Manolo Taure, in his printmaking studio, c.78
Reminder: this weekend is Merida English Library’s 7th-annual artists’ studio tour. It will last for two days this year. Tickets available at the library on c.53 between c.66 and c.68. Meet local talent. Buy direct.
Stone heads of La Venta . The Olmecs. (Walker is well-behind 20-ton sculpture)
We’ve just returned from a wonderful trip, commencing at the Gulf of Mexico, near Villahermosa, gradually moving upland to about 7000 feet, at San Cristóbal de las Casas, in Chiapas – the southern-most state.
Up front, I want to tell readers what a peaceful experience we’ve had, living and traveling in Mexico. Yes, all countries have violence. (Look at daily mass-shootings, of four-or-more victims in schools and churches in US, and compare that to cartel corpses hanging from bridges in Mexico – along with some violent robberies – asking which is worse – not that anyone wishes to compete in these categories!) O, may equality of opportunity come soon, to both lands! AMEN.
From the sculpture park at La Venta, our attentive and thorough tour-guide, Marina Aguirre, took us to the Lacandon jungle where a small number of Mayan families have governed the jungle, and retained many of their ancient cultural practices. We stayed at a welcoming but modest inn, called TOP CHE run by one of these families, and we also visited nearby ruins on the mighty Usumacinta River, by boat, not by “rafting”.
TOP CHE Camp, Lacandon jungle
Grandfather Enrique, & clan : grandaughter Top Che, biggest smile, back row.
River boat, to Yaxchilán ruins.
Our sturdy, steady, river pilot –he looks like a La Venta head! no?
Marina addresses group of 17 at entry of protective maze to Yaxchilán.
Great mound & stele, along “superhighway” of river.
Admit it. You’re a believer. You believe in something, many things. Anyone who has ever taken Philosophy 101 has heard this question: why is there something rather than nothing? (Nothing is what the rocks dream of, wrote Aristotle.) You “believe” but the varieties of belief are vast. Perhaps you believe in a god of wrath who, like santa claus, knows naughty from nice ; or in ha satan (Hebrew for the accuser: AKA satan, the boogey man) ; or in material reductionism (a determinism which denies free will, arguing that atomic force-fields comprise reality, denying that you have any choice) ; or in a Messiah (ever-present, or yet to come, and/or in an attendant Holy Ghost) ; or in The Church of Medicine (no heretics or free-thinkers allowed) ; or naturopathy ; or in sex-drugs-and rock’n’roll ; or simply in gardening your beliefs. Interpretation is everything. And culture shapes our beliefs. So, on to the two books . . .
I’ve just finished reading both books depicted above, back to back. What a fabulous experience! I read the Alphabet book first, but at 450 pages, I suggest you start with Why Religion?, as it’s faster paced, and gripping. I’ve enjoyed several books by Elaine Pagels, and am stunned by the candor of her storytelling here. It’s autobiographical — painfully so. She relates the loss of her first child, age 6, followed by the death of her husband, a prominent physicist, a year later while on a group hike, shortly after they had adopted two infants. (I’ll put her book alongside a classic by CS Lewis, titled A Grief Observed.) While the Pagels book could be prickly for someone recovering from loss of a loved one, her telling contains blessings, and surprises. (Read it before gifting it.) It contains much wisdom about consoling the bereaved. She deals with anger, rage, superstition, alcoholism, depression, theology, and much more.
Next, The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, was written by a nuerosurgeon who was also a competent scholar with interests in history, anthropology, language, and gender-issues. He, too, is a great storyteller — and his book argues compellingly that the world became a crueler place due to the invention of reading and writing, when matriarchy was displaced by patriarchy (and by its male hunting-parties and armies). Momma! –this book is an education. And it’s in the collection at Merida English Library, with a Dewey number of 302.22.
The Pagels book can also be found there, as I have donated my copy to the collection.
Self Portraits, by Cecilia Paredes @Museum of Latin American Art, until December 30.
¿ Is there a distinction between “foreigners” and “outsiders” ? Adults in Mexico, as elsewhere in the world, tell children not to talk with strangers (extraños). This word can also be translated as outsiders or even as weirdos. In some sense we’re all strangers in a mixture called culture. And it’s often entertaining.
FOREING CLUB BAR c.72@c.43, centro Merida, Yucatan, MX
Yes, culture is entertainment, but there is more to it than being entertained. “We” seem especially to love it when people fail. The current US president has made a career out of entertaining by firing people for failing to satisfy his demands. His most recent farce has been on TV, meeting with the leaders of Congress. Ultimately he (and his fellow citizens) are big losers for the distraction he has caused with his brand of enterainment, rather than working to improve the social fabric by governing reasonably. He has refused to govern, instead choosing to distract by focusing attention on himself.
He is not a foreigner, nor even an outsider. He is a weirdo, in terms of governance, rejecting skill in that discipline — which always requires compromise, resulting in both sides of a deal feeling that they got the best possible deal, under the circumstances. (This way, everybody wins.) But in his view there is no winner unless there is a big loser. (His father reportedly taught him that there are only two kinds of people: killers who become kings ; and losers.) This seems a dangerous sociopathology. But the purpose of my post is to explore fitting in.
Humankind is a social species, like ants and honeybees. Some biologists view the beehive as a single organism. And that observation can be extended to humans. Using a Greek word meaning organs, St Paul says, literally, that we are each others’ organs, which largely goes unnoticed in today’s English translations, rendered variously as we are members one of another (see especially verses 4 and 5). But tribalism is a problem : us and them; who’s in? — and who’s out? “The Other.” Which reminds me of a poem by Edward Markham, and another verse of scripture, from Genesis.
He drew a circle that shut me out –
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him In!
Genesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one[*] to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor. –NLT
49:10 El cetro no se apartará de Judá, ni la vara de gobernante de entre sus pies, hasta que venga Siloh[*], y a él sea dada la obediencia de los pueblos. –BLA
* The Hebrew word transliterated into a Latin alphabet as Shiyloh, Shiloh (ENG) Siloh (SPAN) – can be rendered “the owner” (which concept is sometimes translated as Lord, in English; or Señor, in Spanish).
I have no idea how to love a man who has such a view of life as to aspire to rule by being “a killer”. But I’m relieved to be reminded of Who is truly in charge. Global citizenship requires this effort of inclusion. I aspire to being an upstanding citizen. ¿ How’bout you ? — What can we do, together, to recognize Divine Government?
American Association of Editorial Cartoonists. FRESH DAILY !!!
The political cartoonist who drew the above item, Rob Rogers, was recently fired by his paper in Pittsburgh for being “too political”. ¿ Sorta like a president being unpresidential, no? Rogers lost his job, but still appears in syndicated publication. Cartoonists stick together, and are a political force. I visit their site daily to see what they’re drawing. And today I updated the Wikipedia page on this topic to include a link to their collective contributions, with gratitude, for Thanksgiving Day. (Yes, gratitude is a force, too. I’m grateful, among so many things, for our First Amendment, which allows us to speak power to authority, without risking our lives.)
Here’s what Wikipedia presently says to introduce its topical entry :
An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is a drawing containing a commentary expressing the artist’s opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically combine artistic skill, hyperbole and satire in order to question authority and draw attention to corruption, political violence and other social ills.[1][2]Developed in England in the latter part of the 18th century, James Gillray was a pioneer of the political cartoon.[3] Founded in 1841, the British periodical Punch appropriated the term cartoon to refer to its political cartoons, which led to the term’s widespread use.[4]
Duct-taped water bottle, PHOTOS by Tom Keifer, series linked below.
All magicians use distraction: Look, over there! Invaders! (Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain, that armed bear, that loon with an extended-mag Glock who’s about to shoot up your place of worship, or your kid’s classroom, or your place of refreshment, or entertainment venue — who maybe can’t hold a driver license due to instability — but can easily buy military-grade assault weapons.) They call this “states’ rights”, but whatever happened to our right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness?
Ah, 2nd Amendment. Our elected officials prefer to defend their own jobs rather defending public lives by creating a federally-regulated system of checks on gunners’ “rights” to arm bears, crazy-angry bears. (¿ They can regulate, federally, whomever is allowed to fly a plane, but not who can buy an assault rifle?)
Yes, a congress of cowards. So, what about that phrase in the 2nd A? : a well-regulated militia. Apparently congress knows better than to poke a bear in its den, even if it will surely soon emerge again to ravage the nearest watering hole, or school, or church. Yes, cowards, on both sides of the aisle.
Of course, the feds need to control borders, just as they need to control planes, and toxins, and fires, and weapons.
I own a few long guns for sport. I spent four years defending this nation. I want our elected officials, many of whom have never served (other than themselves) to step up and defend the citizenry. Guys, you’re way late! You work for us. Get busy bringing federal regulation to this insanity. Be willing to lay down your careers for your neighbors! Greater love has no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends. ~Jesus
Photographer/designer Tom Keifer has done an eloquent job depicting the risks and costs of fleeing poverty — just as nearly all of our ancestors did – including President Trump’s first American ancestor, Friedrich Drumpf, who came to America in 1885, apparently to dodge the draft in Germany. (I have no idea what Mr Keifer’s views might be on assault weapons, or politics, but I admire his photographic work.)
All detainees are stripped of their belts which are generally discarded. As they move through the court system and eventually deported, they wear pants with no belt and shoes with no shoelaces. (All photos by Tom Keifer.)
SEE TWO COMMENTS.
COMMENTS CLOSED, DUE TO ATTEMPTED HACKS.
Photo by Lawrie Cate, flickr; illustration selected by MeridaGOround
THIS IS NEWS. I think it is rare, and historic. But it has already mostly been censored, pulled from view, (correction: my report originally said “less than an hour after appearing at npr” but that was based on a timestamp of 5:33pm,Nov.2 which may have been the audio version of a visible story which first posted online at 5:20pm, Nov.1 — but that does not excuse removal of a major invitation on the eve of such a solemn memorial.). The link below is still working, as of now. The buried article (below) invites people of faith across America to attend Jewish services Saturday, in memory of the shooting in a synagogue in Pittsburgh:
There is a call for non-Jews to join Jewish congregations this weekend in a show of solidarity. A rabbi and a pastor in St. Louis talks about the event, labeled #ShowUpForShabbat.
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Electrtonic mosquito racquet
Yeah, yeah, there is no such prize category. But there should be! And the iPhone doesn’t need a prize, as it has already won the market.
So, here’s the first nomination. This little gem will help you tame the turf inside your house — and it gives such satisfaction to hear it bark and see it spark, when you connect with one of those evil bloodsuckers, mid-air. There are numerous brands and styles. I prefer the plug-in variety, as batteries seem wasteful. I always leave mine plugged into the wall so I know where to find it — it doesn’t hold much of a charge, fading after about a half-dozen kills. (Of course the best control is good screening of windows and doors.) But mosquitos get in when people enter or depart, so I sweep the area immediately.
You can buy such racquets in larger grocery stores, from Amazon MX, and often at major intersections. They really work. In Spanish: raqueta de mata moscos. Good hunting!
(NB: swing gently – otherwise you will whack furniture, ruining the delicate device, which consists of three layers of metal mesh.)
SEE AUTHOR’S NOTE IN COMMENTS.
screenshot from official trailer, via youtube
This film is uplifting, while also deeply saddening — that such an angry intemperate partisan corporatist has just been appointed to the highest court. (During his job interview he blasted Democratic Senators — making it apparent that petitioners from the left were unlikely to get a fair hearing.) The court has now lost all credibility and impartiality. Justice is not 5:4. Below I’ve saved some balanced insights from highly qualified authors from right and left. < < < begin pastes > > >
Jesuits withdraw Kavanaugh nomination (K had gone to a Jesuit prep school)
Dean of Yale Law says Kavanaugh unfit to serve on court ; says “there will be hell to pay.”
Conservative Max Boot says “Before Donald Trump, the Republican Party was a majority conservative party with a white nationalist fringe. Now it’s a white nationalist party with a conservative fringe.” Boot’s views on Kavanaugh are revealing about this trend – excerpt from interview mentioning his new book.
An excellent book describing the high crimes of the court, by a former clerk to a federal judge. (I’ve donated this book to the collection at Merida English Library.) NB: there are many one-star reviews. One commenter observers that ” The statistical probability that this review was written by a troll is extremely high.” (There was a spate of short, one-star reviews within a three day period.)
Approaching Xkokoh
I’ve been to Uxmal several times. I’ve visited Aké, Calakmul, Chichen Itzá, Mayapan, and more. I’m fascinated by ancient “lost” cities. Recently I was honored to be invited by a friend and neighbor to hike into some of the more remote sites. It was especially delightful, due to his expertise, as he has been exploring ruins of the Puuc region (meaning: hills) for over thirty years, and knows of ruins that are remote from tourism in Yucatan.
Stephan Merk, that neighbor in Merida, is serious about these ruins, and has written about them (see two books at top of linked page). He organized our overnight visit chronologically, so that another friend and I would notice the evolution of the architectural styles, starting with the proto-Puuc, and transitioning all the way to the “squatters” after the population collapse, encompassing more than 500 years of masonry building practices.
Here’s a photo of our intrepid instructor, seated at a spot he has chosen as a time-study for capturing the aging of a ruin, and its observer, having collected these images seated upon this same block, at Canacruz/Chuncatzim 1, over the years :
Ruina Canacruz / Chuncatzim 1.
Hultun.
Above is the oldest site we visited — on the grounds of the eco-lodge where we stayed. Just imagine exploring a smallish temple/house in the jungle that was likely built around the year 550, of the common era! (The person in straw sombrero at top of rise is Umberto, a Mayan guide who is often available at the lodge.)
Sabacche 5.
Chuncatzim 1.
Descending into a dry well (“chultun”) near Sta.Elena, Yucatan (two images).
Window in my very comfortable room at the lodge.
