusive about the good looks of daughter Ivanka: "Yeah,
she’s really something, and what a beauty, that one. If I weren’t happily married and, ya
know, her father …” he reportedly remarked recently.
Might daughter Tiffany now feel overlooked? Wife Melania might be glad to hear that her husband is
happily married.
Now the Harris "Victory Fund" has asked me for a donation. Of course, I'd rather see her win than Trump, but in addition to being short of funds myself, I am still
not wholeheartedly behind her. At the same time, I would never give my vote or any money to Trump.
CNN, ‘Uncommitted’ leaders say group will not endorse Harris
but warn against vote for Trump
but warn against vote for Trump
I feel a definite an affinity with those folks.
President Biden gave an address to the UN General Assembly. Even while reading from a
teleprompter, his diction was mushy and hard to understand. A president needs to be able to speak
clearly, which Biden seems to have difficulty doing now. He also reportedly forgot he was in New York
and said "Welcome to Washington." It's hard to imagine Mr. Biden being able to stay in charge
and credible for 4 more years, so he made the right decision to bow out of the presidential race.
The Hill, US has worst healthcare system among wealthy nations, survey says
also the most costly.
In my own travels, I've noticed that most American-made pharmaceuticals are cheaper outside the
US, often even in neighboring Canada, as well as in Latin America and Europe. Lower prices
are all the market will bear elsewhere, but companies still make a profit; otherwise they wouldn't be
offering their products there. I've often stocked up on US-made products when traveling abroad.
NBC, Manhunt launched for 'multiple shooters' after at least 4 killed and 18 injured in
Birmingham
Mass shooting tragedies have become almost daily occurrences in this country.
USA Today, 6-year-old Virginia student brings loaded gun to school, sheriff's office investigating
I've said it before and will say it again, keeping a firearm in the home poses a grave risk to that home's
residents and to everyone else. It's past time to update the "right to bear arms" for the modern age.
Back in 1939. a black couple rented their house in Coronado, Calif., to a Chinese family.
Now the descendants of both families have gotten together to celebrate their forbearers.
withm
Scripps News/Ipsos poll: Majority supports mass deportation of undocumented immigrants
According to a recent Scripps poll (do other polls concur?), the vast majority of Republicans
and a substantial number of Democrats actually favor mass deportations. But how exactly would mass
deportations be carried out? And what about due process? Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened
wholesale deportations--without exceptions! But if that were to actually happen, we'd soon see
native-born Americans angrily intervening on behalf of their foreign-born neighbors. Furthermore,
our country actually needs even more of those eager border crossers, both as workers and to support old
folks like me. Yes, we actually need still more, not fewer, immigrants, because we are not producing
enough young people, though having a workable screening system would certainly be helpful. The
economy would take a huge hit from any mass deportations, not to mention our national reputation.
An inscription on the Statue of Liberty calls for, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddle masses
yearning to breathe free..,I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
Average US life expectancy at birth is now 75 for male newborns and 80 for females. National average
life expectancy had actually declined at the height of the Covid pandemic, losing more than a year
for each gender in 2021.
At age 86, I found my own life threatened recently by Covid, despite vaccination. I managed to
survive, probably thanks in part to Paxlovid, though I've not recovered completely and maybe
never will. Soon afterward, I still managed to spend 3 weeks in Honduras in June, traveling there
without a cell phone, unable to tell folks when and where I'd be arriving next. Yet I still
hit all anticipated stops by just showing up unannounced, then being enthusiastically greeted to the
surprise of a young man driving me around. But from now on, I do plan on staying closer to home.
I am among those who support the right to life from conception to natural death, so I oppose executions.
Abortion is still a US election issue despite many changes over the years. The stigma for out-of-wedlock
births has almost disappeared and the number of abortions nationally has also declined after rising exponentially right after Roe first legalized the procedure. Meanwhile, contraception has become more
effective.
Before Roe, some women went to Mexico for abortions or gave up their baby for adoption. A few also
experienced miscarriages. Others simply kept and raised their baby. Over my long life, I've known
women in all those categories.
Most abortions now are done with pills in the first trimester and infant adoptions have become
increasingly rare and often quite costly. However, unlike the secrecy of old, birth mothers can now
get updates on how an adopted child is doing. My 2 adopted kids have expressed different attitudes
regarding their birth mothers. One has never expressed an interest in searching and the other found out
the birth mom had died. Little curiosity has been shown about birth fathers, often said to be unknown.
A woman seeking advice in Mississippi’s only abortion clinic actually had a surprise live birth there, then was transported to a hospital with her baby. Fortunately for her child, she gave birth before an abortion could take place. Such clinics in the state have since shut down.
Heterosexual couples living together are having fewer kids now because they can produce fewer or none while still enjoying the pleasures of sex, thus thwarting the very reason that sexual pleasure has evolved. Using contraception has become commonplace. Now having a child is often the default, requiring a positive decision to actually try for a pregnancy. Some couples may think about doing that "some day," but just never get around to it. Many will never become parents.
But have efforts gone too far in limiting births? Malthus is no longer relevant. Suddenly, the dearth of babies is being recognized as a problem. Calif. law now requires insurance to cover IVF.
One-person households are also increasing. I have one myself, but not during most of my life.
Someone living alone may have a companion pet cat or dog instead of a child. Dog beds of different types and sizes appear in advertisements being sent to me regularly, though I no longer have a dog myself.
A young couple newly arrived in DC recently asked about living here and sharing my ample home, and also about bringing along their 2 large dogs. No thanks. I'm done with dogs and with all pets now. I once had a black Lab that gave birth to 8 purebred puppies, then I had her spayed. No more pets!
Since too few human babies are being born in China, that country has now halted all international adoptions, something once commonplace there. I've known many Americans, including some single women, who adopted Chinese baby girls, as under China's former one-child policy, if a newborn was female, she was often relinquished for adoption so the couple could try again for a boy.
CNN, She claimed she aborted her baby at nine months. In this country, there’s no law against that
The country is South Korea. Isn't a 9-month abortion still considered infanticide?
And while on the subject of unwanted pregnancies, the mainstream press still insists on calling abortion opponents "anti-choice", never as "pro-life." Abortion advocates use terms like "Planned Parenthood" or "pro-choice" to describe their own operations, but if a pregnant woman showed up at an abortion clinic and didn't want an abortion, would she be offered any other choice? It seems unfair to dub pro-life advocates as being "anti-choice;" in fact, they are only anti-abortion. Some pro-life operations also describe themselves as offering "pre-born" services. Words do matter.
Will our country's and the world's evident need for more babies eventually turn public opinion away from abortion-on-demand? Maybe in China that has already happened. Attitudes regarding any human endeavor do ebb and flow, and what is old can become new again. Readers already know my own sentiments on this issue.
Wash. Post, Missouri executes Marcellus Williams despite prosecutors’ objections
I also remain opposed to capital punishment, supporting the right to life from conception to natural death.
AFP, US woman dies in controversial suicide capsule in Switzerland
If some folks want to kill themselves, apparently that's their right, though we should try to help make every human life worthwhile.
An American friend, a former Peace Corps volunteer retired now in Honduras, had the following to say about Zede, a rather mysterious operation mentioned in a previous posting.
"As far as Zede I believe there is another one in Choluteca as well as Roatan. They were allowed under the previous administration, but are now illegal. They are always in the news and has not been decided if they stay or go."
I've just received an urgent request from a credible source to intervene on behalf of Yeris Curbelo Aguilera, a Cuban political prisoner who is an independent journalist. That credible source, worthy of donations, is the Center for a Free Cuba, whose director is a personal friend, John Suarez: "Urgent request for Mr. Yeris Curbelo Aguilera, a Cuban political prisoner, independent journalist, and his family whose lives hang in the balance."
at the Texas border and facilitated his crossing. He started a new life in this country. We are still in touch.
While the whole world has forgotten about Haiti, I have not.
KTSM, Hunger in Haiti reaches famine levels as gangs squeeze life out of the capital and beyond
The war that started a year ago between Israel and Gaza has now only escalated and spread. Israel, after being attacked, garnered initial worldwide sympathy as the victim, However, Israel has come to be regarded as an aggressor and even a war criminal for reputedly going far above and beyond defense, still being supported by the US government but not so much by the rest of the world or even by the American public. Being anti-Israel in this war is not necessarily being anti-Semitic, though that criticism is often made.
AFP, Hamas weakened, not crushed a year into war with Israel
Amnesty International
The Gaza Ministry of Health just published a
649-page list of Palestinians killed by the Israeli military… and the first 200+ pages were the names of children.
AP, Israel raids and shuts down Al Jazeera's bureau in Ramallah in the West Bank
AP, Lebanon sees deadliest day of conflict since 2006 as Israeli strikes kill more than 270
and over 1000 were wounded.
AP, What to know about the two waves of deadly explosions that hit Lebanon and Syria
Now the war has spread even further within Lebanon and Syria. This was a highly successful and very sophisticated operation from the Israeli government's perspective, not only killing or endangering the intended targets, but everyone else around them. It was almost like a dropped bomb, but somehow scarier for victims by being so unexpected and for still popping up since in different places, over and over again. Non-militants, civilians, women, and children have all been injured or killed in the effort to target the few militants among them. But the operation has done nothing to sway world opinion in Israel's favor, quite to the contrary.
This Bhutan airport landing is so tricky only 50 pilots can do it | CNN
I've asked friends in Bhutan about this.
BBC News, Notre-Dame restoration reveals Renaissance poet's coffin Joachim du Bellay died in 1560 and now his lead coffin is believed to have been found during the cathedral's restoration after the 2010 fire.
CNN
Below, my father is shown doing archeological work in Copán, Honduras, back in 1940, when our family traveled there (I was only age 2).
Thousands of bones and hundreds of weapons reveal grisly insights into a 3,250-year-old battle
Now on my enclosed back porch, an ordinary houseplant keeps extending its fronds, going every which way. Should I clip them? I'll have to ask my biologist daughter the next time she visits.
The name of the plant appears below.
Here I was with daughter Stephanie the last time she visited.
Havana has always had some wonderful vistas, but very few buildings there are as freshly painted as
the one depicted here-- in a scene designed to appeal to tourists. I'd love to go back to Cuba again, but
having been arrested and ejected more than 25 years ago, I hesitate to return even now.
Now at age 86, after recovering recently from Covid, I am keenly aware of getting older.
Back in our bygone youth, we usually looked forward to birthdays, heralding growing taller and developing new skills. Now for me, the whole process is occurring in reverse. There is something to be said about just dropping dead one fine day rather than undergoing a slow decline. I had a friend in his late 60's who enjoyed hiking and camping and who used to take me to the airport for my annual trip to Honduras. Then one fine day, without any prior health complaints, he simply dropped dead, shocking all his friends, but actually not so hard for him.
A handmade tapestry is now on display at a local venue, East City Art. We are fortunate here in DC
to have
a very accessible and vibrant arts scene. Perhaps some items being featured there will survive, only to be found centuries later by our descendants, just as we are finding artifacts from centuries past.
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