September 19, 2020

We received the sad news that Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday.  Ginsburg had been battling various forms of cancer since 1999 (pancreatic, lung, colon, and finally liver).    She had continued to serve as a Supreme Court Justice throughout and had vowed to stay on the court “as long as I can do the job full steam.  Full Steam seems to be the way she lived her entire life.  She is known as the nations’ preeminent litigator for women’s rights, a federal appeals circuit court judge and a Supreme Court Justice for 27 years.  As a Justice she became the leader of the liberal bloc against an increasingly conservative majority.

Interestingly, Ginsburg’s first big case was to defend a Colorado man against the IRS to allow him to take a tax deduction for his 86-year-old mother he was caring for.  The IRS held the statute only applied to women or divorced or widowed men.  Ginsburg won in the lower courts asking not to invalidate the statue, but to apply it equally to both sexes.  The government then took the case to the Supreme Court where she won again.  This resulted in an examination of the constitutionality of hundreds of similar federal statutes.

Ginsburg’s career continued to revolve around the interpretation of the 14^th Amendment applying not just to Blacks and minorities, but also to women.  The male, establishment minded judges found her case often taken from how men were not receiving the same consideration as women.  She was appointed to the Supreme Court by Bill Clinton in 1993.  Her life story has been featured in books, movies, an opera, and numerous Saturday Night Live parodies.  Perhaps the most informing reference to her impact was being called The Notorious RBG, a play on rapper The Notorious BIG.

THOUGHTS:  While Ginsburg’s goal was to further the equal treatment of women, it was often litigated from a male perspective.  Ginsburg knew she needed to appeal to the viewpoint of the patriarchal judges she was arguing before.  Her ultimate claim was that decisions of law and justice should never be decided on “the basis of sex.”  We can learn much from Ginsburg’s approach toward litigation.  You need to listen and understand the viewpoint of another.  You need to relate their understanding to something you have in common.  And only then do you broaden the conversation by asking them to consider another perspective.  This is what made Ginsburg “Notorious.”  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 18, 2020

When I got up this morning Melissa said she had watched an amazing display by the birds on our backyard feeders.  About fifteen Blue Jays had descended on the six feeders we have along the back fence.  The jays had been joined by seven or eight Cardinals.  They all took turns at the feeders.  In the past whenever the Cardinals and Jays got together there was a huge fight.  The Cardinals would gang up and drive off the Jays.  If it were a Jay and the finches, the Jays would drive off the Finches.  Perhaps it was just because there were large numbers of both (and the presence of more food?) that they were getting along. There were even two Turtle Doves on the ground working the scraps that fell.

While our birds generally fight, I saw something a few days ago I had never seen before.  A female Cardinal had firmly planted herself in the middle of the sunflower feeder with a male Blue Jay sitting on the wheelbarrow directly below.  While the Cardinal was feeding herself, she would also occasionally pick up a seed and toss it down to the Jay.  This went on for ten minutes until they had both eaten their fill and flew off.  I thought this was an amazing act of coexistence.

There were lower numbers of the Jays and Cardinals at the feeders when I got up.  They left shortly after and were replaced by seven or eight House Finches.  These attacked the Thistle feeder but also went for the seeds left by the larger birds.  Apparently, there was an established hierarchy for the breakfast hour based on the size of the bird.  When I watch the feeders at other times of the day there are usually just one or two birds at a time, and they often battle for supremacy, usually based on numbers. 

THOUGHTS:  I have watched similar examples of coexistence on the nature channel.  Male lions tend to let the females hunt and kill the game, but then are the first allowed to eat.  When Hyenas bring down prey it can be taken by an adult male lion.  In both cases the lion eats its fill and then moves on, allowing their subordinates the chance to eat as well.  I have never seen any documentation of a dominant species feeding a subordinate one as the Cardinal did, but it seems both coexistence and mutual aide can occur when food is abundant.  By contrast, humans hoard resources for ourselves regardless of the amount present.  Economic inequality is then intensified in times of shortage or crisis.  If a Cardinal can share its resources with a Blue Jay, why can’t we decide to cooperate?  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 17, 2020

I am facilitating a book study beginning today that goes on for the next ten weeks.  I had participated in a four-week webinar on Anti-racism by the group offering the study.  When the webinar completed, they sent an email inviting me to participate in a book study on Disunity.  I am not sure why, but I somehow thought this was related to the previous series (it is not).  When I signed up for the study, they had two time slots available which both worked well for me.  The registration also asked if I would prefer another time.  I put in one of the already allocated times, but the page would not send and gave me an error message saying I had not answered the question about alternative times.  After three tries I finally put in a third time slot option.  This time it went through.  Two days later I got a response thanking me for volunteering to facilitate a third study group.

I had a similar experience during my Junior year of High School.  Class Officer elections were coming up and the principal came on the intercom berating our entire class.  Apparently, no one had signed up for any of the four positions.  During the class change I met a friend and we made a bet on who could get the required signatures the fastest.  We stopped people in the halls and walked into classrooms to obtain signatures of support.  We both had the signed forms completed and turned in by the end of the next hour.  There were others who also completed the forms, although not as fast.  Neither of us campaigned.

Even though I was surprised by my selection as facilitator, I did not mind as I enjoy this role.  I am too much of a postmodernist to say I will lead the group, especially in this case.  All ten participants are in relatively similar positions and bring similar skill sets and experiences.  As the discussion guide sent stated, all I really needed was to have a couple of questions to begin and then “the conversation will flow organically from there.”  I was interested to note that synonyms for “organically” include both “naturally and spontaneously” as well as “slowly and gradually.”  Since these are opposites, I am sure one will happen.

THOUGHTS:  In my campaign speech for class president I promised to take four classes and to give a speech at the Senior Prom, both of which were required.  My friend and I were elected and represented half of the class officers.  I had run for president of the Junior class and had been defeated.  I had wanted to be president then.  Elections are not always about the best candidate but can instead be about “somebody different.”  That is what brought the Governorship to Jessie “the Body” Venture (retired wrestler) in Minnesota, and Arnold Schwarzenegger (retired body builder) in California.  Change to “something different” rarely works.  Do not waste your vote.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 16, 2020

When I walked out my door yesterday to get the paper, I heard crashing going on in my back yard.  As I walked around the side of the house, I noticed a truck parked in the church yard.  I had earlier told the caretaker it was ok for his friends to cut up and remove the large oak that had fallen several weeks ago.  The only thing I asked was that they let me know when they were going to do so.  By the time I got back to the tree the branches had already been stripped off the trunk and it had been sawn into more manageable slabs.  These were being split with a wedge and then loaded onto the trailer.  Apparently, they had not gotten the message to inform me before they began.

I have to say I was impressed by how much work they had gotten done.  When I was director of a conference center in Kansas a tree about the same size had fallen on the side of our building.  While it had hit the roof, it caused little damage.  I contacted some volunteers who came out that weekend and cut the tree away from the building.  It took the four of us the most part of a day to cut it back to about half its length.  They left and over the next two weeks I would periodically cut off new sections of the tree until it was finally gone.  I marveled how this man and wife team had cut through the entire tree in just one morning.

We engaged in casual conversation for five or ten minutes about the tree, the process, and what was going to happen with the limbs.  He was planning on bringing a tractor and scooping the extra limbs up and hauling them to the open field on another part of the property to be burned (it is legal in our town).  He was hesitant to burn them in place since there were other overhanging trees that would probably catch fire.  I appreciated that he was reluctant to start our own forest fire.

THOUGHTS:  When I approached the man stood up from resting on a slab of tree and came toward me saying, “Hi” and extending his hand.  I stopped and even took a step or two back.  He dropped his hand and said, “We do not follow the covid advice, but we try and respect those who do.”  While I understood his action and his explanation, I wondered about his thinking.  He was honoring my belief as an individual on the need to practice social distancing, but by not wearing his mask or social distancing he was denying what was best for the group.  I have found this is the case in many situations.  When we know others as individuals, we tend to get along well and show respect.  If we do not know the other, we instead treat them as a group.  This carries all our existing prejudice and bias.  What we need is to do the work to understand others.  Then we can see and treat them as valued people.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 15, 2020

In June, the Arkansas State Highway Commission approved increasing the speed limit from 70 to 75 mph on rural interstates and from 60 to 65 mph on urban interstates.  Although the commission authorized the change in 2017, this did not go into effect until the signs were changed.  That finally happened last week on the stretch going north on I-49.  A spokesperson said, “From an engineering standpoint the highways can handle it, but from a human behavior standpoint, we can’t legislate that, so we’re going to watch this very carefully. If we do see a spike in serious crashes, serious injury crashes, or fatalities we have the authority to go back in and do a study and lower those speed limits again.”  The change of speed limit signs and implementing the project will cost about $350,000.

This reminds me of the 80 mph speed limits Kansas used to have on I-70 during the late 1960’s.  This is the stretch of highway that runs from Kansas City (Missouri boarder) to Denver (Colorado boarder).  This was lowered to 75 mph in 1970.  While the stated reason was to save lives, the rumor was the higher speed enabled drivers to wake up in Missouri and easily drive to Denver, missing a stay in Kansas entirely.  The oil crisis of 1973 prompted the National Maximum Speed Law across the nation.  This set the maximum speed at 55 mph, where it remained until 1995.  Speed limits are now again under the authority of the individual states.

After the National Maximum Speed Limit was repealed, Kansas raised its general interstate speed limit to 70 mph.  A study found “no statistically significant increases in crash, fatal crash and fatality rates were noted during the after period on either rural or urban interstate highway networks. On the other hand, statistically significant increases in crash, fatal crash and fatality rates were observed on the 2-lane rural highway network.”.  Arkansas did not complete a study prior to raising the speed limits but would require a study to be able to lower the rates.  I now happily obey the higher speeds.

THOUGHTS:  I find Arkansas’ traffic study requirements revealing.  It is not needed unless you take away my right to speed.  The roads open to the higher speeds are some of the most beautiful in the state.  This is the southern tip of the Ozark Mountains and the deciduous trees have gorgeous displays of color every fall.  These are also the three population centers of the state, Little Rock, Fort Smith, and the corridor of cities in Northwest Arkansas.  Kansas tried to slow drivers down to force a meal or stay in one of the larger towns along the Interstate.  Arkansas instead is speeding drivers up to get to those same destinations.  In both respects, the underserved communities and small merchants that used to supply the lifeblood for America are being excluded.  Limited TV and cell service, closed groceries and gas stations, and an absence of medical care cause a growing rural abandonment.  Is it any wonder there is a belief no one cares?  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 14, 2020

We stopped at one of Melissa’s favorite fast food places on our way home yesterday for lunch.  I do not like cold fries, and we were still 20 minutes from home, so we decided to eat inside.  As we were leaving, I noticed a huge locust sitting on the grille guards of a pickup truck parked in the next lot.  It was about four inches long and about two inches in diameter.  I was amazed at how large it was.  As I looked closer, I noticed there was not one, but three, and all were equally spaced on separate parts of the guard (social distanced?).  That was when I realized they were plastic.

I recall hearing about the billions of locusts which had swarmed during May of this year in Africa.  Locusts and grasshoppers are the same in appearance, but locusts can exist in two different behavioral states (solitary and gregarious), whereas most grasshoppers do not. When the population density is low, locusts behave as individuals, much like grasshoppers. However, when locust population density is high, individuals undergo physiological and behavioral changes, known as phase polytheism, and they form gregariously behaving bands of nymphs or swarms of adults.  The distinction between locusts and grasshoppers is often not clear-cut, and some species that are called grasshoppers, such as Austroicetes cruciata, Oedaleus australis and Peakesia spp. can form loose swarms at high densities, but do not generally migrate the long distances as locusts do.

Despite the size, it was the color of the locust that threw me off.  I have seen three to four-inch locust in the Utah desert, but this one was a pale green, more like a grasshopper.  Like their African cousins, the Utah locusts also swarm.  This happened in 1848 when the early pioneers were preparing to bring in their first crop in the Salt Lake Valley.  Just when all seemed to be lost a flock of sea gulls swooped in and began to gorge themselves on the insects and the crop was saved.  This miraculous occurrence is why the sea gull is Utah’s state bird.

THOUGHTS:  While the pioneers saw the locust as a plague, the indigenous populations believed them to be a boom.  The locust fell into the Salt Lake, drowned and were salted, then dried along the shore, and were eaten as a welcomed snack.  A friend of mine is an ethnoarchaeologist and studied the kilo-calorie return on locust. What he found was to get a similar return from a buffalo it would need to fall from the sky, land on a spit and be roasted over the fire without any energy expended by the person.  The locust still offered more energy.  It seems one person’s boon is another’s boom.  It all comes down to your attitude.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 12, 2020

I have been looking for a way to get my sow bugs in the water for the last week.  I have gone out several times, but the locations have been adverse for fly fishing.  This time I decide to try the Arkansas River near me.  The river is high, but not nearly the record flood stage of last year.  The Kansas and Tulsa rains that filled the reservoirs upstream have not been as dramatic and the Corps has been able to lessen the flow that brought our damage.  We have received quite a bit of rain this year, but that only causes short-lived flash flooding and problems for downstream and not us (lucky downstream, right?).  I drove into a park that had been under water much of last summer and found what looked like the perfect spot.  The minnows were schooling on the surface and the shad were rising.  I fished for an hour and got no bites.  I did not bother to try my sow bug.

I had read an article in the newspaper about the log jam that had formed at the hydroelectric plant across from the park.  One of the secondary effects from last year’s floods was it killed a lot of trees.  When the waters rose again this year it washed the dead trees into the river.  Just like the barges that broke away from their moorings last year, the trees flowed downstream until something stopped them.  In this case, it was the hydroelectric dam.  The article mentioned they were using a giant crane to scoop the logs out of the water, they hauled them a short distance, and burned them beside the river.   They had been working on this project for a week and estimated it would take at least two more weeks to clear the debris.  I stopped to watch.  This truly was an impressive operation.

As I was leaving the park, I noticed a small pond I had not noticed before.  This was not the impressive Arkansas, and it did not even look that deep, but I figured what did I have to lose?  I put out my cat pole and my bobber, intending to set up my fly rod while I waited.  I never got the chance.  I got a bite and quickly had six bluegills.  While not huge, they were a nice size.  This was my chance to try my new flies.  I brought in my bobber (it was taking all my time) and replaced it with the flies.  The bluegill loved the worms, the sow bugs, not so much.  Still I had caught fish.

THOUGHTS:  Throughout history life along the river has always been tenuous.  This began with the first cities built along the Tigris and Euphrates in Iran 5000 years ago.  When it floods, it can wash crops, and you, away.  If it does not flood, the silt that nourished the fields is not deposited.  Flooding picks up anything unlucky enough to be in its path.  This resulting flotsam is carried along creating further hazards.  Flotsam it a good way to consider much of what flows through the river of our life.  It may have been good at one time but can pile up when we try to stop life from going forward.  We cannot wish our troubles away or hope for them to disappear.  Like the crane operator we need to take as long as it needs to do the work to remove the hindrance.  Follow the science.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 11, 2020

My niece has taught at one of the local learning centers for the last several years.  She graduated with a degree in Chemistry, so fits well with the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) emphasis of these centers.  Another emphasis is coding, or what old timers like me refer to as programing language.  She told me she was fascinated by the new virtual learning process incorporated by our area schools.  I had substitute taught last year, and my role was to watch students interact with online lessons and try to keep them on track.  I assumed virtual school would provide something similar, but that is not the case.

Our district uses two different tracks for students who have opted to learn virtually.  The district website says K-9 students use PEAK.  This is a full-time virtual experience for students through the Peak Innovation Center. A virtual student takes all classes through Peak online and at home and only comes to campus for approved activities. Virtual students are supervised by a Peak coordinator.  The K-6 learners are virtual online only but may access home campus for some services.  The 7-9 learners can participate in AAA activities but require enrollment and on-campus attendance for that class.  All students are provided a Chromebook and need to have efficient home internet.  The district is working with families who choose a virtual option, so students are not excluded solely on access to technology.

The two High Schools have taken another approach, offering either virtual or a blended approach using the Schoology format.  A virtual student takes all classes online and at home and only comes to campus for approved activities. These students are supervised by the district’s schoolteachers.  The virtual learners can participate in AAA activities which require enrollment and attendance for the activity on-campus.   Students who are not in 100% online classes can participate in blended learning. These students have access to the coursework for their classes in a traditional on-site classroom, or through lessons uploaded by their instructors in Schoology.  Assessments, such as end-of-unit exams, are taken in class and are supervised by the district teacher.  All students are again issued a Chromebook and need adequate technology.

THOUGHTS:  The online option for school has been around for almost 30 years.  The daughter of a friend finished High School in the Bay Area virtually in the mid-1990’s.  One part of what I did during the late 1990’s was to set up virtual classrooms at my graduate school and I taught a virtual class.  Technology has come a long way since those early attempts.  Faster speeds and more efficient search engines can create a virtual experience that rivals an on-site experience.  Zoom and similar formats provide a group experience and not just one-on-one.  Now we need to make reliable, fast internet available for all.  Without this, the underserved will continue to be left behind.  Technology does not work if you have no access.  Follow the science.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 10, 2020

It amazes me that with all the directions posted at stores on how to properly wear a mask there are still some that just do not get it.  I have mentioned that my sister has been making masks for all her friends and friends of friends.  When she sent our first set, she also sent a video of herself showing the proper way to put on, wear, and take off a mask.  While this was both thoughtful and helpful, it prompted the attached picture response from me.

When my brothers and me were in grade school my older sister became appalled by our table manners.  It came to the point where she had mom make us wait to eat until we had received a course on etiquette led by my sister.  I believe this started with the proper silverware to use with each course (What?  Three forks??).  Next was a lesson on how to pass food.  It seems food is always passed to the right, is accepted by the right hand, shifted to the left hand, and then passed to the next person.  You can imagine the response she got from us.  Each move was greatly exaggerated and accompanied by repeating her instructions aloud.  I am not sure she hit us, but I am sure she wanted to!

There are a variety of ways I have seen masks being worn.  One is the Hanger.  This is when you droop the mask over one ear and let it dangle uselessly to the side of your face.  I generally see this when people speak at meetings.  It is a way to say, “I am conforming to the law, just not in a way that does any good.”  Another form is what I call the Letter of the Law.  Yes, a mask is worn, and it is over your ears, but it is no where near your mouth or nose.  Sometimes this is around your neck, and at times it even climbs all the way up to your chin.  This is a passive aggressive way of say, “I will conform to your stupid law, but not without a show of my defiance.”  Finally, you have the “Noser.”  This is when you put the mask over your mouth, but leave your nose uncovered.  After all, what droplets could come out of your nose?

THOUGHTS:  After I sent the picture to my sister, she Informed me that I was not the only one who had this reaction.  Both her grandson and her husband reacted in the same way, by placing the mask over their eyes.  Maybe this is just a guy thing, or maybe this is just a way to tease my sister about etiquette.  Doing something for someone else appears to be hard in our “me” culture.  We practice table etiquette to reduce the transfer of germs from one person to the next.  Why are we unable to learn mask etiquette?  Follow the science.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

September 9, 2020

I suffered a touch of withdrawal after my closure today.  I have been actively working my garden since April.  For the most part, it is now gone.  I had removed the stocks from the pea and bean containers last month and had given up on my peppers a couple of weeks ago.  I finally resigned myself that there were not going to be any more tomatoes and removed those stocks today (even though I did have one flower left).  The good thing about removal is there is a 10’ swath of grass behind the patio so I have been able to just throw the plants on that area.  I have done the same when I weed the planters.  Then I run over them with my mulching mower and I am done.  I am not sure what that does to the grass, but it does not seem to be adversely affected. 

I preformed another act of closure today.  Melissa’s dad had move to an assisted living apartment and then into a nursing home before he died last year.  That meant most of his personal items had either been donated or given away.  We still had one large suitcase with his clothes.  I had been ready to take those to Goodwill at the first of the year, but then they stopped accepting donations.  They have been open for donations now for several months, but I just never got around to it.  This had been in our back bedroom taking up space.  I decided it was time and dropped them at the store.

The final closure came with Bella’s pet care items.  Some were stored in our bathroom and others in the same back bedroom as the suitcase.  Most of the other items we had either given to a shelter or were on the top of our pantry shelf.  I gathered up her dog beds and rugs, the toys she had left, put her shampoos in a plastic bag to keep them from leaking, and put them in a box with her name on it.  I put our green eggs and ham glasses in with her Dr. Seuss jacket.  It would not be the same without the puppy. 

THOUGHTS:  We have lost so much this year.  It is more than just the time spent indoors.  We have lost a year with family and friends.  Some have lost loved ones.  I know that closure needs to come.  It is part of the grieving process.  But it is hard.  I also know closure does not mean to forget.  We have the memories.  Some good and others not so much.  We have the joy in the eyes of a child who understands why she is wearing a mask, along with the tears of another when they learned their school would not be open.  We have given up so much to get to where we are.  Do not throw it all away.  Follow the science.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.