Rhymes with Bacon: August 2020

Friday, August 21, 2020

August 20, 2020 - The Democrat National Convention

I thought the DNC was a kind of triumph -- taking an unknown, unwelcome situation and building the convention back better. It's the best convention I've ever watched -- not that I've seen that many becuase unless you are a Poli Sci wonk, conventions can be long and boring. I do remember hearing them in the background on the radio, my parents keepoing track of things, back in the day when the outcome wasn't assured in advance.

But the DNC 2020 was a convention of another character - lively, engaging, crafted more like an awards show with a tight sense of timing, mixing up taut, well-crafted speeches by the politicians invested in the process with montages of people-zooming-in-fro home sharing their support and stories. It was a very effective and well-thought out effort introducing voters to the Democrat Party and its general platform for the Nov 3, 2020 election, incluiding a strong indictment of Drumpf, whose incompetence and lack of leadership, his disinclination to be a leader rather than a boss, has endangered all our lives in many different ways: climate change disasters, epidemic, destruction of the ACA -- all of it geared toward re-election by his base, rather than genuine care for what is best for the country and all its peoples.

Visually engaging, well-paced, inspiring, surprising -- it was the perfect fodder for folks who have been kept close to the house, or who have been working too hard and taking too many risks. The Democrat Party took what looked like a disaster and re-imagined it, investing in media experts to craft a presentation of high caliber. They didn't dither around; they knocked it out of the park. And I think it represents how they would govern too - taking stock of the disasters that surround us and bringing us back better. (ha! like how I worked that in?)

I do feel like I know Joe and Kamala much more now -- and certainly with more intimacy than any other candidates during an election. TV is an intimate medium and their experts took full advantage of that, bringing us into their lives. I think the approach was rather brilliant and I hope we never go back to the old-style convention-hall conventions again.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

June 18, 2020 - Thursday. Van Jones Speaks

Van Jones, the writer, speaks about police brutality and George Floyd, in an excerpt I originally found on TaraBrach.com.n An exceptional piece, Van Jones talking about this miracle of the protests and reactions. That a black man was murdered and everyone cares. And the nuance around why that is a miracle.

I know much of my own need and desire to march, to protest, to share the Black Lives Matter slogan is that I want to physically show to the world that I do care, that I'm disgusted by the white supremacists. The presence of my body on the street, I think, means something. Actions matter. I'm so worried about this nation's slide towards the acceptance and enactment of racism. Thie ignorance of what racism is, how it operates, what the system does to all of us.

More from him: Van Jones (about) and Rebuild the Dream

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The conversation continues -- with More on Black Birders Week June 18 2020

http://vanjones.net/about/

https://www.youtube.com/user/rebuildthedream

June 17 Wednesday How Strange to See The Path in the Woods

A Poem on Oddness

You again, he said... how to see, strange

paths diverge across the wood, he said

so strange, wind pushes trees upside down.

How to see the woods for the trees, he

said, you see? So strange, the path

didn't diverge, it split.

Again, they came to the wood, he and

she. Strange to see how the path

emerged, didn't diverge, didn't submerge.

He said, she said, submerge, re-merge,

up-end again. Strange to see the path

again, how trees becomes woods.

How to see you again, he said, strangely

making the path lead out of the woods

footfall by footfall, ax chop by beaten blade.

She said, strangely, the path makes itself

again and diverged to re-emerge on the

verge. Of being.

by Lakin Khan

June 16 Tuesday 2020 UNDER CONSTRUCTION

up to P'town

so quiet.

A work in progress

June 15, Monday, 2020 - Tulsa Rally: Rubbing Salt into Old Wounds.

Sheesh and Jiminy Crickets. Drumpf plans to have a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Juneteenth --what a disgustingly racist play that is. Steve Miller will write his speech, I've heard. That despicable guy needs to be shown the door. And I don't need it to be a terribly polite move, either.

Tulsa, where one of the deadliest race massacres ever occurred, when the thriving black community was destroyed almost over night through fire, riots and murder. This is no coincidence and even if the start of the rally was pushed back by a day, the innuendo is not lost on us. (The Tulsa History Museum has a write up of the events. and the Black Wall Street Times has an editorial about the HBO mini-series Watchmen which is based on the events in Tulsa. )

And that's not the only thing wrong with the rally. Covid-19 still runs rampant around the land; this is no time to have a face-to-face rally of thousands of people, many of whom don't believe in wearing masks or taking precautions. Tulsa isn't too happy with this plan, as they struggle to contain and manage the disease.

But I've heard a rumor -- there's a link flying around encouraging folks to sign up for two tickets to the rally and then of course, not go. It's kind of a K-Pop thing. The idea is to siphon the tickets away from Drumpf's fans, making for a smaller crowd. Ingenious! The best part is that the tickets are free, so no loss there. I have heard that the rally is sold out and that they are building an outdoor stage to handle the crowd.

Hmmmm.

Links about the Massacre

https://www.tulsahistory.org/exhibit/1921-tulsa-race-massacre/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/what-happened-99-years-ago-in-the-tulsa-race-massacre

https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2019/10/21/the-realness-of-watchmens-1921-tulsa-race-massacre-scene/

June 14 Sunday - Hooray for Libraries!

Libraries will be open! Well, kind of --- but hooray, anyway!

Nothing indoors yet, which I miss to no end. Libraries have always been a refuge for me, especially when new to a town. It would usually be the first place we went to in a new town. It would be a place to explore, yet familiar, with kind people nearby who loved to read as much as I did, who offered as much interest and guidance as I could tolerate, who didn't remark on my awkwardness or newness around there. But hey, enough about the past.

After these past months of inaction, our books stacked up all over, there's finally curbside service. We can pick up holds that we've placed through the online reservation system, a privilege of access that not everyone has, although folks can phone in, if they can't get online. It's not the same as browsing the stacks, but at least it can be done.

We can also drop off our mini-towers of books in bins at one library in the county (Novato), which will hold each bin for a day or two, letting contaminants wither away before librarians unpack and return books to home libraries and their shelves. I have at least a tower-and-a-half waiting to go back. You'd think I'd read all of them, with all this time on our hands, but not really.

I've found it difficult to read. I'm too immersed in the anxieties of this dangerous world to want to read about it -- and too worried and anxious to drift too far away from it, to be able to be seduced into the fictive dream of a novel or short story. I find myself impatient with books. TV shows: detectives, British procedurals, whacked comedies, they kind of fit the bill these days -- outrageous, engaging - and short. We can watch one - or two - or three, whatever our attention span is, as we wait this disease out. Plus the side-benefit; knitting as we watch.

But this re-emergence of the libraries, even if only tentative baby steps, feels like we are beginning to crawl out from this Pandemic Hibernation.

Friday, August 14, 2020

June 13, 2020 - Graduation in Cars.

This year, the high school graduations were held in cars - each kid and family in their own car, decked out in school colors (ribbons, balloons, signs), driving to the high school parking lot, lining up and getting the diploma through the car window. Their houses decorated to the nines, with large proud signs for their grads - there's no other way to celebrate, no place for a party, no Project Grad night. Did they Project Grad Zoom? Or were they stuck hanging out with the same set of folks they've been quarantining with - little brothers, parents, maybe a grandparent or two.

Oh lord, that would be a night, eh?.

In the neighborhood, one young girl stood alone in front of her garage, dressed up and spiffy, music blaring from the speakers deep in the house, as her family, friends, maybe even teachers, drove by, stopping across the street, trunks and back doors opening for the dad or brothers to collect boxes and bags decorated with balloons and wild ribbons while she stood there and waved and smiled. She had lots to smile about, her acceptance to UC Santa Cruz painted on the garage door, along with "So PROUD of YOU." But graduation night was always about being shed of your family for so many glorious night hours, out with schoolmates, whether you liked them or not, doing what all we won't mention but remember for decades.

This will be the shared experience of Graduation 2020, though - sequestered with family, Zooms and Facetime with friends. standing in the driveway, spotlighted by glancintg headlights as the sky deepens into night.

Pretty sure there'll be attempt at car-parties or something like that; everyone driving to some remote parking lot or country hangout - and if they aren't necking and kissing like they want to, then they are at least yelling and laughing and dancing on their own little square of pavement, yearning to touch ...but nervous, too.

How will we re-engage with the world, eh? One doctor, Amita Sundar, has a few ideas about what she considers safe enough theses days.

Tennis makes the cut and smaller social circles. And not much else.

https://slate.com/technology/2020/06/advice-on-reopening-activies-er-doctor.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

June 12, 2020 Friday - A hike out at Pt Reyes. Finally.

The State Parks are finally open and we took a long lovely hike at Drake's Estero, the first one out at Pt Reyes National Seashore in it seems like forever. At least several months. Weather was delightful and traffic light all the way out to the coast. We did use the pit toilets -- but boy howdy, there were the cleanest I've ever seen those toilets to be. Cleaner than most gas station toilets, in fact. Wind scrubbed, plenty of ventilation, a key factor in preventing the spread of Covid-19. And, I noted, no flushing. That's on the plus side, right?


The play of rivulets across the flats.

There's that magical sound of wind in the trees, the play of the breezes and sun on the tidal flats. So many birds, pelicans, blue herons, a troupe of youngsters getting the hang of mudding, and best of all, an otter!

There were several other hikers, pairs mostly, and we all had the courtesy of wearing our masks as we approached or passed each other. We waved briefly in greeting, nodded out heads, said a brief hello, but no one lingered to trade pleasantries or share about birds or weather. Though we did exclaim Otters! to a group with young children and pointed up the trail to indicate where we had seen one, wandering across the mud flats to the open water. We were too far to get a good pic, but you can just see the characteristic otter-shape against the greenish mud in the image to the left.