Good Thursday Morning to the Gnusies and all ye seekers of the Good News here at DailyKos! Thank you so much for swinging by….or dropping in….or accidentally clicking on something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT…..or stumbling in looking for coffee, black tea, something-something breakfast OR at least an invitation to mimosas. This DailyKos Good News diary (posted Every Single Day by a dedicated host of hosts and hostesses) appears on this political site for mental renewal, spiritual refreshment, emotional relaxation, and intellectual reflection. Once a month my handlers here let me out of my padded quarters to let me “triptoe” through the tulips, land face first and invite you to read, comment, clarify, extend, correct, expand upon, condense to a wisdom nugget, all sorts of positive and Good News items floating across your pixels, news feeds and general Internet surfing.
Top of the Morning Good News
Having officially, financially retired recently myself (Yesterday marked the arrival of the second Social Security check evah! But…..I mean…...that’s for OLD PEOPLE. ME? I”m still young! I still got it! I’m just better than ever…..) it is still a wonder. I have tried to do some planning, but it is still something of a wonder (“I wonder what I should do first? I wonder what I should do next? I wonder if that thing needs to be done at all?”)
(As a pastor, we, like other professions, have inside jokes. One day a pastor paid a home visit to an elderly member of the church. He served her Communion, then chatted a bit. Carefully phrasing things to maybe open a religious topic (so more than just a social call) he asked, “Given the number of years you’ve put behind you, do you think much about the HereAfter?”
She took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, pastor. As a matter of fact I do.”
The pastor nodded in a quiet way. She continued. “You know, there’s hardly a day doesn’t go by when I walk into a room and I stop and say to myself, ‘Now what am I here after?”)
But now comes Golden Ager inspiration: use the talent you have, add new ones, decide on something and…..go for it. If the neighbors are…..taken aback…..that’s not your problem. So seems the attitude of Stuart Grant. He puttered, sawed, fitted, trimmed, hefted, hoisted, stained, strained…..and used his carpentry skills to enjoy himself and bring delight to others. At 90 years young, THIS STORY notes Mr. Grant’s pride: his very own, built-by-himself, Hobbit House. Let the Shire folk of the Good News Round Up Rejoice (...and click through….)
>>>>>>>>The computer age has changed things. It has taught us about data…..lots of data. Good Data. Bad Data (the Lor Phenomenon). Incomplete Data. Misleading Data. SEAS of Data. Computers are very good at absorbing and piling up data. Granted. But mere data is not yet…..Information. By the same token, information by the ship load (see Gish Gallop) is not yet…...knowledge. And knowledge is not yet…….wisdom. Study, insight and pondering are all required, and often these are not yet enough to produce wisdom.
But sometimes the data heaps of information stacked up a certain way or displayed in a fresh way DOES get you thinking and pondering. I came across THIS STORY that I thought was just a list, like “10 weird things the Greeks Used to Do” or “15 things never to stick in your Ear Canal” that are part of the flotsam and jetsam of the Internet. But these? Not every one of these 18 maps are a show stopper. But I have to admit at least a couple were worth a long pause. Your mileage may vary…. but for once, maybe worth a click…..
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As the Good News resident keeper of the History Corner (“The Good and the Goofy that happened THIS DAY in history”) you will see the LONG view on display for edification and amusement, interspersed with more current nuggets for your Good News pouch…….
Good News in Politics and Religion
Yes, yes those are the 2 topics our parents told us NOT to talk about in polite company. But….this IS a political site…….and God has been whispering in my ear…….so I guess its OK.
We have all looked on at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with disgust, sadness, and great empathy for the Ukrainian people trying to resist being erased from being Ukrainian. Lately (as in for a good 8 or 9 months) we have looked on we a certain grim satisfaction, a pugnacious attitude, and some growing hope that Russia/Putin will definitely end up on the short end of this stick, and not just militarily. This “strap our shields together” motif is especially pronounced all across Eastern Europe, one that I share. (Growing up as the son of 2 WWII Estonian refugees will do that for you.) All sorts of nations and nationalities have done all they could to cheer on and prop up and help the Ukrainians, knowing their fight is our fight.
The roots of this go way back. Ukraine was a glowing light of civilization for a couple centuries when the Mongols ran their horses over all sorts of tribes and the boyars of Muscovy had a collection of huts they called ‘Moscow.’ Poland, Lithuania, various German speakers, even Sweden have all marched their troops from Finland down to Carpathians, while Magyars (the Hungarians), Bulgars, Romanians and all sorts of Southern Slavs have traded conquests. And, since the mid-1500s, there have been the Russians…...ever numerous, ever seeking defensible borders, ever showing a gnawing envy of what others have……...sigh.
(Duda of Poland and Zelenskyy of Ukraine, with their respective colors…..and is that a dog behind them?)
Now, in the living of these days, the emergency of invasion has focused everyone’s attention and yet also obscured some of the darker strains running through Eastern Europe. Orban in Hungary has been a half-baked pariah through all of this. And, while Poland has been stalwart supporting Ukraine and jawboning the rest of NATO and in particular Germany to do “more”…..and “more”……. domestically there are some more than annoying currents. OTOH THIS PIECE in The Atlantic is over 4 years old, but it still gives a good background and baseline of where things were and maybe what is changing in Warsaw.
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The header here promises religion to go with politics, and this day delivers on this matter as well. Being of the ordained persuasion myself (and once again scheduled to preach next month at the local Lutheran congregation) today is worth noting from a world religious standpoint. On this day:
570 (A three-digit date….for us. For our Muslim friends, I think this is 632-570= Minus 62? Or 62 BP (Before the Prophet? Something like this…..) Mohammad, "The Prophet", founder of Islam and speaker in the Koran. His birthday is known as Mawlid-al-Nabi. Impact to this day on the shape of the world. Born into the Quraysh tribe, he was orphaned at an early age and found steady work in a
trade caravan. His marriage to a wealthy widow gave him opportunities to retreat annually to Mount Hira. Wisdom nugget from Islam (perhaps the Koran; I’m not sure) “Before any thought is spoken, it should first pass through three gates: Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it kind?”
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Mind you, if we’re going to go to the religious shelves of the Internet as well as human history, it is painfully true in nearly all times and all places that religions have been used to justify truly nasty stuff. OTOH, if your religion is worth anything, it recognizes humans screw up BADLY, yea verily, in EPIC proportions……and yet a religion worthy of being a religion offers a way back.
Now comes this heartening story from the Church of England. The British Empire reached far and wide, and rotten things were done repeatedly with the blessing, or encouragement, or at least the acquiescence of the leading branch of the Church. Tragically, the Church was silent far too long on the matter of slavery throughout the Empire.
But now comes THIS OPEN GESTURE: The Church of England is not only repenting of the evil they did with the slave trade, they are setting up a fund of 100 million pounds to serve as a gathering point for reparations for the descendants of enslaved people. No, its not enough. Yes, it is a long time late in coming. BUT……...it is here, and it is a Good Thing.
Good News in Arts, Literature and Music
C’mon! Being human HAS TO BE more than considering the existence (or not) and actions and nature of God/gods/goddesses/ right? And it has to be more than what the chief, prince, pharoah, satrap, Queen, lord mayor, Caesar, goddess on earth, horde leader, bishop, baroness, earl, duke, governor, president, captain regent, strongman, ward heeler, sheriff deputy, is thinking up/planning for/touching off/ for everyone on their turf, right? (Let alone somebody else’s turf…...)
We do NOT want to be bothered by relentless religion or endless politics. We just want to live…….life; to live the life of humans with the things that make life worth living. So let there be words…….and let there be delights for the eye…...and let there be dulcet tones for the ear, aromas for the nose, and delights for the tongue.
On this day:
1760 Hueva, Spain Birth of Melchor Lopez Jimenez, composer. Apart from his birthplace and day, almost nothing known about his early life, but he attended and graduated from Madrid’s Colegio Real with a degree in music (as an organist.) At age 24 he was appointed organist and music director at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (the end point of the Way of St. James pilgrimage way across Spain) and stayed on until his death 38 years later. Over 500 compositions, many of them Masses and motets but all heavily scored for orchestras. Also noted for quite a few villancicos, Iberian Advent and Christmas songs, carols and cantatas.
1809 Boston Birth of Edgar Allan Poe, writer. His father abandoned the family while Edgar was an infant and his mother died when he was 2, so he was raised in a foster family in Virginia. A good student but had a falling out with his foster father and moved back to Boston. At age 18 anonymously publish a book of his poetry. He had a hard life but the man could write: noted for intricate poems like “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee.” His short stories have been hailed as the beginning of modern detective stories, as well as a touch of horror, noted in stories such as “The Gold Bug”, “Murders at the Rue Morgue”, “The Telltale Heart”, as well as “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Abused alcohol and drugs and died at 40.
1839 Aix-en-Provence, France Birth of Paul Cézanne, painter. A gifted child he was enrolled in a boys’ boarding school of art at age12, where he, Zola and Baille became friends for life. He went to the College of Aix at the wish of his father (who wanted him to follow him as a banker) but continued studying art. He moved to Paris at age 22, causing a rift in the family. (This was later healed and when his father died Paul inherited an estate of 400,000 francs, so never had money worries for life.) Influenced by Camille Pissaro he began painting in a style that evolved away from the then-popular impressionists. He was able to paint in depth in hues of color via extra-fine brush strokes using multiple-point points of perspective. This had a profound impact on both Picasso and Matisse. (Both of them acknowledged Paul as “Father of Cubism.”) A founding figure in 20th century art.
1943 Port Arthur, Texas Texaco engineer Seth Joplin and his college registrar wife Dorothy (nee East) have their first born, a daughter, Janis. Oldest of 3, she was something of a wild child, hanging out with friends who had albums of the blues. Attended Beaumont College and University of Texas but dropped out, hitch hiked to San Francisco started recording with a member of Jefferson Airplane. Learned to play acoustic guitar, moved back to Port Arthur, and attended Lamar University. Joined up with a band and then went solo about 1969. Died too young but not forgotten.
Good News in Science & Engineering
If we are going to have a life worth living, it sure makes it convenient if scientists and engineers keep finding out stuff and inventing stuff to make things easier, safer, and all-around convenient. Our current batch of such gifted folks are still at it here in 2023!
- The University of British Columbia medical researchers report a new approach to treating and beating COVID, which we can eagerly read about and cheer.
- The Food and Drug Administration has put a stamp of approval on a new drug to treat Alzheimer’s Disease, which is a relief and a hope to read about.
- Our own DailyKos front page carried a heart warming story about getting retinal cells (for our eyes) from stem cells to not only grow, but they also can form synapses to connect to other cells. The promise here is regeneration of cells that do not regenerate…...YAY!
- And, on a less serious but still tasty note, how about helping save the planet, cut energy use, and still live comfortably? THIS REPORT describes a whole new way of…...refrigeration that looks to prove to be a Coming Thing!
Of course, these scientists and engineers have heroes and predecessors to draw on and to inspire. Why just on this little old January 19th:
1736 Greenock, Scotland Birth of James Watt, engineer and inventor. From a well-off family James enjoyed mathematics from an early age and impressed his father with constructing mechanical models of various devices. Both parents passed away when he was in his late teens. Found work first in London, then in Glasgow repairing, producing and even designing navigational instruments, which established his reputation. In the late 1760s improved on the design of a primitive steam mechanism (the Newcomen engine) with a condenser that made the steam engine a practical and useful invention, the foundation stone of the Industrial Revolution. Improved on this further by adding rotary motion to a steam-driven pump, so not only could it pump water out of mines, but also drive gristmills and sawmills and all sorts of things going in circles. Invented a paper copying system that was used until the 20th century. His work was so ground-breaking that scientists had the bright idea of naming a unit of power after him, the Watt.
1883 Roselle, New Jersey In 1879 Thomas Edison had patented the light bulb, but of course to get people to use it and buy it, something important was needed….electricity. So Edison built generators and various elements of a power grid. On this day, after a lot of men climbing stout poles all around town, Edison throws the switches on his system of overhead wires to power up the first ever electric lighting system for not just a building (like a theater) but for an entire, ordinary village. The future just got brighter…..and electrified.
1983 Silicon Valley, California Using various strengths of electrical Watts, and screwing them together in a series of parallel Edisons (aren’t those a thing?) Steve and Steve of Apple Computer (you know, Jobs and Wozniak) this day put a new desktop computer out there for sale: the “Lisa.” Sort of pricey at first, but the future got a whole lot closer to today (even if it WAS 40 years ago): the model was the first consumer computer equipped with a mouse (starting the decline and fall of coding in your next command line…..) and featuring a screen that showed a GUI (pronounced “gooey”) and standing for Graphical User Interface…….there were spots on your screen that you used the mouse to point at, and then clicked on that spot with your mouse. Then…….programs started or stopped, stuff happened, and work got done that did NOT require a white lab coat with a technician inside it. Anybody could do this! Computing for the masses! (No truth to the rumor that either Steve nicknamed their personal version of their “Lisa” a “Mona”…….)
Good News in Fun
The Great Orange Founder of DailyKos, Markos himself, was in the US Army for a stint. As the Ukraine War news has unfolded he has provided all of us an education in military logistics and various tactical and strategic matters (all of which add up to Why Russia is Losing.) We have all read him with great interest and learned a lot (I know I have.) Well, if Markos can talk modern armored warfare, so can we!
A group of new Army recruits were in their first week of tank training. One morning they had a session in the maintenance facility. The lead sergeant opened his talk with the serious motto: “If you have a tank that can communicate and shoot, but can’t move, it is essentially useless.”
A few hours later they were all seated in a big room with tables of electronics. The signals sergeant intoned as a governing principle, “If you have a tank that can move and shoot but can’t communicate, it is essentially useless.”
The group broke for lunch in the mess hall a couple hours later, then were herded over to a shooting range…...for artillery. There the gunnery sergeant leading the class, knowing the routine, began his talk by stating firmly, “If you have a tank that can move and communicate, but can’t shoot, you are basically driving a 62-ton portable radio.” :-)
Good News. Good Life. Good Living. Yep. If you are any sort of humane human being you know the good things in life are GOOD. Friends. Food. Time and place together, balanced by time and space apart. Also, it helps to have chuckles and smiles to smooth the conversation and create the conviviality.
These aspects of life have long been known. Consider that on this day
1935 Chicago Ah, if something sells at Marshall Field’s, it can sell across America, right? While elastic has been getting sewn into clothing since the 1850s (especially once they changed over from fine metal springs (!) to rubber and/or latex) but now, another step forward. In a Field’s sidewalk window Cooper’s Inc. latest offering in men’s wear goes on display, to many female giggles and a fair bit of blushing. Mannikins are showing off the world’s first pairs of men’s “briefs” which the Coopers Co. markets as “Jockey” shorts, all in white cotton, under it all for…..um…..”holding things in place.” Caught on steadily and by 1938 Coopers was selling 3000 pairs a day in the US alone (and they were exporting too.) Welcome to the “tighty whitey”…..88 years ago…..
1940 Across America. The “Hays Code” was a set of rules in the movie industry to enforce decency and morality in American films. It also discouraged feature films addressing political issues of the day, and if they did, to do so in a 1930s “both-sider” sort of way. Today the Three Stooges press the limits of the code with their film “You Natzy Spy!” The film is set in the country of Moronica, and a revolt is brewing to replace the king with a dictator who “works as a paperhanger.” Was it satire? A send-up of a certain world leader accused of being a wall paperer? To stay on the right side of the Hays People, it included this disclaimer: “Any resemblance between the characters of this picture, living or dead, is a miracle.” …….see? Totally imaginary…..
1955 Across America. Lexicographers, thesaurians (!?….one of those Central Asian countries emerging from the old USSR?…...), crossword puzzlers, great spellers and those of broad vocabularies rejoice everywhere. A board game has been designed for them: "Scrabble" debuted this day in the board game market. “Myrrh” is such a handy word sometimes, don’t you think? And you knew I was going to mention ‘psychic’, didn’t you? (Yes! Double letter score on the “y”!)
No doubt you have other moments of mirth, the surprisingly light-hearted moments of life, happening in your life. There is enough “heavy” stuff out there to depress anyone and everyone (and certain people aiming for just that…...demoralizing opponents into just giving up), so chuckling, laughing, and bemusing are all ways to restore balance and even, in their own way, fight back against the grimly, seriously, grim.
So bring it: your Good News, in story, song, art, smiles, heart-warming, nose-to-nose snuggles, in today’s comments. We can all use some of that, and thank you for chipping in.
May all your News be Good, comforting and inspiring.
Shalom.