Anti-Semitism Question Directed at Trump is Answered With Boasting About Election Win

President Trump's administration thus far, not fully four weeks in office, has been incredibly polarizing thus far, and the controversy that this new regime has generated. There has been unprecedented opposition right from the beginning. A foreign head of state stood the president up, cancelling a meeting. Already, a high-ranking member of the administration has resigned in disgrace, and there are numerous scandals looming. The administration has been pro-active, although several of their actions have already been seriously challenged in the courts, particularly by civil rights groups. They have opponents within his own party. There are already whispers of possible impeachment, and there has been at least one Republican who seems to take this possibility seriously, as well.

To most, it seems disastrous.

Yet, Trump is describing his presidential administration in glossy terms, and suggested to the whole world that things are going swimmingly.

Here, specifically, is what he said:

“I open the paper and I see stories of chaos, chaos. It’s the exact opposite. This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine, despite not being able to get my cabinet approved.” 

Yes, you read that right. Trump is describing his administration thus far as being "like a fine-tuned machine". Indeed, that was his description for it,

The president was also asked a question by an Israeli reporter concerned about what seems like a spike in anti-Semitism in the United States since his election.

Here, specifically, is the question that was posed to the president:

"Mr. President, since your election campaign and even after your victory, we've seen a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents across the United States. And I wonder, what do you say to those among the Jewish community in the States and in Israel and maybe around the world who believe your administration is playing with xenophobia and maybe racist tones." 

This is how President Trump responded: 

"President Trump: Well, I just want to say that we are, you know, very honored by the victory that we had -- 316 electoral college votes. We were not supposed to crack 220. You know that, right? There was no way to 221, but then they said there's no way to 270. And there's tremendous enthusiasm out there. I will say that we are going to have peace in this country. We are going to stop crime in this country. We are going to do everything within our power to stop long simmering racism and every other thing that's going on. There's a lot of bad things that have been taking place over a long period of time. 

"I think one of the reasons I won the election is we have a very, very divided nation, very divided. And hopefully, I'll be able to do something about that. And I, you know, it was something that was very important to me. As far as people, Jewish people, so many friends; a daughter who happens to be here right now; a son-in-law, and three beautiful grandchildren. I think that you're going to see a lot different United States of America over the next three, four or eight years. I think a lot of good things are happening. 

"And you're going to see a lot of love. You're going to see a lot of love. OK? Thank you."

Huh?

Sorry, but does this even really qualify as an answer?

It is an important question, too, because one of the major criticisms repeatedly leveled against Trump and his administration has been that it is not only polarizing, but that it has entrenched hatred and division within the population, and that people are not only growing more comfortable with their prejudices, but are increasingly bold in declaring their prejudices. Not surprisingly, this had led to a spike in hate crimes, as well, and hate organizations seem to be appearing everywhere.

So, this was an opportunity for Trump to definitively denounce these hate groups, and to show, indeed, that he was what he claimed to be: the president for all Americans.

As far as I am concerned, he failed abysmally at that task, and by not answering the question about anti-Semitism, by skirting around the answer, he leaves still more questions unanswered, and raises still more alarm bells.

What a disaster this guy is, as well as his supposedly "well-tuned machine" that supports him!






Here are the articles that got me on this topic to begin with:

Donald Trump insists presidency is 'fine tuned machine' after extraordinary 75-minute press conference in which he attacks press by  Barney Henderson  and Harriet Alexander in New York and David Lawler in Washington,  17 February, 2017:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/16/us-politics-us-defence-secretary-james-mattis-says-little-doubt/

President Trump Was Asked About Anti-Semitism. He Responded by Talking About His Win Ryan Teague Beckwith Feb 15, 2017:

http://time.com/4672402/donald-trump-anti-semitism-netanyahu/

Donald Trump was asked a question about anti-Semitism. His answer was about the electoral college. by Chris Cillizza February 15, 2017:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/02/15/donald-trump-offered-up-a-massive-word-salad-when-asked-about-anti-semitism-today/?utm_term=.4eeeb4205bb8

My Horrendous Morning

Just the other day, I had a truly horrendous morning. On a personal scale, this actually nearly reached epic level, because it was just the perfect storm of numerous things seemingly going wrong all at once.

I was off from my main job (I work overnights), and so felt well-rested, when I had to get ready for my substitute assignment for the day. The call had come the night before, and apparently, I was half asleep and not fully focused when that call came in, as will become obvious later in this post.

In any case, I like to write a little bit before going to work in the morning on my nights off, but the writing was very lethargic on that day. I prepared lunch, showered and finished getting ready, then turned around and saw that my early start had somehow shifted to a slightly late start instead.

Not to panic, because I had left this late before. In fact, it was relatively normal. But when I stepped outside and went down the stairs, it felt like I pulled a muscle in my calf. Out of nowhere, suddenly, there was pain, and it felt like I might have an injury, and nothing makes you feel old quite like being in pain like that, right?

After testing out some steps and seeing that I could still walk - slowly and carefully, admittedly - I began to walk towards the car once again, then got in the car, and finally headed off.

Two minutes later, things went still further south. Once I reached the intersection between the local road I live off of and the main artery, it was clear something was different. I do not remember ever seeing that much traffic at that time of the morning. It made the going slow, and it continued like that all the way to work - and I have a long commute.

It seemed that I got stopped at each light, and the lights in this town, Rahway, NJ, are really, really bad. So, the waiting grew.

Eventually, I got to the school, and with five minutes to spare! Not exactly comfortable, but not all that bad, given all of the delays and such, right?

Well, as it turns out, this was the wrong elementary school. Apparently when called the previous night, I was either half asleep or something, because the message was not clear.

That meant getting back into the car and going to the other side of town to get to the right school, which obviously now meant outright being late.

What was worse was that when I finally arrived, the secretary was not there, which is a problem, since substitutes need to pick up the folders and schedules there. After waiting around, going across the hallway once to ask the other secretary, who apparently was too busy to help, someone finally came in and questioned why the classroom I was assigned to was still locked and dark.

At least I knew which classroom to go to now, but then, the doors were locked, and no one had the key. They called the custodian, but it was taking an extraordinarily long time for him to arrive, and by then, the entire class had gathered. Worse still, the principal and other apparently high ranking members of the school picked that day, and that time, to walk these particular halls, which cast me in what was probably a bad light.

Just a nightmare! And it took some time for things to finally smooth over. By the time they finally did, it was well into the day.

It was just one of those mornings, like the perfect storm, where everything has to be just so for so many things to go wrong all at once. It did, and that made it perhaps the most memorable morning in recent memory going back many years, although maybe the silver lining was that since that, I have seemed determined to not repeat the mistakes made then that at least contributed to the morning being a disaster on quite that scale!

Climate Change Denier Dares a Scientific Explanation, Then Gets Schooled

Photo courtesy of DonkeyHotey Flickr Page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/donkeyhotey/6143809369

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The old button from the Environmental Club days which I just happened to find on Earth Day! It is a little beat up (particularly the ends of the ribbon), but no worse for the wear, I think. And it is one of the few items that I have left from those days, so it carries a lot of great memories for me! Nothing Changes Until You Do!

Here is a picture of a very similar logo, with the same message, that was on the t-shirt that I purchased from the BCC Environmental Club and, if memory serves me correctly, may even have helped to make. There were a few projects like that which club members, myself included, were regularly involved with. It has been so long, however, that I no longer recall specifically if I actually helped to make these or not, although I do believe so, since I remember seeing the process of the t-shirts being dyed. In any case, I loved this t-shirt, and have kept it ever since, even if I do not regularly wear it. Since it was part of my experience with the BCC Environmental Club days, as well as more generally having an environmental theme, it seemed appropriate to share it here. 

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed."

~Mahatma Gandhi

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."

  

~John F. Kennedy  

By now, surely anyone who follows this blog knows that I am not not an admirer of Donald Trump, George W. Bush, or like-minded people who generally identify themselves (usually proudly) as conservatives.

Their economic policies tend to suck, and always try to funnel any and all extra money upwards, to the very wealthiest among us. They take care of the interests and desires of big banks and huge corporations before they take ever care of the needs and concerns of the citizens that they are supposed to represent. Plus, many of them (too many to dismiss as mere coincidence) simply shut down any meaningful debate, and resort to name-calling and/or other tactics designed to infuriate and mock people who think other than they do. 

That has long been the case with the trickle down economic theories that they continually, relentlessly advocate. That is the case when they argue for union busting. That is the case when they argue for tough immigration and/or bans on immigrants of a given faith. That was the case when they were pining for an illegal and immoral war more than a decade ago.

Yet, perhaps the most irksome disregard that they show are towards things that could actually benefit people the most, and which seem the most obvious things to make sure people have access to. I am speaking of universal, affordable healthcare, which has long been an issue that I felt that this country, the United States, just keeps getting wrong.

And it is also the case with another key issue that is only growing in importance over time: climate change.

Really, I admittedly never understood how Republicans in Congress uniformly beginning an argument on the science of climate change by making clear that they are not themselves scientists or experts is not seen as a serious liability. To me, they are basically saying that they cannot argue with scientists on this issue because they lack the expertise, and they are admitting that the facts are not on their side.

What is maddening is that this truly stupid, insipid argument wins out here in the United States time and time and time again!

It is still one more in a long (and growing) list of things that any objective American who actually tried to remain informed on the issues of the day will find truly embarrassing. The rest of the world has essentially conceded that climate change is real. Hell, even conservative American presidents, including the sitting one right now, have backed off from earlier claims that climate change is some kind of a hoax, or is not real. George W. Bush admitted that it was real. And Donald Trump denied denying climate change and claiming it was a hoax invented by the Chinese to help sabotage the American economy during a debate with Hillary Clinton just a few months ago.

Yet, what made Bush and Trump different is that, while they backed off from outright denial, they never budged towards actually doing anything to address this as a serious issue, which pretty clearly means that they do not take it as a serious issue.

And this attitude has been a source of embarrassment to millions of Americans. While most Americans believe that climate change is real and needs to be addressed, we rarely elect high-ranking government officials who reflect this belief. More often, we elect people like Donald Trump, or George W. Bush, Jim Inhofe, John Boehner, and others who either deny, or outright mock, notions that climate change is real and/or that we should get serious about doing something about it. 

But apparently, climate change denial does exist in other countries, and that includes Canada. Lorrie Goldstein, the acting Comment Editor for the Toronto Sun, is one such figure. Recently, he basically made a general dare to any "Social Justice Warrior" (note the mocking tone) to explain the actual science behind climate change. Here is the message from his tweet:

"Next time a Social Justice Warrior tells you “science is settled” on global warming, ask them to explain the science. Then watch the fun."

Goldstein added a picture of Hillary Clinton looking smug and seemingly sinking her head into her hands, and looking like she is not expecting much. Clearly, this was another dig at those who accept that climate change is real, because Goldstein appears to be of the belief that "the left" consists of supporters and admirers of the Clintons and Obamas. This is another thing that I personally never understood about conservatives, that tendency to try and take aim at the Clintons or Obamas for that mic drop moment. As if anyone who believes that climate change is real is systematically an admirer of Hillary Clinton. 

Right.

Anyway, Karen Geier, a Toronto based writer, had an answer for Goldstein. And not only does she have the scientific facts to back this up, she was able to articulate them so wonderfully, with such clarity, that what amounted to a complete rebuke of Goldstein's dare went viral. In a series of responses, Geier buttressed, rather than weakened, the science behind climate change, and human involvement in it. And she added that final measure of disrespect towards Goldstein to boot, to fight fire with fire. Here were her series of tweets (under the apparent pseudonym Worth Wild L'il Tree):

Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (methane, carbon dioxide, etc.) let visible light pass through, but absorb infrared light

this causes the earth to heat up. The warmer atmosphere emits more infrared light, which tends to be re-absorbed

Since the industrial age began around 1750, atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by 40% and methane has increased by 150%.

such increases cause extra infrared light absorption, further heating Earth above its typical temperature range

(even as energy from the sun stays basically the same).Energy that gets to Earth has an even harder time leaving it

causing Earth’s average temperature to increase–– producing global climate change.

emissions are measurable. Temperature changes are measurable. The effects are measurable.

they lead to the same conclusion. 97% of scientists agree. The standouts have ties to fossil fuel industries.

there you go, you colossal donut.

but don’t take 97% of scientist’s word for it, take the people who have been to space’s:http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

I mean, I’d tell you to read, but you’re the editor of a paper designed for illiterates

Wow! She called Goldstein a colossal donut (probably meaning that he has a hole right in the middle of him), and then completely trashed the fluff newspaper that he often is the voice of!

Now, that's fighting fire with fire! That's how to respond to rude people who feel themselves truly the authority to challenge science, and facts in general, by dismissing them or coming up with alternative facts. If they take a tone of ridicule, they force others in the position of insulting them and what they do, and basically discrediting not only their arguments, but their entire way of thinking. 

The fact of the matter is that climate change is real, and there is a mountain of evidence to suggest that it is caused by human activity, to boot. And that means that we need to address it, rather than waste energy arguing with ridiculous and insulting people who do not care to understand the science enough to actually study it, much less take it seriously. Much like people who contend that evolution is not real, we cannot afford to take these claims or personal beliefs seriously, and we only legitimize them when we hope to engage in constructive debates with them, as Bill Nye did with Ken Ham, unwittingly funding his creationist museum in the process.

Here is where I got this particular article from, even if it is now already a bit dated:

Climate change denier who says no one can explain global warming gets completely schooled by someone explaining it Posted 2 months ago by Josh Withey:

https://www.indy100.com/article/climate-change-global-warming-lorrie-goldstein-twitter-mic-drop-7476856

Happy Valentine's Day!



Happy Valentine's Day to all!

This, like Christmas, and like other holidays, is something that can be very cheerful and uplifting, or can be very demoralizing and depressing.

On a personal note, that was the way that I felt last Valentine's Day, as well as the Christmas just before that. But I am in a great relationship right now. Stable and comfortable, which is all that I could have asked for, and am very appreciative of. I thank Basia for that, and count my blessings on this day this year!

There is little that I can say to anyone who is going through a depressing time right now, and for whom this holiday perhaps means little to nothing at all. Or worse, is a reminder of someone you really wanted to be with, but which cannot be. Perhaps it is even a source of relative agony, a reminder of what you don't have. Nothing is more depressing when you are single and looking than the sight of happy couples. Seeing them holding hands, smiling at one another, enjoying themselves, and the sounds of their pleasant conversations can be more than a little irritating. It can be downright painful, as if you are receiving a personal slight. 

I know, because I have been there. Numerous times, actually. I also know what it is like to "be" with someone on that day, and want to be with someone else, which is a unique kind of torture in and of itself. Nothing is actually lonelier than not being alone, yet not being with the right party, and feeling more alone because of it. That will probably only make sense to someone who has been through it themselves.

There have been numerous Valentine's Days when I felt alone, and longed to be with somebody special. Just wanting someone to share it with, to take out to dinner, to hug and hold. To know you are enjoying one another's company, and to feel like you are in this together. If I sound appreciative for being with someone this year, it is mostly as a result of knowing all too well that painful longing of wanting that, while it seems that almost everyone else has that. That is what makes this holiday (and Christmas as well) particularly depressing when you are in an unhappy state - that illusion (and an illusion is what it is) that happiness is everywhere, for everyone else. Everyone but you.

We probably all know, deep down, that this is not the reality, only perception caused by circumstance. But this is not the time to write a dissertation on that subject, although it probably could be done. 

So, on this day, it seems that there really is one topic that I should be discussing, and it's not a music review, book review, some piece on recent news, or sports article. No, today, it is about Valentine's Day, and relationships. Romance. 

As you read this now, I do wish you a Happy Valentine's Day, whatever your plans may be. This is a time to appreciate that special somebody in your life. Relationships are about validation, friendship, love, attraction, doing those little things to remind someone else that they are on your mind. Love brings out the best in people. It allows you to separate yourself from yourself a bit, and recognize, truly in a very real way, the importance of putting someone else in front of yourself. Basia has helped me to do that already, and I have been in some other relationships where the woman helped me to do this, as well. For each of them, I am appreciative, even in recognizing that there was hurt. In some cases, I was hurt. in some cases, I did the hurting. But we all strive to improve in life, with time and advancing age, and we learn as we go along. Relationships help accelerate the learning process. I truly believe that! To repeat, it helps to keep us in check, to recognize the validity of another, and to place their interests in front of our own. That is what past relationships (and, in the case of Basia, my current relationship) can teach us. There have been improvements in my case, but I still always could learn that lesson better. Can't we all? 

That's what love is for, I think. 

And that's a cause for celebration, if ever there was one!

Anyway, being a history major, it seemed very important to try and write a story, or rather the story, about Valentine's Day last year (when I did not have someone to share it with). There was some research done, and I remember writing this piece (can it really have been a year already?). It seemed like something that would be difficult to top this year, so why even try? It was an interesting piece of history last year (I thought so, at least), and so it seems a good idea to share it once again. 

Enjoy!

The following was first published a year ago, on Valentine's Day, 2012:

An antique Valentine (1909)

Photo by: Wikepedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Antique_Valentine_1909_01.jpg)

Shrine for St. Valentine at Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland

Photo by: Wikepedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:St-valentine_110921-01.jpg)

"A History of Love? Some Stories About Valentine's Day"

Happy Valentine's Day! Hopefully, you will be able to enjoy this day with someone special, someone who can help keep you warm on a chilly February night midway through the winter season. 

Valentine's Day has come to be a special day for many reasons and by many people. Many people, including those in the business of flowers, chocolates, fancy restaurants, and cards, await this year for a very long time, to say nothing of eager young couples. But did you ever wonder why it was that we hold this day as so special, and signifying the romance that it is supposed to represent?

The origins of what we now call Valentine's Day has it's roots all the way back during the days of the Roman Empire, although there is still some debate as to the accuracy of this tale. There is a popularly held myth regarding it, however, and we can see the modern day origins of what we presently know now as "Valentine's Day".

There was a festival held every February called the Lupercian Festival, which would later be outlawed as a pagan ritual. It was in honor of the God of Fertility and, fittingly enough, the idea behind this festival was for young men to pick women to have as wives, with the idea towards building a family somewhere down the line. Pope Gelasius eventually outlawed this festival, dismissing it as a pagan ritual. 

Before that happened, however, a war-minded Roman Emperor, Claudius, decided to change all of that, because he feared that young men would not be so willing to go off to war if they had wives that could provide warmth and comfort. So, he put a stop to that by abolishing marriages. So, where's the romance in all of that?

Well, it is called Saint Valentine's day for a reason. After all, Claudius might officially be able to abolish marriage, but he could not abolish love. Young men and women still feel for each other, and they would try and find ways to tie the knot. One man was willing to help: Bishop Valentine. He disliked this law, and secretly married couples of his own accord, at great risk to himself. 

Of course, the story does not end there. Claudius found out, and then Valentine was, predictably, thrown in jail. Yet, even this was not enough to end this story of love. We celebrate Valentine to this day, because his spirit was stronger than that force which tried to break him. His spirit was that of love, of course.

While waiting in jail, he fell in love himself, with the blind daughter of his jailer, Austerius, no less. Allegedly, Valentine healed this young woman of her blindness. This itself would sound incredible enough, yet this legend was further embellished by an American card company, that claimed that he wrote her a letter, and his own trademark was his distinctive sign off, "From your Valentine".

Again, though, the accuracy of this legend is questionable. It sounds great, but how accurate can it be, right? It just sounds like a movie, but not something that really happened. Still, the legend has stuck, although, in fact, there is debate as to who this Valentine was, and if he, indeed, was really only one person. Almost assuredly, the popular legend that has been passed through the ages is riddled with inaccuracies, but it does make for a nice story to tell your significant other on this of all days.

There is more, however. The first known association with Valentine's Day to love came centuries ago in England with a poem by Chaucer, in honor of a Royal Wedding of the time. He wrote:

"For this was on seynt Volantynys day

Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make"

This was evidently the root of the label "love birds". There is controversy, however, as to what date Chaucer was actually referring to, since there are not many birds in England during mid-February. Yet, at the time, February 14th was believed in both France and England to be the beginning of the mating season for birds, and these words of Chaucer's got the ball rolling, and Valentine's Day became associated with romance and love, more and more steadily. Even Shakespeare added to this association.

Consequently, the oldest known Valentine was written by Charles (my namesake!), the Duke of Orleans, who wrote one to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London, after he was captured following the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. He wrote:

"Je suis desja d'amour tanné

Ma tres doulce Valentinée..."

Anyone who knows me knows I just wanted to whip out my French for this day, right?

Valentine's Day is known for poetry, and it was not just Chaucer and Shakespeare that got wrapped up in that. Many people have tried to write their sweethearts some love letter or poem and, famously, one of the most commonly used opening lines in the English language begins with "Roses are red, violets are blue". Now, this has a clear origin, as well, and it too is associated with Valentine's Day. It was written by Edmund Spencer, who wrote in his poem, "The Faerie Queene" some lines that would have more spin offs than almost any other lines in the language:

"She bath'd with roses red, and violets blew

And all the sweetest flowres, that in the forrest grew"

So, what about another iconic figure of love, and particularly prominent on Valentine's Day, Cupid? In ancient Rome mythology, Cupid (which is literally translated to "desire" in Latin) was the God of love, affection, and erotic desire. His popular portrayal is as a baby with arrows that he shoots at people, making them fall in love. Roman legend has it that he himself was a victim to his own arrows, when he snuck into Psyche's room and, while there, accidentally knicked himself with his own arrow, and feel madly in love with her.

Of course, I am a big advocate of people doing their own research, exploring things of their own accord, if they have a strong enough interest. So, if you have such an interest in this "history of love", here are few websites, not including the obvious Wikepedia page, that I found helpful in writing this miniature history of the legend behind Valentine's Day:

http://www.essortment.com/history-origin-valentines-day-65174.html

http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day

Bonus! How to wish your sweetheart a "Happy Valentine's Day" in different languages: 

Albanian- Gezuar Diten e Shen Valentinit

Arabic - عيد حب سعيد Eid Hob Sa’eed, habib عيد حب سعيد, حبيبي  (Male)  عيد حب سعيد, حبيبتي Eid Hob Sa’eed, habibti (Female)

Bulgarian - Честит Свети Валентин Chestit Sveti Valentin

Chinese (simplified Mandarin, used in China & Singapore, pronounced Qing Ren Jie Kuai Le) - 情人节快乐

Chinese (traditional Mandarin, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, also pronounced Qing Ren Jie Kuai Le)- 情人節快樂

Dutch – Gelukkige Valentijns Dag!
English -Happy Valentine's Day

Finnish - Hyvää Ystävänpäivää (Apparently, it’s not “Valentine’s Day” in Finland, but “Friendship Day”)

French – Heureuse Saint-Valentin! Or Bonne Saint-Valentin!
German – Alles Liebe zum Valentinstag!
Greek - Ευτυχισμενη μερα του Αγιου Βαλεντινου

Hebrew - חג אהבה שמח (chag ahava sameach) or וולנטיין שמח (valentine sameach)

Hindi- Haippy Vailentinsa Divasa 
Hungarian - Boldog Valentin napot!Italian – Buon San Valentino!

Japanese- Shiawasena Barentainde

Korean - 행복한 발렌타인 데이

Persian- Happy Valentine’s Day
Polish - MIŁYCH WALENTYNEK (all capitals on account of the “Ł”)
Russian: Счастливый День святого Валентина! Pronunciation: Schastliviy Den' svetogo

Serbian- Sretan Valentinovo

Slovenian – Veselo Valentinovo!

Spanish – Feliz dia de San Valentin!

Turkish - Mutlu Sevgililer Günü

Thai - Sook-san-wan-valentine!

Turkish - Mutlu Sevgililer Günü

Zulu - Ngiyakuthanda!

Valentine's Day Mythology in Focus: How St. Valentine Came to be Eros

Well, it's Valentine's Day again.

Hopefully, everyone here will enjoy their day with somebody special.

Over the last few years, I began to try and take a deeper look into specific holidays like this, becoming fascinated with the history behind these individual holidays, to see how these holidays became what they are now.

I have done the same for Valentine's Day the last few years, but I ran into this article with some mythology/history on how Eros became St. Valentine, and it seemed worth sharing:

February Holidays Mythology II: How St. Valentine Became Eros Posted by Arthur George on February 11, 2016:

https://mythologymatters.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/february-holidays-mythology-ii-how-st-valentine-became-eros/

February 13th is Tibetan Independence Day

Göran Höglund (Kartläsarn) Follow Tibet Mount: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kartlasarn/6453848769

Creative Commons License:  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

On this day in 1913, well over a century ago, Tibet declared full independence from China. 

It was an independence that did not last all that long, obviously. Not even half a century passed, before Chinese troops marched into mostly defenseless Tibet, and took over.

Since then, the Chinese have engaged in a systematic destruction of all things that had anything to do with traditional Tibetan culture. The original Tibetans have found themselves a minority in many parts of their own land, and many Tibetan temples and monuments have been destroyed. 

An entire way of life has been destroyed, for that matter. China has gone to quite extraordinary lengths to modernize Tibet. And while those might not be all bad, the fact that the formerly very isolated land is now more connected than ever, that comes at a cost. It would appear that there is really no chance any longer of old, traditional Tibetan culture ever making a serious comeback in the land where it makes the most sense: in Tibet itself. 

Still, Tibet is a corner of the world that punches harder - much harder - than it's weight, in terms of influence on the world. Tibetan Buddhism has spread around the world, in part because of traditional lore of the old kingdom (which is what it was, more or less), but also specifically because China has gone to such extraordinary lengths to make people forget.

Obviously, these efforts have backfired. And on this day, I wanted to make sure to commemorate at least one blog entry towards Tibet, and to remember what it once used to be.

EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY 13, 2017 by Students for a Free Tibet:

https://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/events/2017-02-13/

Tibetan 'Independence Day' Marked by Richard Finney, February 12, 2013:

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/marked-02122013154150.html

Encounters With a Bratty Trump Supporter

"We watch impassively as the wealthy and the elite, the huge corporations, rob us, ruin the environment, defraud consumers and taxpayers and create an exclusive American oligarchy that fuses wealth and political power. We watch passively because we believe we can enter the club ... It is greed that keeps us silent.

~ Chris Hedges from "Losing Moses on the Freeway"

Yesterday, I was rather shocked by something that happened involving my son, and a telephone conversation that he was having with his best friend. My son had speaker phone on, and so I could hear the entire conversation quite easily.

You see, truth be told, his best son is basically a spoiled brat. And what he was saying during this particular phone conversation was that he was trying to get my son a phone for him.

This kid basically was talking in passing about how great a phone is, and how you need at least $800 for a decent phone. When my son responded that you could buy a top of the line phone for that price, this kid basically scoffed, and seemed to suggest that he had so much money saved up, that this kind of money, $800, was a mere pittance. 

Think about that for a second. The better part of one thousand dollars - a cool grand! - and this kid is talking about spending it like I might talk about spending a couple of bucks to rent a movie for the evening. As if $800 comes so easily.

Of course, he did not work for that money, which means that he has no concept of how important that kind of money is. Surely, most reading this know just how much that is, and how much that can get. For many families, that would be a lifesaver. That would pay the food bills, possibly for months. That could be several payments, including probably the better part of a month's payments in terms of mortgage payments and/or car payments and/or other bills and responsibilities.

Even in terms of indulgences, it can buy a lot. I told my son that the trip to Arizona that we took a couple of years ago was a little over $1,000, and that $800 obviously could go a long way towards paying for a trip like that. He also has a fascination with China and Japan, and I let him know that for that amount of money, you could buy round trip tickets for one person to and from one of those places. There are tons of things that you can do with that kind of money. Many ways that it can be put to good uses, both practical and, if you can afford it, to indulge a bit. 

Quite a bit, for that amount of money!

But this spoiled kid's idea of what to do with that money was to spend it on an I-phone. 

His rationale? Then my son could download videos better. Silly little videos of five minutes or so, of them doing nothing in particular. I think this kid's idea for the video was to be humiliated, literally. He offered to allow my son to think of any form of punishment, just so long as he can add a video of it to his Youtube channel. 

And he apparently has the money (or rather, his parents and/or someone else in his family) to spare in order to obtain a phone that allows him to download these kinds of videos more easily than my own phone can. He remembers how my phone took forever to download a video and put it on my Youtube channel. This apparently displeased him, and he is demanding that my son obtain a much better phone. 

My son tried to change the subject, but this kid was not having it. He said he was trying to do my son a favor, and get him a new phone. I found out recently, on a separate instance, that this kid is extremely pushy, and cannot seem to accept not getting his way.

He went on to suggest that surely, his parents (my son's mom and myself), had at least this much laying around, money just ready to be burned. 

That was when I told my son that it was time for us to go, and he needed to wrap up this little phone conversation with his friend.

Now, surely you can imagine that I had some things to say to my son after that. I told him that I was very happy that he had friends, and would not intrude on his social life. However, I told him quite frankly that this particular friend was very spoiled, which he seemed to know already. This kid claimed that he had $20k, which may or may not be true. But ten years old or not, he should know better than to boast about that kind of nonsense. Frankly, that reflects poorly on the parents (at least one of which is a Trump supporter - trust me, I know).

I told my son that he probably could expect that kind of thing throughout his life, and never, ever allow anyone like this little brat to make him feel lesser about himself as a result. 

Later, we stopped at my parent's place, and I told them what had happened. They also told my son that they were proud of him for knowing what is truly important in this world.

Kids have to be told no every now and then. When I mentioned that to my son, he told me that he knew for a fact that this kid, his best friend, had indeed been told no before. I responded that he apparently either had not been told no with things that could have taught him a lesson in humility, and that apparently, he had not been told no enough, in any case. 

That kid will surely grow up to have the same mentality as many Trump supporters do, with a false sense of entitlement and an expectation that they should receive privileges. 

Any normal ten year old should have a basic understanding that relentlessly bragging about something like this - insisting on it, really - is in bad form, and that it just allows a spoiled brat of a child to grow up spoiled, as well. It would not surprise me that this kid winds up being a bratty young man, long past the age when he should know better.

It just seemed fitting for the times that we live in, with this pro-Trump family. In a New Jersey history project last year, this kid chose Donald Trump as the history making figure for his presentation - surely with the blessing of at least one parent. If I could cite one specific example that resonates about just how wrong a direction we as a country - and particularly those who support and admire a man like Trump - are taking, then this story would be it! Thus it seemed worth sharing, because it has really been bothering me ever since.