Connectivity, Compassion & Pope Francis

The Unstoppable Sophia Cruz

Around our earthly home;five year old Sophia Cruz epitomizes the plight of immigrant families. She turns to the one person she trusts, Pope Francis. Sophia does not understand the complexities of immigration laws, but she fully comprehends the sanctity of her family. 

Pope Francis's landmark United States visit will be remembered as a humble servant of God pleading for humanity and compassion for all people around the globe. Pope Francis will be quoted and referenced for connecting the dots among the numerous concerns of our day. The internet is a gift from God and dialogue between people of varying cultures is his message. 

Earth is our home with each living being, animal, plant, organism and particle essential for our collective good.  Gracias, Pope Francis@Pontifex.

Himno a la Alegria--Ode to Joy

Beethoven

Go Set A Watchman:Review

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I must say, Miss Harper Lee, you really had me wondering where you were taking me until I reached page 116 of your Watchman.  For some, the novel is a reflection of the 1950s in the rural South and our favorite tomboy Scout of To Kill A Mockingbird. She returns home to Alabama for a couple week vacation from her residence in New York City. Scout is Jean Louise, age 26, employed and has her baccalaureate degree. During the first 116 pages, I didn't like Jean Louise--she appeared to be a sophomoric rebel without a cause.

As the novel progresses, some readers may view Scout's awakening or reckoning as that time in life where one sees their childhood images and ideals shattered by the "stark reality" of coming of age. The South is changing and in turn her familial security blanket is tattered. 

For me the novel reminded me of the first time I witnessed de facto discrimination in Little Rock, Arkansas. I was about seven years old in the mid-1950s. On our summer vacation to my Dad's home state Maine, he took a wrong turn and we ended up hot and tired in Little Rock. We stopped for lunch and my brother saw a swimming pool next to the diner.  Yippee, we thought. My Mom grabbed our swim suits and we were off for a quick swim before getting back on the road to our motel destination.

Along the chain link fence surrounding the public pool stood a number of black children. Inside the pool were white children playing Marco Polo and screaming at the top of their lungs. I noted a sign that distinguished hours where black and white children could swim. In seconds flat, we were back in the car hot and sweaty with a valuable lesson. Actions speak louder than words. Parents prevent bigotry and racism. In our home along Seal Way we met people of many races, beliefs and color.


It was the era of "Separate-but equal" of the 1950s. This is the crux of Go Set A Watchman. In 1954 the United States Supreme Court in Brown vs The Board of Education said, separate-but-equal in education was racial discrimination. The old ways of the South and every where had to change. The question then became how to remedy the disparate treatment of Black Americans.

Harper Lee lays out the turning point in full living color, benevolent racism and bigotry. She throws in the State's Rights--Tenth Amendment in a way that lays bare the intrinsic evil of discrimination based on color.  Separate can never be equal because there is an intrinsic evil in treating people differently. Toni Morrison and Alice Walker works showed the devastating humiliation of "the old ways".

Make no mistake, Harper Lee intentionally jarred us a little with Go Set A Watchman. The story is as relevant today as it was in the 1950s. I hope you read it and leave a comment about its relevance to a current event.

Fee-Free Writing Competitions

A good way to improve your writing skills is to enter writing competitions. Another advantage to entering writing contests is to gain interest from a literary agent.  Many contests require an entry fee which ranges from a token $25 to $100.  The following competitions for the remainder of 2015 do not require a fee.  The key to success is to follow the submission guidelines carefully or the first readers will reject your hard work outright.

1. MINOTAUR BOOKS--First Crime Novel
Prize:  A book deal and $10,000 advance against future royalties

The competition is open to anyone over the age of eighteen
Submissions are due: December 14, 2015 at 11:59pm EST
One manuscript submission per person. A minimum of 65,000 words
Note: This is a highly respected publisher. Minotaur is a division of St. Martin's Press


2. REAL SIMPLE--What Single Decision Changed Your Life
Prize: 1st prize $3,000 and 2nd and 3rd place winners
Essay content with 1500 maximum word count.
Submissions are due: September 21, 2015 (postmarked) or submitted online
Open only to USA residents and District of Columbia
Note: This is a credible essay contest with a good history of awarding good work

3. Self-e Library Journal--Genre Romance, Fantasy, Mystery and Science Fiction
Prize: $1,000 for best self published ebook
Digital ebooks only
Submissions are due: August 31, 2015 at one minute before midnight
Author must own copy write and distribution rights to their submissions
Note: The winner and two runner ups get a full Library Journal review and a full ad in the Library Journal publication. An awards dinner in Boston, but it looks like authors pay for their own travel. 

Three Billion Miles to Pluto & Back Home

The New Horizons Spacecraft has traveled more than three billion miles for a fly-by with Pluto that is scheduled for July 14, 2015.  The nine and a half year long trek is an engineering masterpiece demonstrating the best our Earthlings have to offer regardless of national origin.

The piano size New Horizons Spacecraft weighs a little over one thousand pounds and so far is capturing and sending home remarkable images of its very long summer vacation.
                                                                  

                                                        The Best & Brightest From Earth


Back home, the United States and member nations of the United Nations Security Council are trying to hammer out a deal that promises to curb Iran's Intercontinental Ballistic Missile capabilities. The negotiations are an attempt to stave off a conflict which in effect could blow our curious little planet Earth into oblivion.  A graphic depiction by the New York Times explains the end game of the current negotiations that may end on Monday, July 13, unless a deal is made.  

                                                                      

                           U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry & Iran Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif


The irony of the similarity of  terms: Pluto--Plutonium signifying the best and worst Earth has to offer the cosmos is noteworthy.  I sure hope nothing gets lost in translation or in transmission of the differences. 

In closing, I recommend a film currently on Netflix which demonstrates how apparently small nuances in culture and language can trigger catastrophic results. There are no small, insignificant or trivial mistakes in international relations.  The heart and trust collide in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. 
 

Welcome to the 21st Century Ridiculously Rich Era

                           Cerebus Greek Mythology & Capital Management Fund

These are the best of times for the richest 1% and the worst of times for the lower 40%.  Across the mid-section of America we go about our daily chores and at the end of the week, (TGIF), we pick up a a six-pack of beer or Pepsi and some deli food at the local Safeway or Albertsons.

Sure, we are vaguely aware of the mega-rich,The Koch Brothers, Donald Trump and Warren Buffet, but they are for the most part remote to our trip to the grocery store. However as of 2015, you probably have heard that Safeway and Albertsons are now, Albertsons-Safeway funded by Cerebus Capital Management.

As noted above, Cerebus is the three headed dog that guards the gates of Hades, (underworld). It keeps the dead from escaping and the undead from entering. This mythological creature will probably not be pictured on your favorite brand of dog food.

On the other hand, Cerebus Capital Management is a capital management firm worth some $25 billion that buys distressed assets and property and makes money for its investors. If you have ever wondered what happened to former Vice President Dan Quayle and Treasury Secretary, John Snow, they take turns walking a three-headed dog--Cerebus.

Does it matter? If your local Safeway or Albertsons gets sold and your neighbors lose their job, it may make a difference. On the flip side, if you as a consumer get lower prices at the check out stand--maybe not. The end game in this intriguing story of big fish eat little fish in the 21st Century is that the pond world-wide has become an exclusive hot tub. This is a game of multi-billionaires versus mega-billionaires.

In short, Safeway-Albertsons is suiting up to compete against Cosco and Walmart for buying power and survival at the checkout stand. The three-headed dog, Cerebus creeps me out, but a brand is a brand, is a brand.

Greening Up African Forests:It's About Culture

                                      A juvenile chimpanzee in Gombe Stream National Park in
                                              July 2014. (Photo: Michael Christopher Brown/Magnum Photos)

Deforestation around the world has wreaked havoc to humans, wildlife and contributed to climate change.  Across rural Africa, trees are harvested to use for cooking and sold in bundles. The result of open burning and harvesting trees by villagers is pollution and profound damage to the ecosystem.

It's one thing to point out the environmental impact from afar, but real change comes from within a culture. The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) recognizing the economic realities of the impoverished people of Africa offers scholarships, medical care and sustenance to villagers in exchange for adopting conservation strategies at the village level.

In 2006, JGI embarked on a 30-year regional conservation plan utilizing satellite imagery which produces maps and photos to villages enabling them to see the devastation and its impact. Thus, enabling them to create their own land-use plan. The key is that stakeholders or those affected by the land-use plan at the local level are the decision makers and policy makers for enforcement. The village is in charge of its destiny.  

According to Paul Tullis,Take Part feature editor,  Google has developed an online tool that will allow anyone with a handheld device to monitor forests and receive alerts if deforestation is taking place.

TakePart.com is an informative resource for people interested in the environment. The website has an action center for readers to express their views to policy makers.

Politics 2016--A Shameful Beginning

 

By now, most everyone has heard about Jeb Bush's 1995 revival of societal shaming for unwed parents and their off springs. His clarification reported by Politico says he has evolved and now shifts the blame shame to fathers.  He doesn't retract the statement. In all fairness his clarification may be more harmful to him politically because babies don't vote.

Unfortunately for all, most politicians don't understand or don't want to hear what the Congressional Budget Office and other number crunchers have been telling them since the 1990s.  Pre-natal care, well baby and routine vaccinations and care for mother and child is a drop in the bucket compared to chronic disease and genetic disorders on each end of the age spectrum. 

We have a looming, torrential storm of aging Boomers whose health care needs will surpass all previous records for utilization. To date, no one has put forth a plan that contains costs. The Affordable Health Care Act and its exchanges, if left in tact by the Supreme Court and Congress will see significant rate increases to keep up with the costs of care.  The chronically ill cannot be denied coverage for preexisting conditions and the sky is the limit for coverage.

I recommend USA Today's article, written by Meghan Hoyer on the harsh and heartbreaking realities of the sick caring for the sicker. This is the real takeaway for the blame game being tossed around since the 1990s and it's hitting home now.


Afterthought:

In all fairness to all the politicians running for local, state and federal offices, the above subject is a political hot potato.  According to USA Today, "More than 4 million (seniors)— about 15% — have at least six long-term ailments. Those sickest seniors account for more than 41% of the $324 billion spent on traditional Medicare."

Editorial

One government fund (Medicaid) or another will and does pick up the tab after the chronically ill senior exhausts his/her personal resources. At the rate of $100 thousand per year to care for Alzheimer, Parkinson, end-stage renal failure, some cancer and the complications of diabetes and heart disease, most personal funds are depleted very quickly. Medicare does not cover extended long term care in a nursing home.

In a nutshell, 15 to 27% of the population will always account for the lion's share of health care spending. This is an immutable factor that no private sector insurance can deal with. So, unless policy makers want to revisit the "Death Panel" shock headlines by trying to parse out medical care--the government will have to deal with it.