My July 2017 Running Report

Although I managed to run some each day of July...with several days experiencing multiple runs...my total mileage continues to be relatively low.  This month I run for a total of 90 miles, with a couple of 2.7 mile-runs being my longest single runs...not enough by my standards.  I haven't been as motivated lately with my running as in the past, and the weather for the last two months has been very, very hot and muggy...with too many frequent rainstorms.  I thought of switching to running in the rain, at least during the summertime...but unfortunately where I live that rain is almost always accompanied by thunder and lightning...

So where do I go from here?  I'm thinking of just ditching any notions in the near future of road running and instead make daily visits to my local gym, which is usually open 24/7 and always has accessible treadmills.  I do need to start stepping up my mileage and build my endurance back up if I want to participate in any 10K or half-marathon races this coming fall and winter...

A Little Political Talk

It's funny how I will lose contact with someone, such as a classmate or former coworker, over the span of years, and then hear from them again...only to find that they have become very emotionally committed to partisan politics, either on the left or the right.  The motives for their alignment may be some issues important to them or the relative philosophies and priorities of conservatives and liberals, but their outward expression tends to be highly personal, with politicians and media figures on "their" side depicted as noble, principled, pro-freedom heroes and those on the "other" side as villainous, dictatorial, dishonest, corrupt, and stupid.  Since the 2016 presidential election this personalization of politics has greatly intensified due to the controversial winner, who attacked the personalities and integrity of opponents within his own party during the primary season, made hateful remarks about various media figures critical of him, and then called his general election opponent "evil" and "the devil".  And later, after taking office, he had the nerve to bemoan that there was so such hatred!  Given these theatrics, it is understandable that many of us are more inclined to see politics through personalities rather than issues...but reality dictates that we live in the present and are much more likely to be affected by how our elected politicians...whether we like them or not...are making decisions on those issues that affect us a lot more than any impulsive tweets or stump speech assertions.  I've said it before: I personally disliked both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton during last year's campaign, but one of them was going to be elected president.  Now it's a little more than half a year into Trump's term and I like him less than ever...but he is my president and, looking at some of the issues he is facing, I find myself supporting him on some and opposing him on others...

I believe that it is a Constitutional mandate for the president to protect the people of the United States against dangers from abroad.  The ideas of securing our borders and being more careful about admitting others into our country are good, prudent ones...unfortunately, Trump's implementation of these worthy goals have been marked by a lack of preparation and careless speech overgeneralizing different ethnic and religious groups, too much of it aimed at a political base containing many xenophobes.  But the aims are necessary...

Donald Trump wants to wipe out ISIS, a.k.a. "Islamic State".  But since this terrorist organization has planted itself in several countries and has an Internet-based communication and recruitment network, driving them out of Iraq and Syria won't completely eliminate them.  But the people living in Mosul and Raqqa want no part of them and welcome the liberating forces supported by both the present and previous president...a positive continuity of policy.  Good!

I tentatively support President Trump's apparently constructive attitude in favor of funding our space program, especially manned space travel, although the pattern over the years has been for each succeeding president to drastically change the goals...causing disruption, delay, and wasted efforts and money.  The best outcome would be for him to continue the project to go to Mars and to eventually restore George W. Bush's plan to establish a permanent base on the moon...

Well, that's three issues; there are some others that I have mixed feelings about such as energy, infrastructure, and health care...maybe I'll go into them at another date.  And then, on the negative side, there's Trump's desire to squelch criticism of himself and his administration, his conflicts of interest, and the ongoing Russian investigation.  Can I trust this man when dealing with this complicated relationship between America and Putin's Russia?

I don't know what the future will bring, but I know one thing right now, in late July of 2017: for this season in our country's history Donald Trump is the president...and Republicans have majorities in both houses of Congress as well as most state governorships and their legislatures.  They will do some good things...and some not-so-good things.  Let's focus more on the issues at hand and less on the often melodramatic personalities...although the biggest drama queen of them all seems to think the world itself is one big reality TV series, with himself the (only) star and tweeter-in-chief...

   

Just Finished Reading Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon

A few years ago a couple of professional critics from Time Magazine compiled a list of what they thought were the 100 greatest American novels since 1923, the beginning year of that publication...here's a link to that list: [link].  One of their selections was Gravity's Rainbow, written by Thomas Pynchon and published in 1973.  I just finished reading it...or should I say, trying hard to read it...and just completed the arduous and frustrating task...

The general setting of Gravity's Rainbow is Europe in 1944-45 during the final months of World War II and the first few immediately thereafter.  Germany has been launching V-2 rockets at England and is causing terrible civilian damage and casualties.  British intelligence, composed of numerous organizations as engaged in infighting as they are against the enemy, has made a startling discovery: an American private's personal map boasting of the locations of his many different sexual encounters around London corresponds precisely to that of the V-2 landings.  What could possibly be the connection between the two?  This character, Tyrone Slothrop, is sent to the French Riviera on a mission and then escapes and wanders across Europe, gradually losing his own personality and being...which is implied to depend in large part on how others see him.  In the meantime, a new rocket is being developed and various parties are vying to get it before it is launched.  But with this general...extremely general...plot structure, don't get any ideas that it will help you to understand what's going on in Gravity's Rainbow the overwhelming majority of time...

Pynchon is described as a postmodernist writer, and if that means abruptly switching settings and hundreds of characters, transitioning from reality to dreams, present to past times...all without any hint of warning...then I must not be a very good postmodern reader, for I feel that any affectations of writing that seem to go out of their way to interfere with my comprehension are just that: affectations.  Don't get me wrong: any particular "pocket" of narrative can be easily read and understood.  It's just that very little of it connects, i.e. very little flow here, either in terms of character development, plot, or tone...

I'll let others with more substantial academic credentials go on about the philosophical and psychological issues Thomas Pynchon raised in Gravity's Rainbow...let me just put forth one little observation.  The author seems to be of the school of thought that, unlike the traditional view of history as made of great figures and events, history instead arises from the "bottom-up" as the total effect of the actions of ordinary individuals.  In World War II, society was ostensibly very centralized and controlled through power hierarchies, but I perceived that Pynchon was saying that everyone instead was pretty much on their own, following their own particular agendas while superficially retaining the trappings of that external, structured society.  Well, at least that's what I got out of this wearisome, confusing book.  Gravity's Rainbow is definitely not on my "Top 100" list and I don't recommend it, but should you decide to "take the plunge" and read it, I welcome your reactions...


 

Quote of the Week...from Abraham Lincoln

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
                                                          ---Abraham Lincoln.

Our sixteenth president produced a lot of sagacious and humorous one-liners like the above...I could have picked from several others as well.  But I picked this one because it has an almost universal application...although in this article I think it's prudent to just refer to myself...

Being someone who generally keeps to myself, many around me might think that I am reserved and careful about what I say when I do getting around to speaking.  But that's not what ol' Abe was talking about with his quote: one can be gregarious and loquacious and still practice wisdom regarding their choices of both timing and words when it comes to speaking with others.  As a matter of fact, the more practice, the better I imagine people would be at determining what works and what doesn't...so just because I don't usually speak a lot doesn't mean that I'm not liable to say something extraordinarily foolish when I do finally get around to opening up my mouth...

The art of civility, which the main character in a novel I'm currently reading has made a priority of practicing, involves a sometimes difficult balancing act, with the necessity at times to be openly assertive and frank on one side and the potentially negative consequences of doing this on the other.  Lincoln was in essence saying that, if you can't clearly conclude that speaking out on something is necessary and productive, then better to "remain silent and thought a fool" than to make things worse with your words.  I think most folks agree with this, although they...myself included...often do the opposite, unfortunately...

Sermon on Everyday Heroes, Pt. 4

At The Family Church here in Gainesville, senior pastor Philip Griffin continued the series Everyday Heroes by talking about the pivotal New Testament figure of Paul.  In doing so, he emphasized the crucial role that grace played in Paul's life and ministry...and should play in ours.  The text of focus was 1 Timothy 1:12-16, which you can read in the New International Version via the Bible Gateway website: [link]...

God's grace to Paul...and accordingly, to us as well...was the theme to Philip's message.  And how does this grace work? First, it pursues us while we are still separated from God.  Then, we are saved by grace...by faith, as the pastor stressed, since we cannot earn it by ourselves, but rather only by the one who earned it for us.  Once saved, grace defines us...as opposed to hubris (arrogant pride)...as we carry on God's grace from us to others.  And finally Philip (and Paul) pointed out that grace calls us into service...which in turn goes back to God working through his grace to pursue us...

When exercising grace, I'm doing things differently that the good-for-good, evil-for-evil system of interactive behavior that permeates this world of ours. It matters not whether I feel wronged by another or that I did something to deserve whatever ill treatment I think I've received...the "grace reaction" covers it all.  Grace is a kind of "paying forward" whereby goodwill, forgiveness, and love serve as testimonies to God's presence in our hearts.  There's no doubt about it: we all could use more grace in our lives, both in terms of receiving it and giving it to others.  And the source of it all is God, through Jesus Christ...

The Family Church Sunday morning sermons can be watched on their YouTube video site, which you can get to with this link: [link].  The Sunday services are at 9:30 and 11 and feature the weekly message as well as great praise music, opportunities for discipleship and learning, friendly folks...and some terrific coffee...

Weekly Short Story: Mimic by Donald A. Wollheim

Sometimes short stories can be memorable even though they barely take up any space, while others...equally impactful...can resemble short novels in their length.  One of my favorite science fiction anthologies is Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories 4 (1942), DAW Books, 1980.  It goes back to 75 years ago with some of the best short fiction of that year, and I plan to review both long and short pieces from it.  This week I'm focusing on the six-page-long tale Mimic, by Donald A. Wollheim...who incidentally was the publisher of this series...

In biology, mimicry occurs whenever a species of life evolves to imitate the form, appearance, and/or motion of another...usually with the resulting benefit of escaping being eaten...or enabling it to eat others.  In Mimic, the unnamed narrator, employed as a museum curator's assistant, explains this fascinating aspect to biology very cogently...and then leads into the story.  There is a heavily cloaked man in black living in the heart of New York City.  He has lived there for years upon end, never talks to anyone, keeps to himself...and has an inordinate fear of women.  As far as anyone can see, he bothers no one, and people have pretty much become accustomed to his strangeness.  But the title of this story is "Mimic", and it's pretty clear that it relates in a major way to this character.  It is the unexpected twist at the end...common with these very brief stories...that gives it a much greater impact...

Although Wollheim was referring to mimicry as a product of natural selection enabling those life forms using it to survive in the wild, there is another type of it used in society.  People want to fit in and "survive", be it at school, work, or other social environments...but in order to avoid standing out and being subjected to rejection, many choose the tactic of "winging it"...acting as if they are as competent and integral members of their group as they think they should be to attain acceptance.  Yes, we humans have our own version of mimicry...

And now you can read Mimic for yourself...the copyright must have expired, for it is readily available on the Net: here is a link to it on the UNZ.org site: [link]...

Tuesday's List: My Top 50 Favorite Songs from The Who

Back in 1965 one day I was listening to Miami's WQAM, the popular local rock music radio station.  They were playing a new song, which I automatically thought was the Beatles.  I instantly liked I Can't Explain...but it wasn't the Fab Four, it was a new band called The Who.  This very talented group for some reason wasn't able to make as big an impression as other British acts in the U.S. during the sixties other than a few hit singles, but after their rock opera Tommy came out in 1969 they became more known as an album rock band.  During the early 1990s I stepped into Hyde and Zeke Records, a used record store across from the University of Florida on West University Avenue, and found The Who's first four studio albums released in the United States... I bought them all at a steal.  It soon became very clear that this group, with Roger Daltrey as lead singer, Peter Townshend as lead guitarist/singer/songwriter, John Entwistle on bass guitar, and Keith Moon on drums, was much more talented than I had earlier known...these early songs were great!  Over the course of the years I listened to all of their studio albums...with the exception of their last one which was released some 25 years after the previous.  Moon and Entwistle have passed on, but Townshend and Daltrey still perform together from time to time.  The following is the list of my top favorite 50 songs of theirs.  Each song is listed in capitals with the album and year of release following...

1 THE GOOD'S GONE.......My Generation (1965)
2 MAGIC BUS....................Magic Bus: The Who on Tour (1968)
3 DOCTOR JIMMY...........Quadrophenia (1973)
4 I CAN'T EXPLAIN.........Single (1965)
5 RAEL..............................The Who Sell Out (1967)
6 HAPPY JACK.................A Quick One (1966)
7 MY WIFE.......................Who's Next (1971)
8 I CAN'T REACH YOU.........The Who Sell Out (1967)
9 BABA O'RILEY............Who's Next (1971)
10 INSTANT PARTY.............My Generation (1965)
11 5:15..............................Quadrophenia (1973)
12 RUN RUN RUN..........A Quick One (1966)
13 TOMMY CAN YOU HEAR ME........Tommy (1969)
14 BELL BOY..................Quadrophenia (1973)
15 SQUEEZE BOX..........The Who By Numbers (1975)
16 SUNRISE.....................The Who Sell Out (1967)
17 CALL ME LIGHTNING......Magic Bus: The Who on Tour (1968)
18 UNDERTURE.............Tommy (1969)
19 BLUE, RED, AND GREY.........The Who By Numbers (1975)
20 GUITAR AND PEN..........Who Are You (1978)
21 A LEGAL MATTER.........My Generation (1965)
22 RELAX.....................The Who Sell Out (1967)
23 I'M FREE..................Tommy (1969)
24 YOU BETTER YOU BET.......Face Dances (1981)
25 QUADROPHENIA........Quadrophenia (1973)
26 THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT.....My Generation (1965)
27 EMINENCE FRONT.......It's Hard (1982)
28 SEE MY WAY...........A Quick One (1966)
29 GOING MOBILE........Who's Next (1971)
30 WHISKEY MAN........A Quick One (1966)
31 DISGUISES................Magic Bus: The Who on Tour (1968)
32 OVERTURE..............Tommy (1969)
33 ATHENA...................It's Hard (1982)
34 MY GENERATION.........My Generation (1965)
35 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE........My Generation (1965)
36 WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT........Tommy (1969)
37 THE REAL ME.........Quadrophenia (1973)
38 ANYWAY ANYHOW ANYWHERE......Single (1965)
39 ARMENIA CITY IN THE SKY........The Who Sell Out (1967)
40 SEE ME FEEL ME........Tommy (1969)
41 THEY ARE ALL IN LOVE......The Who By Numbers (1975)
42 LOVE REIGN O'ER ME.......Quadrophenia (1973)
43 GETTING IN TUNE........Who's Next (1971)
44 I CAN SEE FOR MILES......The Who Sell Out (1967)
45 BARGAIN.................Who's Next (1971)
46 THE OX....................My Generation (1965)
47 THE ROCK...............Quadrophenia (1973)
48 WHO ARE YOU............Who Are You (1978)
49 WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN......Who's Next (1971)
50 OUR LOVE WAS, IS......The Who Sell Out (1967)

President Emphasizes Loyalty...But It's Only One-Way

I am an avid fan of the first two Godfather movies...you can have Godfather, Part 3 for all it's worth.  In them is the passing on of an organized crime family's power from father Vito Corleone to his son Michael.  Both men place great importance on the personal loyalty of their people to them...but Vito is the only one of the two who values returning that loyalty shown him.  Michael has learned on a superficial level to talk like his father, but throughout his "reign" he has a nasty habit of throwing his loyal followers under the bus whenever expedience dictates it.  Loyalty to father is rewarded with security and favors, while loyalty to son is punished with danger or even death.  I bring up this movie series because this country of ours has as president someone who makes a very big deal about personal loyalty from those working for him.  How does he return it: like Vito or like Michael?  Events seem to indicate the latter...

Michael Flynn, Jeff Sessions, and Sean Spicer have all demonstrated a tremendous level of loyalty to Donald Trump, yet he has shown virtually none to them.  He was strangely very quick in getting rid of Flynn as his national security advisor, humiliated Spicer by shunning him on trips and drastically cutting back his press briefings while hiring someone as communications director that he knew Spicer was opposed to, and is now on a very public, continual Twitter rant against Attorney General Sessions. And now he's taking swipes at the Republicans in the Senate, who have bent over backwards trying to accommodate him with his legislative agenda.  The question I have to ask is that once you see this pattern of betrayal by someone like Donald Trump...or Michael Corleone...why would you still idolize them as great leaders and continue to display slavish loyalty to them and make excuses for everything they say and do...even if you happen to agree with their agenda? It isn't a conservative vs. liberal binary-type question...there are plenty of great conservative leaders to follow instead who wouldn't behave in this manner...

The Union's Civil War Victory: Strategically Inevitable, Politically Precarious

I was watching a couple of history specials this afternoon on PBS about the American Civil War.  The first was an episode of Ken Burns' documentary series and the second was about the Battle of Gettysburg.  After watching both programs, I came away with the feeling that there are two camps of thought about the inevitability of the Union victory over the Confederacy...

One group of folks seem to be of the opinion...like my old college American History professor...that the North had too many advantages over the South, with its greater population, industrial economy, and control over the high seas.   Their strategy over the course of the war was to blockade the Confederacy by sea and then carve it up by taking control of the Mississippi River throughout its course, bisect the South by cutting through Georgia to the seas, and starving out Robert E. Lee's Virginia army.  And as far as I can see it, they have some very good points...the Rebels were definitely suffering from severe shortages and broken communication and transportation lines by 1864.  And as long as the conflict remained on southern land, those living in the north did not feel physically threatened by the conflict reaching their towns and farms.  But the analysts holding the view that a Union victory was a slam-dunk from the start fail to take into consideration the political angle to the war and how close...from the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863 to the conquest of Atlanta in July, 1864...the northern population came to turning against Lincoln and rejecting his presidency in the 1864 presidential election in favor of peace candidate George McClellan. Had Longstreet's more prudent strategy prevailed over his superior Lee's of massive attack against Union positions around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the third day of battle or had the Confederates gained the high ground as they came so close to doing on that second day, a Confederate victory on Union territory could well have tipped the political scales against Lincoln: as it was, an invasion into Pennsylvania by Lee's forces was in itself traumatic enough.  But although the North was slowly starving out the South through sieges such as at Atlanta and Petersburg (Virginia), the downside was that the war was dragging on, seemingly endless.  And the country was weary of it all, with no final victory in sight...

So strategically the South didn't have a chance...but politically they came very close in 1864 to changing the North's political landscape in their favor.  Had McClellan won that fateful election, who knows what would have happened. But Sherman was able to take Atlanta (due in part to Confederate president Jefferson Davis and his ill-advised replacement of the competent General Joseph Johnston with the incompetent John Bell Hood) and Lincoln's popularity rebounded on to his reelection that November...

Just Finished Reading Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut's 1969 science-fiction/war/historical/semi-autobiographical masterpiece, quickly made its way to high school English classes where it was often an assigned book...but not in any of mine.  It was years before I experienced it, albeit not in book form but through the excellent 1972 movie...which I've seen a couple of times.  I finally decided to read the book...something I almost never do if I first see the film version...to see how Vonnegut went about spinning this compelling yarn.  I wasn't disappointed...

Soon after arriving in Europe in late 1944 as a chaplain's assistant, American private Billy Pilgrim is captured during the German offensive in the Battle of the Bulge.  Just before he is taken prisoner, though, he becomes "unstuck in time" and begins to jump back and forth to different parts of his life.  Before long he knows not only what happens to many of the people he has (or eventually will) come to know, but also becomes keenly aware exactly how and when he will die. Billy will survive World War II, but not before he is taken with other American POWs to Dresden, Germany and witnesses the annihilation of that supposedly nonmilitary, historic city...along with 137,000 inhabitants...one night by British bombers.  He returns home after the war and becomes an optometrist, marrying into a wealthy family and enjoying material success.  Tragedies do occur, though, and Billy already knows of them even while still in the war due to his time-jumping.  He also knows he will be abducted by a distant alien race called the Tralfamadorians to be a zoo exhibit.  It is these entities who educate Billy about the true nature of time, life, and death: everything that ever happened (or will happen) and everyone who ever lived (or ever will live) is in a real sense always happening and living.  Because of his own time traveling experiences, Billy understands this and regards mortality in a much different light than do others...remarking upon any reference to death with the words "and so it goes"...

Kurt Vonnegut actually did get captured during the Battle of the Bulge and taken to Dresden, where he survived the devastating raid of that city by virtue of being in a heavily fortified underground room beneath a former slaughterhouse for pigs...hence the name Slaughterhouse Five, or in German, Schlachthof Fünf.  In the book he briefly appears as a peripheral character... also included in the story is the fictional novelist Kilgore Trout, who resurfaces in other books of Vonnegut's...

The two main themes as I saw them in Slaughterhouse-Five were the horrors of the Dresden bombing...and war in general...and the nature of time as it relates to life and mortality.  Kurt Vonnegut's writing style was clear and very reader-friendly, in spite of the potentially confusing time travels of Billy Pilgrim within his own lifetime.  If you're into metaphysics, then this is a must-read.  The only thing I regret about this book is not having read it earlier...

Quote of the Week...from Ernest Hemingway

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.                                                   ---Ernest Hemingway

The above quote from Ernest Hemingway, the great twentieth-century American author whose birthday is today, runs contrary to the overly competitive world around us.  Nowadays it's all about who's number one, or the best...and if you're not, you'd better get on the ball if you don't want to be replaced.  Our schools pit students against each other not only on the athletic field, but also in the academic classroom as they vie for college admissions and scholarships.  Victorious politicians often lord their entrusted authority over the very people they were elected to serve instead of trying to improve their lives. The attainment of wealth...even if it is accomplished largely through inheritance...is widely interpreted to be a yardstick measuring how superior one is to another...especially by those enjoying more fortunate circumstances.  And look at all of the competitive reality and awards shows on TV these days, repeatedly pounding home the theme that superiority over others is ultimately the only thing that matters.  I'm sixty years old now with some accumulated life experience and can confidently say, without a shadow of doubt, that the minute I start to think I'm better than someone else, I become acutely aware of how, in so many different ways, I compare poorly to them.  We all have places within our lives in which we shine...these are areas we're inclined to make public as we try to present the best possible impression of ourselves.  But in trying to be superior to others, we fall into the trap of turning interactions and relationships into a continual, wearisome competition.  Instead, as Hemingway pointed out, honest self-examination will direct us to a higher road...to improve our own whole being, including those areas generally hidden from the scrutiny of others...

I offer a caveat to this all, which is that there is nothing inherently wrong with competition...after all, other people who excel at things can be great models to emulate and they offer a way for me to be learn to excel when I follow their thinking and behavior, while staying focused on the goal: making myself a better person than before...

Thinking in terms of a life spent, not in trying to one-up the next guy, but rather in personal transformation, sounds very wise...but in following Ernest Hemingway's advice, I'm going up against a deeply embedded pattern within our society that idolizes competition and "winners"...

7/16 Sermon on Everyday Heroes, Pt. 3

Last Sunday at The Family Church in Gainesville, Florida, senior pastor Philip Griffin continued the series Everyday Heroes, each sermon focusing a different figure from the Bible.  This message was about Stephen, the early church deacon who stood up to the Sanhedrin religious ruling body in Jerusalem and faced death by stoning with his eyes on God.  The scripture text is Acts 7:51-60: you can read it in the New International Version on Bible Gateway...here's a link to it: [link]...

In discussing Stephen, Pastor Philip made as his theme the marks of a Spirit-filled life...with "Spirit" being the Holy Spirit.  In describing the word "filled"...and going back to the Greek word "pleuro"...he pictured a ship with its sails down and stretched full of the wind, driving it onward. One living his or her life filled with the Spirit displays certain marks, which Philip enumerated: (1) Fearless...Stephen boldly spoke truth to the Sanhedrin instead of trying to deny the trumped-up charges leveed against him, (2) Focus on Christ...instead of being consumed with the injustice of his treatment, Stephen focused on his vision of the Son of Man, i.e. Jesus, as the true judge, (3) Forgiveness (love)...instead of cursing those stoning him, Stephen prayed to God to not hold what they were doing against them, and (4) Fruit that lasts...Stephen's fruit of the Spirit in this situation was as a testimony to Saul (later renamed Paul), who not only witnessed it all but may have directed the trial and stoning himself...

I know this series is called "Everyday Heroes", but I find it hard to place someone like Stephen as "everyday".  In my own "everyday", I may not be faced with a false accusation and rigged trial leading to my unjust execution, but there are plenty other, lesser injustices I have to face.  How I respond to them will reveal how the Holy Spirit is working within me and will serve as a witness to others...

You can watch this message on the church's YouTube video website...here's a link, through which you can also see previous sermons [link].  The Family Church holds its Sunday morning services at 9:30 and 11, with the featured message, praise music, and opportunities for prayer.  The series continues next week...

Weekly Short Story: Flaw by John MacDonald

John MacDonald was a prolific fiction writer back in the 1940s...he took a stab at science fiction with the short story Flaw, which appeared in the anthology Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories 11 (1949), published by DAW Books, 1984.  It is an example of science fiction that, like stories about "habitable" Venus, soon became obsolete with its erroneous science...although it was still great fiction.  It reminded me of the "Moon hoax" conspiracy theory narrative which stated that deep space radiation was too toxic for space travelers to survive for long in.  There is a different angle to the "space travel is impossible" conclusion in Flaw...one that is so bizarre that it actually made a perverse kind of sense to me...

It is still early in man's exploration of space, and the moon has just been reached.  The next logical step is to go to Mars, so a rocket sets off for the Red Planet.  And loses communication with Earth soon after takeoff...as expected.  The following year, people on the home planet are anxiously awaiting their predicted return...but I suppose by now you know that this story is not going to have a happy ending.  The main protagonist in Flaw is a woman...rare for science fiction stories from this period...and she is engaged to one of the astronauts going to Mars.  In their ring exchange, she had given him her late father's star ruby ring...which he wears on his voyage.  I mention this because that ring figures greatly in the story's stunning and dismal ending...

Flaw is only about eight pages long, a quick read.  I had looked over the Internet for it, but it seems that this particular story of John MacDonald must be purchased as part of a larger anthology or collection.  Still, it's a good one!  And it proves that you "don't have to be a rocket scientist" to be able to write good science fiction...

Tuesday's List: Senators Entering the US Senate Since 1974 Election

A few months ago Texas junior senator Ted Cruz, along with Florida representative Ron DeSantis, proposed a Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.  Senators would be limited to two elected six-year terms while representatives would only be able to serve three elected two-year terms.  Although I appreciate the reasons for term limits and think that there is a problem with career politicians sitting forever in their positions in the House, I'm not quite sure about the Senate.  In the House, the districts are usually drawn up by state legislatures, often with outrageous partisan gerrymandering, to help keep incumbents entrenched in power.  But with the Senate, the elections are statewide and, as you should be able to see by the list below, there is a lot of turnover there.  After all, Patrick Leahy, the senior senator, was first elected in 1974.  Since then there have been about 300 senators in that 100-member body...

Below is a list of all senators put into office since that 1974 election, which I greatly simplified from a cumbersome list on the U.S. Senate website.  Current senators I have listed in blue and bold-type.  Each name is followed by their party affiliation (R: Republican, D: Democrat, I: Independent), their state, and their years in office. You'll notice that the overwhelming majority of today's Senate (71, to be exact) have served less than twelve years...which to me makes Cruz's proposal seem unnecessary.  Sure, you have a few like Leahy and Hatch with long stints of service...but maybe it's a good thing to have a few like them in there with their experience and historical perspective on things.  I suspect, though, that term limits would make more sense in the House of Representatives, although I believe they should be for longer than only six years...how about ten?

Laxalt, Paul D. (R-NV) 1974-87 
Garn, E. J. "Jake" (R-UT) 1974-93 
Glenn, John H., Jr. (D-OH) 1974-99 
Ford, Wendell H. (D-KY) 1974-99
Wyman, Louis C. (R-NH) 1974-75
Stone, Richard (D-FL) 1975-80
Culver, John C. (D-IA) 1975-81 
Bumpers, Dale (D-AR) 1975-99
Morgan, Robert (D-NC) 1975-81
Hart, Gary (D-CO) 1975-87
Leahy, Patrick (D-VT) Jan 3, 1975- 
Cotton, Norris (R-NH) Jan-Sep, 1975  (First served 1954-1974)
Durkin, John A. (D-NH) 1975-80 
Danforth, John C. (R-MO) 1976-95
Zorinsky, Edward (D-NE) 1976-87
Chafee, John H. (R-RI) 1976-99 
Metzenbaum, Howard (D-OH) 1976-95  (First served 1974)
Riegle, Donald W., Jr. (D-MI) 1976-95 
Anderson, Wendell R. (D-MN) 1976-78
Hayakawa, S. I. (R-CA) 1977-83
Matsunaga, Spark M. (D-HI) 1977-90
Melcher, John (D-MT) 1977-89
Heinz, H. John, III (R-PA) 1977-91 
Sarbanes, Paul S. (D-MD) 1977-2007 
Moynihan, Daniel P. (D-NY) 1977-2001 
Lugar, Richard G. (R-IN) 1977-2013 
Sasser, James R. (D-TN) 1977-95 
DeConcini, Dennis (D-AZ) 1977-95 
Hatch, Orrin G. (R-UT)  1977- 
Schmitt, Harrison H. (R-NM) 1977-83 
Wallop, Malcolm (R-WY) 1977-95
Hodges, Kaneaster, Jr. (D-AR) 1977-79
Hatfield, Paul G. (D-MT) Jan-Dec, 1978
Humphrey, Muriel (D-MN) Jan-Nov, 1978
Allen, Maryon (D-AL) Jun-Nov, 1978
Stewart, Donald W. (D-AL) 1978-81 
Durenberger, David F. (R-MN) 1978-95
Baucus, Max (D-MT) 1978-2014
Kassebaum, Nancy L. (R-KS) 1978-97
Cochran, Thad (R-MS) 1978-
Boschwitz, Rudy (R-MN) 1978-91
Simpson, Alan K. (R-WY) 1979-97
Warner, John W. (R-VA) 1979-2009
Pryor, David H. (D-AR) 1979-97 
Armstrong, William L. (R-CO) 1979-91 
Cohen, William S. (R-ME) 1979-97 
Tsongas, Paul E. (D-MA) 1979-85 
Pressler, Larry (R-SD) 1979-97 
Boren, David L. (D-OK) 1979-94 
Exon, J. James (D-NE) 1979-97 
Levin, Carl M. (D-MI) 1979-2015 
Bradley, Bill (D-NJ) 1979-97 
Heflin, Howell T. (D-AL) 1979-97 
Jepsen, Roger W. (R-IA) 1979-85 
Humphrey, Gordon J. (R-NH) 1979-90
Mitchell, George J. (D-ME) 1980-95
Rudman, Warren B. (R-NH) 1980-93
Hawkins, Paula (R-FL) 1981-87
Denton, Jeremiah A. (R-AL) 1981-87
Murkowski, Frank H. (R-AK) 1981-2002 
Dodd, Christopher J. (D-CT) 1981-2011 
Mattingly, Mack F. (R-GA) 1981-87 
Symms, Steven D. (R-ID) 1981-93 
Dixon, Alan J. (D-IL) 1981-93 
Quayle, J. Danforth (R-IN) 1981-89 
Grassley, Charles E. (R-IA) 1981- 
D'Amato, Alfonse M. (R-NY) 1981-99 
East, John P. (R-NC) 1981-86 
Andrews, Mark (R-ND) 1981-87 
Nickles, Don (R-OK) 1981-2005 
Specter, Arlen (R/D-PA) 1981-2011 
Abdnor, James (R-SD) 1981-87 
Gorton, Slade (R-WA) 1981-87 (Served again 1989-2001) 
Kasten, Robert W., Jr. (R-WI) 1981-93
Brady, Nicholas F. (R-NJ) Apr-Dec, 1982
Lautenberg, Frank R. (D-NJ) 1982-2001 (Served again starting in 2003)
Trible, Paul S., Jr. (R-VA) 1983-89 
Bingaman, Jeff (D-NM) 1983-2013 
Hecht, Chic (R-NV) 1983-89 
Wilson, Pete (R-CA) 1983-91
Evans, Daniel J. (R-WA) 1983-89
Kerry, John F. (D-MA) 1985-2013
Simon, Paul (D-IL) 1985-97
Harkin, Tom (D-IA) 1985-2015 
Gore, Albert, Jr. (D-TN) 1985-93  
Gramm, Phil (R-TX) 1985-2002 
McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) 1985-
Rockefeller, John D. IV (D-WV) 1985-2015
Broyhill, James T. (R-NC) Jul-Nov, 1986 
Sanford, Terry (D-NC) January 3, 1993
Breaux, John (D-LA) 1987-2005
Adams, Brock (D-WA) 1987-93
Wirth, Timothy E. (D-CO) 1987-93
Mikulski, Barbara (D-MD) 1987-2017  
Fowler, Wyche (D-GA) 1987-93  
Shelby, Richard (D/R-AL) 1987-
Daschle, Tom (D-SD) 1987-2005
McCain, John (R-AZ) 1987-
Reid, Harry (D-NV) 1987-2017 
Graham, Bob (D-FL) 1987-2005
Bond, Kit (R-MO) 1987-2011
Conrad, Kent (D-ND) 1987- Sep 92 (Served again starting in Dec 1992)
Karnes, David (R-NE) 1987-89
Gorton, Slade (R-WA) 1989-2001 (First served 1981-1987) 
Lott, Trent (R-MS) 1989-2007
Jeffords, Jim (R/I-VT) 1989-2007
Coats, Dan (R-IN) 1989-99 (Served again starting in 2011) 
Mack, Connie (R-FL) 1989-2001
Bryan, Richard (D-NV) 1989-2001
Robb, Charles (D-VA) 1989-2001
Kerrey, Bob (D-NE) 1989-2001  
Kohl, Herbert (D-WI) 1989-2013
Lieberman, Joseph (D-CT) 1989-2013  
Burns, Conrad (R-MT) 1989-2007
Akaka, Daniel (D-HI) 1990-2013
Smith, Robert C. (R-NH) 1990-2003
Brown, George Hanks (Hank) (R-CO) 1991-97
Craig, Larry E. (R-ID) 1991-2009
Wellstone, Paul (D-MN) 1991-2002
Seymour, John (R-CA) 1991-1992 
Wofford, Harris (D-PA) 1991-1995
Burdick, Jocelyn (D-ND) Sep-Dec, 1992
Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA)  1992-
Conrad, Kent (D-ND) Dec 1992-2013 (First served 1987-1992)
Dorgan, Byron L. (D-ND) 1992-2011
Mathews, Harlan (D-TN) December 1, 1994 1803
Boxer, Barbara (D-CA) 1993-2017
Gregg, Judd (R-NH) 1993-2011
Campbell, Ben Nighthorse (D/R-CO) 1993-2005 
Moseley-Braun, Carol (D-IL) 1993-99 
Faircloth, D. M. "Lauch" (R-NC) 1993-99
Coverdell, Paul (R-GA) 1993-2000 
Murray, Patty (D-WA)  1993- 
Feingold, Russell (D-WI) 1993-2011 
Bennett, Robert (R-UT) 1993-2011
Kempthorne, Dirk (R-ID) 1993-99 
Krueger, Robert C. (D-TX) Jan-Jun, 1993 
Hutchison, Kathryn Ann Bailey (R-TX) 1993-2013
Inhofe, James (R-OK)  1994-
Thompson, Fred (R-TN) January 3, 2003 
Snowe, Olympia (R-ME) 1995-2013  
Kyl, Jon (R-AZ) 1995-2013  
DeWine, Mike (R-OH) 1995-2007
Thomas, Craig (R-WY) 1995-2007 
Santorum, Rick (R-PA) 1995-2007 
Grams, Rod (R-MN) 1995-2001 
Ashcroft, John (R-MO) 1995-2001
Abraham, Spencer (R-MI) 1995-2001 
Frist, Bill (R-TN) 1995-2007 
Wyden, Ron (D-OR) 1996-
Frahm, Sheila (R-KS) Jun-Nov, 1996
Brownback, Sam (R-KS) 1996-2011
Roberts, Pat (R-KS) 1997-
Durbin, Richard (D-IL) 1997-
Torricelli, Robert (D-NJ) 1997-2003 
Johnson, Tim (D-SD) 1997-2015 
Allard, Wayne (R-CO) 1997-2009
Reed, Jack (D-RI) 1997-
Hutchinson, Tim (R-AR) 1997-2003
Cleland, Max (D-GA) 1997-2003
Landrieu, Mary (D-LA) 1997-2015 
Sessions, Jeff (R-AL) 1997-2017
Smith, Gordon (R-OR) 1997-2009 
Hagel, Chuck (R-NE) 1997-2009 
Collins, Susan (R-ME) 1997-
Enzi, Michael (R-WY) 1997-
Schumer, Charles (D-NY) 1999-
Bunning, Jim (R-KY) 1999-2011
Crapo, Mike (R-ID) 1999-
Lincoln, Blanche L. (D-AR) 1999-2011
Voinovich, George (R-OH) 1999-2011
Bayh, Evan (D-IN) 1999-2011
Fitzgerald, Peter (R-IL) 1999-2005
Edwards, John (D-NC) 1999-2005
Chafee, Lincoln D. (R-RI) 1999-2007
Miller, Zell B. (D-GA) 2000-05
Nelson, Bill (D-FL) 2001-
Carper, Tom (D-DE) 2001-
Stabenow, Debbie (D-MI) 2001-
Ensign, John (R-NV) 2001-11
Allen, George (R-VA) 2001-07
Cantwell, Maria (D-WA) 2001-
Nelson, Ben (D-NE) 2001-13
Clinton, Hillary Rodham (D-NY) 2001-09
Corzine, Jon (D-NJ) 2001-06
Carnahan, Jean (D-MO) 2001-02
Dayton, Mark (D-MN) 2001-07
Barkley, Dean (I-MN) 2002-03
Talent, James (R-MO) 2002-07 
Cornyn, John (R-TX) 2002-
Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) 2002-
Lautenberg, Frank (D-NJ) 2003-13 (First served 1982-2001) 
Chambliss, Saxby (R-GA) 2003-15 
Graham, Lindsey (R-SC) 2003-
Sununu, John (R-NH) 2003-09 
Alexander, Lamar (R-TN)
Dole, Elizabeth (R-NC) 2003-09
Coleman, Norm (R-MN) 2003-09
Pryor, Mark (D-AR) 2003-15 
Burr, Richard (R-NC) 2005-
DeMint, James (R-SC) 2005-13
Coburn, Tom (R-OK) 2005-15 
Thune, John (R-SD) 2005- 
Isakson, Johnny (R-GA) 2005- 
Vitter, David (R-LA) 2005-17 
Martinez, Mel (R-FL) 2005-09 
Obama, Barack (D-IL) 2005-08
Salazar, Ken (D-CO) 2005-09
Menendez, Robert (D-NJ) 2006-
* * * 2007 * * * January 3
Cardin, Ben (D-MD) 2007-
Sanders, Bernie (I-VT) 2007-
Brown, Sherrod (D-OH) 2007-  
Webb, Jim (D-VA) 2007-13
Casey, Robert (D-PA) 2007-  
Corker, Robert (R-TN) 2007-
McCaskill, Claire (D-MO) 2007- 
Klobuchar, Amy (D-MN) 2007- 
Whitehouse, Sheldon (D-RI) 2007-  
Tester, Jon (D-MT) 2007-
Barrasso, John (R-WY) 2007
Wicker, Roger F. (R-MS) 2007-
Udall, Mark (D-CO) 2009-15 
Udall, Tom (D-NM) 2009-
Johanns, Mike (R-NE) 2009-15
Shaheen, Jeanne (D-NH) 2009-
Warner, Mark (D-VA) 2009-
Risch, Jim (R-ID) 2009-
Hagan, Kay (D-NC) 2009-15
Merkley, Jeff (D-OR) 2009-
Begich, Mark (D-AK) 2009-15
Burris, Roland 10  (D-IL) 2009-10 
Kaufman, Edward (D-DE) 2009-10
Bennet, Michael (D-CO) 2009- 
Gillibrand, Kirsten 11  (D-NY) 2009-
Franken, Al (D-MN) 2009-
LeMieux, George (R-FL) 2009-11
Kirk, Paul G, Jr. (D-MA) 2009-10
Brown, Scott P. (R-MA) 2010-13
Goodwin, Carte P. (D-WV) Jul-Nov, 2010
Manchin, Joe (D-WV) Nov 2010- 
Coons, Christopher (D-DE) 2010-
Kirk, Mark (R-IL) 2010-17
Coats, Daniel (R-IN) 2011-17 (First served 1989 to 1999) 
Blunt, Roy (R-MO) 2011-
Moran, Jerry (R-KS) 2011- 
Portman, Rob (R-OH) 2011- 
Boozman, John (R-AR) 2011-
Toomey, Pat (R-PA) 2011-
Hoeven, John (R-ND) 2011-
Rubio, Marco (R-FL) 2011-
Johnson, Ron (R-WI) 2011-
Paul, Rand (R-KY) 2011- 
Blumenthal, Richard (D-CT) 2011-
Lee, Mike (R-UT) 2011-
Ayotte, Kelly (R-NH) 2011-17
Heller, Dean (R-NV) 2011-
Schatz, Brian E. (D-HI) 2012-
Scott, Tim (R-SC) 2013-
Baldwin, Tammy (D-WI) 2013-  
Flake, Jeff (R-AZ) 2013-
Donnelly, Joe (D-IN) 2013-  
Murphy, Chris (D-CT) 2013-
Hirono, Mazie (D-HI) 2013-
Heinrich, Martin (D-NM) 2013-
King, Angus (I-ME)  2013- 
Kaine, Tim (D-VA) 2013-
Cruz, Ted (R-TX) 2013-  
Warren, Elizabeth (D-MA) 2013- 
Fischer, Deb (R-NE) 2013-
Heitkamp, Heidi (D-ND) 2013-
Cowan, William “Mo” (D-MA) Feb-July, 2013
Chiesa, Jeffrey S. (R-NJ) Jun-Oct, 2013
Markey, Edward J. (D-MA) Jul, 2013- 
Booker, Cory (D-NJ) Oct, 2013-
Walsh, John (D-MT) 2014-15
Capito, Shelley Moore (R-WV) 2015- 
Peters, Gary (D-MI) 2015-  
Cassidy, Bill (R-LA) 2015- 
Gardner, Cory (R-CO) 2015-
Lankford, James (R-OK) 2015- 
Cotton, Tom (R-AR) 2015- 
Daines, Steve (R-MT) 2015-   
Rounds, Mike (R-SD) 2015- 
Perdue, David (R-GA) 2015- 
Tillis, Thom (R-NC) 2015-
Ernst, Joni (R-IA) 2015- 
Sasse, Ben (R-NE) 2015-
Sullivan, Dan (R-AK) 2015- 
Van Hollen, Chris (D-MD) 2017- 
Young, Todd (R-IN) 2017-
Duckworth, Tammy (D-IL) 2017-
Hassan, Maggie (D-NH) 2017-
Harris, Kamala (D-CA) 2017-
Kennedy, John (R-LA) 2017- 
Cortez Masto, Catherine (D-NV) 2017-
Strange, Luther (R-AL) 2017-

Books I am Currently Reading

I am currently in the process of reading two highly-acclaimed books from a few years back: Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five and Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow.  In spite of their high marks from critics, though, both of these books, which describe the utter horrors of World War II, have been deemed by some as "obscene"...banned from libraries and schools alike at different times.  The reason for this censure is their explicit sexual content and/or profanity, not the graphic depiction of violence and unspeakable injustice done to the myriad victims of the most brutal, costly conflict in human history.  And I find that twisted standard of obscenity in itself a bit obscene...

With Slaughterhouse-Five, which I just started reading, I've seen the film version and therefore already know what happens...it is very rare for me to pick up a book after watching the movie.  As for Gravity's Rainbow, my difficulty with it is not so much the graphic sexual content...which can get very old in a hurry...as the disjoint manner in which Pynchon writes the narrative...he jumps around from character to character, scene to scene, and present reality to flashback to dream and back again...without ever giving any warning to the reader about what he's going to do next or where he just jumped off to.  I guess that's what they call "post-modernist" writing...I can't print what I call it.  But I am about 60% through and am determined to finish it.  And then I'll spill the beans about what I really think about this strange tale...

I am also plodding through an old James Blish science fiction novel titled Vor, one of the old paperbacks my sister Anita gave me to take back from Austin last month.  I'm struggling with this one as well, but at least the author seems to be writing with the reader in mind, and I've grown to appreciate that more lately...

Solar Eclipse Coming on August 21st

As my laptop computer is continuing to go through its lengthy updating process, I decided to go to my cell phone and write a blog article using it instead.
 

I have read that on August 21st there will be an eclipse of the sun. Gainesville will witness only a partial eclipse while the pathway for the total solar eclipse will pass through the middle of the United States, entering at South Carolina from the Atlantic, then through Nashville, Tennessee and going westward, hitting the Pacific in the state of Oregon just south of Portland. I don't feel like traveling just to see it in person, but if you live near the total eclipse's path you might want to consider going to see it. Solar eclipses, when the moon in its orbit around Earth covers the sun, are rare events and total eclipses of the sun happen in only a very restricted place. For me, I will see what that partial eclipse looks like here in town...
 

Now to see if I can put a link to this article on Facebook from my phone...

Just Finished Reading Janet Evanovich's Four to Score

Continuing in chronological, "numerical" order with Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum bounty hunter mystery series, I just finished reading Four to Score.  Once again in series of this type, the protagonist, her family, associates, and friends have their own ongoing personal narratives that cumulatively depend on the previous installments while the spotlighted mysteries are self-contained within the book...I'll just stick with discussing the latter as I don't won't to give away some story lines developed in the first three volumes...

In Four to Score, Stephanie Plum is given the assignment by her bail bondsman boss (and uncle) Vinny to find Maxine, who has missed her court date for which she is accused of stealing her boyfriend Eddie's car. Maxine, it turns out, has decided to lead Eddie...who is also pursuing her and paying Stephanie money under the table to share information with him...on a vindictive wild goose chase, leaving encrypted notes while trying to humiliate him.  To decipher them, Stephanie enlists the aid of rock musician/drag queen Sally, who has a knack for solving codes...leading into an interesting subplot.  In the meantime, Maxine's mother and friend have each come up with injuries...a scalping and severed (and later reattached) finger, respectively...prompting our hero to suspect something more sinister going on about Maxine than just a stolen (and returned) car...

I love both the story's dialogue and introspection of Stephanie, who narrates it all in the first person, as I have become accustomed to in this enjoyable series.  And eccentric, spunky Grandma Mazur never fails to make me laugh.  Onward to the next book!

Quote of the Week...from Yogi Berra

The future ain't what it used to be.                   --Yogi Berra

The great New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra, who passed away two years ago at the age of 90, was always a welcome baseball card for me to pick up as a kid...but his warmth and humor made him a larger-than-life public figure.  One of Yogi's trademarks was his tendency to twist words around in a funny way...some examples:

--Even Napoleon had his Watergate.
--It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much.
--I don’t know (if they were men or women fans running naked across the field, in answer to a question). They had bags over their heads.
--I’m not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.
--I never said most of the things I said.
--Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.
And my current favorite:
--In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.

The above quote of his that I settled on for this article, though, while on the surface a bit nonsensical and silly, actually contains a deeper truth: in our times, our view of what the future holds has changed quite a bit from what others saw ahead of them in previous times.  In America, there had long been the notion that we could do anything...where there was a will, there was a way, so to speak...and the future was bright, full of technological innovations if not miracles.  After World War II, a different sort of outlook began to take root among the population: an apocalyptic future of nuclear war and its devastating aftermath.  In the early 1960s, another vision of a future...that of a planet sickened by man-made abuse of the environment...began to take hold.  The revival of Christian evangelism in the latter part of the century combined within that community the idea of worldwide apocalypse with Christ's impending return.  And there is now a developing fear among many of a future world run by autocratic strongmen in alliance with the super-wealthy that disposes of many of the individual's human rights and treats people-at-large as simply consumer units. One of the factors creating political tension within our society nowadays is a plethora of competing visions about what the future holds for us...and what we should do to create the best results.  I happen to believe that there are elements of truth contained within the various outlooks: we do have the capacity and can develop the will to solve many of our problems, but we have to come to some sort of consensus about what those problems are...and that is where I fall a bit on the pessimistic side of things.  For it seems that, in this present world of ours, people tend to just follow the "news" sources that serve to bolster their own closely held notions and prejudices, opting to refer to any opposing input as "fake news".  Not a good portent for the future...I wonder what ol' Yogi would have to say about this...

7/9 Sermon on Everyday Heroes, Pt. 2

This past Sunday at The Family Church here in Gainesville, Pastor Aaron Read delivered the morning message...continuing the new series titled Everyday Heroes and choosing as his subject John the Baptist.  The Biblical text was John 1: 19-37...you can read it in the New International Version through the following link to Bible Gateway: [link]...

How does one be a hero?  Aaron lists three ways.  One is to know and live your true identity: knowing that you are a child of God means you don't blend in when you're born to stand out...to borrow a line from the upcoming movie Wonder.  And John the Baptist clearly knew where he stood in comparison to Jesus...and had no qualms at all about standing out.  Second, know and use your spiritual gifts...and the Bible in various sections reveals many:  creative communication, administration, apostleship, craftsmanship, wisdom, helps, hospitality, intercession, knowledge, leadership, discernment, encouragement, evangelism, faith, healing, giving, prophecy, teaching, shepherding, mercy, tongues, and interpretation.  And third, as Aaron concluded, go and make disciples. As for The Family Church, there are programs here designed for a believer to discover his or her spiritual gifts (Family Foundations) and for learning how to make disciples (Leadership Development).  I'm thinking of getting on board with that Family Foundations class, which meets on Sunday mornings...

You can watch Pastor Aaron's message on the church's YouTube video website...here's a link to it: [link].  The Family Church holds its Sunday morning services at 9:30 and 11, with a message, praise music, and opportunities for small groups and classes.  Oh, and don't forget the complimentary coffee! Wonder what the message will be about this Sunday...

Weekly Short Story: Captive Market by Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick is one of my favorite twentieth century science fiction writers.  He is well-known for his short novels as well as short stories...I've read quite a bit of both.  One of my favorite short stories of his is Captive Market, which appeared in the anthology Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories #17 (1955) (DAW Books, 1980).  It features an elderly woman of the present time living in a rural small western town who possesses a special, secret gift: she can go "ahead" in time and enter into the future...and come back...at will.  On one of these trips she encounters...in a post-apocalyptic age...a group of people desperately working on a rocket to leave Earth, people in great need of the basics of life including food and medicine.  How this woman responds to these people in need from the future is really what Captive Market is all about: I won't give away the story to you, but the title gives a big hint...

There is a tendency for folks in general to hold onto their prejudices, greed, and petty judgmentalism throughout their lives...even in the face of events that should instruct them otherwise and steer them toward change.  What I sadly often find is that when confronted with situations and challenges that invite them to show generosity, tolerance, and grace, some people will search high and low for any pretext to avoid doing so...especially if they can keep their behavior hidden from others: that's just basic, "fallen" human nature.  Captive Market is a very, very clear case in point...

Philip K. Dick's literature is full of deep and often disturbing commentary on society...I recommend anything of his.  Captive Market has a big point to make...especially if you are willing to apply its protagonist's attitudes to what is currently going on around us today...and is a good starting place for this excellent author, if you can get hold of a copy.  Normally, I wouldn't recommend buying a collection of an author's short stories just to read one of them, but since you can't go wrong with Philip K. Dick why not look for one that contains Captive Market?  You'll probably end up with several stories you like more...

Tuesday's List: Making a Mental Perpetual Calendar

We have always been cursed with a highly irregular calendar system, in spite of the French Revolution's attempted revision to make days of the week resonate with dates of the month...  Many years ago I devised my own mental perpetual calendar to solve this problem: I published it in my February 25, 2009 article: [link].  My system requires adding three different numbers and taking their remainder after dividing by seven to find the day of the week on which any particular date lies...

Here are my assigned numbers:

****BY DAY OF THE WEEK****
Sunday: 0
Monday: 1
Tuesday: 2
Wednesday: 3
Thursday: 4
Friday: 5
Saturday: 6

****BY YEAR****
1956,1984,2012...3 (leap years)
1957,1985,2013...4
1958,1986,2014...5
1959,1987,2015...6
1960,1988,2016...1 (leap years)
1961,1989,2017...2
1962,1990,2018...3
1963,1991,2019...4
1964,1992,2020...6 (leap years)
1965,1993,2021...0
1966,1994,2022...1
1967,1995,2023...2
1968,1996,2024...4 (leap years)
1969,1997,2025...5
1970,1998,2026...6
1971,1999,2027...0
1972,2000,2028...2 (leap years)
1973,2001,2029...3
1974,2002,2030...4
1975,2003,2031...5
1976,2004,2032...0 (leap years)
1977,2005,2033...1
1978,2006,2034...2
1979,2007,2035...3
1980,2008,2036...5 (leap years)
1981,2009,2037...6
1982,2010,2038...0
1983,2011,2039...1

***BY MONTH***
Jan (leap year):3
Jan (non-leap):4
Feb (leap year):6
Feb (non-leap):0
March: 0
April: 3
May: 5
June: 1
July: 3
August: 6
September: 2
October: 4
November: 0
December : 2

Once you memorize the above...the days of the week are easy, the years follow a 28-year cycle and have a pattern to their number...only the months' numbers may seem arbitrary. You add the assigned number of the month, the numerical date, and the assigned number of the year all together, divide by seven and take the remainder to find the day of the week.  I suggest that at the start you just memorize the numbers of a few years around 2017...say, 2015-2020...

Some examples:

a) July 11, 2017 (today's date)
       3  +  11  +   2=  16...dividing by 7 yields a remainder of 2, so it's Tuesday.

b) November 22, 1963 (the day Kennedy was assassinated):
       0  +  22  +  4 =  26....dividing by 7 yields a remainder of 5, so it was on a Friday.

c) July  4, 1976 (Bicentennial Day)
      3    +  4    +  0 =  7....dividing by 7 yields a remainder of 0, so it was on a Sunday.

d) December 25, 2017
      2  +  25  +  2 = 29....dividing by 7 yields a remainder of 1, so Christmas this year falls on Monday.

I admit it: memorizing the numbers may seem a little challenging, but you can also take it year-by-year and just remember that this year, 2017, is "2" and then you only have to know by rote the months and be able to divide mentally by 7.  That still may be a bit too much for many, and besides, nowadays folks can usually just look at their smartphones.  But it was still a fun little project of mine, and the more you work at it, the easier and quicker this system is to use.  And if you're stuck in a long line somewhere, you can practice this instead of automatically checking your messages and Facebook...

Major League Baseball at All-Star Break

Well, here we are in early July and with the same sports scenario: Wimbledon tennis in England, the Tour de France bicycle races...and Major League Baseball's All-Star Game break.  It is at this time that some folks sit around and discuss how the various teams are doing at this point a little more than halfway through the regular season.  I'm one of these...

The division leaders are Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Washington, Milwaukee, and the Los Angeles Dodgers...the Brewers are the only real surprise here, although the 60-29 win-loss record of the Astros is an eye-opener.  For the wild-card playoff slots, in the American League the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay are in a near-tie, with Minnesota (divisional leader for much of the season) and Kansas City close behind.  In the National League, two surprising teams...Arizona and Colorado...both have large leads over the rest of the field for those final two playoff spots.  The Miami Marlins find themselves at 41-46 and third place in the NL East after struggling under .500 all year...let's see if they can't have a winning season at the end.  The defending World Series champions Chicago Cubs are struggling in their division, under .500 and five and a half games behind the Brewers...their playoff prospects look pretty dim right now.  In the American League, the cellar-dwellers Toronto, Chicago White Sox, and Oakland all aren't all that bad and still have time to turn their seasons around...even make the playoffs...unless they succumb to the trading season and deal off their star players.  In the National League, though, Philadelphia and San Francisco are having utterly dismal seasons and Cincinnati, though better than those two, occupies last place in their Central Division.  And Baltimore, Detroit, Los Angeles Angels, Texas, New York Mets, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh...teams that one might expect to be more competitive...aren't.  Oh, the Atlanta Braves seem to be having a comeback of sorts from their terrible rebuilding year in 2016, currently at second place in the NL East...

Stream-of-Consciousness Foreign Language Dialoguing

While visiting Austin, Texas last month I had the opportunity to practice speaking some foreign languages with my nephew Gregory, who knows several and is in the process of learning some more.  Of the two of us, his path has been the more productive, having traveled and lived in several non-English speaking lands...giving him proficiency in French, Italy, Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish and Czech...to name just a few.  Right now he's learning Chinese...my presence gave him an opportunity to practice it.  Greg loves to practice speaking foreign languages with anyone who'll listen...and I was only too happy to play the role of receptive audience.  Our multitude of stream-of-consciousness dialogues over the four-day visit served to put me on alert: if I am to ever truly get to the level I want with my language study, then foreign travel...coupled with enthusiastic conversational engagement with speakers I encounter here at home...is something I need to pursue.  Melissa already has a step on me: she's visiting Ukraine next week!  I'd better finally get a passport...

When expressing myself in a new language, I naturally want my pronunciation, word choice, and grammar to be good, if not flawless.  But while being "correct" when speaking in a non-native language I'm learning is ultimately desirable, the learning process demands that "communication" should be the driving goal.  Let's take three scenarios where people learn language: early childhood, school, and travel/immigration...

When a baby begins to speak, no one scolds him or her for saying things incorrectly: the goal is to communicate and to positively reinforce effective communication.  In the same way, when someone is learning a new language by living and interacting among the people who speak it natively, it's still the same goal: first communicate...then fine-tune it all to be more accurate.  But when I went to school...whether with the Audio-Lingual Systems curriculum back in the 1960s and 70s in elementary and high school or the college classes I took, the instructor's mantra was consistently the same: if I want to say something in the language I'm studying, the overriding concern is that I say it correctly...even though this puts the cart before the horse and inhibits vocabulary development, confidence, and progress in the long run.  When I worked back in the early 1980s at a local Chinese restaurant, I often did the same kind of "stream-of-consciousness" chatter that Greg and I just did...but with Vietnamese and Chinese coworkers in their native tongues...and with several different people.  They were delighted that I wanted to learn their languages and only criticized me when my speech was incomprehensible to them.  Likewise, I took the same attitude toward them when they were practicing their English, emphasizing meaning over correctness...unless of course they themselves brought up a question about usage.  To this day, Vietnamese is my second most spoken language with others, although my pronunciation is awful, I haven't consistently studied it for years, and my vocabulary is limited...and Chinese is right behind Vietnamese as my third most spoken language.  In contrast, regarding Spanish, French, German, and Russian,the languages I formally studied in school...before Greg conversed with me in them last month...I've essentially spoken none of them with anyone since school...   

So in summing it all up, I have to thank my talented nephew for reminding me what works in language study.  I'd like to travel and live, if only very briefly, in a foreign language setting.  But there are actions I can take here and now in Gainesville...actions I've taken in the distant past and which...as Greg showed...can stimulate thinking in those languages I want to learn.  Unfortunately, this idea of having stream-of-consciousness dialogues with others runs counter to my tendency to seek solitude.  Sounds like a real growth opportunity!
 

Just Finished Reading Janet Evanovich's "Two" and "Three" Stephanie Plum Novels

Over the course of the previous week I breezed through popular author Janet Evanovich's next two books in her Stephanie Plum bounty hunter series: Two For the Dough and Three to Get Deadly, published in 1996-97.  Once again New Jerseyite Stephanie Plum is learning her newly adopted trade of chasing down bail jumpers and hauling them to the police, with the failures usually prevailing.  In Two For the Dough three men...one she's pursuing as bounty hunter, one shot supposedly by whom she's after, and one managing a funeral parlor...are friends with each other from childhood, but also seemed entangled in a web of arms theft, killing, and indimidation.  Stephanie's Grandma Mazur, an avid fan of funerals, helps her to infiltrate that scene...with predictably hilarious results.  In Three to Get Deadly Stephanie enlists the aid of her friend, a former prostitute name Jackie, to try to catch Moses "Uncle Mo" Bedemier, a local candy-store owner almost universally adored by the community...including her own family.  Stephanie naturally gets a lot of static when folks learn she is going after good ol' Uncle Mo.  Also there seems to be a rash of killings of drug dealers in town...is there any connection to Mo?  In both stories, the author inserted police detective Joe Morelli as Stephanie's romance interest...as well as an informal partner in solving the mysteries.  And Richard "Ranger" Mansoso continues to instruct and assist the budding bounty hunter with her adventures...

The next book...which I've already lined up to read...is Four to Score.  Janet Evanovich has been very disciplined about putting out a new Stephanie Plum novel each year...George R.R. Martin could use a little of her consistency as he seems to be in no hurry to finish the next book of his A Song of Ice and Fire series...also known as "Game of Thrones".  Not that Janet's series is anywhere nearly as complicated as Martin's...but who's to blame for that?

Quote of the Week...from Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
                                                                                    ---Max Ehrmann,  Desiderata.

Desiderata is a famous piece of "prose poetry"...the term sounds oxymoronic to me...composed ninety years ago by American writer Max Ehrmann.  "Desiderata" means that which is desired, and Ehrmann listed quite a few of his "favorite things" when it came to what he believed to comprise a life well-lived.  The above quote, although not my favorite one from Desiderata, is the opening line and sets the tone for what follows.  The instructions are quite clear: although it may seem more fitting to be placid when things are quiet, slow, and relaxed, the very counterintuitive idea of going through difficult, loud, and stressful times with a peaceful demeanor, however, can go a long way toward changing those circumstances...both for oneself and those around them.  And going along with this is the notion that part of this placidity is being careful about the relative values of speaking one's piece and of holding the tongue in such situations...and the often negative consequences that the latter can bring...

I think that there is within us an innate desire to conform to the patterns of the society around us.  Few of us want to stand apart and alone, and I wonder whether the tendency to feed off stressful situations and respond in kind might be related to this wanting to fit in.  It may take a determined, conscious effort to restrain oneself in the face of turmoil...especially when a threat or danger is perceived, with that instinctual "fight or flight" response kicking in.  The idea of walking through tough circumstances quietly and calmly is neither fight nor flight: instead, it may well be the epitome of courage...

I first heard Desiderata in early 1972 when a radio talk show host, Les Crane, read and recorded it.  It was a minor singles hit at the time, but it made a big impression on me...not that I've always practiced what it preached.  From time to time I think I'll write about some other sections of this very interesting work...

7/2 Sermon on Everyday Heroes, Pt. 1

At The Family Church here in Gainesville, a new Sunday morning message series has begun, titled Everyday Heroes, and which each week examines a different Biblical character...some well known, and some like this week's subject: Phoebe from Paul's book of Romans, Chapter 16, Verses 1-2.  Here is that short text, in the New International Version via Bible Gateway:

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.

Jeff Moody, the church's missions coordinator, together with his wife Kem, presented the message. Jeff explained, while going though the verses, that Phoebe was a gentile woman from that church in Cenchreae, Greece (then under dominion of the Roman Empire) who in all likelihood was given the great responsibility (and danger) of transporting and delivering the written text of Paul's epistle (i.e. letter) to the Christians in Rome...remember that there were no printing presses around at the time.  This all occurred during the reign of Emperor Claudius, whose rule predated that of Nero, the eventual executioner of Paul when he was later imprisoned in Rome.  Jeff also brought up two interesting Greek words in the verses: diakonos and prostatis.  Diakonos is translated as being "deacon" or "servant"...not much difference here since the early church deacons were in essence servants.  Phoebe is also described by the word prostatis, translated as "benefactor", "protector", or "leader".   But, as Kem pointed out, Phoebe's identity, which rested in the Kingdom of God, and her message, which was the good news of redemption through Christ, were far more important than her demographic circumstances, be it her family of origin or her gender. Kem brought it all together by emphasizing that each of us can...as Phoebe did...use our particular station in life as a level of jurisdiction through which in Christ we can establish and practice our leadership and service.  Very thought-provoking...and inspiring as well.  Thank you, Moodys!

You can view Jeff and Kem's message from The Family Church YouTube video website.  Here is a link to that sermon: [link].  The Family Church is located at 2022 SW 122nd Street and holds its Sunday morning services at 9:30 and 11.  Looking forward to next week...

Weekly Short Story: Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

I first read the amazing 1959 science fiction short story Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, from the collection The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of All Time (Avon Books, 1970).  I tend to agree with this book's grandiose title: it really does contain some of the greatest stories ever.  For his part, Keyes was not an established writer when he produced his masterpiece...but it made an indelible impact anyway.  Probably discovering that he wasn't making much money off the short story, he expanded it into novel form in 1966...that version I haven't read.  As far as I'm concerned, when you're as close to perfect with a story like this, why mess with it?

Charlie Gordon is an intellectually-challenged (I.Q. 68) 37-year old who gets by with his custodial job at a factory.  Two research scientists, Doctors Strauss and Nemur, have a project underway designed to increase intelligence.  Their first subject was a little white mouse named Algernon.  But now they are ready to try their operation out on a human...and Charlie is the willing subject.  Dr. Strauss has suggested to Charlie that he keep a daily written journal about his life and what he is feeling.  And that is exactly what Flowers for Algernon is: Charlie Gordon's written record of his changing intelligence...and consequently his changing worldview, including some eye-opening revelations about the people in his life.  All the while he observes Algernon's progress and records his impressions...

What makes this story so special is the meticulous detail in which the author reveals the feelings and abilities of Charlie at different stages in his journey, as well as the generally flawed nature of some people in general, in particular the cruelty of some toward the mentally disabled and the blind ambition of others without regard to the consequences of their actions.  Once you begin to read this epic tale of inner discovery...and outer disillusionment...you just might find it difficult to put down until you're finished.  One of the best short stories of all time, in any genre of fiction...

Tuesday's List: My Favorite Rush Songs

Rush, the Canadian hard rock band made up of singer/bassist/keyboardist Geddy Lee, drummer/lyricist Neil Peart, and guitarist Alex Lifeson has produced nineteen studio albums so far (the first was made without Peart) and is still a viable group, coming out with new original material every few years and still performing concerts.  Although they had been recording albums since 1974, my interest in Rush didn't take root into one late night in 1992 when my local alternative rock station here in Gainesville played their 1981 album Moving Pictures in its entirety.  I then set off to listen to other albums of theirs, often disappointed at their tendency to go off on long, overblown fantasy productions.  Unlike other groups such as the Beatles, R.E.M., Led Zeppelin, and the Moody Blues, many of my favorite songs from which are deep album tracks, my favorites from Rush tend to be the more well-known pieces played often over the radio...with the notable exception of that Moving Pictures album. The following list of my own personal favorite songs of theirs spans the first fourteen albums while none are from their last five...usually musical acts peak and then either break up or continue for years in steady decline, let's face it.  Speaking of peaking, all seven of the tracks from that masterpiece Moving Pictures are on my list, including the top two songs.  Well, here is that list, with each song in capitals, followed by its album and year of release:

1 RED BARCHETTA......Moving Pictures 81
2 VITAL SIGNS.............Moving Pictures 81
3 WORKING MAN........Rush 74
4 THE SPIRIT OF RADIO......Permanent Waves 80
5 ROLL THE BONES............Roll the Bones 91
6 TOM SAWYER..........Moving Pictures 81
7 SUBDIVISIONS.........Signals 82
8 LA VILLA STRANGIATO........Hemispheres 78
9 NEW WORLD MAN........Signals 82
10 FREEWILL.................Permanent Waves 80
11 THE CAMERA EYE.......Moving Pictures 81
12 LAKESIDE PARK..........Caress of Steel 75
13 FLY BY NIGHT.............Fly by Night 75
14 DISTANT EARLY WARNING......Grace Under Pressure 84
15 CLOSER TO THE HEART.......A Farewell to Kings 77
16 YYZ.........................Moving Pictures 81
17 DREAMLINE...........Roll the Bones 91
18 TIME STAND STILL........Hold Your Fire 87
19 LIMELIGHT.............Moving Pictures 81
20 THE BIG MONEY........Power Windows 85
21 WITCH HUNT.............Moving Pictures 81
22 SHOW DON'T TELL.......Presto 89
23 THE TREES..................Hemispheres 78
24 2112........................2112 76
25 NATURAL SCIENCE.........Permanent Waves 80

Walking and Dining in San Antonio

During our recent visit to my sister and her family in Austin, we made a little detour...to San Antonio in order to experience this important city, especially the Alamo and the Riverwalk.  Melissa and I went with Anita and my nephew Greg on this little adventure and spent the Sunday afternoon and evening walking and dining in the downtown area...

First on the plan, after checking into our overnight hotel a few blocks east of downtown San Antonio, we all walked down Commerce Avenue and then veered northward to the Alamo site.  The weather was a bit hot and stuffy, and whenever we had the chance to duck into an air-conditioned building I was grateful for the relief.  The Alamo itself was a little bigger than I had imagined...later I found out that the decorative, curved top front part was a later addition, built around 1870.  The Battle of the Alamo took place in March 1836 when dictatorial Mexican president Santa Anna, wanting to fully consolidate and centralize his power, undertook a military expedition to outlying Texas, then still a part of Mexico but increasingly populated by English-speaking settlers from the east.  Resistance to his forces culminated in a siege of the old mission and resulted in a "no quarter" massacre of the fighting men there by Santa Anna's forces.  A few days later, Sam Houston's forces defeated and captured Santa Anna at San Jacinto River, forcing him to officially concede defeat as Texas declared its independence.  At a gift shop within the Alamo complex (a nice, air-conditioned gift shop) an author by the name of John R. Knaggs was holding a book-signing for his historical novel of the Alamo and San Jacinto River battles, titled The Bugles Are Silent.  Anita bought a copy...maybe I'll read it someday.  Next to the Alamo building that most of us recognize is a long building appropriately called the Long Barrack, containing a great museum about the Alamo, a short explanatory movie, and also more air-conditioning.  These two buildings are the only ones left intact to this day from the Alamo battle.  By the way, cutting through the Alamo grounds is a narrow creek/pond stocked full of koi fish...many visitors seemed entranced by them...

As the afternoon progressed, we left the Alamo and headed south back to Commerce Avenue and an entranceway down the steps to the San Antonio River, on both sides of which are restaurants, shops...and even an outdoor theater.  We made our way to the Casa Rio Mexican restaurant and sat out by the riverside to eat our dinner.  The river was marked by a nearly constant stream of tour boats...some of which were set up for dining...and a multitude of ducks, each seeming to stake out its territory near a strategic table in anticipation of crumbs.  The food was good and so was the service...I recommend this restaurant.  For some reason, during much of our meal we heard someone continuously playing a bagpipe from across the river...I wonder what that was all about.  Afterwards, the four of us walked on down the Riverwalk, sightseeing and snapping pictures along the way.  One interesting place we discovered spanned both sides of the river: the outdoor Arneson River Theater, with the grass seating curving around on one side and the stage on the other. A full-blown production at night must be a memorable event to experience...

As darkness fell, I began to sense that, more than anything, I could use a good cup of coffee, so our party walked around looking for such a place.  Unfortunately, we weren't successful at finding a local coffee shop and ended up settling for the McDonalds on Commerce...I got the largest ice coffee and quickly gulped it all down...ah-h-h, that's better now.   After that we walked down the nighttime version of the Riverwalk in the opposite direction, finally finding a gift shop to browse through.  My sister sneakily bought a large Yellow Submarine Beatles coffee mug after I had let it be known that I liked it...thanks Anita, it's my favorite!  I thought the San Antonio Riverwalk was fun, and had we been planning to stay longer in town we could have probably explored it further.  Their boat tours look interesting...maybe if we make it back we'll try going on one of them...

Our visit to San Antonio was constrained a bit by time, but I think we got the essentials down.  Most of all I enjoyed the company of my wife, sister, and nephew...and it's hard to beat that!

And now here's a description of the above five pictures:
#1: The Arneson River Theater, seen from the top of the audience seating area...with a tour boat on the river.
#2: Melissa and I standing before the Alamo.
#3: Anita and I (and a photo bomber) at Casa Rio restaurant on the riverside.
#4: Same place: Melissa and Greg.
#5: That quirky, cool Beatles Yellow Submarine mug.