Tonight We Consider Slot Cars

    Last night, we explored the idea of "bumper cars" ("trolley cars" would be another thing to call them).

   Tonight: Slot cars. It seems it would take a lot more money to tear up all the streets of the city to install slots for the cars to get their electricity through. Rail cars, then? Those seem impossible. If you have electricity flowing through rails open to be touched, even if they are embedded, surely it is completely impractical. 

   So, slot cars. (No more swerving into the wrong lane of traffic.) The slot device could be attached to the bottom of the cars, and the cars, themselves, would all have to been adapted for electric propulsion before they entered the public roadway system, same as if you went with a bumper car system. 

   You choose the word I used above to respond to this: Impractical.

   Still, in a world of brainstorming, let's think it through. It would take quite the busy auto shop to convert all the cars in a city to be slot-powered. But, you wouldn't need to convert them all at once. Do you government fund it? Because, most people aren't going to rush out and pay for it out of their own pockets.

   Off top, I say, let the person pay for it. Yes, that probably means small participation. I'm just not thinking government can afford it. So, that is what we are left with. There might develop, though, a prestige factor, or a civic-patriotism factor in which people become excited to participate and "do the right thing."

   There is the question of what happens to the slot device when you reach your driveway. I guess it could disconnect and wait your use in the morning.  You are not removing the combustion engine -- these cars would be hybrids -- so it disconnects and you drive on in to your garage. 

(Index -- Climate change info)

 Money buys neither care nor love, and if you spend your money to get them, you will purchase only deceit. 

(Index: Quotes) 

Bumper Cars to the Rescue

    Bumper cars to save the environment? It's a thought, and one we should consider. At amusement parks, the cars are attached to a cable that runs overhead, providing them electrical propulsion.

   Having a whole city with a cable overhead, that attaches to their cars and converts them to electric vehicles, might seem a little much. Indeed, installing the electric propulsion system in every car in a city seems a very daunting. 

   It remains a thought, though. And, I am not ready to let it go. Converting one of our cities to this, to see if it would work, might take some effort, but it could be done. Our environment and the dangers we are facing should make us want to look at the various things we might do as climate change becomes a bigger and bigger concern.

   If Utah were to do this, would it even have enough electrical power available? My understanding is that the existing power plants might be close to being maxed out. Could we put solar panels above the electric cable lines?

   The bumper cars have a cable or some such that comes down to power the cars. How would we design this? And, like I say, how would we finance converting all the cars to bumper cars? Or, would we have to? Could we leave it so some (maybe most) cars could be free from the system, while those car owners who chose to participate could do so?

(Index -- Climate change info)

 

 Mistakes are your ticket to humility. Always cash them in.

(Index: Quotes) 

Will We Continue to Help Those Who Want Out?

    Two days before the self-imposed deadline for withdrawing military forces, the U.S.-led coalition told Afghans waiting to be airlifted out of that country that the evacuations were finished. "We regret to inform you that international military evacuations from Kabul airport have ended, and we are no longer able to call anyone forward for evacuation flights," said a text message late Saturday night. 

   One wonders why not continue the efforts, if at all possible -- if the Taliban will allow it. The evacuation has seen 117,000 leave the country, but thousands are being left behind. 

  And, why not continue the airlift at least through the Aug. 31 deadline? Is it because their paperwork cannot be processed in two days? Efforts to save those who can be saved should not end if they do not have to. 

  Now, despite the notice that evacuations are ceasing, there's this: "Our commitment to continue to help people leave Afghanistan who want to leave and who are not out by Sept. 1 -- that endures," said Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. '

  Confusing, but hopefully more people will be allowed to get out.

Shades of Hate

 SHADES OF HATE

Shades of hate

   Are shadows of death

And a nation divided

  Lives on borrowed breath

  

One side, two sides

  And love not lost

The peace of our nation

  Is what it does cost

To give us hope 

  We must take out hate

We must learn to love

  Or face our fate

(Index: Poem starts, poetry)

We Call Their Deaths Collateral Damage

    Collateral damage, we are calling them. Sunday's airstrike may have killed as many as three ISIS-K members wearing suicide vests. It would seem obvious that taking them out was necessary.

   My concern is that we should lament the loss of civilian lives. We should regret their being killed, and do something to express that concern. Fly flags at half-mast? Issue a statement of apology? Hold a vigil for them? Surely, someone would say, How hypocritical. Still, we should do something. We should be sorry about these deaths, and that should be reflected in what we do and say.

   Bless those who lost their lives. Bless their families.  

Utah Shows its Caring Nature by Caring for the Afghan Refugees

    Utah may be beyond the normal in its care for the Afghan refugees. I can cite three ways:

   1.) There was a vigil a week ago at Murray Park for the refugees. Was wonderful. Muslims and their Christian friends here in Salt Lake City gathered to pray. Was interesting. Muslims sometimes reject praying to the Christian God, but they were very accepting at the vigil. 

   2.) Utah would be one of only 19 (I believe it is 19) places in the U.S. where the refugees are sent , if Washington accepts Utah's offer to resettle some of the refugees here.

   3.) Gov. Cox has urged support for the refugees. One wonders how many other state governors have stepped forward urging citizens to support the refugees. 

Saving Afghan Christians is Good, but is Tim Ballard being investigated?

Glenn Beck and Tim Ballard (Operation Underground Railroad) have joined forces to help get Christians out Afghanistan. That's a good thing. Here's, however, a comment (by someone going by the handle of "Ipacker) at the end of a Deseret News story. 
The Deseret News “Faith” story should have included the fact that the Nazarene Fund and its parent organization, Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) are under criminal investigation. Among matters being investigated is whether OUR representatives make false representations and/or material omissions in violation of Utah law while soliciting donations. The Deseret News report also failed to include claims Ballard made while seeking donations for OUR’s/Nazarene’s effort to evacuate Afghan Christians. “Christians are being persecuted, in some case hung, slaughtered,” Ballard said in an online video. Christians in Afghanistan “are currently being hunted, slaughtered, no joke, if the Taliban find a Bible on their phone, they will summarily execute them.” Ballard provided no evidence that proves his claim.

 Hate, by definition, is when you see the need to attack others. At the end of each day, reflect on how many people you attacked, and judge if you are a hateful person.

(Index: Quotes)

The First Time in History for Going to War Just to Protect Women

    The world's first war against sexual assault on women -- the first time one nation stood up against another and said, No, you are not going to rape and pillage your women. One wonders if the U.S. could be that nation, the one that stands up for the honor of women.

    A war just to protect women. Has there ever been such a war?

   There are a lot of issues in Afghanistan. The way women are treated is a large one. There are a lot of reasons for going to war. I'm not sure but what this wouldn't be one for which it would be worthy of waging war.   

 The world you trust is the world that trips you.

(Index: Quotes)

The Death of the Afghans Points to the National Bigotry of America

    At least 60 civilians were killed. Sixty. Many of the news stories on the attack at the Kabul airport do not even mention they were killed. No mention at all. The stories tell of the 13 U.S. Service officers killed. And, of the 18 injured. 

   But, no mention of the Afghan civilians. I guess some things just don't matter.

   When you go to war, sometimes it is to defend another people. You fight for their freedom -- and for them. You give your life for the benefit of those in lands far away. In contrast to that, listen to what President Biden is saying: "The United States did what we went to do in Afghanistan: to get the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 and to deliver justice to Osama Bin Laden, and to degrade the terrorist threat to keep Afghanistan from becoming a base from which attacks could be continued against the United States. We achieved those objectives. That's why we went."

   Those are good objectives, but somehow, it seems something is being left out. So, it wasn't to help the Afghan people? It wasn't about their freedom? It wasn't about saving them from the Taliban? So, when 60 civilians die in the attack, that is none of our concern. We don't even make mention of it.

    Something is not right about this. People's lives matter. There is a saying, All Lives Matter. Do they, then? Do all lives really matter? Do those 60-plus Afghan lives matter? Or, are they just an asterisk when it's Americans who are counting the deaths?

   All Lives Matter. There could be a term for what we are doing: National bigotry.

 You don't climb up into prison and you don't fall down into prison. If you live your life at the wrong level, you will someday walk through a door you don't like. 

(Index: Quotes)

Elder Jeffrey Holland's Latest Talk

    A talk one of the apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offered Monday at Brigham Young University is receiving great discussion. Most of you, my readers, are not LDS, and may not be concerned with what he said. However, if some of you do follow what is going on in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it will be of interest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUEBJ3NdaCs 

 The closest you can get to perfection is to try to be perfect.

   Disclaimer: This thought might be a nod to those who say we cannot become perfect. Actually, I do believe we can become perfect. We aren't born perfect, and we don't go through life perfect. But, I believe there can come a point in our lives where we are. Christ came to the Earth not only to atone for our sins, but to provide an example to us. What manner of man ought ye be? Even as I, he said. His example shows that if he can do it, it is possible. His example means we can achieve it. He wasn't an example of imperfection, but of perfection. If we believe in his example, let us believe we can achieve it.  

(Index: Quotes, albeit I don't know that this is worthy of being a quote.)

 Perfection isn't in being perfect. It is in trying to be perfect. 

(Index: Quotes)

Part of Our Job was to Protect those Weapons

   I join the perhaps millions of others who do not understand how or why we let all the weapons and such fall into the hands of the Taliban. You say we had given the weapons -- billions of dollars worth -- to the Afghan government we were propping up? And, when that government collapsed, the Taliban simply seized them? You say the weapons therefore belonged to the Afghans, not to us, and it was not like the weapons seized by the Taliban were taken from our own soldiers?

   I'm not with you. We were still in Afghanistan. We still are. If the Afghan government was collapsing, we were right there witnessing it. We were probably stationed at the same bases, at least in some instances. As long as we were there -- as long as we still are -- part of our mission is to protect the weapons.
  

 If you can accept your failures, you can turn mud into mold. We often speak of making lemonade out of lemons, and I'm talking about the same principle. Have you heard of a clay mold? And, is not clay a type of mud? Take the mud you find yourself in, then, and let it mold you. Turn mud into mold. 

(Index: Quotes)

If you don't let yourself be mortal, you will never become immortal. If you don't accept your flaws, you will never learn how to shed them. 

(Index: Quotes)

 Learn the last lesson first and you will focus on what you can become. All other lessons are but paths towards the end goal.

(Index: Quotes)

 Secrets often are not secrets forever. And, when they burst, they become bombs. If you would not leave landmines laying around, don't leave secrets.

(Index: Quotes)

If Oil Still Leaks from Arizona, How Much Damage from a Tanker?

   This should give scope to how much damage an oil tanker spill can cause, or the damage from an off-shore drilling leak.

   Monumental.

   Every day, a half-gallon of oil leaks from the USS Arizona in Hawaii. The Arizona was a battleship, not an oil tanker. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, they torpedoed eight battleships, the US Arizona being just one. The USS Utah was among the others, and oil continues to leak from it, as well.

   The largest, of course, was the USS Arizona. Now if a half-gallon is leaking from the Arizona every day 80 years later, one can only wonder how much harm comes from an oil tanker spill. Surely, tankers carry more oil than battleships.

   The National Park Service estimates the USS Arizona could leak for 500 years.

All Lives Matter, and that Means Afghan Lives are Just as Important

   All lives matter, whether they be those of Whites, or Blacks, or straights or gays. Or, people from other countries. 

   Or, non-Americans. 

   Let's say you are an Afghan in Afghanistan, does your life matter? Of course it does, but does it matter just as much as anyone else's? Does it matter as much as any diplomat's, or soldier's, or as much as those who have helped us as interpreters, etc.? 

   I think of how it is said our priority in getting people out of Afghanistan should be to help the Americans first, and to help those who have helped us. What about the common people of Afghanistan? American Lives Matter, but I'm not so sure they should matter any more than the lives of the Afghans. 

   National bigotry. We feel our lives are of greater importance.

   I went to a vigil for the Afghans today. Someone said, "Afghan Lives Matter." We can hope so. Instead of saying lets get our own out first, let's say we will try to get out everyone we can, regardless of race or nationality.

   All Lives Matter.

 Never let your shame be greater than your resolve to do better. 

(Index: Quotes)

Protect the Afghans, Yet

    We should set aside what we have done in the past in Afghanistan, and consider clearly what we should do in the future.

    And, what we should do now. 

   All the current information we are learning should mold, anew, the course we are taking. The government we have been propping up for 20 years is oppressive to women and others? Check. The Taliban hasn't changed? It is still oppressive to the people? Check. The populace has been driven around so long, much of them are emotionally incapable of defending themselves? Check.

   All things considered, then, let us go back in. Let us select a provisional government, one in which we choose the leaders. Leave that government in place long enough that it can reach a good state of health before opening up elections. If the government installed does not turn out to be benevolent, shed it, as well, and try yet a again. 

   Even in America, the task of electing good leaders is difficult. We often don't know much about the people we are voting on. In Afghanistan, perhaps the people are challenged even more. 

   But, the people deserve protection. We should not hesitate to go back in. We should be unwavering in our belief that the people are basically good, and just need to be freed from those among them who are not. 

 

If you can take a lose

  And not be defeated 

You can learn to win

  The next time you're seated

(Index: Quotes)

 The perfect person is the one buried in their imperfections, but still trying to dig their way out. 

(Index: Quotes)

 Faith isn't always a doorway to the future. Sometimes, it's just accepting the past.

(Index: Quotes)

 Take your loses with a grain of salt, and your future will be well-seasoned.

(Index: Quotes)

 Winners are those who take lessons from defeat.

(Index: Quotes)

 The goal isn't to win. It's to win in the future. You stack up defeats only to build upon them.

(Index: Quotes) 

 A lie always want to be fashionable. So, it fashions itself to look like the truth.

(Index: Quotes) 

A lie dresses to the occasion. It knows it must look like truth.

(Index: Quotes) 

They Lacked the Paperwork to Save Their Lives

    Let's wonder if part of why there was so much chaos at the Kabul airport was because you don't just jump on an airline headed for America. No, not even in an emergency. No, not even if your life is in immediate danger and you need to be evacuated.

   Paperwork, please. Yes, we understand you are fleeing for your life, but we won't be able to help you unless your paperwork is in order. 

   When you can't save someone's life because their paperwork isn't in order, something is wrong. 

Roads that are paved seldom take you to the top of the mountain. It is the rock-strewn path that gets you there. 

(Index: Quotes)

Four Thoughts on Afghanistan

Four thoughts on Afghanistan:

1.) Before starting our withdrawal, we should have provided evacuation to everyone who wanted evacuation.
2.) We still have some troops there until the end of the month. What's happening with them, as far as providing defense to the people? Shouldn't they have been at the airport, doing the things that would have prevented the chaos?
3.) The Taliban is now acting like it is going to treat the people well. Do we give them that chance? Everyone can change. Have they changed? Has the past two decades of being out of power brought a change of heart?
4.) If there is any chance they are not sincere about changing, we should go right back in. If you do something wrong and can see it is wrong, you should change course. President Biden should not be sticking to his guns, so to speak, by refusing to go back in. 

 Mistakes can be wonderful. They make discoveries that otherwise would never be made.

(Index: Quotes)

A nation's behavior does not stray far from the toys it plays with. If the adult's toy of choice is the gun, expect that there will be shootings.

(Index: Quotes) 

Making no Provisions for Diplomats and Others was a Huge Oversight

    It was a huge tactical oversight: America's diplomats, all the Afghans who aided America's cause and intelligence efforts, all the private contract workers, indeed, all the citizens of Afghanistan who did not want to remain -- perhaps, especially them, for you should protect the common people as quickly as your own officials --

  Arrangements should have been made to get them out of Afghanistan. Before a single soldier was withdrawn from Afghanistan, everyone who wanted to get out of the country should have been fully provided and extended the opportunity. Maybe even look back at the ones remaining behind as you do leave, asking them, Are you sure you don't want to come? because as soon as we close this door, the Taliban will be rushing in. 

   This is what America goes to war for, I believe (isn't it?): to protect the freedom and wellbeing of others in foreign lands. This is basic to why we are even there fighting in the first place.

   To overlook that objective -- to leave the people helpless before the Taliban -- is a huge oversight. 

     

 Humankind seeks that which God already has -- truth. Yet human often do not turn to God to find it. 

(Index: Quotes)

Biden's not Looking Like a Good President

    As Joe Biden began his term, we watched with hope that he might become a great president.  Seven months in, it appears he will not be great -- but instead might become one of the worst presidents we've had. Time and tide will tell, but at this point it doesn't appear he's headed in the right direction. 

   There's that infrastructure bill, with a trillion dollar debt, or however much comes with it. One wonders if Biden believes that to save the economy, all you need to do is spend. Print money, so to speak, and you will always have money.

   Then, a week or so ago, we started pulling out of Afghanistan. The Taliban has swiftly swept across the land, capturing cities en masse, leading some to say this is one of the greatest military collapses in all of history.

   And, now this: The Biden administration will be upping Food Stamp payments to the tune of being the largest increase in history. Again, is he falling into the trap of believing deficit spending is the best way to keep America's economy strong?

   Inflation is rising. We wait to see what economic realities we must face in light of the Biden administration's moves. 

    

 The greatest memories are the ones that have tomorrows. Yesterday is sweeter when you can go back and do it again.

(Index: Quotes)

Peace isn't a War you Win; It's an Effort that Must Endure

    Maybe routing the Taliban is too much of an expectation. Maybe it isn't necessary. Maybe the goal of defeating them is where we went wrong with, to begin with.

   Instead, just let them spend their time in the hills. Let them root themselves deep in the rocks. If they want to take their water from the rocks, let them.

   And, while they live in the crevices of the mountains, be down in the towns and cities, just protecting the people. Peace-keeping forces, is all.

   I do not know but what that is all we have tried to do, or much of what we have tried to do. Maybe we haven't been much more than a peacekeeping force. Maybe we haven't tried to root them out of the hills. I only know President Biden has called this the "Forever War." If you are trying to root them out of their hiding places, yes, that might take forever -- and you might forever fail.

    But, if you just stay in the cities, protecting them, you need not fail. You might need to stay there "forever," admittedly. Peace isn't a war you win, and then you move along. It's an effort that must endure. "Eternal" is the greater half of the expression, "eternal vigilance."

   Let's return to Afghanistan. If we abandon the war, that's fine. But, let's not abandon the peace.   

If you don't learn how to take a fall, you'll never live to fly.

(Index: Quotes)

Sanctions in Cuba Perhaps Good

    While it is unclear what the sanctions will do, if they are only harmful to the two Cuban officials and a military unit, and not to all the citizens, then it would seem the sanctions are good.

    The U.S. Treasury Department today announced it is imposing sanctions on two Cuban Ministry of Interior officials and a military unit. What does that mean? What exactly are the sanctions? Hopefully, they do not hurt the citizens, just the government officials.

Help the Afghans if They Want Our Help

    President Biden has called it the "Forever War," and is withdrawing our forces. The Taliban is pouring into the vacated cities, capturing them in quick succession. There are calls for us to reverse direction and go right back in and help the Afghans. 

    I must agree -- with a provision. First, verify what the Taliban is harmful to the people. Do just a little checking and substantiate the supposition that the Afghans want our help. Then, go right back in like yesterday.

    And, if it is a forever war, calculate what must be done to turn the tide. It is imperative to find a way to route the Taliban.  

Account for the Afgans

    Those Afghans translators and others -- the ones we were going to evacuate and protect from the Taliban vengeance -- are they really getting the help and protection we promised? Some say they are not. I say we should have an accounting. If any are coming to America, let them speak. If we are placing them elsewhere, let them speak up, the same. Account for them. Let the government index who they were and hold a press conference announcing what has been done.

   They helped us in our hour of need. Do we abandon them in theirs?

Wisdom being Wisdom, Mask Up and Vaccinate

   Bless the public, that it will be more willing to mask, social distance, and vaccinate. How much difference will it make? We may not know how much, but it will certainly help to some degree. 

   Or, is the whole pandemic just a trumped-up, imaginary thing? It doesn't really exist? I know many Americans believe the same. Bless them, but with all the people dying, how can this pandemic be brushed off as something that isn't real? Have we given ourselves to the belief that the people are actually dying not from Covid, but from regular colds, and heart disease and other things? 

   Go ahead and suppose those lies are truth, if you must. Believe this is all just an imaginary pandemic. Still, what is the harm of masking and vaccinating? What if the pandemic is real? Would it hurt you to mask and vaccinate? What is the right thing? What is wisdom?

   We, the people, should be more willing to help. If we care, we should say, "I'll do whatever I can. Whether or not I believe, I'll still do everything I can."

Little Brother Should not be Pressed out by the Public

    I would hesitate to fire Chris Cuomo, or to ask him to resign from CNN. But, that does not mean I do not realize it is often good, when you are a journalist, to step away from stories that involve yourself in a negative way.

   I grant Chris the right to defend his brother -- though perhaps he should have limited such defenses to when someone asked him his feelings since he is a journalist and as a journalist it becomes different. When someone asks you a question, you can respond -- just as any other person has the right to respond. You are acting in your role as a common citizen. You have the right to express yourself. As a citizen, let him defend his brother. But, when it comes to going before the cameras on your own agenda, it would be better to steer clear. You are acting in your role as a journalist, at that point. 

   Even when we relegate him to being a journalist, however, he still has the right to free speech. Whether it is ethically right, he should still have the right to express himself. Free speech and free press mean we let him say what he will. If we were only allowed to say the things that are prudent, we'd all be in jail. 

   

Without the Chatter of Gunfire

    The Castro regime in Cuba faces the biggest wave of upheaval it has had in decade, the closest thing to a revolution, the worst challenge to its authority.

    And, mark this: No guns. 

   It may be said that things would be going differently if the rebellion was blessed with guns. Someone might even suggest if the protesters were fully armed, the country would be theirs by now. 

   But, do not let it go unmarked that what is being done is being down without gunfire from the protesters. Worst rebellion in years? No guns? 

 It can be done, then. People can rise up without the whip of a pistol, without the crack of rifle, without the chatter of an AK-47.

Dan Rather is Respected Voice Against Donald Trump

    Dan Rather, the much-respected newsman while anchoring the CBS Evening News, has become one of the most-heard, more-respected voices in the debate about Donald Trump and the election results.

   "We need to be very clear about where we are with this," Rather recently said. "We are talking about conspiring to destroy the foundation of American democracy. It should go without saying that no president, or ANY American, has any such right. Or anything even approaching it."

 Truth is only for the thirsty. Those who drink not deep never taste the sweetness of what they drink.

(Index: Quotes)

A river doesn't run uphill without a strong wind to carry it. Always be suspicious of things that don't seem possible.

(Index: Quotes)

Faith doesn't say it knows the truth; It says it will seek it.

(Index: Quotes)

Friendship never fails, but it is there for all the failures.

(Index: Quotes)

 The peak of insanity is to always believe you are right.

(Index: Quotes)

Grant the First Nations the Right to become Their Own Country

    Grant them their freedom. Create a new nation in Canada, just for them. Called the First Nations people, they are a group of Canadian indigenous peoples with 634 recognized tribal or reservation governments across the country. They're in the news right now as the bodies of 215 children have been found in unmarked graves in Kamloops, British Columbia, at the site of what was the Kamloops Indian Residential School. That news is shocking the world, but not the people, themselves. 

   "It is part of our oral history that there were children buried and burned in furnaces," says Manny Jules, a former chief of the Kamloops band.

    Why grant the First Nations their own nation? Because, they have been held down by the Canadian government. They were robbed of their land to begin with, and now they are held back from developing and progressing as a people. Read this, from a Deseret News article by Naomi Schaefer Riley:

   "If you want to see how the land question affects members of First Nations, drive at night to the top of one of the peaks overlooking the city. On one side of the river, there are lights everywhere — apartment buildings, homes, businesses and hotels. On the other side — the land held by Jules’ band — there’s mostly darkness. It’s not quite as stark as the difference in satellite images between North and South Korea, but it comes remarkably close."

   Riley explains how the government's role and the refusal to allow them to own their own property holds them back. They deserve better. We should help them get it. I, for one, will be contacting the mayor of the city, petitioning him to endorse the 634 reservations and tribes of the First Nations people to become their own nation. 

   Belief in freedom requires that we grant them their freedom. 

Cuban Movement is not Dead

   Though we have not heard of more protests in Cuba, the protesters continue to be active in other ways.  The San Isidro Movement (MSI) has announced creation of a help organization, intending to provide support for those who participated in the July 11 demonstrations. The organization will provide help for those who were detained, awaiting trial, etc.

   Rapper Denis Solis, arrested eight months earlier, was let out of prison at that time, News that Solis, a MSI activist, was released came July 12, the day after the protests.

   Chess grandmaster Arian Gonzalez, who had defected from Cuba to live in Spain, was visiting his aging mother at the time of the protests. An outspoken critic of the Castro government, he participated in the protests, earning a spot in jail. Word is that he has been released and is awaiting trial. 

I wish the Cuba uprising were receiving daily coverage, as that would apply pressure against the Castro government. With the news silent on the matter, the Castro government is not under nearly the pressure.

Shall we pray, shall we say

  Goodnight to one and all

And then let the peace of night

  Upon this household fall

In a World Where Chess can be Politics, We Should Wonder what Happened

   Reportedly poisoned by laughing gas, it was 17 months ago today 27-year-old Russian chess star Stanislav Bogdanovic and his 18-year-old girlfriend, Alexandra Vernigora, also a top chess player, were found dead on the floor of their Moscow apartment. 

   In a world where chess can be politics, we are not wrong to wonder what happened. Bogdanovic had just participated in a Russia-Ukraine match. And we know of the war and conflict between those two nations. He was born in Ukraine, but had just switched to playing for Russia. His participation for Russia was controversial. "I believe that this way I've made a modest contribution toward the peace between our countries," he explained.

  But, he also allowed that Russia's paying him was a factor. "I do whatever is better for business," he said. "Without donations, I could not play for any team."

   To which Russia was quick to respond. "We never pay anyone to participate," said a spokesperson for Team Russia. "To play for your flag is a matter of personal prestige, not money."

   Bogdanovic was a magnificent chess player, a grandmaster whose peak rating had reached a gaudy 2616. He had been called, "perhaps the most-talented player in the entire history of Odessa."

   Dead at 27, along with his girlfriend. Time rolls on and such things are soon forgotten. They touch the news, but quickly are lost. It is said time heals all wounds. It should also be said time forgets them -- even when they should not be forgotten. 

 It is said time heals all wounds. It should also be said time forgets them, even when they should not be forgotten.

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Does High Use of Marijuana Drive You Crazy?

    Look at the streets, and see all those who are taking marijuana. Then, look at the same streets, and see all the people who are crazy. Connection? Is there a connection? 

  Those who have studied the fallacies of false reasoning know one does not necessarily mean the other is true. It can be coincidental. 

    But, it is right to wonder. Would be good if a study were done. Marijuana -- according to some -- is not harmful. We are not wrong to wonder if a high and extended use of marijuana might lead to someone going crazy. It might or not not be so. Yes, we must wonder if there have been studies on this. 

 

Seek not a God to bless thee, but a God to serve.

(Index: Quotes)

 Defeat destroys only those who will be destroyed. It builds those who will build upon it. 

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The peak of insanity is to always believe yourself.

(Index: Quotes)

    Never drink from a stranger's cup. A friend might keep it clean, but a stranger you never know. Even so, in life, a friend will never bring you harm, but you know not what the stranger will do. The friend will be careful on your behalf, but if it is an offering from a stranger, it is you who must be careful. 

 He who has your ear, has your heart.

(Index: Quotes)

Bless Us that We Don't Go the Way of Bobby Fischer

   Look no further than a magazine called Confidential to know how chess genius Bobby Fischer went a little bit crazy (or a lot)  -- or how today's American public can fall into a collective bit of mental insanity. 

  Confidential: a tabloid. Confidential: a pioneer in the world of scandal and gossip. Confidential was surely not the only factor behind Fischer going crazy, but surely it was one.

   "What kind of magazines do you like?" a news personality once asked a young Fischer.

   "My favorite magazine is Confidential," Fischer replied. "I read it all the time. It's got a lot of inside stories on things like water pollution." (He chuckles.) "It's pretty interesting. I like to read up on that -- a lot of things that the government has been stealing."

   Who knows what all was in Confidential. Perhaps some true stories. But, to go along, probably a lot of trash. And, trash can trash the brightest of brains.

   The news commentator rushed on after sharing the clip from Fischer -- oblivious to the fact Fischer's thinking was being influenced by a tabloid. "Fischer looked at the world his own way." the commentator said. " . . . Every idea he had virtually had to come to him through his own thinking."

   Guess again. Fischer was letting the tabloids do some of the thinking for him.

   "In his day, he was unusual," said another commentator in the HBO documentary Bobby Fischer Against the World, "but he hadn't gone off the deep end yet." 

   That would come. And, one must wonder if the same can happen to our nation. Look to the tabloids for signs a nation's sanity is in jeopardy. If a nation follows the tabloids -- or their modern-day versions on the Internet  -- that nation is in trouble. 

    And, the nation's Internet is filled with such counterfeits of truth. Depending on where you land on the Internet, the tabloids of yesterday are but the Internet of today. Bless us that we don't go the way of Bobby Fischer.  

A Wonderful Story from 2017

    An little-told story, of a world-champion chess player who gave up her titles for the honor of principle. Read it in what she posted on Facebook almost four years ago.

   "In a few days, I am going to lose two World Champion titles -- one by one. Just because I decided not to go to Saudi Arabia. Not to play by someone's rules, not to wear abaya, not to be accompanied getting outside, and altogether not to feel myself a secondary creature. Exactly one year ago I won these two titles and was about the happiest person in the chess world but this time I feel really bad. I am ready to stand for my principles and skip the event, where in five days I was expected to earn more than I do in a dozen of events combined. All that is annoying, but the most upsetting thing is that almost nobody really cares. That is a really bitter feeling, still not the one to change my opinion and principles. The same goes for my sister Mariya -- and I am really happy that we share this point of view. And yes, for those who who care -- we'll be back!"

   Anna Muzychuk, women's grandmaster, and one of the very foremost women's players in the world, made this Facebook post and never looked back. Anna gave up her world championships in both rapid and blitz chess because she refused to be required to wear loose-fitting clothing -- abaya -- and not leave the hotel unless accompanied by a man. Bless her. Bless them both. Her sister Mariya reigned as women's world champion of chess from April 2015 to March 2016. Anna was the fourth women in history to reach an ELO rating of 2600.