Still the Shining City on the Hill?

America at 250 Yrs

An homage to July 20th, 1969

City on the Hill    

"Nations reel and stagger on their way; they make hideous mistakes; they commit frightful wrongs; they do great and beautiful things. And shall we not best guide humanity by telling the truth about all this, so far as the truth is ascertainable?"

  

W.E.B. Du Bois

Yes, there was a time when America was seen as the glittering City on the Hill. I mean it wasn’t perfect - nothing is - and it didn’t glitter for everyone but it was there nonetheless. A city that made sacrifices for others in the Civil War, WWI and II and even our misguided wars since. It was a city where we were sure tomorrow would be better than today and parents could expect their children to have better lives than theirs. Despite our flaws, it was a country that worked; a country that made great promises and kept them.

Promises like putting a man on the moon.

I remember that night very clearly even though it was fifty-seven years ago, July 20th, 1969. I was a 21-year- old dude working at Donaldson’s department store downtown MPLS between my junior and senior years in college. Life was pretty simple and living really was easy – the girls smiled often! (It was a very good year!) There was a war raging far from home and I was likely headed there in a year or so when I graduated since I was in AFROTC. But that was okay because on that night, watching on a tv sitting on a picnic table outside a friend’s house in south Minneapolis as Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, nothing else mattered . . . because I lived in the greatest country in the world.

"One small step for man, One giant leap for mankind"

We recently celebrated our 250th birthday as a nation.  A big deal for us but as many nations go we are barely a teenager. A privileged one, but a teenager - with all the teen struggles - nonetheless. Yet we deserved that celebration (although forget the embarrassing events in our nation's capital.) Our 250 yrs is full of "frightful wrongs" and "great and beautiful things" - and we're still standing. 

With the celebrations over perhaps this is a good time, as W.E.B. says, to seek the truth: How do we measure up to our lofty expectations from so long ago as residents of the City on the Hill. Are we still that shining city?

 

In all honesty, I don't even know what the criteria are for that lofty position: Freedom? Wealth? Opportunity? Faith/Hope/Charity? Must we have all of them? Perhaps it is some mystical brew of positive things that one just believes in - not unlike religion? 

Whatever they are, something is off. 

Despite my sometime cynicism, I've always been a closet optimist about the future and that optimism has always been rewarded. I still retain an appreciation for my own good luck in life - the luckiest man in the luckiest generation in the luckiest country - but something has changed, something fundamental in our country. Perhaps other people have also sensed an ill wind as well. I hasten to add, however, that as bad as the last few years have been, this sense of . . . dissipation? . . . goes back many years. No, whatever we're feeling did not happen overnight. 

In fact, America is still a big, wealthy country. People are living their everyday lives, going to work, kids are playing, folks taking vacations; everything seems to be normal. Until it isn't.

Look deeper and there are many flashing red lights. A partial list: An economy that benefits only the top income tiers, out of control healthcare, education and housing costs and a dangerously dysfunctional federal government. More recently, denial of science and climate change, reversing hard-won rights for women and the LGBTQ community and immigration laws reduced to violent imprisonment/deportation.

Worst of the worst?

Most dangerous of all, we tolerate leaders who endorse white supremacy, feel free to violate centuries of civil behavior and assault Constitutional norms and democracy itself. 

Sure she feels safe surrounded by all those cosplay "patriots"

So, are all the "frightful wrongs" we've made over our two and half century life finally catching up to us now like a slow growing tumor? Or is it our complacency and sense of entitlement? 

Wherever the truth lies, that’s why I feel that we're no longer a country full of hope, big dreams and big accomplishments. We have become - or driven to become? - small, petty, fearful people retreating into tribes, intent on grabbing everything we own and hugging it to ourselves like some paranoid old person living alone in a cardboard box.

Whatever the case, I am certain the light of the shining city on the hill is dimming.

Yet all is not darkness. We are still a rich nation with smart, hardworking people and this dreadful administration won't last forever (we hope.) There is still much to love -  just ask all the soccer fans!

And there are positive signs . . .

Chief among them, this past winter we watched a powerful movement here as neighbors helped neighbors during the ICE invasion. This provided a jolt of human strength and kindness that shot throughout the country and around the world. Now more Americans than ever are finally paying attention to our nation's ills and getting involved to change things. Perhaps best of all, the younger generations bring great hope - they are smart, engaged and know what they want. (It may not be what you or I want but it will be their country soon.) 

July 20th and that moon landing stands as a reminder that there once was a shining City on a Hill. It wasn’t perfect but we knew it wasn't and always strove to be better. We now face a stark choice: start the long, hard work to reascend that hill . . . or prepare for even more darkness.

Choose wisely.

For our belated 250th birthday, some positive music!

I Can See Clearly Now    Johnny Nash

Celebration   Kool and the Gang

Fathers Day and the Summer Solstice. . .

           A Bad Combo Adding Insult to Injury on Father's Day?                           

Happy golfers on Fathers Day 

until . . .

. . . Discovering the Summer Solstice falls on this Fathers Day AND US Open final round!

Father’s Day and the summer solstice, on the same damn day!? I wonder if there is a hidden message or meaning to this  . . . "coincidence."

Everyone knows that Father’s Day is the least important of the many made-up holidays. Don't believe me? Then how come all the FD greeting cards say, "Dear Dad . . . Who Cares, LMAO!” Also, you can count on one hand the number of times you see a kid waving and yelling “Hi dad” on tv, it’s always “Hi mom!” And that’s okay, moms deserve it. Besides, that’s the way it should be, dads are meant to toil in familial obscurity. We can’t compete with a mother’s love so all we can do is try to compete with brute sincerity - and the occasional game of hoops or playing catch. A dad’s love may not make for clever Hallmark cards but that doesn’t make it any less real (just a little less obvious.)

So, we get this one day a year to pretend like we are an equal partner in the hearts of our family and what happens? It’s accompanied by the worst day of the year, the summer solstice! Don’t believe me? Think about this:

3:25AM Sun June 21st - Beautiful right?

Enjoy it because . . .

                                                                                                                               . . . In just a few weeks this is the next stop, pal!

Unlike its winter alter ego which signals the beginning of hope, the summer solstice signals the opposite. Minnesota summer: endless, lazy days with blue skies and puffy, white, fair-weather clouds. Days of long, perfect drives down the middle of the fairway and short putts. (Forget that first part. Okay, also the second part.) Of short nights with cool breezes by the lake and the Milky Way shimmering above. Of girls in tank tops and men in speedos. (Better forget that last thing too.) Then, at its peak . . . the solstice comes along and robs us of this magic, laughing as it does so and replacing it with the long slide to the depths of winter. 

But that's not all. Get this: the US Open golf championship always ends on Father's Day. Kinda nice, for us dads, right? Ha! It's a close call every year but in a rare inexplicable alignment of earth, sun, the calendar and unknown nefarious forces, every so often - like this year - the summer solstice spreads it dark shadow precisely over this joyous day. Oh, the humanity!

Okay, now think about this: we know the solstice always occurs about this same time every year - and has for, like, a pretty long time. Father’s Day was started in the US in 1910 (by a woman!) then many years later someone (evil doers who hate dads and golf?) decided to park it right next to this lugubrious astronomical event. Seriously? Since nobody cares why not plop it down in August (like Taiwan) or March (like Lichtenstein), or any other months without holidays. Hmmm? 

As for the US Open, I know what you are thinking: why not move it. Well that's just silly talk - it would be easier to change the solstice!

So, this is a test! One day a year a dad gains a bit of stature as the other adult in the house – and it’s quickly snuffed out by the gloom that comes with the summer solstice. How will I react to this outrage? Will I snivel and whine about my fate? Will I complain about yet another snub to my male ego? Will I declare the victim-hood I have so justly earned? No, damn it, no! This is where I prove to my family that an American dad can accept the abuse the gods heap on me with the calm and dignity that has made me a legend at every sporting event of my kids. It's evidence that my cluelessness to most domestic dramas is just my way of staying neutral and, finally, proof that offering a clumsy hug is my way of kissing to make it better. It is a test I shall pass with a strong C+!

In any event I wish a Happy Father’s Day to all my fellow dads. We may be overweight and underappreciated but we love and are loved and that will always do. Besides, only six months to the winter solstice!

On a positive note . . .

My Role Model

                                           

Marvelous Marv, the only guy who could foxtrot to anything  (much to mom's chagrin.)

33 years gone and I still miss you very much, pop - you old smoothie!

The Spendid Splinter's favorite only dance tune.

All of Me    Willie Nelson

Note: Fear not, much of this is tongue in cheek - just not the part about the summer solstice. I do hate it so!

A Dog's Tail . . .

 

Dear Prudence

2013 - New puppy in the house

You might remember that we lost our puppy a few months ago. Most people who own a pet, and especially dog owners, can vouch for the pain of losing them. It truly sucks.Time has passed and the pain, while still lurking, has lessened enough that I thought I might offer a eulogy of sorts for our special girl and perhaps an ode to pets in general. It seems the least I can do. 

We have lost other dogs before Prudence and it is always painful. It’s just that we had her for much longer and had many more adventures with her so this doubly hurt.

Never owned a cat, never owned a gerbil, never owned fish; never owned anything but a dog. I assume there is some connection with those pets as well but I can only say that if that connection is anything like the one with a dog well then, I feel sorry for those owner’s loss too.

Prudie and her niece Lucy

Pru, like her little predecessor Penny Lane, was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. As you can see from her picture, she confirms the world-wide opinion that they are among most beautiful of dog breeds.

Her nephew Odin

The poorly kept secret is that the only thing more beautiful than their appearance is their loving nature. Of course, all dogs tend to love their owners (even if we don't deserve it) but Cav’s are special. After all, they were bred to be lovers and lapdogs specifically for their British royalty masters. King Charles – duh! (Something else besides the Magna Carta to be grateful to the Brits for?)

Daddy's girl - It's always naptime 

Prudie’s breed, the Cavaliers, are noted not just for their beauty and wonderful personality, sadly they are also noted for their bad hearts. Yup, a curse of their breed (and breeding) is a faulty ticker - very few Cav’s live to 10. Pru blew past that and made it almost to 13.

A cynic might say that this is just another thing about us top-of-the-food-chain dwellers; we get to screw up other species by mixing different breeds for our own enjoyment. For example, Labradoodles are being diagnosed with hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and Addison’s; all recognized disorders in both parent breeds. 

Ah well, no price is too high to satisfy our human whims.

Penny Lane (Died of kidney failure at two)

Cavaliers are, or at least Prudie was, weird about other dogs. Not mean just not interested - Cavs don't have a mean bone in their body. The only other dog that Pru got excited about was our neighbor's Cavalier, a smaller spitting image of her, their darling Chloe. Those two could spot each other blocks away! The sad punchline: Chloe died last fall . . . of heart problems, leaving Pru friendless.

Boating with mom

            But I digress.

One of their less than positive traits, besides dying young, is incredible shedding. Yes, Cav’s have a gloriously beautiful coat - and they share it generously throughout the house. We or our cleaning lady could vacuum up what seemed a full dog’s worth of hair every time. Very irritating (but she always did it with a grimace smile on her face.) You guessed it though, Mrs Dear Leader and I now really miss that irritating chore. We also miss the click, click, click of her nails as she moved from one of her lounging areas to another. (Towards the end that was pretty much her only exercise.) Yes, it was time.

Wow, try this dad, it's really comfortable!

We also "miss" the chore of administering her medicine twice a day. Yeah, ironically Pru’s heart was as strong as a bull's but she had canine diabetes. Anyway, she and I had developed our own little routine for giving her medicine: five little pieces of cheese – a favorite of her’s – dispersed with her joint medicine pills, the insulin and her eye drops, (did I mention that Mrs Dear Leader had gifted Pru with cataract surgery - $$$$ - a couple years ago?) Anyway, five pieces. Twice a day. Every day. She knew and expected every step to be followed and knew when it was due. Never was there a better patient.

Don't leave me in FL!

I admit I don’t miss paying the 300 bucks a month for the medicine. Nonetheless, I would be delighted to do so if she were still with us. But as I said, it was time. Between the pills and shots and trips to the vet you could see in her beautiful brown eyes that she was just . . . weary.

As an aside, apparently vets and pharmaceutical companies cracked the code on how much we love our pets and decided to cash in by gouging us. (Sorry, sore subject with me.) 

I think we have all thought about – and envied? - the person who went to sleep and just never woke up. Well, we were hoping that would happen with Prudie. We had been through the terrible pain and turmoil of putting our Penny Lane to sleep and knew what that meant. But not to be – she was a tough old girl! - so MDL, the strongest and bravest between us, finally made the decision and the arrangements.

Smart dog, knows her dad! 

The saving grace is that today you can have the vet come to your house. Your best friend can be comfortable in her own home as you say good bye. It was all very peaceful and calm as she quietly went to sleep . . . forever. 

It hurts like hell but we are comforted by the fact that it was the right thing to do. Maybe someday we’ll figure out a way to treat us humans with this kind of dignity and peace when it's our time.

There is this wonderful poem and meme called the Rainbow Bridge. It alludes to your pet passing over a bridge when they die to some mystical place where they await their human to join them. It’s a sweet, comforting sentiment. Even though I doubt we "go" anywhere when we keel over, I would sure be delighted to go wherever the dogs are. (Sadly, I’m pretty sure they wouldn't have us troublesome humans!) 

Pretty girl    2013-2026

Finally, one thing I have learned is that perhaps aside from your mother, you will never be loved by anyone like you are by your dog. Don't take it for granted!

So that is our tale of joy and woe, all part of giving your heart to a pet. 

Thanks for allowing me to share.

PS

The more clever among you maybe caught the naming theme we inherited from our daughter. Hmmm, what for the next puppy: Lady Madonna, Lovely Rita, Polyethylene Pam, Eleanor . . . ?

But I think it will be a while before we go through this again.

Music

Good Dogs   Jameson Rodgers

Memorial Day 2026 - When Johnny Comes Marching Home . . .

 

War By Any Other Name

One of 157 Military Cemeteries in the Country

Since 1868, Memorial Day has been reserved for us to take time out from our busy lives to recognize and remember all those who have faithfully served their country, especially those who paid the ultimate price. We fly our flags, attend ceremonies in cemeteries across the country and many dedicate the day to family gatherings. These are great traditions and are appreciated by all and especially those who have served.

Sadly, after a brief hiatus, it is yet another Memorial Day with the nation at war. Make that a “Military Conflict.” As with every other military action since WWII, we are told this is not a war. Also, as with every other conflict since WWII, tell that to the parents of the dead and injured GI’s; such distinctions mean very little.

Since WWII we have had several major “conflicts" starting with Korea and then Vietnam - but that is far from all the combat actions that have put US personnel at risk. Here are just a few of those actions:

- In the 80’s we invaded Grenada (operation Urgent Fury); lost 241 marines in the Lebanon hotel bombing; and we also bombed Libya.

- In the 90’s we liberated Panama (operation Just Cause); First Iraq war (Operation Desert Storm) and who can forget the Somalia incursion and “Black Hawk Down?”; also bombed Bosnia/Serbia. 

- The 2000's started with 9/11 and the "war on terror" in Iraq - again (Iraqi Freedom); and Afghanistan (Enduring Freedom.) Those major conflicts ended fairly recently. 

- So far, we have also bombed Syria, Iran and Libya - again. Not sure how to categorize it but we also kidnapped arrested the president of Venezuela (Absolute Resolve.) 

 - And sadly, we are now back in yet another “conflict” in the Middle East (Iran - Epic Fury.)

And we still have troops all over the world. 

Blackhawk

We are often told these actions are the “price of freedom” or “fighting for democracy." Sometimes I wonder if those phrases are thrown about a bit too loosely. As the famous German general and brilliant military strategist Carl von Clausewitz declared, war is a "continuation of political intercourse, carried on by other means." Almost certainly true - but not quite as rousing as "price of freedom" is it.

One can’t help but recognize, however, that these conflicts always start with our politicians' total confidence in our cause. Then, with fanfare, sharp uniforms, flags waving and great parades, the youth of our country go marching forward - from one conflict to another. Later, we see those Johnny’s - and Judy’s - come home again . . . with arms and legs missing or PTSD so bad they can no longer function in normal society.

It is not until much later in life that an old vet of several of those "conflicts" might ask, “what was it all for?” Perhaps it’s my advanced years – and well-honed cynicism - but I have just grown weary of watching that same sad scene happening over and over with apparently little to show for it.

A cynical person might also conclude that wars seem to be the only bipartisan attribute of our government. These actions have been equally undertake taken by Democrat and Republican administrations alike; by liberals and conservatives - and always somehow portrayed as “fighting for liberty."

I don't know the answer for the conundrum of assuring that a war – or conflict – is worth the price that our military always pays. As a retired officer of 28 years, however, I understand better than most that it is never the prerogative of the GI to ask why we are fighting, it is simply to salute smartly and charge the damn hill! It is not and cannot be the military’s duty or right to ask why. We answer our government’s call and serve only the Constitution – no matter the cause – and always will. 

Nonetheless, with a price so high it does seem to be a question worth asking.

Return of a fallen hero. . .

With that in mind as we celebrate Memorial Day, perhaps we can all take this opportunity to think about our own responsibilities in the decision to send our youth into harm’s way. In addition to ceremonies and picnics, it seems a small additional effort for all those who have answered - and will continue to answer - their country’s call without question.

In closing, I have posted the following on several past Memorial Days because I have never been able to find a better expression of my thoughts about this important day. To those of you who have read it before and grow weary, I apologize. To others, perhaps it will strike a chord. 

"War is young men (and now women) dying and old men talking."  Franklin Roosevelt        

Thoughts on "Taps."

I can’t listen to taps without tearing up. Sometimes I’m not sure why this is so. Is it because of the magnificent mournful horn that so perfectly matches the feeling of saying farewell to a warrior? Or am I crying for all the loved ones left behind — the millions and millions over many years? Perhaps I’m crying for something else, maybe I’m crying for myself.

Ultimately, I think I’m crying because taps reminds me that the world never seems to change for the better. No matter how many heroes pay the ultimate price, war always demands more. Worse, it always our young whom it craves. Worst of all, we proudly offer them up.

Maybe I’m sad that someone somewhere will always be able to make complete strangers kill each other for the same reasons over and over, like an eternal World War I trench battle that rages over the same, small piece of ground in perpetuity. Each generation, like some militant Sisyphus, pushes the rock of war up the hill only to have it roll back on the next. No matter how just, proud or righteous that rock appears, it remains a monument to a belligerent humanity’s worst instincts.

I spent 28 years in the military and my son has also served honorably. Someday taps will sound for each of us. And for that I am proud. But knowing that melancholy song will need to be played for endless future generations will always make me cry.

Not for sadness but for anger.  

Although that time when wars will no longer plague us is apparently still far in the future, perhaps commemorating Memorial Day can provide us with some hope that it will eventually come to pass.

Have a thoughtful Memorial Day.

D Roger Pederson

Taps USAF Band

An Old Guy Looks at Debt

 100%

You may have noticed recently that the US has managed to grow our national debt to 38.9 TRILLION dollars. So what, you may ask. Well, for the first time in over 80 years our debt is greater than our annual GDP. Yup, not since WWII have we managed to do that. Again, you may ask so what. Well, for one thing our annual interest payment is now over one trillion dollars per year (and unlike your mortgage payment there ain’t no principle in there.) Well, how did that happen?  You tell me.

Social Security costs 1.5 trillion per year (yeah, I know, there’s allegedly a trust fund somewhere that you paid into but that it is just an accounting trick now.) Medicare, another “fund” you paid into, costs 1.1 Trillion per year. (Your contributions are peanuts in relation to our pitiful healthcare system.) Medicaid? Another 600 billion. Don’t forget that our Dept of Defense, er, War also costs one trillion per year – and if our cracker jack administration gets their way it will go to 1.5 trillion next year. And then there’s the whole rest of the government that totals up to about 7 trillion dollars.

The good news is that the federal government took in about 5.25 trillion in taxes in 2025. The bad news is that it spent 7 trillion. Hey wait, that’s almost 2 trillion short! How can that be since we all pay way too much in taxes to the gubmint?! I guess we better call the credit card company, we’re going to be about 2 trillion short again this year! 

Well this certainly calls for a tax cut!

Many years ago, several politicians – all Republicans – claim to have said, "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."  Well, bunky, put “T” on it and I think we are talking real money now. And it’s not going to get better; it is forecast to go on in perpetuity. (175% of GDP by 2050.) So, at least a trillion dollars per year in interest payments with no end in sight. Great.

Just for grins, did you know we actually had a budget surplus not that long ago? Yup. 1998-2001 under no less a raging conservative than Bill Clinton we had surpluses. They quickly disappeared, however, after the Bush’s tax cuts and 20 years of war.

Seeing a pattern here?

Anyway, there’s no point in sweating this, there is really no way to get rid of these deficits. The sad truth is if we weren’t running them, we would be in a recession now much worse than 2008. That’s just how it works. Besides how do we get rid of them? Yes, we could raise taxes and cut some things (a LOT of things) but if it were easy we already would have done it. Nope, we Americans would squawk way too loud and politicians know it.

So, let’s just keep on keeping on until one of three things happen: interests rates sky rocket, the dollar collapses, or nobody in the world will buy our bonds – and probably all three.

Sorry, wish I had some better news in these difficult times but somebody's got to do it - no point in being an ostrich.

On a positive note, the weather is getting nice!

So good luck, kids. I'd like to help but sadly I have to protect my social security and Medicare. 

Taxman   The Beatles

 

More Things I Think I Think

 Some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that were, and ask - what the hell happened?!

A few months ago, I wrote about "things I think" and enjoyed it so much that I thought I would do some more thinking. And there is a lot to think about - but don't worry, not politics. (Okay, maybe just a little.) 

There is just so much going on that is either great, frightening, or curious. Mostly, I have been thinking about "progress" or what passes for it today.

Define Progress (and if it's Good) 

I think about progress a lot and wonder how we know when we are making it - or maybe if it's going the other way.

"Progress refers to forward movement, development, or improvement toward a higher state, goal, or completion."

It's easy enough to identify progress in some things and if they are good e.g. healthcare, renewable energy, nicer homes, better cars, labor laws - streaming? But there are  others things, important human behaviors that don't seem to fit into that simple definition. For example, civility. (A personal favorite of mine.)

Civility defined as: “Formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech.” 

My mom would simply say “you can always tell if a person had been brought up well.” (And she didn’t mean money cuz we certainly didn’t have much!) For example, decent folks who were “well brought up” said please, thank you, and yes sir/no ma’am to elders. It also meant they had good table manners. Mom was killer on table manners - heaven help you if you try to wear a hat at the table! Also, folks would dress decently to go out to eat at a nice restaurant or go to church. No, I don’t mean sport coat and tie, just not like you came straight from repairing a car engine. (Clean patched jeans and an actual collared shirt were fine - we're talking the 50's here.) Today anything goes, apparently there are no rules. Pajamas to the store? Sure. Sweat pants . . . anywhere? Of course. I especially enjoy seeing a guy in crappy jeans and “Kiss My Ass” tee shirt at the Guthrie Theater  (not exaggerating. Well, a little.) Don't even ask about airline passengers. 

Now his is not being snooty my mom, with a 10th grade education, would just call it having "respect" for yourself and others.

OMG, I’ve turned into my mom!

How about talking on the phone while walking around a grocery store – or, grrr, checking out! Texting someone else while sitting with friend in a restaurant. Even worse, while driving. How does this fit in? Just more "Progress" in civility?

Another related example. There was also a time when there was no cursing in films or TV and certainly no nudity. Well, we chipped away at all that apparently. This is not about prudishness - I’m very far from a prude - but it seems like it is progressing . . . somewhere. But where is left to go?! 

(BTW: it's okay to curse in golf. Trust me, it's in the rules.) 

So, are these all examples of "progress?" I don't know but I have an opinion on if they are "good."

Most of us assume progress is like this:

                                           But what if it is actually this?

                                   

                           (Sorry about the naughty language - damn cavemen!) 

I can't help but think that we might just be like the picture above, in many ways slowly devolving back into some sort of cavemen (okay, caveperson) but in nicer clothes. Well, nicer pajamas and sweat pants. 

Anyway, I will continue to dress like an adult - and I will never EVER wear a hat to the table!

Speaking of Progress and Cavemen . . .

Men are from the Past . . . Women are Strange

We’ve known for a long time that we modern humans have some Neanderthal genes (my guess is that men have more of them.) Now if you were me, you would probably think it was mostly Homo Sapien guys really going for the Neanderthal ladies - gotta love a woman who can help you take down a Wooly Mammoth! But we would be wrong. Recently, I read that researchers have discovered it was the other way around; the Homo Sapien gals going for the Neanderthal guy - yowser!

Now to me this says a few things about both genders and species. Assuming that the Sapien woman chose the big guy (and wasn’t bonked on the head with a club and dragged into the cave by her hair) it would explain lot about some of the relationships today. An attractive, intelligent woman in a relationship with a guy who - shall we say would seem less deserving - is often sporting a mullet and driving a large pickup truck (not that there’s anything wrong with that!)

For the guy it’s easy to understand. Most of us modern guys, just like our Neanderthal brethren, fancy ourselves as a George Clooney-clone; handsome and oozing charm and sophistication. We always think we appeal to women . . . who are often way too good for us. Sadly, however, most of us resemble one of the Dumb or Dumber guys so very few are successful (unlike Dear Leader who, of course, was wildly successful.)

On a positive note, remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder and as Mrs Dear Leader often says, "There's a lid for every jar." (I'm sure she means that as a compliment.)

That brings me to this.

Truth, facts and opinions - More confusion on progress?

It occurred to me some time ago that most (perhaps all?) of us have a very loose grip on reality. No, that’s not exactly right. We all (perhaps most?) have a strong grip on reality - it’s just not the same reality. 

More Progress?

Is there fake news? What makes it fake? How do we decide to believe it or not? Well, duh - we believe it if we agree with it! 

Of course, it’s always been true that people have different opinions about many things e.g. politics, religion, same sex marriage, gun control, climate change, etc. There are actual facts about these issues but we usually tend to use our many human biases instead of the facts.

“While people often claim to prioritize objective facts research suggests that human decision-making is heavily influenced by personal beliefs and cognitive shortcuts (I confess, even me.) In many professional and organizational settings, an estimated 99% of decisions are effectively opinion-based, mirroring choices made by others in similar systems rather than being driven by original research. American Psychological Association.

 Or, as George Constanza in "Seinfeld" said, "It's not a lie if you believe it." See, there is no fake news!

I’m not the only one pondering this. AI found an article for me called “What Can be Done to Restore Faith in Facts.” It’s not a long article (thankfully for me) and has some interesting ideas but I can boil the answer down to this: We’re screwed. Okay, that’s not exactly what they said but the solution, at least to my way of thinking, seems totally impractical due the extreme polarization in our society - and our unwillingness to take advice. 

And what is that advice? Simply this: Media literacy. That’s it. We all need to be better consumers of information. Do less talking, more listening, blah, blah, blah. (Ha, we can’t even get people to take medicine that keeps them alive!)

Oh yeah and this, "One of the most important ways to inoculate people from false information is to befriend them." And this, per social psychologist Troy Campbell, PhD, "There's a time for the middle finger, and a time to put it away." (Now there's some $500/hr advice!)

I’ll end this gloomy spring thought with this: “. . . most of the expert authors above described their findings as "bleak" and "dismaying."

See what I mean? Ugh. 

Oh well, cheer up, at least we can get our faux news conveniently on our phones!

And now this . . .

More Proof We Humans are Making . . . Progress?

Looksmaxxing

Right straight from today's headlines - surely you’ve heard of this:

“Looksmaxxing is an online subculture focused on maximizing physical attractiveness, often utilizing extreme measures to alter facial features and body shape, which has evolved from niche forums into a, notably, Tik Tok trend. Techniques range from "softmaxxing" (grooming, fitness) to extreme "hardmaxxing" (bone-smashing, steroids, surgery), often leading to serious mental health risks like body dysmorphia. It stems from the "incel"* community, aiming to achieve a supposed optimal "Chad" look for improved social and romantic success. (What, no "Doug" look?!)

Yeah, it’s a "guy" thing but I am not going to go any further in defining the terms or how on earth this could even BE a thing. Hopefully not a sign of progress for humanity but then again . . . (Well I’m sticking with softmaxxing - my regular $30 haircut - thank you very much.) 

* "Incel" (involuntary celibate) refers to an online subculture of primarily young, heterosexual men who feel unable to form romantic relationships, often blaming women and promoting misogyny.” (Sheesh, as if we men don’t already give ourselves a bad enough name . . .)

And Finally a Positive Wish for the Big Finish

If you have been paying attention you have probably have heard that democrats have been winning a number of elections, several in formerly "red" areas. In late March one of the more wonderfully surprising outcomes was in dystopian Florida: a woman won the state house seat in the district that holds no less a prize than our would-be dictator's own Mar-a-Lago.

Ah, the irony. We mustn't become overconfident but surely this is a good sign.



Ancient unpopular Pharoah . . .

In ancient Egypt after an unpopular pharaoh died their name and likeness was struck from all buildings - and history. Here's hoping they can find a place for all that trashy gold-plated crap that’s been spread around the White House. 

Oh, and maybe turn the ballroom into a museum holding all the evidence of damage done to our fair country by him and his pack of miscreants. 

 Okay, I think I've thought enough, here's some music.

Walk Like an Egyptian The Bangles  (You knew I had to do this)

Special Vivaldi   (This IS special and shows hope for the future)