Ditto MaryB! I live in a lovely small city which is the home of F-35s (the loudest jets on earth, which I'm sure will do a fly-over) and the Memorial Day Marathon announced by a Samba band. Lovely warm spring weather all weekend. The best of Americana—fun, effort, and awe.
I've been beta testing Coursera online courses on many subjects for years. This week the course I chose to review is Professionalism in Allied Health. It has some marvelous lessons that include tips on the importance of having an optimistic attitude (yes, I can find a solution to this situation) and handle situations in positive ways which is extremely important for healthcare professionals dealing with patients. For example, one of the best ways to reduce anxiety is exercise. And, I've known from my studies of positive psychology that getting out in nature even for 15 minutes each day improves your mood. Here in Kerrville, we now have a nature trail along the river that everyone is enjoying. https://www.kerrvilletx.gov/1341/River-Trail Have a great weekend.
Peter Attia's book 'Outlive' is an amazing next step in the direction towards enjoying life to the end. I have thought of health as a current issue while 'Outlive' has pointed me to the real goal of being active in the last decades. Peter makes the case that exercise is better than any drug and follows with detailed information on dementia, cardiology, cancer and diabetes. Peter is a highly regarded physician who consults with medical researchers in each of the mentioned fields of medicine.
In many ways even more important to your longevity is sleep. If you don't get enough deep sleep (N3) when toxins are cleaned out of the brain, you increase getting Alzheimer's because it is now linked to Beta Amyloids which are one of the toxins deep sleep removes from your brain. In REM sleep the brain is actually more active than it is when you're awake. It is consolidating all your experiences of the day and even creating better scenarios for your well being and even survival. If you take a test after a good night's sleep you'll retain much more of the learning material and do better much better on the test. We all need a good eight hours of sleep even as we get older. The blue-white of TV and other electronic devices actually keeps you up at night so have a tuck in time with no electronics an hour before bedtime. Getting enough sleep can give you a full decade more of life.
Here's the article I wrote of sleep at Christmas time one year in my monthly column on Accessible Living in the local paper. I feel it is one of the most potentially impactful articles I've ever written:
December 2015
ACCESSIBLE LIVING by Catherine Learoyd
Byline: Stille Nacht: Creating A Haven for Sleep
“The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danc'd in their heads,
And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap —
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.“
This is the original wording of the second verse of “Twas a Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore written in 1823. “Settled our brains”? “Visions of sugar plums”? “A long winter’s nap”? “Snug in their beds”? In the context of what we know today about our brain during sleep, this verse shows a family that is getting a good night’s sleep.
“Arose such a clatter”
Papa was probably in the first stage of sleep known as N1. N1 is light sleep where one can be easily awakened say by the clatter of eight tiny reindeer. Mama may have already reached the second level of N2 sleep or even the deep sleep of N3 since she wasn’t arosed. N3 deep sleep (also called long wave sleep) is when the brain does its house cleaning through the ingenious glymphatic system getting rid of waste products that have built up in the brain while awake. For example, the build up of the protein amyloid beta has been shown to be one of the key steps in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. If the brain doesn’t get the time to do its house cleaning and keep the waste from building up this suggests that worsening sleep quality and sleep duration will contribute to conditions like Alzheimer’s.
“Visions of sugar plums”
The children are dreaming which means they have reached REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. In this stage of sleep the brain is actually more active than when it is in the wake state. In REM, the brain is very busy processing and consolidating memory, integrating old and new memories, reinforcing pathways within the brain, developing rules from the patterns it discerns, gaining new insights, and even projecting future scenarios. If you have the opportunity to “sleep on it” after learning new material, you will retain three times the learning when tested twelve hours later compared to not having the benefit of sleep in between.
“All snug in their beds”
Since we spend one–third of our lives in bed and in our bedroom, how do we make it a haven for tranquil sleep and gain the tremendous benefits to our health and well-being from full and deep sleep? Let’s start with the bed itself. The best pillow is soft and made of natural materials (more resistant to dust mites) and is flexible so that it can be adjusted to the various sleep positions we go through each night. Mattresses are a very personal choice so when shopping for a mattress spend fifteen to twenty minutes lying on each candidate in your usual sleep position. Couples need to test the mattresses together since a key difference between types of mattresses is whether the movement of one person is felt by the other. A person with back problems is probably best off with a medium firm mattress – not too soft or too firm. Over the years a mattress loses its ability to give your body the support it needs. The resulting pressure points then trigger your body to tell the brain to wake up multiple times in the night so you’ll roll over. Waking up multiple times in the night for this or other reasons is equivalent to getting only four hours of sleep. So, consider buying a new mattress every ten years or so.
“Settled our brains”
The daily cycle of sleep and wake periods are regulated by our circadian biological clock within the brain’s hypothalamus which manages an army of neurotransmitters. By “settling our brains” a half hour to an hour before we go to bed we greatly enhance the quality of our sleep. This tuck-in period is the time to wind down. Brushing one’s teeth in a brightly lit bathroom is one of the worse things you can do just before climbing into bed so do this at the start of the tuck-in period. Put dimmer switches on bedroom and bathroom lights and lower the light levels at tuck-in time. Use part of the tuck-in time to pick up and declutter the bedroom to lower stress and anxiety. Keep the bedroom uncluttered and reserved exclusively for sleeping if at all possible. White and blue light suppresses melatonin delaying sleep so cover or remove electronic devices from the bedroom at tuck-in time even e-book readers. It is best for you and your child’s overall health to remove TVs from the bedrooms altogether. “Long winter’s nap” How much sleep do we need? The longer we sleep the greater the percentage of time spent in the restorative N3 and consolidating REM periods. Newborn babies spend 50% of their 16 to 18 hours of sleep per day in REM sleep because of all the demands of growing and learning and the need to organize and set up connections in the brain. Teenagers, another demanding time in life, require ten hours of sleep a night and their circadian rhythm naturally shifts their day to wake later and go to bed later. Younger children need more hours of sleep than the teenagers. Adults including seniors level off at eight hours of sleep. While the quality of sleep can decrease with age, the need for eight hours of sleep does not. If we take a typical day in the life of a teenager, they get up at 6:30 a.m., have classes from 7:50 to 3:25 p.m., have marching band or athletic practice from 3:45 to 6, have dinner and then do 3 hours of homework from 7 to 10. If they get in bed by 10:30 they need to sleep until 8:30 the next morning way past the tardy bell to get ten hours of needed sleep. They sit in class with lessened ability to concentrate or pay attention and feel moody and stressed. The teacher assigns more homework to make up for the lack of learning in the classroom and this devitalizing cycle of sleep deprivation continues. Further, sleep deprivation is now linked to obesity because the tired brain releases the hunger hormones and to Type II diabetes. According to the National Institute of Health, sleep deprivation in children can cause daytime hyperactivity and decrease in focused attention. This can be mistaken for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or other behavior disorders! At bedtime and through the night, have the bedroom as dark and quiet as possible. Have the thermostat of the bedroom wing programmed between 65 to 68 degrees F starting at tuck-in time until around dawn. Have plants to take out carbon dioxide and add oxygen into the room. Have red night lighting outside the bedroom and in the bathroom if you need to get up in the night. This gives you enough light to see but not enough of the white/blue light to bring you to a fully awake state and make it difficult to go back to sleep.
“Sprang from my bed”
In the morning, the best way to wake up fresh and alert is to do so naturally with the light of the sun with the bedrooms oriented to get eastern light. The thermostat is programmed to bring the temperature of the room to around 70 degrees F. Your body wakes you up at the end of REM instead of the alarm clock jerking you awake in the middle of your dream. This is the decade we’ll change our attitudes as a society about sleep as we come to understand the neurobiology of sleep and its massive impact on our physical and mental health and productivity.
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”
Further readings:
Twas the Night Before Christmas in its original version:
Agreed! I wear a fitbit which tracks my sleep stages and I always feel more rested after a good night's sleep. We read before we go to bed (9pm) but generally fall off to sleep more like 10pm. We're up by 6:30, generally. I do read on a tablet but set the background to black and turn the brightness way down. It's dimmer than a nightlight. Works for me.
Another hint is to actually put red night lights (like a string of red led lights under the toe kick of the cabinets in your bathroom if you need to get up in the middle of the night because they don't wake you up and you get back to sleep faster. Brush your teeth at the beginning of a tuck in time rather then just before you go to bed so with the bright lights of the bathroom triggering serotonin which wakes you up. It is currently accepted that serotonin (5-HT) functions predominantly to promote wakefulness (W) and to inhibit REM (rapid eye movement) sleep (REMS). The bright blue-white light also suppresses melatonin.
We have enough ambient light coming in from outside that I don't need to turn on any lights when I get up to use the bathroom; because most nights I do get up. We also brush our teeth about 7pm, there is no more eating after that (dinner is usually before 6), so we seal the deal by brushing our teeth!
I am also 76 and live in the NC Piedmont and jealous of you living in the mountains. Robert Reich says we are in the red zone. Peter's book is a must read for every person on the planet as ones health matters more than politics or other extraneous diversions. Speaking of diversions there is Artificial Intelligence. From The Guardian this morning. "Last month, a Reuters report showed that groups of Tesla employees privately shared via an internal messaging system sometimes highly invasive videos and images recorded by customers’ car cameras between 2019 and 2022." This is not AI exactly, however, can you imagine Elon Musk the billionaire not gaining control of a portion of AI? Can you imagine he would not use it terribly if it suited his purpose. For an understanding of AI 'Robethics' by Matteo Di Michele is an engrossing read providing a full understanding. I found every page to give value. Previous books on health, technology and finance have never gotten my attention enough to finish. I have had personal failings in each category so my interest in the two mentioned today are high compliment to the authors and a surprise to me.
Afterthought disclaimer that Matteo is my son in law. I apologize for the omission. The book is to soon be published in Italian and after a book for children.
During the height of lockdown, the only thing that brought me sanity and a calm sense of relief was going for a walk. I live near the beach but I didn't have to walk on it. Just being outside was enough for me. Now we play pickleball regularly too, and my sanity continues. I've always been an active person and now 70, I say I move so I can continue to move!
Morning walks with my dog save me. Exercise is so important.
I have had the privilege to lead an exercise group for people with Parkinson’s for the past 20+ years. Not only is exercise an essential means of slowing the progression of their disease, the group is a safe place for people with PD to socialize and feel safe.
Good advice Cathy! As a retired oncology nurse, my go-to for filling myself back up was a walk in nature. As times got more and more stressful, I found I needed these walks more frequently until it was almost at a daily rate (luckily I live near a large park). I pretty much hit the wall when patients were demanding that we order them Ivermectin (we are an oncology clinic for God's sake!!) and swearing at us if we didn't cooperate. We had to install metal detectors in the ER because of violent threats. Then I knew it was time to make a change. This wasn't part of the bargain.
As an avid reader, I found Diana Beresford Kroeger really interesting in this regard. she has a PhD in Medical biochemistry and botany. She was also trained by Druid ancestors as a child. Her discussion of the effects of the smells of nature and the impact on our nervous system is fascinating. eg. pine resins, when inhaled have a calming effect on the nervous system. Her books are a little challenging to find, but well worth it. Our local indep bookstore only had one of her books (Powells in Ptld), our library had none but ordered a couple after I made a request. Check out her website; https://dianaberesford-kroeger.com/
Thanks to Robert and Jessica Craven - if it weren't for them, I'd be wallowing in despair some days.
In Great Britain they have gardens for smells in elderly living places because the smells in a garden is so good for mental health and memory. Here is an article I just found about how to have a haptic (all the senses) garden. Love the idea of taking care of all the senses in our homes and gardens.
Love all your comments. Will look up Diana Beresford Kroeger. So sorry you decided to make a change away from nursing. So understandable in today's negativity. It is destroying healthcare, education, rights, and safety! Yes thank goodness for Robert and Jessica. Together we can conquer all this! We, the People, all of us this time!
You’re so right, Cathy, exercise is key to maintaining some sort of balance in our lives. My small town has a wonderful marina where we are treated to seeing small and large ships, kayakers, sailboats, floating by. Our waters connect to the Carquinez Straits which bring sturgeon nearby. It’s just calming to watch the water flow in and out with the tides. We have many trails that are offered to us and our dogs. Walking is a necessity in my life. Happy peaceful weekend to everyone!
Cathy Learoyd, Getting out in Nature is ideal to restore emotional health. Urban Parks are a godsend.
The song “What’s Love Got To Do With It” is ringing in my mind as “What Do Butterflies Have To Do With It.”
Have No Expectations.
Nothing is similar to past “normal”
One must reinvent oneself, as though inside a cocoon, to adapt to a new world, where one can discover new resources to adapt to unfamiliar experiences.
Markers For Democracy members are artists, decorating GOTV postcards, among the zillions of other projects to Save Democracy.
From conversations on Zoom, I have discovered the Joy of rubber stamping postcards!
Zoom meetings often include discussions of Sharpie Markers and other wonderful art supplies and designs. To encourage voters to vote.
Walking in neighborhood gardens is beyond uplifting.
Antodotes for anger and anxiety -- the song “What’s Love Got To Do With It” rings in my imagination as “What’s Butterflies Got To Do With It” -- the Butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
Writing postcards with Markers For Democracy, where members are also artists and often discuss artistic postcard designs along with saving democracy,m, emerging from my own cocoon I discovered the joy of rubber stamps, for decorating GOTV postcards!
From these new and frightening experiences, one must have no expectations, to adjust to how everything has changed.
Artists’ rubber stamp designs have opened a delightful new path.
Taking a break, the song “What’s Love Got To Do With It” rings in my mind, as “What’s Butterflies Got To Do With It.”
Nature and action are my antidotes for anger and anxiety.
As a butterfly inside its cocoon, one must have no expectations, wrapping oneself inside an emotional imaginary cocoon.
Nothing can return to our accustomed “normal” again.
To adapt and adjust to living with these frightening new and unfamiliar experiences, my cocoon is walking in the extraordinary urban gardens and parks, and writing postcards on Zoom with Markers For Democracy, where members are all artists often discussing artistic designs and art supplies to decorate postcards, encouraging voters to vote to support to support Democracy.
My new butterfly experience is the craft of rubber stamping!
Designing and adding rubber stamp designs provides a delightful, joyful new entry into our new reality.
Taking a break, the song “What’s Love Got To Do With It” rings in my mind, as “What’s Butterflies Got To Do With It.”
Nature and action are my antidotes for anger and anxiety.
As a butterfly inside its cocoon, one must have no expectations, wrapping oneself inside an emotional imaginary cocoon.
Nothing can return to our accustomed “normal” again.
To adapt and adjust to living with these frightening new and unfamiliar experiences, my cocoon is walking in the extraordinary urban gardens and parks, and writing postcards on Zoom with Markers For Democracy, where members are all artists often discussing artistic designs and art supplies to decorate postcards, encouraging voters to vote to support to support Democracy.
My new butterfly experience is the craft of rubber stamping!
Designing and adding rubber stamp designs provides a delightful, joyful new entry into our new reality.
Taking a break, the song “What’s Love Got To Do With It” rings in my mind, as “What’s Butterflies Got To Do With It.”
Nature and action are my antidotes for anger and anxiety.
As a butterfly inside its cocoon, one must have no expectations, wrapping oneself inside an emotional imaginary cocoon.
Nothing can return to our accustomed “normal” again.
To adapt and adjust to living with these frightening new and unfamiliar experiences, my cocoon is walking in the extraordinary urban gardens and parks, and writing postcards on Zoom with Markers For Democracy, where members are all artists often discussing artistic designs and art supplies to decorate postcards, encouraging voters to vote to support to support Democracy.
My new butterfly experience is the craft of rubber stamping!
Designing and adding rubber stamp designs provides a delightful, joyful new entry into our new reality.
Oh my goodness. In last night's Newsletter, Robert included a reminder about the challenge to flip the Virginia state house away from Republican control, and you, dear readers, more than 170 of you, donated a whopping $7,148 in a single day for candidates' campaigns through The States Project "Tending to Democracy" Giving Circle. Your donations ranged from $5 to $500, and some good people subscribed for monthly donations.
Your contributions are a fitting tribute to all those men and women who gave their lives in service of democracy, as we honor them this Memorial Day weekend.
On behalf of the Tending to Democracy Giving Circle, thank you.
We will fly the flag with appreciation this weekend. My folks managed to survive WWII. In fact, they met at a hospital in Italy. Mom nursed the wounded Lieutenant who fell in love. They were the lucky ones who were able to return home and raise a family.
They rarely talked about the horrors they experienced. But I know they were changed people. I miss them.
I I don’t think the negotiators on debt ceiling are close, and reports I have read suggest Biden maybagreebtomsomecRepublican demands proving their economic hostage taking works. Instead Biden should exit from negotiations and issue an Executive Order under 14rh Amendment and obligation to ensure all laws are faithfully executed.
I have advocated for the 14th Amendment approach too, but it is not risk free. Bonds issued without congressional authorization will have a significantly higher interest rate than bonds issued with congressional authorization. They markets also might view a default as a default regardless of the 14th amendment. So, a an acceptable negotiated solution is preferable; the 14th Amendment is a fail safe.
Thanks Robert for the bond rate info. Setting that concern aside for a moment, this scenario looks to me like the big upside to Biden invoking the 14th Amendment:
1) Biden gives a televised Oval Office passionate speech a) hammering the obscene danger of this world hostage situation and those driving it; b) how it's got to stop FOR GOOD; and c) him declaring that all federal bills authorized by Congress in the past WILL be paid, per the Constitution. Period.
2) The GOP struggles, but finds a way to acquire "standing" and brings this case, in an expedited way, before the Supreme Court. The essence of their argument is "Biden and the Executive Branch must stop paying the governments bills". The public FINALLY sees clearly what the GOP's and Biden's positions are.
3) Having a clear 19th century Constitutional mandate on one hand, and a 20th century law on the other, the Justices have to decide which has more validity. More importantly, they know that if they decide against Biden, the international economic ramifications will likely be immediate and severe – not like most of their decisions that have a tail gradually extending out for years. Talk about pressure to not do anything rash!
4) IF the SCOTUS sides with the Republicans, the markets etc. very quickly spiral into trouble, and the House GOP (& Senate) extends the debt ceiling for another two months, and we are back to square one, with Biden and McCarthy negotiating. But Democrats and Independents now have a new respect for Biden for having shown fire and guts while trying to put a permanent end to this insanity. The Supreme Court looks even worse than before, making a Court expansion after 2024 acceptable to far more people. And now Biden = fiercely determined stability and the GOP = home of many crazy and ruthless radicals, just like most Independents suspected.
5) But IF the Supreme Court decides in Biden's favor, the gun periodically being put to the world's head by a radical minority has been disassembled and thrown in the river!
So, I'm seeing that as a risk worth taking. And doing it at the last minute - like next week - would allow Biden to say that he had tried and tried for weeks to reach an agreement, but the Republican demands were just way too far outside of reason and the mainstream.
I like your analysis, Tyler. Biden started out with "not negotiable" and apparently is now going to give in to almost all the GOP demands. This cannot lead to a good outcome in the long run.
That presupposes that when you take those loons outside and tilt their heads skywards that they believe it's blue. They do not. They will never believe it's blue. Either way you cut or slice it they (and the media) are going to spin it as Biden and the Dem's faults for the economy tanking. They will never admit that their supreme leaders are responsible for it.
I like that image, Erica! But I'm saying this is a strategy for Biden to KEEP the economy from tanking. If all hell broke loose, it would be BECAUSE the GOP took this to the Supreme Court and WON! To avoid taking the blame, the GOP would have to quickly raise the debt ceiling for a short period.
You're right, of course, that the Trumpistas would see all this as Biden's fault. And only maybe 5-10% of Americans are swing voters who care about the facts. But winning them over is what will be necessary for next year. Most of them are probably very tired of crazy talk, and I believe they would respect Biden more if he said "Enough!". Be a fighter, Joe!
I also think that the MAGA Republicans are not going to cooperate if they did get an agreement. They are focused on doing as Trump wants which is to default. McCarthy does not have control of the Republican House in any way.
For those who have given their very best, Memorial Day.
"I ask one thing, that in still far off days, someone who knew me should in their daily
rounds suddenly pause, caught by some sight or sound, some glance, some phrase, some trick of memories way, which brings me to mind, then I shall wait eager with hope, perhaps to hear "How great if he were with us still!" And then at the end, all that I wish for is just -
Let’s also reflect and pray for more collective wisdom to foster a more mature culture that has many fluid options for softening and resolving conflict without resorting to military weapons and massive loss of life.
I hope the reports on negotiations are not totally true; that Biden will NOT negotiate on items affecting the most needy and defenseless among us. I no longer attend church and should be one of the last to proselytize. Yet I cannot get out of my mind a sermon I heard a generation ago by a young priest in Meridian, Idaho. Yet, Kevin McCarthy and band don’t care. President Biden, feed his sheep; care for them. Remember that at your Mass tomorrow. Use the 14th Amendment. Christ and the rest of us Progressive-Liberals want that. So there, Christian Nationalists and givers of tax breaks to the most privileged among us!
We can all find renewed courage and resolve as we reflect up those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom this weekend. They shall not have died in vain.
I would like to ask our community to lift all that have served to defend our country up in there hearts this weekend. We are here to debate, discuss, support and defend democracy because of their sacrifices. Let us also not forget Brian Sicknick, Howard Liebengood and Jeffrey Smith, fallen Capital and Metropolitan police heroes that defended our nation in plain sight while the world watched in shock on Jan 6, 2021. May they all rest in eternal peace and may their memories forever be blessings.
It is good to remember that so many gave their lives for this country over a number of wars. It always seemed that we at least had one true vision of America at those times. I honestly don’t think that is the case anymore. I wonder who will go now, or if will become just another partisan issue. On a different note, I hope you’ll help us understand how all these states became majority red states. It feels overwhelming, as if the Democrats were asleep at the wheel while the GQP rigged the system year after year. I live in NC, and remember well when the GQP took over in 2010. Prior to that, we had a very long reign as a Democratic-dominant state. It’s been downhill ever since, though the worst has happened over the last few years. I wonder how VA has turned to the dark side? They were such a role model for the South. Did the message of white fear and impending doom just mobilize so many rural voters that it made the difference? What could the Democratic message be that frighten and motivate all of our reluctant voters??? I could give them a list of dozens of things to be afraid of under GQP rule, but we need a massive effort and a killer message to wake the beast of Democratic voters who want to take back their states. The fact that so many don’t even realize they are voting against their own self-interests is the great irony and mystery of all of this……………..
I think the problem is messaging. Theirs is selfish, and about fear and loathing. Ours is considerate, and about hope and peace. Their approach is offense, while ours is defense. That must change.
I recently finished reading "Why We're Polarized" by Ezra Klein, and then gave a summary of it at a local forum. It's a fairly short book with MANY important observations. But it's also dense, even for someone like me who is very oriented towards the psychology/sociology of what's behind the craziness of this moment. Nonetheless, it explains the numerous and complex factors driving American polarization. Brick by brick, Klein lays out how this wall got so daunting.
I grew up in the Deep South, but left long ago. I really feel for people in Alabama, North Carolina, etc. All Americans, but especially Southerners, might find this book helpful.
Sounds intriguing. In a nutshell, what is its conclusion about how this happened? I know it started from the whole notion of slavery and the effort to eliminate that in this country.
Tough question, Laura, but I'll take a stab at putting this in a nutshell:
1) Political developments during and after the civil rights movement polarized and re-structured the two parties, and citizens sorted themselves, more than in many decades, into liberals a conservatives.
2) New progressive issues (anti-war, environmentalism, human rights, improved social safety net, etc.) fed the division. Reagan's tax policies, and the gradually resulting social/income inequality, did likewise.
3) The powerful dynamics of tribalism and unconscious bias make polarization likely to worsen in any circumstances. That's been dramatically fed since ~2000 by the Internet, social media, the responses of news media, and political fundraising. Virtually everyone, left and right, has been embracing Internet culture without realizing it is a deadly poison to our politics.
4) The demographics threat to the power of white Christians is in fact very real. The numbers Klein quotes are amazing. Very unfortunately, but not surprisingly, their response is fear and fury, and willingness to use basically any means of staying in power/control.
5) There are Constitutional flaws that had rarely been politically exploited since the 19th century - on the basis of decency, expectations of fairness, gentleman's agreements, etc. Now each of those flaws is a battlefield as the GOP gets ever more desperate to "not lose their country".
Thanks for the reminder to focus on honoring those who gave us the opportunity to remain a free democracy. Lots of power in those thoughts and we will NOT let them down. You’re right - let’s relax and get above all this and focus on our roots and those whose shoulders we’re standing on. We can do this - they did. Thanks coach for another half time boost ! The odds are on us!
My father, Reagan, turns 100 in August. My mother, Jean, turns 99 in November. My dad served in WWII. My mother did her part by accompanying members of the military tasked with the job of informing family members of their loss. On June 2 they will celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary. While I do not like war, I admire and appreciate all who do their part to protect our democracy. And I am grateful they adopted me at 3 days old so we became a family.
thanks as always & enjoy gathering and friends — while remaining aware that, even though the pandemic emergency may be officially lifted, risks of infection are still higher in groups & cases of covid can still be serious. 🤞💝 😊
A happy and restful Memorial Day weekend to you and Jill! You both brighten so many lives with your positive words and encouragement.
Ditto MaryB! I live in a lovely small city which is the home of F-35s (the loudest jets on earth, which I'm sure will do a fly-over) and the Memorial Day Marathon announced by a Samba band. Lovely warm spring weather all weekend. The best of Americana—fun, effort, and awe.
Ditto Mary B and Hope Lindsay. Wishing a joyful, restful, and peaceful weekend and Memorial Day to you Robert Hubbell and Your Editor.
Taking a break from anger and anxiety with your blessing, and thankful for you always supporting this community and lifting us up.
As for my break -- writing postcards and ice cream!
I've been beta testing Coursera online courses on many subjects for years. This week the course I chose to review is Professionalism in Allied Health. It has some marvelous lessons that include tips on the importance of having an optimistic attitude (yes, I can find a solution to this situation) and handle situations in positive ways which is extremely important for healthcare professionals dealing with patients. For example, one of the best ways to reduce anxiety is exercise. And, I've known from my studies of positive psychology that getting out in nature even for 15 minutes each day improves your mood. Here in Kerrville, we now have a nature trail along the river that everyone is enjoying. https://www.kerrvilletx.gov/1341/River-Trail Have a great weekend.
Peter Attia's book 'Outlive' is an amazing next step in the direction towards enjoying life to the end. I have thought of health as a current issue while 'Outlive' has pointed me to the real goal of being active in the last decades. Peter makes the case that exercise is better than any drug and follows with detailed information on dementia, cardiology, cancer and diabetes. Peter is a highly regarded physician who consults with medical researchers in each of the mentioned fields of medicine.
In many ways even more important to your longevity is sleep. If you don't get enough deep sleep (N3) when toxins are cleaned out of the brain, you increase getting Alzheimer's because it is now linked to Beta Amyloids which are one of the toxins deep sleep removes from your brain. In REM sleep the brain is actually more active than it is when you're awake. It is consolidating all your experiences of the day and even creating better scenarios for your well being and even survival. If you take a test after a good night's sleep you'll retain much more of the learning material and do better much better on the test. We all need a good eight hours of sleep even as we get older. The blue-white of TV and other electronic devices actually keeps you up at night so have a tuck in time with no electronics an hour before bedtime. Getting enough sleep can give you a full decade more of life.
Here's the article I wrote of sleep at Christmas time one year in my monthly column on Accessible Living in the local paper. I feel it is one of the most potentially impactful articles I've ever written:
December 2015
ACCESSIBLE LIVING by Catherine Learoyd
Byline: Stille Nacht: Creating A Haven for Sleep
“The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danc'd in their heads,
And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap —
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.“
This is the original wording of the second verse of “Twas a Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore written in 1823. “Settled our brains”? “Visions of sugar plums”? “A long winter’s nap”? “Snug in their beds”? In the context of what we know today about our brain during sleep, this verse shows a family that is getting a good night’s sleep.
“Arose such a clatter”
Papa was probably in the first stage of sleep known as N1. N1 is light sleep where one can be easily awakened say by the clatter of eight tiny reindeer. Mama may have already reached the second level of N2 sleep or even the deep sleep of N3 since she wasn’t arosed. N3 deep sleep (also called long wave sleep) is when the brain does its house cleaning through the ingenious glymphatic system getting rid of waste products that have built up in the brain while awake. For example, the build up of the protein amyloid beta has been shown to be one of the key steps in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. If the brain doesn’t get the time to do its house cleaning and keep the waste from building up this suggests that worsening sleep quality and sleep duration will contribute to conditions like Alzheimer’s.
“Visions of sugar plums”
The children are dreaming which means they have reached REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. In this stage of sleep the brain is actually more active than when it is in the wake state. In REM, the brain is very busy processing and consolidating memory, integrating old and new memories, reinforcing pathways within the brain, developing rules from the patterns it discerns, gaining new insights, and even projecting future scenarios. If you have the opportunity to “sleep on it” after learning new material, you will retain three times the learning when tested twelve hours later compared to not having the benefit of sleep in between.
“All snug in their beds”
Since we spend one–third of our lives in bed and in our bedroom, how do we make it a haven for tranquil sleep and gain the tremendous benefits to our health and well-being from full and deep sleep? Let’s start with the bed itself. The best pillow is soft and made of natural materials (more resistant to dust mites) and is flexible so that it can be adjusted to the various sleep positions we go through each night. Mattresses are a very personal choice so when shopping for a mattress spend fifteen to twenty minutes lying on each candidate in your usual sleep position. Couples need to test the mattresses together since a key difference between types of mattresses is whether the movement of one person is felt by the other. A person with back problems is probably best off with a medium firm mattress – not too soft or too firm. Over the years a mattress loses its ability to give your body the support it needs. The resulting pressure points then trigger your body to tell the brain to wake up multiple times in the night so you’ll roll over. Waking up multiple times in the night for this or other reasons is equivalent to getting only four hours of sleep. So, consider buying a new mattress every ten years or so.
“Settled our brains”
The daily cycle of sleep and wake periods are regulated by our circadian biological clock within the brain’s hypothalamus which manages an army of neurotransmitters. By “settling our brains” a half hour to an hour before we go to bed we greatly enhance the quality of our sleep. This tuck-in period is the time to wind down. Brushing one’s teeth in a brightly lit bathroom is one of the worse things you can do just before climbing into bed so do this at the start of the tuck-in period. Put dimmer switches on bedroom and bathroom lights and lower the light levels at tuck-in time. Use part of the tuck-in time to pick up and declutter the bedroom to lower stress and anxiety. Keep the bedroom uncluttered and reserved exclusively for sleeping if at all possible. White and blue light suppresses melatonin delaying sleep so cover or remove electronic devices from the bedroom at tuck-in time even e-book readers. It is best for you and your child’s overall health to remove TVs from the bedrooms altogether. “Long winter’s nap” How much sleep do we need? The longer we sleep the greater the percentage of time spent in the restorative N3 and consolidating REM periods. Newborn babies spend 50% of their 16 to 18 hours of sleep per day in REM sleep because of all the demands of growing and learning and the need to organize and set up connections in the brain. Teenagers, another demanding time in life, require ten hours of sleep a night and their circadian rhythm naturally shifts their day to wake later and go to bed later. Younger children need more hours of sleep than the teenagers. Adults including seniors level off at eight hours of sleep. While the quality of sleep can decrease with age, the need for eight hours of sleep does not. If we take a typical day in the life of a teenager, they get up at 6:30 a.m., have classes from 7:50 to 3:25 p.m., have marching band or athletic practice from 3:45 to 6, have dinner and then do 3 hours of homework from 7 to 10. If they get in bed by 10:30 they need to sleep until 8:30 the next morning way past the tardy bell to get ten hours of needed sleep. They sit in class with lessened ability to concentrate or pay attention and feel moody and stressed. The teacher assigns more homework to make up for the lack of learning in the classroom and this devitalizing cycle of sleep deprivation continues. Further, sleep deprivation is now linked to obesity because the tired brain releases the hunger hormones and to Type II diabetes. According to the National Institute of Health, sleep deprivation in children can cause daytime hyperactivity and decrease in focused attention. This can be mistaken for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or other behavior disorders! At bedtime and through the night, have the bedroom as dark and quiet as possible. Have the thermostat of the bedroom wing programmed between 65 to 68 degrees F starting at tuck-in time until around dawn. Have plants to take out carbon dioxide and add oxygen into the room. Have red night lighting outside the bedroom and in the bathroom if you need to get up in the night. This gives you enough light to see but not enough of the white/blue light to bring you to a fully awake state and make it difficult to go back to sleep.
“Sprang from my bed”
In the morning, the best way to wake up fresh and alert is to do so naturally with the light of the sun with the bedrooms oriented to get eastern light. The thermostat is programmed to bring the temperature of the room to around 70 degrees F. Your body wakes you up at the end of REM instead of the alarm clock jerking you awake in the middle of your dream. This is the decade we’ll change our attitudes as a society about sleep as we come to understand the neurobiology of sleep and its massive impact on our physical and mental health and productivity.
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”
Further readings:
Twas the Night Before Christmas in its original version:
http://www.nightbeforechristmas.biz/poem.htm
National Institute of Health “Your Guide to Healthy Sleep
http://catalog.nhlbi.nih.gov/catalog/product/Your-Guide-to-Healthy-Sleep/11-5271
TEDtalk by Russell Foster “Why We Sleep”
http://www.ted.com/playlists/223/talks_to_inspire_you_to_go_to
Nice!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Agreed! I wear a fitbit which tracks my sleep stages and I always feel more rested after a good night's sleep. We read before we go to bed (9pm) but generally fall off to sleep more like 10pm. We're up by 6:30, generally. I do read on a tablet but set the background to black and turn the brightness way down. It's dimmer than a nightlight. Works for me.
Another hint is to actually put red night lights (like a string of red led lights under the toe kick of the cabinets in your bathroom if you need to get up in the middle of the night because they don't wake you up and you get back to sleep faster. Brush your teeth at the beginning of a tuck in time rather then just before you go to bed so with the bright lights of the bathroom triggering serotonin which wakes you up. It is currently accepted that serotonin (5-HT) functions predominantly to promote wakefulness (W) and to inhibit REM (rapid eye movement) sleep (REMS). The bright blue-white light also suppresses melatonin.
We have enough ambient light coming in from outside that I don't need to turn on any lights when I get up to use the bathroom; because most nights I do get up. We also brush our teeth about 7pm, there is no more eating after that (dinner is usually before 6), so we seal the deal by brushing our teeth!
Will check out this book. Thank you! And I totally agree about exercise being better than any drug.
I am also 76 and live in the NC Piedmont and jealous of you living in the mountains. Robert Reich says we are in the red zone. Peter's book is a must read for every person on the planet as ones health matters more than politics or other extraneous diversions. Speaking of diversions there is Artificial Intelligence. From The Guardian this morning. "Last month, a Reuters report showed that groups of Tesla employees privately shared via an internal messaging system sometimes highly invasive videos and images recorded by customers’ car cameras between 2019 and 2022." This is not AI exactly, however, can you imagine Elon Musk the billionaire not gaining control of a portion of AI? Can you imagine he would not use it terribly if it suited his purpose. For an understanding of AI 'Robethics' by Matteo Di Michele is an engrossing read providing a full understanding. I found every page to give value. Previous books on health, technology and finance have never gotten my attention enough to finish. I have had personal failings in each category so my interest in the two mentioned today are high compliment to the authors and a surprise to me.
Afterthought disclaimer that Matteo is my son in law. I apologize for the omission. The book is to soon be published in Italian and after a book for children.
During the height of lockdown, the only thing that brought me sanity and a calm sense of relief was going for a walk. I live near the beach but I didn't have to walk on it. Just being outside was enough for me. Now we play pickleball regularly too, and my sanity continues. I've always been an active person and now 70, I say I move so I can continue to move!
My motto: “Keep moving!”
Morning walks with my dog save me. Exercise is so important.
I have had the privilege to lead an exercise group for people with Parkinson’s for the past 20+ years. Not only is exercise an essential means of slowing the progression of their disease, the group is a safe place for people with PD to socialize and feel safe.
I trained at the Y and the teaching 'use it or lose it' works for me
Success story and a bonus knowing Texas has some good places to live like Kerrville.
💙🏃🏻♀️🚴♀️🚣♀️🧘🏻♀️🩰
I am a resounding cyclist, totally addicted, know my route, get dirty changing tires, the works!
Good advice Cathy! As a retired oncology nurse, my go-to for filling myself back up was a walk in nature. As times got more and more stressful, I found I needed these walks more frequently until it was almost at a daily rate (luckily I live near a large park). I pretty much hit the wall when patients were demanding that we order them Ivermectin (we are an oncology clinic for God's sake!!) and swearing at us if we didn't cooperate. We had to install metal detectors in the ER because of violent threats. Then I knew it was time to make a change. This wasn't part of the bargain.
As an avid reader, I found Diana Beresford Kroeger really interesting in this regard. she has a PhD in Medical biochemistry and botany. She was also trained by Druid ancestors as a child. Her discussion of the effects of the smells of nature and the impact on our nervous system is fascinating. eg. pine resins, when inhaled have a calming effect on the nervous system. Her books are a little challenging to find, but well worth it. Our local indep bookstore only had one of her books (Powells in Ptld), our library had none but ordered a couple after I made a request. Check out her website; https://dianaberesford-kroeger.com/
Thanks to Robert and Jessica Craven - if it weren't for them, I'd be wallowing in despair some days.
In Great Britain they have gardens for smells in elderly living places because the smells in a garden is so good for mental health and memory. Here is an article I just found about how to have a haptic (all the senses) garden. Love the idea of taking care of all the senses in our homes and gardens.
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/gardens-for-the-senses#smell-a-garden-for-the-senses
Love all your comments. Will look up Diana Beresford Kroeger. So sorry you decided to make a change away from nursing. So understandable in today's negativity. It is destroying healthcare, education, rights, and safety! Yes thank goodness for Robert and Jessica. Together we can conquer all this! We, the People, all of us this time!
also conversing with nature.
You’re so right, Cathy, exercise is key to maintaining some sort of balance in our lives. My small town has a wonderful marina where we are treated to seeing small and large ships, kayakers, sailboats, floating by. Our waters connect to the Carquinez Straits which bring sturgeon nearby. It’s just calming to watch the water flow in and out with the tides. We have many trails that are offered to us and our dogs. Walking is a necessity in my life. Happy peaceful weekend to everyone!
Cathy Learoyd, Getting out in Nature is ideal to restore emotional health. Urban Parks are a godsend.
The song “What’s Love Got To Do With It” is ringing in my mind as “What Do Butterflies Have To Do With It.”
Have No Expectations.
Nothing is similar to past “normal”
One must reinvent oneself, as though inside a cocoon, to adapt to a new world, where one can discover new resources to adapt to unfamiliar experiences.
Markers For Democracy members are artists, decorating GOTV postcards, among the zillions of other projects to Save Democracy.
From conversations on Zoom, I have discovered the Joy of rubber stamping postcards!
Zoom meetings often include discussions of Sharpie Markers and other wonderful art supplies and designs. To encourage voters to vote.
Walking in neighborhood gardens is beyond uplifting.
Turnout, turnout, turnout, adapt, adapt, adapt.
Antodotes for anger and anxiety -- the song “What’s Love Got To Do With It” rings in my imagination as “What’s Butterflies Got To Do With It” -- the Butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
Writing postcards with Markers For Democracy, where members are also artists and often discuss artistic postcard designs along with saving democracy,m, emerging from my own cocoon I discovered the joy of rubber stamps, for decorating GOTV postcards!
From these new and frightening experiences, one must have no expectations, to adjust to how everything has changed.
Artists’ rubber stamp designs have opened a delightful new path.
Onward!
Taking a break, the song “What’s Love Got To Do With It” rings in my mind, as “What’s Butterflies Got To Do With It.”
Nature and action are my antidotes for anger and anxiety.
As a butterfly inside its cocoon, one must have no expectations, wrapping oneself inside an emotional imaginary cocoon.
Nothing can return to our accustomed “normal” again.
To adapt and adjust to living with these frightening new and unfamiliar experiences, my cocoon is walking in the extraordinary urban gardens and parks, and writing postcards on Zoom with Markers For Democracy, where members are all artists often discussing artistic designs and art supplies to decorate postcards, encouraging voters to vote to support to support Democracy.
My new butterfly experience is the craft of rubber stamping!
Designing and adding rubber stamp designs provides a delightful, joyful new entry into our new reality.
Taking a break, the song “What’s Love Got To Do With It” rings in my mind, as “What’s Butterflies Got To Do With It.”
Nature and action are my antidotes for anger and anxiety.
As a butterfly inside its cocoon, one must have no expectations, wrapping oneself inside an emotional imaginary cocoon.
Nothing can return to our accustomed “normal” again.
To adapt and adjust to living with these frightening new and unfamiliar experiences, my cocoon is walking in the extraordinary urban gardens and parks, and writing postcards on Zoom with Markers For Democracy, where members are all artists often discussing artistic designs and art supplies to decorate postcards, encouraging voters to vote to support to support Democracy.
My new butterfly experience is the craft of rubber stamping!
Designing and adding rubber stamp designs provides a delightful, joyful new entry into our new reality.
Taking a break, the song “What’s Love Got To Do With It” rings in my mind, as “What’s Butterflies Got To Do With It.”
Nature and action are my antidotes for anger and anxiety.
As a butterfly inside its cocoon, one must have no expectations, wrapping oneself inside an emotional imaginary cocoon.
Nothing can return to our accustomed “normal” again.
To adapt and adjust to living with these frightening new and unfamiliar experiences, my cocoon is walking in the extraordinary urban gardens and parks, and writing postcards on Zoom with Markers For Democracy, where members are all artists often discussing artistic designs and art supplies to decorate postcards, encouraging voters to vote to support to support Democracy.
My new butterfly experience is the craft of rubber stamping!
Designing and adding rubber stamp designs provides a delightful, joyful new entry into our new reality.
Oh my goodness. In last night's Newsletter, Robert included a reminder about the challenge to flip the Virginia state house away from Republican control, and you, dear readers, more than 170 of you, donated a whopping $7,148 in a single day for candidates' campaigns through The States Project "Tending to Democracy" Giving Circle. Your donations ranged from $5 to $500, and some good people subscribed for monthly donations.
Your contributions are a fitting tribute to all those men and women who gave their lives in service of democracy, as we honor them this Memorial Day weekend.
On behalf of the Tending to Democracy Giving Circle, thank you.
Ellie Kona
https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/1XQhnyD/Tending-to-Democracy
Thank you, Ellie, for your efforts to save the soul of America.
We will fly the flag with appreciation this weekend. My folks managed to survive WWII. In fact, they met at a hospital in Italy. Mom nursed the wounded Lieutenant who fell in love. They were the lucky ones who were able to return home and raise a family.
They rarely talked about the horrors they experienced. But I know they were changed people. I miss them.
And they helped to change the world.
I I don’t think the negotiators on debt ceiling are close, and reports I have read suggest Biden maybagreebtomsomecRepublican demands proving their economic hostage taking works. Instead Biden should exit from negotiations and issue an Executive Order under 14rh Amendment and obligation to ensure all laws are faithfully executed.
I have advocated for the 14th Amendment approach too, but it is not risk free. Bonds issued without congressional authorization will have a significantly higher interest rate than bonds issued with congressional authorization. They markets also might view a default as a default regardless of the 14th amendment. So, a an acceptable negotiated solution is preferable; the 14th Amendment is a fail safe.
Thanks Robert for the bond rate info. Setting that concern aside for a moment, this scenario looks to me like the big upside to Biden invoking the 14th Amendment:
1) Biden gives a televised Oval Office passionate speech a) hammering the obscene danger of this world hostage situation and those driving it; b) how it's got to stop FOR GOOD; and c) him declaring that all federal bills authorized by Congress in the past WILL be paid, per the Constitution. Period.
2) The GOP struggles, but finds a way to acquire "standing" and brings this case, in an expedited way, before the Supreme Court. The essence of their argument is "Biden and the Executive Branch must stop paying the governments bills". The public FINALLY sees clearly what the GOP's and Biden's positions are.
3) Having a clear 19th century Constitutional mandate on one hand, and a 20th century law on the other, the Justices have to decide which has more validity. More importantly, they know that if they decide against Biden, the international economic ramifications will likely be immediate and severe – not like most of their decisions that have a tail gradually extending out for years. Talk about pressure to not do anything rash!
4) IF the SCOTUS sides with the Republicans, the markets etc. very quickly spiral into trouble, and the House GOP (& Senate) extends the debt ceiling for another two months, and we are back to square one, with Biden and McCarthy negotiating. But Democrats and Independents now have a new respect for Biden for having shown fire and guts while trying to put a permanent end to this insanity. The Supreme Court looks even worse than before, making a Court expansion after 2024 acceptable to far more people. And now Biden = fiercely determined stability and the GOP = home of many crazy and ruthless radicals, just like most Independents suspected.
5) But IF the Supreme Court decides in Biden's favor, the gun periodically being put to the world's head by a radical minority has been disassembled and thrown in the river!
So, I'm seeing that as a risk worth taking. And doing it at the last minute - like next week - would allow Biden to say that he had tried and tried for weeks to reach an agreement, but the Republican demands were just way too far outside of reason and the mainstream.
I like your analysis, Tyler. Biden started out with "not negotiable" and apparently is now going to give in to almost all the GOP demands. This cannot lead to a good outcome in the long run.
That presupposes that when you take those loons outside and tilt their heads skywards that they believe it's blue. They do not. They will never believe it's blue. Either way you cut or slice it they (and the media) are going to spin it as Biden and the Dem's faults for the economy tanking. They will never admit that their supreme leaders are responsible for it.
I like that image, Erica! But I'm saying this is a strategy for Biden to KEEP the economy from tanking. If all hell broke loose, it would be BECAUSE the GOP took this to the Supreme Court and WON! To avoid taking the blame, the GOP would have to quickly raise the debt ceiling for a short period.
You're right, of course, that the Trumpistas would see all this as Biden's fault. And only maybe 5-10% of Americans are swing voters who care about the facts. But winning them over is what will be necessary for next year. Most of them are probably very tired of crazy talk, and I believe they would respect Biden more if he said "Enough!". Be a fighter, Joe!
And crazy, they are!!
I also think that the MAGA Republicans are not going to cooperate if they did get an agreement. They are focused on doing as Trump wants which is to default. McCarthy does not have control of the Republican House in any way.
Biden should not do anything Trump wants and neither should the rest of us.
Thank you Harold. I 100% agree. Intermingling budget negotiation and the debt ceiling is simply furthering a dangerous precedent.
For those who have given their very best, Memorial Day.
"I ask one thing, that in still far off days, someone who knew me should in their daily
rounds suddenly pause, caught by some sight or sound, some glance, some phrase, some trick of memories way, which brings me to mind, then I shall wait eager with hope, perhaps to hear "How great if he were with us still!" And then at the end, all that I wish for is just -
"He was my friend."
A Soldiers Epitaph, circa 1863
Stan Brown,
Tay Ninh,Vietnam 1969
Your message rings with truth!
Thanks for the upbeat message. Every year I recall the message of a Gulf War veteran friend of mine.
There is no happy Memorial Day. It is a solemn occasion to reflect upon those who sacrifice their lives for this country.
Yes, I never understood the "Happy Memorial Day" or "Have a good Memorial Day" or .....
And what will happen over this weekend will be celebratory fireworks and firecrackers instead of quiet remembrance.
Amen
Let’s also reflect and pray for more collective wisdom to foster a more mature culture that has many fluid options for softening and resolving conflict without resorting to military weapons and massive loss of life.
that will take more women in leadership positions
That is really well said🙏
I hope the reports on negotiations are not totally true; that Biden will NOT negotiate on items affecting the most needy and defenseless among us. I no longer attend church and should be one of the last to proselytize. Yet I cannot get out of my mind a sermon I heard a generation ago by a young priest in Meridian, Idaho. Yet, Kevin McCarthy and band don’t care. President Biden, feed his sheep; care for them. Remember that at your Mass tomorrow. Use the 14th Amendment. Christ and the rest of us Progressive-Liberals want that. So there, Christian Nationalists and givers of tax breaks to the most privileged among us!
I thought this was an interesting take on the debt ceiling issue by Lawrence O'Donnell ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Y9cjGfEjE&ab_channel=MSNBC... I hope he's right.
I also don’t go to church anymore. At some point it stopped feeling wrong for a whole lot of reasons.
We can all find renewed courage and resolve as we reflect up those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom this weekend. They shall not have died in vain.
I would like to ask our community to lift all that have served to defend our country up in there hearts this weekend. We are here to debate, discuss, support and defend democracy because of their sacrifices. Let us also not forget Brian Sicknick, Howard Liebengood and Jeffrey Smith, fallen Capital and Metropolitan police heroes that defended our nation in plain sight while the world watched in shock on Jan 6, 2021. May they all rest in eternal peace and may their memories forever be blessings.
It is good to remember that so many gave their lives for this country over a number of wars. It always seemed that we at least had one true vision of America at those times. I honestly don’t think that is the case anymore. I wonder who will go now, or if will become just another partisan issue. On a different note, I hope you’ll help us understand how all these states became majority red states. It feels overwhelming, as if the Democrats were asleep at the wheel while the GQP rigged the system year after year. I live in NC, and remember well when the GQP took over in 2010. Prior to that, we had a very long reign as a Democratic-dominant state. It’s been downhill ever since, though the worst has happened over the last few years. I wonder how VA has turned to the dark side? They were such a role model for the South. Did the message of white fear and impending doom just mobilize so many rural voters that it made the difference? What could the Democratic message be that frighten and motivate all of our reluctant voters??? I could give them a list of dozens of things to be afraid of under GQP rule, but we need a massive effort and a killer message to wake the beast of Democratic voters who want to take back their states. The fact that so many don’t even realize they are voting against their own self-interests is the great irony and mystery of all of this……………..
I think the problem is messaging. Theirs is selfish, and about fear and loathing. Ours is considerate, and about hope and peace. Their approach is offense, while ours is defense. That must change.
Hope and peace are not dirty words. They seem more necessary every day.
I recently finished reading "Why We're Polarized" by Ezra Klein, and then gave a summary of it at a local forum. It's a fairly short book with MANY important observations. But it's also dense, even for someone like me who is very oriented towards the psychology/sociology of what's behind the craziness of this moment. Nonetheless, it explains the numerous and complex factors driving American polarization. Brick by brick, Klein lays out how this wall got so daunting.
I grew up in the Deep South, but left long ago. I really feel for people in Alabama, North Carolina, etc. All Americans, but especially Southerners, might find this book helpful.
Sounds intriguing. In a nutshell, what is its conclusion about how this happened? I know it started from the whole notion of slavery and the effort to eliminate that in this country.
Tough question, Laura, but I'll take a stab at putting this in a nutshell:
1) Political developments during and after the civil rights movement polarized and re-structured the two parties, and citizens sorted themselves, more than in many decades, into liberals a conservatives.
2) New progressive issues (anti-war, environmentalism, human rights, improved social safety net, etc.) fed the division. Reagan's tax policies, and the gradually resulting social/income inequality, did likewise.
3) The powerful dynamics of tribalism and unconscious bias make polarization likely to worsen in any circumstances. That's been dramatically fed since ~2000 by the Internet, social media, the responses of news media, and political fundraising. Virtually everyone, left and right, has been embracing Internet culture without realizing it is a deadly poison to our politics.
4) The demographics threat to the power of white Christians is in fact very real. The numbers Klein quotes are amazing. Very unfortunately, but not surprisingly, their response is fear and fury, and willingness to use basically any means of staying in power/control.
5) There are Constitutional flaws that had rarely been politically exploited since the 19th century - on the basis of decency, expectations of fairness, gentleman's agreements, etc. Now each of those flaws is a battlefield as the GOP gets ever more desperate to "not lose their country".
Thanks for the reminder to focus on honoring those who gave us the opportunity to remain a free democracy. Lots of power in those thoughts and we will NOT let them down. You’re right - let’s relax and get above all this and focus on our roots and those whose shoulders we’re standing on. We can do this - they did. Thanks coach for another half time boost ! The odds are on us!
Thanks for the reminder. I’ve been jousting with people this week about what Memorial Day is for. I think I’ll go and give myself a break today.
My father, Reagan, turns 100 in August. My mother, Jean, turns 99 in November. My dad served in WWII. My mother did her part by accompanying members of the military tasked with the job of informing family members of their loss. On June 2 they will celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary. While I do not like war, I admire and appreciate all who do their part to protect our democracy. And I am grateful they adopted me at 3 days old so we became a family.
Great story. I was also adopted at three days old and had wonderful parents 😊
thanks as always & enjoy gathering and friends — while remaining aware that, even though the pandemic emergency may be officially lifted, risks of infection are still higher in groups & cases of covid can still be serious. 🤞💝 😊
A friend caught Covid last week!
I got it for the first time 2.5 weeks ago, five vaccines and being really careful for 3+ years. I foolishly let my guard down and BAM.
I heard that there has been a big resurgence in China?