tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22012531794895202792024-03-13T01:43:23.344-07:00Scarry ThoughtsJoe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.comBlogger960125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-77065644325708617322023-05-10T07:51:00.000-07:002023-05-10T07:51:11.547-07:00Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer": "That'll preach ...."<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-l_Ln38Y3ptAfjDhfgQoY-KMqGtQigNo51J9sEqwWAHj-2Za37Yx9lXgOsOrnmo45_vStiLF9mi23FfM0F7uTus1FMcSvjec7CS_FhxDjHI3ZUUsvUzgRukCFJPy-YQSHf0I3j_WYwC3idDH3v60ZVoZXe2wtbBFwSF98U9oz91K2N3kJE55GbkZlg/s400/oppenheimer-cover.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-l_Ln38Y3ptAfjDhfgQoY-KMqGtQigNo51J9sEqwWAHj-2Za37Yx9lXgOsOrnmo45_vStiLF9mi23FfM0F7uTus1FMcSvjec7CS_FhxDjHI3ZUUsvUzgRukCFJPy-YQSHf0I3j_WYwC3idDH3v60ZVoZXe2wtbBFwSF98U9oz91K2N3kJE55GbkZlg/s320/oppenheimer-cover.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
Christopher Nolan's film<br />
<i>Oppenheimer</i> is based<br />
on the Pulitzer-prize<br />
winning book American<br />
Prometheus by Kai Bird<br />
and Martin J. Sherwin.</td></tr></tbody></table>I've been sharing with colleagues the suggestion that the release of the new film about the leader of the atomic bomb project, J. Robert Oppenheimer -- <i>Oppenheimer</i>, directed by Christopher Nolan -- is an opportunity for preaching and faith discussions on vital issues. <i>(See full announcement below.)</i> <p></p><p><b>What am I hoping for? </b>This morning it dawned on me: the reason I think this is such an important opportunity is, "Maybe the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand when everybody has a conscience and stops being a gadget."<br /></p><p>The story of <i>Oppenheimer</i> is the battle within J. Robert Oppenheimer between what he felt he <i>wanted</i> -- to do an amazing thing, to have glory, to have power -- and what <i>his conscience told him was important</i>: to lead people away from their destructive impulses. Oppenheimer was responsible, more than any other person, for the successful creation of nuclear weapons. But he also was the most stubborn voice calling for the renunciation of those weapons. And he paid the price for it.</p><p>What might happen if people come away from <i>Oppenheimer</i> saying, "This is not about somebody else, and some other time -- this is about <i>me</i>, this is about <i>now</i>!" -- ??</p><p>A few years ago I wrote a post about how often we surrender ourselves to the agenda or program or ambition set by others, and before we know it our only choice is to keep "going along" -- <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2015/05/in-whose-machine-will-you-be-cog.html">"In Whose Machine Will YOU Be a Cog?"</a> In a way, <i>Oppenheimer</i> is about the battle against just being a cog in the machine, just being a "gadget." The call to action in the title of Jaron Lanier's book, <i>You Are Not a Gadget</i>, comes to mind -- as does the irony that the nickname of the first bomb developed in the Manhattan Project was "the gadget."</p><p>There's no telling exactly what will be in the film ... or how people will react to it. But one thing is certain. <i>Oppenheimer</i>: "That'll preach ...."</p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Oppenheimer</i>: A Summer Blockbuster Offers an Opportunity</b></p><p>What will you be preaching about this summer? What will you be discussing in small groups? There will be an opportunity to “preach into the moment” when a unique cultural event occurs this summer with the release on July 21 of a major motion picture: <i>Oppenheimer</i>. The film is based on the choice to develop and use nuclear weapons as told in the book about the Manhattan Project leader entitled, <i>American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer</i>.</p><p>The $100 million production promises to deal issues of faith and conscience, and to stimulate a national conversation on dangerous technologies and social practices – nuclear weapons, but also AI and all environment-threatening behavior. “We imagine a future, and our imaginings horrify us. … I don’t know if we can be trusted with such a weapon. But we have no choice. Is anyone ever going to tell the truth about what’s happening here?” s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK6ldnjE3Y0" target="_blank">ays Oppenheimer in the film’s trailer</a>. </p><p>The mid-summer release is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the first atomic bomb test (“Trinity” – July 16, 1945) and the use by the United States of atomic weapons against Japan weeks later (Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9). </p><p>For more on the United Church of Christ (UCC) commitment to preventing the danger presented by nuclear weapons, see <a href="https://www.ucc.org/synod_calls_u_s_to_pull_back_from_brink_of_nuclear_war/" target="_blank">“Synod calls U.S. to pull back from brink of nuclear war.” </a><br /></p>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-29684979319564837692022-11-13T04:31:00.003-08:002022-11-13T04:31:34.455-08:00Again: Dreaming of a nuclear explosion ...<div style="display: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2F3VmagvIsdskyKB5yPkNvxXmTICLffXSzeeMEacPua44Eh45yLxdn5PPloKCIiXA-d1_zgMiUf7N5PFvZdZ9J3lYJGowOdUTqexHkKVhWjKpDOWF2wdfj1mUjgT6yJKlXQkROkpNE5aqa1y_ccaYj78dbkYmg1q2Pz6axCC6EQuqovD7yzAA0iAPew/w400-h394/LIFE-cover-ABM-detail.jpg" style:="" width="400" /></div>
<p>A few months ago I wrote about a <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2022/08/taking-indirect-route-to-thinking-about.html">dream of a nuclear explosion</a>.</p><p>This morning I came across notes I made about a year and a half ago -- Easter, 2021 -- of another dream of that type:</p><p> </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2F3VmagvIsdskyKB5yPkNvxXmTICLffXSzeeMEacPua44Eh45yLxdn5PPloKCIiXA-d1_zgMiUf7N5PFvZdZ9J3lYJGowOdUTqexHkKVhWjKpDOWF2wdfj1mUjgT6yJKlXQkROkpNE5aqa1y_ccaYj78dbkYmg1q2Pz6axCC6EQuqovD7yzAA0iAPew/s136/LIFE-cover-ABM-detail.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="134" data-original-width="136" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2F3VmagvIsdskyKB5yPkNvxXmTICLffXSzeeMEacPua44Eh45yLxdn5PPloKCIiXA-d1_zgMiUf7N5PFvZdZ9J3lYJGowOdUTqexHkKVhWjKpDOWF2wdfj1mUjgT6yJKlXQkROkpNE5aqa1y_ccaYj78dbkYmg1q2Pz6axCC6EQuqovD7yzAA0iAPew/w400-h394/LIFE-cover-ABM-detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">detail from cover of LIFE Magazine, 9/29/1967:<br />"The chilling facts behind the decision to build<br />the ANTI BALLISTIC MISSILE"<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i>I am walking with some people – we look up in the sky and see a bright spot in the night sky coming toward us.<br /><br />We realize it is a (nuclear) missile and try to run from the point of impact. ( … through … ? … I guess that means running from the city center.)<br /><br />We reach a place where there is a shopping mall. It’s unclear that’s a good place to seek shelter, but we go in.<br /><br />Up and down within the shopping mall complex.<br /><br />When we venture out, there is white powder on everything.<br /><br />We begin the long trek – to what?<br /><br />There is a moment when we must pick a direction. Someone wants to head toward NYC. I say, “No – we will just run into the river with no way to cross. We should go north – towards upstate NY.” <br /><br />We follow the highway.</i></p><p>It makes me wonder: (a) I think about the problem of nuclear war constantly. I'm surprised that I don't have dreams like this more often! (b) Are other people having dreams like these?<br /></p>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-55132018457086412672022-09-19T09:26:00.000-07:002022-09-19T09:26:09.723-07:00A Tale of Two Risks: Tsunami and Nuclear Weapons<div style="display: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfTEV6865W6n8pYfllsyXPwbUs8fQkJL95vGWFjOiccczeq5Kh4GAtBuXpJW3dKcP-36uvpRlLLeX_1aINE8NRaoYpop8Vq9nlzFMGxZXYy1iANRJ3vVHcbxZiR3QvjlW9_x69WFQtkVtwqYQ0sZnUEevvNeLmH6J8BbWXokbFGrV8Hw_p1kclNmOMQ/s320/oregon-dot-gov-b-THUMBNAIL.jpg" /></div>
<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinFEr313ZM7KqF5UVsag04TUlZlnQS7epl1oLAfdTjTSVYoT9Lnk94Zgcxo81ZXw6-Ch-7LUaDQ00mo9kWQEP2c3U3kc4a_Ef2TwwjTJPQqksGK5OsUnYwcx-KDENMt9k74jGjT_68_k9tJXcGy73H_URvzFtMR1ykCeWoyxEkmelGMx0aNTctjb2NMw/s2016/oregon-coast-201808a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinFEr313ZM7KqF5UVsag04TUlZlnQS7epl1oLAfdTjTSVYoT9Lnk94Zgcxo81ZXw6-Ch-7LUaDQ00mo9kWQEP2c3U3kc4a_Ef2TwwjTJPQqksGK5OsUnYwcx-KDENMt9k74jGjT_68_k9tJXcGy73H_URvzFtMR1ykCeWoyxEkmelGMx0aNTctjb2NMw/w400-h300/oregon-coast-201808a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oregon coast - Summer 2018<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />In the summer of 2018, I enjoyed a wonderful visit to the coast of Oregon.<p></p><p>I have long wanted to show all of the photographs of marine creatures we observed while tide-pooling, and the pictures of the fresnel lens from the Yaquina Point Lighthouse, and the sea lions surfing at Cape Arago! It was one of those places where, even before you left, you found yourself planning your <i>next </i>visit; all you want to do is get back again and spend more time there.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfxUakHxLQ6V5C9GoJ9vx9WRtbleiFHbESXJMUZe6J4UrtssRvptNpO4v67Hi6QDr0CnR6HFlbinDU73ljY3HDx5Ynsowt4UXPNKfXPLnAUH2XzyiOQMt71qjoXjmAlWC_TeJs44mtYzYaaUAJxKO16_IfgMhmN7aynFpnn1ErpD5qGcTn7vFtPzFKWQ/s1125/oregon-coast-201808b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="1125" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfxUakHxLQ6V5C9GoJ9vx9WRtbleiFHbESXJMUZe6J4UrtssRvptNpO4v67Hi6QDr0CnR6HFlbinDU73ljY3HDx5Ynsowt4UXPNKfXPLnAUH2XzyiOQMt71qjoXjmAlWC_TeJs44mtYzYaaUAJxKO16_IfgMhmN7aynFpnn1ErpD5qGcTn7vFtPzFKWQ/w400-h217/oregon-coast-201808b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oregon coast - Summer 2018</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Sometime after that visit, however, I read about the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the accompanying earthquake and tsunami risk, and I have now come to realize that what I need to show is a different set of images. I have been writing a lot about <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2019/01/what-do-we-talk-about-when-we-talk.html">how bad we are at thinking about catastrophic risk</a>, especially as it relates to nuclear weapons risk, and it seems to me that the Cascadia tsunami risk could be instructive to think about in this context.</p><p>Many people became aware of the risk associated with the Cascadia Subduction Zone by reading a 2015 <i>New Yorker</i> article by Kathryn Schulz, <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one" target="_blank">"The Really Big One."</a> In it, Schulz describes the peculiar geologic plate characteristics of the Northwest United States coast, the way it leads to catastrophic tsunami risk, the evidence that has been amassed that such events will happen periodically, and the scale of death and destruction likely when human populations are in their path.<br /></p><p>The article had a big impact, I think, because people reading it asked themselves, "How could I have not known about this?" -- and then, "I had an idea about earthquakes but this goes way beyond that!" -- and then, "Do I really want to make that trip to Seattle?"</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzIoK-nt0QkBhnaIfXiTmaDWzPyrqXvMCkE2dUWBjHypejFVbOWkNgnt_35K39r3qfOe3Ys6ksVhIpk3BROFMs1YyxpMBg1sNt8zsvBSvxGwx9pHFuDA0yVefgW86hIt-LHtcurAiDw3upQ71xbaqH92tDCt_AdUbnCa59kyE1tRjV0Q3TeQ61cfvSQ/s991/oregon-dot-gov-a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="991" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzIoK-nt0QkBhnaIfXiTmaDWzPyrqXvMCkE2dUWBjHypejFVbOWkNgnt_35K39r3qfOe3Ys6ksVhIpk3BROFMs1YyxpMBg1sNt8zsvBSvxGwx9pHFuDA0yVefgW86hIt-LHtcurAiDw3upQ71xbaqH92tDCt_AdUbnCa59kyE1tRjV0Q3TeQ61cfvSQ/w400-h305/oregon-dot-gov-a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graphic from Oregon.gov public safety comic entitled<br /><a href="https://www.oregon.gov/OEM/Documents/WithoutWarningTsunami_english.pdf" target="_blank">"Without Warning"</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>For those of us who benefit from seeing moving images, the documentary, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shockwave-Surviving-Americas-Biggest-Disaster/dp/B01LXNYKJN" target="_blank">"Shockwave: Surviving North America's Biggest Disaster,"</a> provides excellent footage of the simulations that scientists and public safety officials in the Pacific Northwest are doing to try to protect populations there. A brief (and rather understated) version of this information is in the video below from Oregon State University:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e6U198ULMYo" width="320" youtube-src-id="e6U198ULMYo"></iframe></div><p>There is also good footage in this documentary from PBS, available on Youtube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76b_WGzCI54" target="_blank">"Will the Cascadia Earthquake be the Worst Disaster North America’s Ever Seen?"</a></p><p>I think it is significant that there is a consensus that over a time horizon that people can imagine -- the next 50 years -- there are odds of this catastrophic event -- about 1 in 3 -- that feel very real. <span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><i><b>It is interesting to think about what we might do differently if we were able to specify and quantify nuclear weapons risk in the same way.</b></i></span><br /></p><p>There are three other things I think are important about this, particularly with regard to thinking about other hard-to-conceptualize catastrophic risks, such as nuclear weapons risk.</p><p><b>(1) Our existing institutions are insufficient.</b> </p><p>There is great work being done by scientists to quantify and otherwise define the associated risk, and by public safety officials to try to get people to prepare. The data has only become clear in recent years, and they are moving as fast as they can. Nonetheless, in our system of social organization, they cannot <u>force</u> anyone to get out of harm's way.</p><p>In particular, people's love of the ocean and the tendency to congregate in large number in low-lying coastal areas tend to undermine all of the efforts of scientists and officials to shoo people out of harm's way.</p><p>If scientists and officials emphasize the worst scenario, people accuse them of scare tactics. If they emphasize lesser scenarios, people say, "Well, I can handle <i>that</i>!"<br /></p><p><b>(2) Our minds reject the horror associated with this risk. </b></p><p>When I was in Oregon, I saw tsunami evacuation signs like this:</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhz9QpHxEAW5dXTNfH-5KOxpCSbhIbZmgfeIAqBduSzz4XUmCSk6bPRMVSzlUtUkT8FE2YcI8QVNlKrkV_f4YasQ8QmfKJSxxGKdeGfcEgRHopAXOMU8FLFhCbGRhJYGQXH-h_FvWPtQNdvvWbKTjL4VjRqbbF6hMWoAhbABZ-n3gx2_9h7TcKWwhKQ/s800/warning-sign.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="800" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhz9QpHxEAW5dXTNfH-5KOxpCSbhIbZmgfeIAqBduSzz4XUmCSk6bPRMVSzlUtUkT8FE2YcI8QVNlKrkV_f4YasQ8QmfKJSxxGKdeGfcEgRHopAXOMU8FLFhCbGRhJYGQXH-h_FvWPtQNdvvWbKTjL4VjRqbbF6hMWoAhbABZ-n3gx2_9h7TcKWwhKQ/w400-h268/warning-sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsunami Hazard Zone warning sign<br />(via OSU's Hinsdale Wave Laboratory)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>At the time I thought that meant I might need to be sure to move a few feet inland or I might get my feet wet.</p><p>I now know that it referred to risk of the kind Schulz described in that original <i>New Yorker</i> article:</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i>A grown man is knocked over by ankle-deep water moving at 6.7 miles an hour. The tsunami will be moving more than twice that fast when it arrives. Its height will vary with the contours of the coast, from twenty feet to more than a hundred feet. It will not look like a Hokusai-style wave, rising up from the surface of the sea and breaking from above. It will look like the whole ocean, elevated, overtaking land. Nor will it be made only of water—not once it reaches the shore. It will be a five-story deluge of pickup trucks and doorframes and cinder blocks and fishing boats and utility poles and everything else that once constituted the coastal towns of the Pacific Northwest.</i></p><p>I don't want to picture what this would look like. The State of Oregon has provided assistance in some of its public safety literature:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIHFWiEiya6PzZ_Q_E3ewLxVype-TIzQ1xEgMXyY45x_2lS229RSvu2nFLbQIsAna2itn970dHDxQBlK-W-HTnWqaK8Ovic0qBgEWcHxm-Ru7zNoDZ3Gi14LiPVAmC0KNIU1TGlfyVKEEiOL_SZ0WBp7JKDv2l4rleeBA78f2ChJ-MTgUZV0bR7srfw/s725/oregon-dot-gov-b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="477" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIHFWiEiya6PzZ_Q_E3ewLxVype-TIzQ1xEgMXyY45x_2lS229RSvu2nFLbQIsAna2itn970dHDxQBlK-W-HTnWqaK8Ovic0qBgEWcHxm-Ru7zNoDZ3Gi14LiPVAmC0KNIU1TGlfyVKEEiOL_SZ0WBp7JKDv2l4rleeBA78f2ChJ-MTgUZV0bR7srfw/w264-h400/oregon-dot-gov-b.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oregon.gov public safety comic:<br /><a href="https://www.oregon.gov/OEM/Documents/WithoutWarningTsunami_english.pdf" target="_blank">"Without Warning"</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>Or, you can check out another video -- it's got a goofy premise ("What If You Tried to Surf a Tsunami?") but it actually compiles simulations that seem to more closely match the conditions being described by Schulz:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dVr3m9S0cEk" width="320" youtube-src-id="dVr3m9S0cEk"></iframe></div><br /><p><i>(I notice the video with the goofy premise has been watched by over 6 million people, so maybe that's the way to get the word out . . . . )</i></p><p>I try to imagine myself confronting a tsunami wave like that. Then I try to imagine myself explaining to myself why I put myself in the way of that wave, even after I had known about the risk.</p><p>I often go to bed at night thinking, "Is it really true that I could wake up in the morning and hear that it finally happened? And that far from being able to be warned eight hours in advance, in fact, as a little as a few hours or minutes beforehand there would be no warning?" And I wonder how I would go to sleep if I lived there.<br /></p><p><b>(3) People are stubborn. </b></p><p>There is something about having a home or other structure that makes people resistant to change. I remember watching a documentary about the consequences of Hurricane Sandy in which an official commented upon the reflexive response to "Rebuild!" after natural disaster damage, instead of moving out of harm's way. How much more so do we resist retreat when the risk all lies in the future?</p><p>In our society, we tend to say, "everyone's entitled to their opinion," and "we can't tell people what to do." But it seems to me there's an enormous moral hazard generated by our tolerance of the stubbornness of people with respect to certain catastrophic risks. This is especially so when the society as a whole helps bear those risks.<br /></p><p>I wonder what might be different about the efforts to protect against nuclear weapons risk if we could learn from the efforts to protect against tsunami risk in the Pacific Northwest, particularly:</p><p>(1) Not waiting for institutions to make sure we're protected. <br /></p><p>(2) Facing up to what the horror would really look like.</p><p>(3) Start asking questions about the naysayers - who will pay the price when the worst really <u>does</u> come to pass?</p>
Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-77529639133625034192022-09-12T10:36:00.002-07:002022-09-12T10:36:39.967-07:00Catsense (TM): "Because you only have one life to live .... "<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZOcNcgRnNO9QxkBZAgANM9TCfOBeRQGTsCi7UFja2xnS3iarHszfbH_uSspOMzBDqgYVA1pRFQAS2-ljcKMoryyzEXxpCsz4wRz5vXxcERUJWPNgS8jcx7PrtelIOwIGKWHXc3Lj67E5QbLvXM3jIhz7SHNNb6AKOiMNBRsY1yTsRf_Ex2eTcunNdA/s2480/cat.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2480" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZOcNcgRnNO9QxkBZAgANM9TCfOBeRQGTsCi7UFja2xnS3iarHszfbH_uSspOMzBDqgYVA1pRFQAS2-ljcKMoryyzEXxpCsz4wRz5vXxcERUJWPNgS8jcx7PrtelIOwIGKWHXc3Lj67E5QbLvXM3jIhz7SHNNb6AKOiMNBRsY1yTsRf_Ex2eTcunNdA/w400-h330/cat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would <i>you</i> buy risk management products from this character?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>It has been apparent to me for a long time that we have been failing to get people to deal sensibly with the risk of nuclear weapons harm. It's <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2019/01/what-do-we-talk-about-when-we-talk.html">a kind of risk that is at the edge of what we humans are capable of grasping, mathematically</a> ... and ... <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2022/08/taking-indirect-route-to-thinking-about.html">people don't want to think about it</a> ... but it must also be admitted: <i>we somehow haven't cracked the code on getting people to do what they <u>are</u> able to do!</i></p><p>Now, some have argued that our major weakness to date has been the absence of a suitable spokescat. There was a time when I simply didn't believe this, but I have at last taken this point of view to heart, and after a long series of interviews above have arrived at a provisional arrangement for representation with the feline pictured above.</p><p>The problem with getting into bed (so to speak) with a cat is that you can't avoid being subjected to their opinions. This particular cat -- who began referring to himself as "Nine" after viewing a popular series on Netflix -- has <i>many</i> opinions.</p><p>Before I had known Nine for very long, Nine began insisting that even if people aren't thinking about the risk of nuclear weapons harm, they are all acting on it. "Consciously or unconsciously, <i>everyone</i> is making a bet on whether they are placing themselves in harm's way," Nine says.</p><p>"That's ridiculous," I said to Nine, when Nine first suggested this to me. "The problem is that people don't know enough about the dangers."</p><p>"<i>Au contraire</i>," Nine replied. "<u>No one</u> doesn't know about the nuclear arsenals that the US and Russia (and a few other countries) have aimed at each other. Every school kid reads <i>Hiroshima</i> . . . ."</p><p>"But if that's true," I said, "how come they're not all working for nuclear disarmament?"</p><p>"Because they've placed a different bet," said Nine. "For every one person who's placed a bet on their personal ability to save the world by bringing about nuclear disarmament, millions have place a bet on spending as many of their days as they possibly can as far from trouble as they can get."</p><p>"You mean like somebody living in Arkansas with a fallout shelter in the backyard?"</p><p>"Well, far away from the National Command Center as possible, anyway?"</p><p>"National Command Center?"</p><p>"That's Washington, DC, to you."</p><p>"Okay, that's just crazy, because then how do you explain all the people who <u>do</u> choose to live and work in Washington, DC?"</p><p>"Look" said Nine, "there are <i>all kinds</i> of bets . . . . "</p><p>I must have looked glum, because then Nine said, "Hey, cheer up! The important thing, as far as you're concerned, is that whenever there are people making bets, at least some of them will be looking for ways to <i>hedge</i> their bets!"</p><p>"What are you talking about?" I said.</p><p>"Well . . . ," Nine continued, "I haven't worked out all the details, but there have <i>got</i> to be some ways to help people hedge the risk that they've exposed themselves to by living in a place that's economically robust but too dangerous ... or by living in a place that is safe but too remote. I've already got a name -- <i><b>Catsense</b></i> (TM) -- and a slogan: "Because you only have one life to live .... " </p><p><i><b>To be continued . . . . </b></i></p><p><i><b> </b></i></p><p><b>RELATED:</b></p><p><a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2019/01/what-do-we-talk-about-when-we-talk.html">RISK: We Are Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad at Talking About the One That Matters Most </a></p><p><a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2022/08/taking-indirect-route-to-thinking-about.html">Taking the Indirect Route to Thinking About the Unthinkable </a></p><p><a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2022/08/should-new-york-city-get-real-about.html">Should New York City Get Real About Nuclear War Risk?</a></p><p><a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2022/08/city-on-fire-why-chicagos-resolution.html">City on Fire: Why Chicago's Resolution Opposing the Nuclear Threat Is DIfferent</a> <br /></p><p></p>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-88184069380959994532022-09-05T07:07:00.002-07:002022-09-05T07:07:31.948-07:00"Ownlife": Do Activists Dream in Eclectic Sleep?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OI-qZA5wOcqo56d64qjL-S_Bon7wzwlaADWkiBGX4QODl17KHj0SJgBU0abdLw7KogtGEzZBZXvowang2owwQXE9ZIhMIdy60_2dqKJxWNqm6eVXjaR0eaGzkbHntXQLK55obchF8veWv09Ph3wTTVLR_OpPlwFhrDnD5CWt6BBB7xiDfAB6NNlEFw/s1280/dream-20180727.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1280" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OI-qZA5wOcqo56d64qjL-S_Bon7wzwlaADWkiBGX4QODl17KHj0SJgBU0abdLw7KogtGEzZBZXvowang2owwQXE9ZIhMIdy60_2dqKJxWNqm6eVXjaR0eaGzkbHntXQLK55obchF8veWv09Ph3wTTVLR_OpPlwFhrDnD5CWt6BBB7xiDfAB6NNlEFw/w400-h341/dream-20180727.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dream cafe set-up<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Nine years ago I wrote a post about a lesser-known <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2013/07/ownlife-notion-too-dangerous-for-state.html">concept in Orwell's <i>1984</i> -- "ownlife"</a> -- and how it might relate to a life of political activism.</p><p>In short, I suggested that the minute we start to take time for ourselves -- time to reflect, time to heal, time to grow -- we begin to have more power as activists (and begin to be more threatening to the state).</p><p>An activist friend of mine talked this morning on social media about some of the dreams he has been having. It seemed like a good time to share something that's been developing with me:</p><p><i>"In the past few years, I've written more and more of my dreams down. I now set aside quiet time alone each morning to do it, and also to reflect. It is astonishing to me how clearly and completely I can remember the contents of dreams ... sometimes ... but other times, as I turn my waking attention to some little thing, the dream vanishes!"</i></p><p>My friend had used an expression -- "like trying to hold onto wisps of fog" -- that seemed to me to exactly capture that last-mentioned phenomenon.</p><p>At first, I just focused on <u>recall</u>: how much of the dream could I remember? To my surprise, I found that if I had just a small "hook" to remind me of the dream experience, and if I relaxed, it would all come back at great length and in startling detail.</p><p>Soon I realized that it was fun to notice the little tidbits from the previous day(s) waking experience that formed the raw material or props of the dream. I'd write that down, too.</p><p>Occasionally, it seemed pretty obvious that the dream was about something I was wanting or needing or wishing for. And so that is another thing I've started to jot down.</p><p>Sometimes I even have very clear visual impressions from the dream. I do a little sketch of that. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3XCgCLVJzv2n4W28caCYneEkVjEWe3KO0pcAPs0ca8QU55Yltq6s5o1YWlRUW25LPaEAygYMFusPAVIVK6sIHVUihX4QpLYwUQIRA8N6nF2pIKPgDaG8X5zdVltp9yGCb1At2o_4Kxry0gixXpcv9uh14x_rUdjmODmQ72ECLxFvKTaecCv3BPX98A/s1019/dream-20200415-detail.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="1019" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3XCgCLVJzv2n4W28caCYneEkVjEWe3KO0pcAPs0ca8QU55Yltq6s5o1YWlRUW25LPaEAygYMFusPAVIVK6sIHVUihX4QpLYwUQIRA8N6nF2pIKPgDaG8X5zdVltp9yGCb1At2o_4Kxry0gixXpcv9uh14x_rUdjmODmQ72ECLxFvKTaecCv3BPX98A/w400-h146/dream-20200415-detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The path one dream followed<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>After a long time, I started a practice of going back to the pile of notes of past dreams and transcribing them onto my computer. I noticed three interesting things.</p><p>First, often when I read the notes from a dream that I had years ago, I recall it with crystal clarity.</p><p>Second, there are certain motifs or tropes that recur. (For instance, bizarre elevator rides.) I've started to make a list of these recurring tropes in my dreams, and I'm discovering that the list is getting longer and longer!<br /></p><p>Third, even if the dream didn't seem to mean anything at the time, after returning to it at a later time, perhaps coming at it from a different mood or with a different attitude or outlook, it can often seem quite meaningful in the new light.</p><p>They say that our sleeping time is <i>full</i> of dreams, and that we only ever remember a tiny fraction. As I look back over the "haul" of notes on my dreams of the past few years, and realize it's just a drop in the bucket compared to everything my brain is working on, I can't help thinking, "You're working very hard, little brain! Thanks for all that effort you're making!"</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4TZR6zGKHtQ6Vg_a1Q9c9oGuwiZc28-D8lShPV4xSGKGHD2ikZgAkVqK6Koy8QyhX49dFvlrITeeA_YekGupg1IyL3D67fm_ybYzuLh8raAnWR2ubtdjUCrvmy2ggdukCay6yclaOqJl52VaInnvrXtbRReSjnReVu-NuXA5zkMd1VtgofBmPkA7dQ/s2121/dream-20201015a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2121" data-original-width="1571" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4TZR6zGKHtQ6Vg_a1Q9c9oGuwiZc28-D8lShPV4xSGKGHD2ikZgAkVqK6Koy8QyhX49dFvlrITeeA_YekGupg1IyL3D67fm_ybYzuLh8raAnWR2ubtdjUCrvmy2ggdukCay6yclaOqJl52VaInnvrXtbRReSjnReVu-NuXA5zkMd1VtgofBmPkA7dQ/w296-h400/dream-20201015a.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One dream had a jar of paint in a distinct<br />burgundy color. (What's up with <i>that</i>?)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>As for my assertion from nearly a decade ago -- that taking time for "ownlife" gives us more power as activists and makes us more threatening to the
state -- I don't yet have an assessment vis-a-vis the impact of my own dream work. I'll need to devote some time to reflect on that. (Maybe I'll even dream on it.)</p><p><b>Related:</b> <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2013/07/ownlife-notion-too-dangerous-for-state.html">"Ownlife" - A Notion Too Dangerous for the State to Tolerate?</a><br /></p><p></p>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-9636172508123556162022-08-31T08:39:00.002-07:002022-09-01T10:08:41.347-07:00When Artificial Intelligence Takes Over, We'll Say, "You didn't take it. I gave it to you."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqLRo9w6Teg1i-y-ItJNKt8Y3RElxt7cU-r2FyZFZcQZRKna7QWS9nh1t7d23wi51eHVZkwVOsKnnBYR4wfo8AnG0b2iSEUWePxZDYGqkDT_Mnwfrw5qz-nKrArekG_EZMYpTCdEY-ILq3XjcGUycoOEIcuz_zKViTGo_VMfxwS8_QFDfYN-RDiQuog/s320/maw-THUMBNAIL-2.jpg" style="display: none;" width="319" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWgQOQgwQnvTzY63ADobYlfckCiXACflZyz7SPlhTdAgTwp65QYkz_x5Pm978ICit25c7kit1vbMY0_rkNX8G5EdFIOHcny0aRmVUzzoN_y07ZwLspziGAIhCjiqcETwJItK8-UpnZr1cyCdddI1bKMIxXE1e5zQDEgMEY1Kd5FPr7x5C4nCcTUL-0g/s2706/maw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2706" data-original-width="1971" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWgQOQgwQnvTzY63ADobYlfckCiXACflZyz7SPlhTdAgTwp65QYkz_x5Pm978ICit25c7kit1vbMY0_rkNX8G5EdFIOHcny0aRmVUzzoN_y07ZwLspziGAIhCjiqcETwJItK8-UpnZr1cyCdddI1bKMIxXE1e5zQDEgMEY1Kd5FPr7x5C4nCcTUL-0g/w291-h400/maw.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><p>One of the earliest posts I wrote on this blog as about how technology -- particularly drones -- have put us under the the gaze of the state in a way we thought was only possible in science fiction: <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2010/02/drones-1984-and-foucaults-panopticon.html">"Drones, <i>1984</i>, and Foucault's Panopticon."</a> I've written a lot more about <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/search/label/drone">drones</a>, <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2013/06/read-1984.html"><i>1984</i></a>, <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/search?q=foucault">Foucault</a>, and <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/search/label/surveillance">surveillance</a> in subsequent posts.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Since that time, I've also internalized what I understand to be Foucault's central premise: the temptation to have <b><i>power over</i></b> other people is enormous, and it's particularly difficult to resist when it is accomplished in the guise of something else, something that we tend to consider very positive -- observing, comprehending, recording, organizing.</p><p>That has spiritual implications at the level of individual experience -- the observing, comprehending, recording, organizing that <i>we</i> do as we seek to navigate the external world -- and that is something I plan to write about in a future post. <br /></p><p>But it also has implications for the ways in which we are subjected to observing, comprehending, recording, organizing. I've become more and more aware of the way that the many tiny bits of data that we now slough off each day, like so many dead skin cells, add up -- in the hands of large computer operators (Big Data) -- to terrifyingly complete and intimate pictures of our personal lives. </p><p></p><p>Some time in late 2020, I watched the documentary, <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224" target="_blank"><i>The Social Dilemma</i></a>, on Netflix: "This documentary-drama hybrid explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations." The whole documentary is insightful, and the commentary by Jaron Lanier is particularly good. My key takeaway from that documentary was: <b>don't talk about "if" artificial intelligence (A.I.) takes over, as if it is something in the distant future; AI is already operating on us in the form of the social networks that we participate in day after day.</b></p><p>What I've particularly struggled with since then is this: how can we ordinary people use social media to benefit us, without all of it falling into the maw of A.I.?</p><p>It made me think of this picture that one of my kids drew when they were about three (above).<br /></p><p></p><br /><p></p><p>(At the time it was amusing, and my main feeling was pride at how clever my child was. It reminded me of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grendel" target="_blank">Grendel</a>, and I wondered if they had been reading <i>Beowulf</i> behind my back. <i>Now I'm more terrified .... </i>)</p><p>The thing that is so painful is that, each day as any of us interacts with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin -- or even this blog -- not to mention every Google search or credit card purchase, we are not being strong-armed into coughing up our deepest secrets -- we're willingly surrendering them! (To quote Roy in the movie <i>Matchstick Men</i>, "You didn't take it. I gave it to you.")<br /></p><p>So, yes, Foucault ... power, observing, comprehending, recording, organizing. Yes: drones. Yes: Big Brother; yes: surveillance. </p><p>But maybe the BIG question we each need to ask ourselves when we wake up each morning is:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b>"How much – and what type – of data will I surrender today?"</b></i><br /></p>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-50064466016765504152022-08-29T10:39:00.001-07:002022-08-29T10:44:38.418-07:00Taking the Indirect Route to Thinking About the Unthinkable<p>How much brain space -- and what <i>kind</i> of brain space -- are we humans capable of giving to certain particularly horrific risks we face?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRdhhyg2Smt_zGpuvGeeoCuRrMhUiIYYn48juimFSvGWTyDqGJImp01QXlUl-bZPG_a9OwJtFrz--ZAgXLnC0f7Hafp0qxhG3jFb39klmxEEdVG-PmDt_cp7JIpbCfel1FzgItBl3brGHK3XVAvAfWSJwRVEUm1CK3M88W3asjweY95MISufXQNLtOg/s960/sunset-20190131.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="960" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRdhhyg2Smt_zGpuvGeeoCuRrMhUiIYYn48juimFSvGWTyDqGJImp01QXlUl-bZPG_a9OwJtFrz--ZAgXLnC0f7Hafp0qxhG3jFb39klmxEEdVG-PmDt_cp7JIpbCfel1FzgItBl3brGHK3XVAvAfWSJwRVEUm1CK3M88W3asjweY95MISufXQNLtOg/w400-h283/sunset-20190131.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset - Madeline Island - January 2019<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>During the 3-1/2 years I lived on Madeline Island, I took dozens of pictures of surreal, beautiful sunsets. But the one above was a little too surreal. When I saw it, I thought, "Could that be something awful happening hundreds of miles to the south of us, in the big cities of Madison, Milwaukee?"</p><p>It reminded me of a dream I had had a few years earlier, when we were still living in Berkeley: </p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i>Last night I dreamed that I was driving home into the Bay Area from a long trip, and I saw the mushroom cloud. ...
It had really happened. ... "What will happen now?" I wondered. "Will it reach us here?" </i></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i>I didn't have a very practical idea of what to do ... other than to keep on going.</i></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i>My dream from there: traversing unfamiliar terrain ... bridge out ... try to "get back the long way 'round" .... ) </i></p><p>When I woke up from that dream, I thought, "I'm involved in activism on the issue of nuclear disarmament and I talk with people about it and think about it all the time; but I've never envisioned myself actually dealing with a nuclear detonation occurring near me." And then I thought, "Am I capable of treating it like the real possibility that I believe it is?" </p><p><i><b>I wonder if we are capable of treating the threat of nuclear weapons use like the real possibility that it is without shutting down intellectually and emotionally.</b></i> <br /></p><p>I'm thinking of this today because, as I unpacked papers in our new home in Madison, I found notes I had made about a piece of music: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._15_(Shostakovich)" target="_blank">Symphony No. 15 by Dmitri Shostakovich</a>. My notes reminded me that I have surmised that the clue to this enigmatic final symphony of his is that it has something to do with the fate of humanity in the face of the nuclear threat. I have nothing to base this on other than the "story" that the disparate parts of the symphony speak to me. In particular, the last minutes of the symphony seem to come down to the sound of a clock ticking . . . and then silence. (The way it ends with a whimper, like the sound of time running out, reminded me of the climax of a later work -- <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Atomic" target="_blank">the opera <i>Dr. Atomic</i>, by John Adams</a> -- in which the Trinity test is about to happen and time e-x-p-a-n-d-s . . . . in an excruciating type of anticipation: what will the future hold - if anything?)</p><p>Shostakovich wrote No. 15 in the 1970-71 period, coinciding with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Arms_Limitation_Talks " target="_blank">SALT talks on arms limitations</a>. It would not be unreasonable for the issue to have been on his mind at the time.</p><p>Once I start thinking in this way, I hear all kinds of things in the course of the symphony: skeletal xylophones, a game of "chicken" evoked with the <i>William Tell</i> Overture, martial music, circus music, a piccolo "whistling past the graveyard," a funeral chorale, a dirge, a desolate landscape, funereal and tentative steps, a heavy quote from the Ring Cycle (is it the "fate" motif?), followed by a very light air that seems to say, "La-di-da, life will go on as usual," then stress, trudging, plodding, ... finally blaring brass and then that ticking clock.</p><p>Besides the Adams piece referenced above, I think the piece also has connections to the stormy Dies Irae in Verdi's <i>Requiem</i>, and to Britten's <i>War Requiem</i>. (A friend of mine has also suggested I compare it to <i>Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima</i> by Penderecki.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5CRVgvvSclE6YJhchR52tfFmd_zDLLdhwcpscEfZxpkAW7SFvTraN5GUBgDCPCjbxWz2tu7OBbch2UF3h5ZkTJBbJ_YTl5-URSmnBf5N0tLrU2VHPsv8Os2eWl5a0N12saW4fQDYiSOITUSLYFeGUl-n1Sbl-pn1M2y61xA8uKu7BynKWHtaYzCjxw/s527/shostakovich.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5CRVgvvSclE6YJhchR52tfFmd_zDLLdhwcpscEfZxpkAW7SFvTraN5GUBgDCPCjbxWz2tu7OBbch2UF3h5ZkTJBbJ_YTl5-URSmnBf5N0tLrU2VHPsv8Os2eWl5a0N12saW4fQDYiSOITUSLYFeGUl-n1Sbl-pn1M2y61xA8uKu7BynKWHtaYzCjxw/w304-h400/shostakovich.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
Shostakovich was depicted on the cover<br />
of <i>TIME</i> magazine wearing his firefighter's<br />
helmet during World War II.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>It's almost certainly impossible to come up with "proof" about what Shostakovich intended with this symphony, and, if it <i>were</i> possible, that proof surely be subjected to all of the same doubt and refutation that every other aspect of Shostakovich's thinking has been.</p><p>What seems more important is what it means to <i>me</i> to find this meaning in the music. Why do I connect these abstract musical signals to this particular issue, the issue of nuclear weapons threat?</p><p>I think we need works of art --<i> just like we need dreams</i> -- to help us work through the things we can't bear to position too concretely, too explicitly, in front of our eyes, full-on, in bright light, with sharp definition, at least not all the time. </p><p>Maybe Shostakovich 15 has no <i>direct</i> utility to offer in the effort to avert the harm we face from nuclear weapons. But I <i>do</i> know that it -- like many other works of art -- serves to help at least one peace worker to continue to struggle to work through in his mind what to do about this staggering problem that we face.</p><p>Speaking of minds and imaginations, perhaps if I had more courage, I would follow through with my plan to concoct a Gogolesque tale of finding a yellowed letter tucked into a mildewed copy of <i>Testimony</i> in forgotten used bookstore in far northern Wisconsin . . . </p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i>You have asked me about my intent in writing my 15th. Many people have remarked (rejoiced, even!) that I had not written another "programmatic" symphony. They're tired of my commemoration of historical events. </i></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i>They're right - 15 is not about an historical event, not really. But it IS about a true event. Even though it still lies in the future, is there any doubt that it IS going to happen? </i></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i>It started with a dream. You know I visited Berkeley . . . .
</i><br /></p><p>But who knows where <i>that</i> might have led?</p><p><br /></p><p>Below is a link to the final movement of Symphony No. 15 by Dmitri Shostakovich. What do <i>you</i> think?<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n6YtaiL11J8" width="320" youtube-src-id="n6YtaiL11J8"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-62429026588656397882022-08-27T08:23:00.004-07:002022-08-27T08:23:45.042-07:00Should New York City Get Real About Nuclear War Risk?<p><i>The New York Times</i> reports that the City of New York raised eyebrows with a public service announcement (PSA) alerting people to the risk of nuclear attack. (See <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/nyregion/nuclear-attack-video-psa.html" target="_blank">"Inside the Making of New York City’s Bizarre Nuclear War P.S.A.,"</a> August 23, 2022)</p><p>You can watch the PSA video on YouTube:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N-5d7V4Sbqk" width="320" youtube-src-id="N-5d7V4Sbqk"></iframe></div><p>At this writing, it's been viewed by over 880,000 people.</p><p>Three quick thoughts:</p><p>(1) Does New York City have a "Back From the Brink" resolution, like <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2022/08/city-on-fire-why-chicagos-resolution.html">Chicago</a>? It's good that they recognize the danger; how about advocating for the kind of change that could reduce the risk? </p><p>(2) It's good that 880,000 have now been provoked to think about the reality: as long as the current global nuclear weapons regime continues as it is, New York City and everyone who lives there is extremely vulnerable.</p><p>(3) Maybe New York City should be promoting a different message. Many experts say that encouraging people to think that they will be able to escape in the event of a nuclear attack is irresponsible, and that the responsible thing to do is alert people to the reality that the only way out is <u>prevention</u>. </p><p>This decades-old video is still the best thing I know for "getting real" about the danger associated with nuclear war for large cities:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/omj5oEE_AdU" width="320" youtube-src-id="omj5oEE_AdU"></iframe></div><br /><p><i>To be continued ....</i><br /></p><p><br /></p>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-17265487215071112182022-08-15T16:24:00.001-07:002022-08-15T16:24:39.812-07:00City on Fire: Why Chicago's Resolution Opposing the Nuclear Threat Is DIfferent<p>The City of Chicago adopted a resolution earlier this summer calling for steps to eliminate the nuclear threat. (See <a href="https://psr.org/chicago-adopts-back-from-the-brink-resolution/" target="_blank">"Chicago Adopts 'Back From the Brink' Resolution."</a>)</p><p>This spring, I visited the Chicago History Museum and spent some time looking at the exhibit about the Great Chicago Fire -- <a href="https://www.chicago1871.org/" target="_blank">City on Fire: Chicago 1871</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_FfKD91h7HNJRFEaaccZwS_p_icH5ht8ownPP-SeaGuhtXgd95Uw0kcmMBMTn3MG2csgMyu4JCHWnVGAumc87q4cVn5o0H6ttRX9a_tszFKMi2Va-NbThXJ-8q8lXBK21kGuMs5cRp7BG4VAwLpBLg5pM0-99W1xaoPte9eM-eMt71G77MCT9raUtQ/s1801/24sp-fire-02-mediumSquareAt3X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1801" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_FfKD91h7HNJRFEaaccZwS_p_icH5ht8ownPP-SeaGuhtXgd95Uw0kcmMBMTn3MG2csgMyu4JCHWnVGAumc87q4cVn5o0H6ttRX9a_tszFKMi2Va-NbThXJ-8q8lXBK21kGuMs5cRp7BG4VAwLpBLg5pM0-99W1xaoPte9eM-eMt71G77MCT9raUtQ/w400-h400/24sp-fire-02-mediumSquareAt3X.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I was struck by the resonance of many of the objects and images with what I saw in the museum in Hiroshima when I visited there in 2015.</p><p>I've written a lot before about how <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2015/01/unfinished-business-in-chicago-nuclear.html">Chicago has a special role to play in helping to bring about the end to the nuclear threat</a>. Now I would add one more reason for it to take a leading role in abolishing nuclear danger: Chicago has a communal memory of what it means to be a city on fire.<br /></p>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-8039177945369537722021-11-03T11:01:00.000-07:002021-11-03T11:01:52.658-07:00Homeland Security Committee Should Hold Hearings on Cyber-Nuclear Threat<div style="display: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOkMQVY6JfShFCJ0MJKwZYEFKD2XPCxUmn5_wrQZxpumbQR_WJ8ZEarX71REIUqM95WD7-LL3QJsR2SvoUWQfN4vcXaneMhcEGWY8B51u0PMdWNMiLZY5_PWoMzy8NQIRnZ2z8ZWW5B3N/s320/THUMBNAIL-cyber-nuclear.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqMvJlUU9Lfsstfr9u5Vy0-nhm45i5SstBLj7-g2PGRKPgLt8vTtRowZiudxs0FXCbhxdJGdK48fgVwcNATDxUvWOmiyfw1qRsqWQdOAkak6oggEgplFgq8G9AniwTvTDO_O3LA5WQQ4m/s600/cyber-nuclear.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="398" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqMvJlUU9Lfsstfr9u5Vy0-nhm45i5SstBLj7-g2PGRKPgLt8vTtRowZiudxs0FXCbhxdJGdK48fgVwcNATDxUvWOmiyfw1qRsqWQdOAkak6oggEgplFgq8G9AniwTvTDO_O3LA5WQQ4m/s320/cyber-nuclear.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>I have been reading a very good book: <i>Cyber Threats and Nuclear Weapons</i> by Herbert Lin (Stanford, 2021).<p>It is filled with good stuff. </p><p>Lin's conclusions, however, reflect a big mistake, in my opinion. As I read section Chapter 6, "Designing the Cyber-Nuclear Future: Observations and Imperatives," I thought, "This is exactly how a determined problem-solver goes at it: call out the main features, and take your best shot at limiting the possible damage associated with each." But something was nagging at me. This reminded me of something, a warning I had once heard about entrusting problems to people who assumed there was a solution.</p><p>Then I remembered: it reminded me of the testimony by Richard Feyman before the commission investigating the Challenger Disaster. This testimony has been described at length by Edward Tufte in his book, <i>Visual Explanations</i>. The thrust of that testimony, as I recall it, was that the colossal failure of the Challenger launch was because everyone who was looking at the conditions at the time was doing so from <i>inside</i> the paradigm of problem identification and mitigation, rather than willingness to acknowledge the possibility of total breakdown.</p><p>Herbert Lin has exhaustively documented the ways in which cyber threats probably make it impossible for nuclear weapons to continue to be exist without, sooner or later, a colossal failure. The question is: who has the authority to step outside the existing paradigm and deal with the consequences of this unfixable system? (To use the words of Tufte, to do the proper risk analysis -- <i>from the outside in</i> -- rather than "pitching" -- from the inside out.)</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHRbjmPG8lwiJpw1nuOPOihVaMp2jhTM7ax0VZ1E3lsuhOAfbQnZ5XxksaBXCRmn-0mAglrLHNOV4g3_W0JiouTTdQzj1A07IVn_NFbGrzV90l0KDXAL3zT8Ma-80wwnUR2ZYxtOebquB/s300/feynman.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="300" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHRbjmPG8lwiJpw1nuOPOihVaMp2jhTM7ax0VZ1E3lsuhOAfbQnZ5XxksaBXCRmn-0mAglrLHNOV4g3_W0JiouTTdQzj1A07IVn_NFbGrzV90l0KDXAL3zT8Ma-80wwnUR2ZYxtOebquB/s0/feynman.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Commission_Report#Role_of_Richard_Feynman" target="_blank">Richard Feynman before the commission into<br />
the Challenger disaster</a>: "For a successful<br />
technology, reality must take precedence over<br />
public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled."</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Cyber threats to the nuclear weapons complex call for Homeland Security committee investigation. Imagine Congressional hearings on this -- perhaps not from the standpoint of the military (Armed Services) or diplomacy (Foreign Affairs), but from that of Homeland Security.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2019/03/nuclear-weapons-and-cyber-attacks-only.html">More resources on cyber and nuclear</a>.<br /></p>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-56064759208576766452021-10-20T11:57:00.004-07:002021-11-02T05:14:21.284-07:00Why Do Nuclear Weapons Matter to Chicago?<p>The moment you visualize the effects of it on an <i>actual</i> place (that is real to you) -- as an <i>actual</i> eventuality that is really possible -- the topic of nuclear weapons becomes completely different.</p><p>For those who live in my former hometown, it's startling to realize that a metropolitan area like Chicago could be wiped out by a nuclear weapon.</p>
<p>The most-read post on this blog in the past three years -- far and away -- has been:<br /><a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2015/01/if-a-nuclear-weapon-exploded-over-chicago.html">What Would a Nuclear Weapon Do to Chicago? (Go ahead, guess . . . )</a></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2015/01/if-a-nuclear-weapon-exploded-over-chicago.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW8xYpFjsULi_BS024aKCg_qrdzgY4ASEgqG3u_j9YWpVprm99PH5qLFQ6bhVpTgpnoD3jJYtsLxq0nXJk3gzDWqsBsL-ELOEMZiDfcMPoGgAjoMlq6f5VaxzOZ8d9IR128IH1Ga7lkJ9/s331/chicago4-b.jpg" width="320" /><br /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p>One possible reason is pending <a href="https://chicago.councilmatic.org/legislation/r2021-920/" target="_blank">Chicago City Council Resolution R2021-920 -- "Call for United States government to cease spending federal tax dollars on nuclear weapons, embrace United Nations Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and make global nuclear disarmament main focus of national security policy."</a> </p>
<p>Similar resolutions have been passed in <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/skokie/ct-skr-skokie-nuclear-treaty-resolution-tl-0827-20200825-5azqi7jskvgxfkrvtt6vozyor4-story.html" target="_blank">Skokie</a> and <a href="https://dailynorthwestern.com/2020/01/14/city/city-council-approves-nationwide-denuclearization-resolution/" target="_blank">Evanston</a>.</p><p>In the days ahead, I'll be adding more materials to supplement the material originally provided in that post.</p><p></p>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798213.567879763821153 -122.7860482 70.188347436178844 -52.473548199999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-75442493507276718162020-09-24T05:45:00.006-07:002020-10-09T12:09:25.422-07:00Coming Soon to the Great Lakes Region . . . <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxD4dtedRC6sBUVAH72USKNaaOZBdx3owETtC9y2xiffxhXq8s1siae8wQmvh2Y_YgsoiV3-47Y8VqGdnGz6zOCFZH1nFI8gQIK9C4-cNwbB9W6O62JTSM-rKH0nvtRDn3kisdUHIEeZKk/s900/Great_Lakes_from_space.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="900" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxD4dtedRC6sBUVAH72USKNaaOZBdx3owETtC9y2xiffxhXq8s1siae8wQmvh2Y_YgsoiV3-47Y8VqGdnGz6zOCFZH1nFI8gQIK9C4-cNwbB9W6O62JTSM-rKH0nvtRDn3kisdUHIEeZKk/w400-h243/Great_Lakes_from_space.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Great Lakes from space<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p>The topic of climate migration is very much on my mind. What might this portend for the Great Lakes region?</p><p>Here are a few of the posts from the past that have set my thinking in motion:</p><p><a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2013/06/nj-sense-wising-up-to-climate-crisis.html">NJ Sense and Wising Up to the Climate Crisis</a></p><p><a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2013/06/nyc-h2o-uh-oh.html">NYC + H2O = Uh-oh!</a></p><p><a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2018/01/california-and-climate-crisis-end.html">California and Climate Crisis: The End?</a></p><p><a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2018/08/climate-we-all-need-to-be-futurists-now.html">Climate: We All Need to Be Futurists Now</a>. </p><p>. . . as well as many more posts on the <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/search?q=climate">climate</a> crisis. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Additional resources</b></p><p><a href="https://greatlakes.org/2018/05/responding-to-climate-change-in-great-lakes-cities/" target="_blank">"Responding to Climate Change in Great Lakes Cities"</a> by Angela Larsen, Alliance for the Great Lakes</p><p><a href="https://www.popsci.com/best-places-to-live-in-america-in-2100-ad-0/" target="_blank">"These will be the best places to live in America in 2100 A.D."</a> by Peter Hess in <i>Popular Science</i></p><p><a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/heres-the-best-place-to-move-if-youre-worried-about-climate-change/" target="_blank">"Here’s The Best Place To Move If You’re Worried About Climate Change"</a> by Maggie Koerth on<i>FiveThirtyEight</i><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/climate/climate-migration-duluth.html" target="_blank">"Want to Escape Global Warming? These Cities Promise Cool Relief"</a> by Kendra Pierre-Louis in <i>The New York Times</i></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/18/opinion/wildfire-hurricane-climate.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab" target="_blank">"Every Place Has Its Own Climate Risk. What Is It Where You Live?"</a> by Stuart A. Thompson and Yaryna Serkez in <i>The New York Times</i></p><p><a href="https://www.humanflow.com/" target="_blank"><i>Human Flow</i></a> -- a film by Ai Weiwei<br /></p>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-89838627865278541522020-07-05T06:11:00.002-07:002020-07-05T10:16:45.237-07:00On Moving Mountains<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdWENkFOvB0-j5OMED9FbqjI0KcHPoIstbHwwz-Ik2prtVN0I_EpYgE24q9jf9EVMuVESDPQp6TSzRGOmhE8Q4EpZbQKgGKay_nIkIWZOCluNWw4ytDptkVpFBs2-xdGf2IVxI1JtjvkA/s1600/bayfield-march.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="960" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdWENkFOvB0-j5OMED9FbqjI0KcHPoIstbHwwz-Ik2prtVN0I_EpYgE24q9jf9EVMuVESDPQp6TSzRGOmhE8Q4EpZbQKgGKay_nIkIWZOCluNWw4ytDptkVpFBs2-xdGf2IVxI1JtjvkA/s400/bayfield-march.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silent March against Racism in Bayfield, Wisconsin, July 4, 2020</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Yesterday morning -- the Fourth of July -- we participated in an important event in Bayfield, Wisconsin, the mainland community closest to Madeline Island. It was a Silent March against Racism organized with the help of area churches and members of the Red Cliff band of Ojibwe.<br />
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In the evening, we watched the great 1983 film, <a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/born-flames" target="_blank"><i>Born in Flames</i></a>. The film imagines the possibilities for a small band of activists who are determined to change the world. <br />
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In the film, there was a 3 second snippet of a song I recognized from my teenage years. "That's Hendrix!" I said to Rachel.<br />
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The Hendrix song was "Voodoo Chile" - a song I used to hear every morning as I listened to Jimi Hendrix' album, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendrix_in_the_West" target="_blank"><i>Hendrix in the West</i></a>. Here are the lyrics:<br />
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<i>Well, I stand up next to a mountain</i><br />
<i>And I chop it down with the edge of my hand</i><br />
<i>Well, I stand up next to a mountain</i><br />
<i>Chop it down with the edge of my hand</i><br />
<i>Well, I pick up all the pieces and make an island</i><br />
<i>Might even raise just a little sand</i><br />
<i>'Cause I'm a voodoo child</i><br />
<i>Lord knows I'm a voodoo child</i><br />
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<i>I didn't mean to take you up all your sweet time</i><br />
<i>I'll give it right back to you one of these days</i><br />
<i>I said, I didn't mean to take you up all your sweet time</i><br />
<i>I'll give it right back to you one of these days</i><br />
<i>And if I don't meet you no more in this world</i><br />
<i>Then I'll, I'll meet you in the next one</i><br />
<i>And don't be late, don't be late</i><br />
<i>'Cause I'm a voodoo child</i><br />
<i>Lord knows I'm a voodoo child</i><br />
<i>I'm a voodoo child</i><br />
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(Lyrics by Jimi Hendrix © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, source LyricFind)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGK3svZE8hdBS2Vv6rRkuX3WWyaBmV-bH0Gk4BhW7toqnK0VGyS9NQi-YRzAVOfwLSRMtjsTL1OYHD3lxXofJOd2z7pWJGOBkZI-KOEGkwnMw3tcfKnHTCx0A5A_7mlVexhxIU6RvWgck/s1600/hendrix-west.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGK3svZE8hdBS2Vv6rRkuX3WWyaBmV-bH0Gk4BhW7toqnK0VGyS9NQi-YRzAVOfwLSRMtjsTL1OYHD3lxXofJOd2z7pWJGOBkZI-KOEGkwnMw3tcfKnHTCx0A5A_7mlVexhxIU6RvWgck/s400/hendrix-west.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendrix_in_the_West" target="_blank"><i>Hendrix in the West</i></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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When I was 13, I found the lyrics of "Voodoo Chile" very mysterious. (Particularly in comparison to the words of "Red House" -- <i>"There's a red house over yonder, that's where my baby stays . . . ."</i> -- or "Lover Man" -- <i>"Here he comes, baby, here comes your lover man."</i>)<br />
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But something clicked yesterday hearing the words <i>"I stand up next to a mountain, chop it down with the edge of my hand"</i> in the context of the day -- the Bayfield march (where we saw people committed to anti-racism stream into the lakeside park from all directions) and of <i>Born in Flames</i> (a film about committed revolutionaries). I suddenly thought of a passage from Matthew (17:20) that we had been reading a few weeks ago, in which Jesus says:<br />
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<div style="margin-left: 15px;">
<i>"For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”</i></div>
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When we reached that passage in our Bible study group, one of the participants called our attention specially to these words. She said that statement felt more true to her than a hundred other pious pronouncements of the Church.<br />
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<i>"I stand up next to a mountain, chop it down with the edge of my hand."</i> <br />
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Amen.<br />
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Videos of July 4 march in Bayfield <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JoeScarry3/posts/10224526753896740?__cft__[0]=AZW4oVDNLBZWd1pznSZAOR8U_C0CeLTYbrvHO6SQFmoHA0HkeMUlBF8dH3utUwaM2aF-ACppEvizqz21gaLdF4kS3YEvodWxcWcn27sxYsoRjzXLwQh1deh3Pqtg3jaNa2egul1QwX2YXtHfpnFQUmEe&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JoeScarry3/posts/10224526807978092?__cft__[0]=AZWbaa_wRSvz4Ktub3nYrzdcmhHzj_U9MBKdOYSnS2ohRdhsBZOiLhSDjHvu3UjOnY0YAsjJBGF747G6l01XYNLRItFggPvpbW7IyLmLviA4Z9arSr9W4aDnDkwrrxLcnPY0TFGgE4e_TzzfORUJEXJs&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank">here</a>. Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-89502860998836034092020-04-28T08:30:00.000-07:002020-04-28T09:29:11.515-07:00Commonplace Book April 28, 2020: Helmet CrestsA few nights ago I watched <a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/man-movie-camera-musical-accompaniment-all" target="_blank">Dziga Vertov's <i>Man with a Movie Camera</i> on Kanopy</a>.<br />
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A detail that caught my eye: the footage of firemen wearing their crested helmets:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCidO1XiY2_YAHr3uCeABgX_aSTuTJc4G6O34wd5LfIcLsMz27_Ujsu2rW1DwOJ2RC7TLSdQ8rgtbBTJTH_R0M8VuW48wmCVwcedVqAhGKAwQrCXFUfFL5nf_uZCc7EFS4ywTgyQu403zQ/s1600/vertov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="441" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCidO1XiY2_YAHr3uCeABgX_aSTuTJc4G6O34wd5LfIcLsMz27_Ujsu2rW1DwOJ2RC7TLSdQ8rgtbBTJTH_R0M8VuW48wmCVwcedVqAhGKAwQrCXFUfFL5nf_uZCc7EFS4ywTgyQu403zQ/s400/vertov.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It made me think of this TIME magazine cover featuring Dmitri Shostakovich (suggesting his heroic role rallying the country both as both <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitri_Shostakovich#Second_World_War" target="_blank">composer and firefighter</a>):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFUHIu8zq4Te-RmcH4xtBuQDW9UkcYZcMhZRiP6KsicXyveGfUmLq5sDkC2EaRwoAZM1PJL8-c7jUbUw64czL6lRSJgDOP3lUuwYdD_fv-wxrltVoqwRhyphenhyphenMau7nV267OIX6hrtfQYzlpt/s1600/shostakovich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFUHIu8zq4Te-RmcH4xtBuQDW9UkcYZcMhZRiP6KsicXyveGfUmLq5sDkC2EaRwoAZM1PJL8-c7jUbUw64czL6lRSJgDOP3lUuwYdD_fv-wxrltVoqwRhyphenhyphenMau7nV267OIX6hrtfQYzlpt/s400/shostakovich.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
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It made me wonder about the function of the thing on top. (I figured out it's referred to as a "crest.")<br />
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I started to poke around and discovered that it's a common feature of firefighters' helmets. Does it serve a purpose, or is it just decorative?<br />
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I found <a href="http://www.thehoplites.com/helmet-crests.html" target="_blank">a page with lots of images of Greek warriors with crests on their helmets</a>, e.g.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8so-a9GUPJCNUFAi-qh8ZaQUfLnTnasJcuSbOtJGi25De6lT7WSQWSrbtU5b7rwr56ZYVkp06IS94JnST1nbnB-CVwCL4ai5kXb0UdamuJRYynEw1R1yb_kLraWJ9HQCwj3HhiULMoMFe/s1600/vase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="449" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8so-a9GUPJCNUFAi-qh8ZaQUfLnTnasJcuSbOtJGi25De6lT7WSQWSrbtU5b7rwr56ZYVkp06IS94JnST1nbnB-CVwCL4ai5kXb0UdamuJRYynEw1R1yb_kLraWJ9HQCwj3HhiULMoMFe/s400/vase.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The impression I get is that the crest is intended to cow opponents.<br />
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This morning*, I remembered that my sister had dubbed a cardinal that visited her yard "Menelaus." Cardinals do look like helmeted warriors! <i>(*perhaps because yesterday we spotted a male cardinal in our yard - not that common up here in northern Wisconsin!)</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVvT0uNcWWoo8g9CmrNjLllrLV7KLuFD4eHBkIA37EwHhiigKUetkcNUhTrAjRFE0gg-M3F-fWlNvhswAtXnGBjCIuPwwudpKmhxCbVait4iuOIzJRlrSC3Wur4-Y59sbuHsVly80HeQ_/s1600/cardinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVvT0uNcWWoo8g9CmrNjLllrLV7KLuFD4eHBkIA37EwHhiigKUetkcNUhTrAjRFE0gg-M3F-fWlNvhswAtXnGBjCIuPwwudpKmhxCbVait4iuOIzJRlrSC3Wur4-Y59sbuHsVly80HeQ_/s400/cardinal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As I am writing this, I am remembering the costumes in the original <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451_(1966_film)" target="_blank"><i>Fahrenheit 451</i> film</a>, the helmets of which included just the hint of a crest:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtR7vFuuDKUBYRHAwi-VJwg1CMhIeUxwuQqTANqd3RzEpX8nAYYakW1QfEQ67QLkDhNityrjRLDfb1HvFj4UCAAhKmkI0uRocshvN8LPGvyG_V3y-ysrVhk0uXN5LUouEkpuaI3SBQh7K/s1600/fahrenheit_451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="884" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtR7vFuuDKUBYRHAwi-VJwg1CMhIeUxwuQqTANqd3RzEpX8nAYYakW1QfEQ67QLkDhNityrjRLDfb1HvFj4UCAAhKmkI0uRocshvN8LPGvyG_V3y-ysrVhk0uXN5LUouEkpuaI3SBQh7K/s320/fahrenheit_451.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(That's <span class="st">Oskar Werner in the role of "fireman" Guy Montag. A long way from <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2014/11/veterans-day-friendship-stop-war.html"><i>Jules and Jim</i></a>* !)</span><br />
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<span class="st"> * LOL ... I'm referring, of course, to the <i>film</i> ... though I was probably also thinking of the pair of hummingbirds my sister called by <i>those</i> names! :-)</span>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-13153394455733558462020-04-04T06:29:00.002-07:002020-04-04T06:29:46.592-07:00A Tufte-esque Approach to De-Mystifying the INF and Its Locus in "Mittleuropa"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1g-tdeIBWS9AEktYskoZH4x0acdXz281dV-fu5PpfFdD6Q7NAJ4d_t4Wj3ZkOS5jgjXzcYiy0k-jNCVMHSfPi6kamIj1oNPz7FrrrwT-vBIIBOFWQ3VQpMNBnkHeo166Yph8WOcKhH-n/s1600/russia-1812-1813.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="1000" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1g-tdeIBWS9AEktYskoZH4x0acdXz281dV-fu5PpfFdD6Q7NAJ4d_t4Wj3ZkOS5jgjXzcYiy0k-jNCVMHSfPi6kamIj1oNPz7FrrrwT-vBIIBOFWQ3VQpMNBnkHeo166Yph8WOcKhH-n/s400/russia-1812-1813.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Napoleon's Russia campaign, 1812-1813</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The image above is, perhaps, the iconic example of the thinking of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Tufte" target="_blank">Edward Tufte</a>. It stands for the proposition: you can use graphics to help people greatly increase their perception of what is going on with a numerically dynamic situation -- the key is to use the plane of the paper to capture the interaction of multiple dimensions simultaneously.<br />
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This image illustrates four dimensions together: the size of Napoleon's army as he marched toward (and then away from) Moscow during the War of 1812, the location of the army, the time, and the weather conditions. One can instantly get the picture: an overwhelming force, heading off to fight in Russia, full of confidence and bravado, only to find itself retreating as it is annihilated little by little by cold and hunger and disease. (More about this image on <a href="https://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/posters" target="_blank">Edward Tufte's website</a>.) <br />
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Tufte says, in essence, that we remember to make the fullest possible use of our <i>visual and spatial intelligence</i>. Sure, text and stories are useful; but how about drawing me a picture? (To me, the position Tufte advocates resonates strongly with Gardner's theory of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences" target="_blank">multiple intelligences</a>.)<br />
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I've been thinking about this particular image for a long time, since I first encountered it when I was in college in the late 1970s. Then, recently, several elements presented themselves to me.<br />
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The first is a chart of the pace of nuclear disarmament, showing the advance toward a peak US nuclear weapons arsenal in the 1960s and then progress -- in fits and starts -- in reducing that arsenal:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/sunday-review/which-president-cut-the-most-nukes.html?_r=0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8oajgMdlY0zN6QWZaCanCMGh5hiCsW7ByGemCHpNrdxmLajLhGhrbytKXuKlkAVLWUloHhj18TUuHEt9l6GVwLVdFFbv5MEe_h5fN4ofZsIa9lpVEsIO7rncyjsrccnAv5RiRVPX8oFZ/s1600/bar-graph-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The American Nuclear Stockpile</b><br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/sunday-review/which-president-cut-the-most-nukes.html?_r=0" target="_blank">Click to view full size on The New York Times website.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
The second has been the increased attention that I have begun to give to NATO and the idea of Central Europe as the front line of nuclear confrontation. I read several books by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_D._Snyder" target="_blank">Timothy Snyder</a>, and realized that the bone of contention is an area of land that lies between Germany in the west and Russia and the east -- a place about which most people in the US have only the vaguest notion.<br />
<br />
Since I first visited Berlin, Prague, Budapest, and Vienna in 1990, I have been fascinated by a sort of <i>terra incognita</i> that lies between the known West (France, England) and the Other<i> </i>in
the East (Russia, China) -- a zone that is at once vaguely charming and
vaguely menacing. I suppose I should get serious about understanding
it; but there is also something appealing about letting it remain
mysterious -- a <i>Mittleuropa</i> whose reality and destiny we can leave to someone else to worry about. <br />
<br />
I had my "Tufte moment" when I read about a visit by Senator Sam Nunn in 1973 to meet with NATO commanders in Europe. Nunn was stunned to learn that the military assumed that they would use nuclear weapons if there were a fight in Europe. They had scoped out the geography (the chokepoint is a place called the Fulda Gap) and they had run the numbers (150,000 NATO troops vs. 450,000 from Warsaw Pact countries). "The invasion route would put the Warsaw Pact forces quickly within striking distance of Frankfurt and several large American military bases." (Philip Taubman, <i>The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb</i>, p. 198 ff.).<br />
<br />
It seems to me that there needs to be an infographic --
analogous to the one of Napoleon's army - that conveys the state of
affairs in Central Europe, and how it is controlling our destinies.
Perhaps an ingredient that would be helpful would be the events of the
1980s centering on the deployment of Pershing II and SS-20 missiles (see
Taubman, p. 230). <br />
<br />
An infographic illuminating the historic nuclear confrontation in the center of Europe - this would be a timely inquiry. The US has pulled out of something called the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermediate-Range_Nuclear_Forces_Treaty" target="_blank">Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF)</a>. Most people -- including myself -- struggle to understand what's really at stake.<br />
<br />
Maybe it's time for someone to draw us a picture.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Postscript</b></i><br />
<br />
<i>I was stimulated to finally post this note because I had to look up an unfamiliar word -- anabasis -- used by my son in describing the film, Apocalypto. "Anabasis" means both a military advance and a <span class="st">a difficult and dangerous military retreat, and the graphic that Tufte touted came to mind.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span class="st"><i>By the way, proponents of greater attention to another one of our multiple intelligences -- musical intelligence -- might note that the graphic about the War of 1812 is mightily complemented by one of the great works in our classical music canon: Tchaikovsky's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1812_Overture" target="_blank">"1812 Overture."</a> But that is a blog post for another day . . . . </i></span>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-34186816861729830452020-04-01T08:13:00.000-07:002020-04-07T12:31:01.379-07:00The Age of COVID: Are public perceptions changing?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkhoKv98b0J1Xr_OuLi8aTUnpuGfSZaQpoEJ7j9WJOsQ1dzzqo3uqIZBpZjGH3Uh3HR1obFM5Iwws6QZMS8fC9e7CWbZf09mv8e82IiaFNVz6X9ZtlX3_7ABp7m72nG97JdYPIA6tBj78/s1600/ostrich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="960" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkhoKv98b0J1Xr_OuLi8aTUnpuGfSZaQpoEJ7j9WJOsQ1dzzqo3uqIZBpZjGH3Uh3HR1obFM5Iwws6QZMS8fC9e7CWbZf09mv8e82IiaFNVz6X9ZtlX3_7ABp7m72nG97JdYPIA6tBj78/s400/ostrich.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
What a difference a day makes.<br />
<br />
One day the problem seems very distant. "It couldn't possibly have anything to do with me."<br />
<br />
Then the next day everything has changed, and you see the situation with utter clarity.<br />
<br />
I think, for myself, of the difference between Friday, March 6, and Saturday, March 7.<br />
<br />
We don't like to contemplate that there can be massive breakdown in the fabric of our lives. Public health experts and scientists have been warning loud and clear about what we face (in terms of infectious disease, in terms of climate, in terms of nuclear weapons) -- and yet we just can't seem to bring ourselves to prepare, and to change our risky behaviors. And then suddenly -- when we come right up to the brink of dying -- we realize, "Oh! I guess I <i>am</i> willing to make the effort. I guess it really <i>is</i> possible to behave differently. We can do this!"<br />
<br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b>Add your thoughts to these Twitter threads:</b></i><br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/Scarry/status/1245366464128811008" target="_blank">Will #COVID19 open people's eyes to other #publichealth threats like #ClimateCrisis and #Nuclear #War?</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/Scarry/status/1247531382311510020" target="_blank">Now that people are interested in the #fifthrisk, I hope they'll connect the dots to numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. #nuclear weapons</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Related posts:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2019/01/what-do-we-talk-about-when-we-talk.html">RISK: We Are Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad at Talking About the One That Matters Most</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2014/10/nuclear-weapons-stop-engaging-in-risky-behavior-disarm.html">What's YOUR "appetite for risk"? (Eliminate nuclear weapons NOW!)</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-6926523692853415362020-03-27T05:42:00.000-07:002020-03-27T05:42:35.742-07:00Film for the Age of COVID: "Red Beard" by Kurosawa<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEfidvMpKNKxEf6aKbka-G69UAKpnMwreIS9eoNrB8eDky1RevHhTmpMBQHf4YPypssUkTXAPQjzFP0hM4tlbe4ayTOZEBOAPaW_S0_X5dZ-jW5ejNDPApsiK4KhBoaS3mhEcZPfHHYq6/s1600/red-beard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEfidvMpKNKxEf6aKbka-G69UAKpnMwreIS9eoNrB8eDky1RevHhTmpMBQHf4YPypssUkTXAPQjzFP0hM4tlbe4ayTOZEBOAPaW_S0_X5dZ-jW5ejNDPApsiK4KhBoaS3mhEcZPfHHYq6/s400/red-beard.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toshiro Mifune in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Beard" target="_blank"><i>Red Beard</i></a>, a film by Akira Kurosawa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I am coming around to thinking that the greatest film Akira Kurosawa ever made was not a samurai epic, but the fable about strong compassion called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Beard" target="_blank"><i>Red Beard</i></a>.<br />
<br />
The story centers on two doctors. One is the 19th century equivalent of a newly minted medical school graduate -- in this case, someone who has had the benefit of "Dutch learning" in Nagasaki, and has now come to Edo (Tokyo) to be the shogun's doctor. The other, nicknamed "Red Beard," is a senior doctor who runs a clinic that principally caters to the poor. The older doctor appears to be a bit of a tyrant, but it is soon revealed that his priority is all-around well-being of the community.<br />
<br />
The proud and self-promoting young doctor changes as he witnesses the behavior of the devoted older doctor.<br />
<br />
The particular genius of Kurosawa is to show that Red Beard can be both unbelievably compassionate, and also strong and tough in a conventional sense. An example of the former is when he patiently tends to a young girl who has been traumatized by ill-treatment and repays his kindness by lashing out. An example of the latter is when Red Beard single-handedly defeats a gang of ruffians guarding a brothel. (Later, he rues his own behavior. "This is bad. A doctor should not do this.")<br />
<br />
One after another, the people in the film seem to be "infected" by the compassion that Red Beard demonstrates. It is a veritable "cascade of compassion."<br />
<br />
One of the very first blog posts I ever wrote was about the problem of violence, and whether mere "nonviolence" is an adequate counterweight to it. I wondered if we don't need to go beyond nonviolence to <i>compassion</i>. "It seems to me," I wrote, "that compassion is something that, once experienced, tends to become contagious." (See <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2019/12/is-opposite-of-violence-non-violence-or.html">Is the Opposite of Violence Non-Violence? Or Is It Compassion?</a> )<br />
<br />
I continue to think a lot about how violence is "contagious," and how we can find a similarly "contagious" antidote. (See <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2016/01/violence-taking-over-like-virus.html">Violence: Taking Over Like a Virus</a> )<br />
<br />
In an excellent chapter on Red Beard in <i>The Films of Akira Kurosawa</i>, Donald Richie writes, "One can see what Kurosawa has had the bravery to do in this film. He is suggesting that, like the hospital, the world in which we live may indeed be a hell but that good, after all, is just as infectious as evil." <br />
<br />
You can <a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/red-beard-0" target="_blank">watch <i>Red Beard</i> on Kanopy</a>. (More suggestions of <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2020/03/great-films-on-kanopy.html">great films on Kanopy here</a>.)Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-24616925085348859472020-03-24T06:38:00.000-07:002020-03-24T06:38:02.749-07:00On the Need to Slow Down<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm-Cw_DPZCSuvAn7gfwh9MPT8m4L9C_nWg3jKIqp-niXNLwdX1u4MJZQ7TcFg7xmmoDCulkal-3mt-7KKKoRGOj_9Dq6eLPi26AZnoW_R8OcguzaecWh18rB1ej-V0Uo6gaYXhznsEy-U/s1600/hosanna-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="378" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm-Cw_DPZCSuvAn7gfwh9MPT8m4L9C_nWg3jKIqp-niXNLwdX1u4MJZQ7TcFg7xmmoDCulkal-3mt-7KKKoRGOj_9Dq6eLPi26AZnoW_R8OcguzaecWh18rB1ej-V0Uo6gaYXhznsEy-U/s400/hosanna-2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm listening!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
I wondered yesterday: is it possible that the world -- the environment, the climate, Nature -- has sensed that we need to slow down, and that it has been sending us a message?<br />
<br />
In other words, the challenge here is not to save the Earth from being "damaged," but to rescue human lived experience from becoming hopelessly sped up and commodified?<br />
<br />
I was on a phone call with a group of environmental activists, and someone shared a reflection entitled, "What Can the Trees Teach Us" by <a href="http://www.theinterfaithobserver.org/contributors/tag/Nichola+Torbett" target="_blank">Nichola Torrbett</a>. "As far as I could make it out," she wrote, "the immediate message is SLOW DOWN."<br />
<br />
We remarked on the irony that humans have had a very hard time listening to other humans suggest that we need to slow down; the message from the atmosphere has not been able to quite register, either; but now a microscopic bug has seems to be getting through to us.<br />
<br />
Later, I reflected on how this has operated in my own life. I remembered a moment, sitting in a train car as it zoomed through the state of New Jersey, realizing that no matter what was happening in my life I always felt better when I was moving.<br />
<br />
I remembered an essay in a collection on my shelf, and pulled it down to read again. In 1906, Henry Adams wrote about how life seems always to be getting faster and faster. Looking back on his own time, he observed "[b]efore the boy was six years old, he had seen four impossibilities made actual, -- the ocean-steamer, the railway, the electric telegraph, and the Daguerreotype; nor could he ever learn which of the four had most hurried others to come." (From <a href="https://www.bartleby.com/159/34.html" target="_blank">"A Law of Acceleration"</a>)<br />
<br />
And today that seems quaint.<br />
<br />
When I was a teenager, the big bestseller was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Shock" target="_blank"><i>Future Shock</i></a> by Alvin Toffler. I was amused to discover that twenty years later, it became a bestseller in Chinese translation in the bookstores of Beijing and Shanghai. The book is, in a way, an extended updating on Henry Adams' observations: the biggest change is the accelerating pace of change itself.<br />
<br />
There was a wonderful show at the Guggenheim Museum in New York a few years ago, about the Futurist movement of the early 20th century. The Futurists sought to make a virtue of this acceleration of society -- with consequences that were partly entertaining and partly terrifying. (See <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-future-inspired-by-kinetics.html">What Kind of Future Comes From Worshiping Speed, Machines, Flight, War?</a>)<br />
<br />
I wrote once before about the need to slow down in a slightly different context: talking about the concept that George Orwell wrote about in 1984, <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2013/07/ownlife-notion-too-dangerous-for-state.html">"ownlife."</a> That was when I began to see what a huge effort is needed to slow down and choose where to put one's own attention.<br />
<br />
For the rest of this year (at least), the pace of our lives will be changed for us. What will we learn from the experience?Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-84084678853622129592020-03-21T06:37:00.002-07:002020-03-21T06:37:33.292-07:00A Note on Groupthink (and COVID-19, Economic Bubbles, Climate Devastation, World War and Even Bigger Threats)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWZz8wDxXqSNhSJVF0xkUGJzTvNQFWQ2ZKFPH3NKY4uUNCQgovCA3YhSpqcjOLYjaaVI4XYurGii2XG3ukc5blEKSm9SkMi9cxFJZaM6vof706u13nC9cXC5VbQ-pBuddmzvEuSG17Ahy/s1600/graph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="689" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWZz8wDxXqSNhSJVF0xkUGJzTvNQFWQ2ZKFPH3NKY4uUNCQgovCA3YhSpqcjOLYjaaVI4XYurGii2XG3ukc5blEKSm9SkMi9cxFJZaM6vof706u13nC9cXC5VbQ-pBuddmzvEuSG17Ahy/s320/graph.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from the Kristof and Thompson article</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We're all trying to wrap our heads around COVID-19 and the mathematics of epidemics.<br />
<br />
There was a very good piece by Nick Kristof and Stuart A. Thompson in <i>The New York Times</i> that uses an interactive graph to help one understand how the numbers behave:<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/13/opinion/coronavirus-trump-response.html" target="_blank"> "How Much Worse the Coronavirus Could Get, in Charts."</a><br />
<br />
I've noticed that all of us have a difficult time sorting out the risk we face individually from the risk to society in aggregate. The problem seems to be that our minds have trouble holding different categories of numbers at the same time.<br />
<br />
A related problem is what we are <i>willing</i> to think, and what we feel comfortable saying in conversation with other people.<br />
<br />
I made a note of another article that appeared in <i>The New York Times</i> - <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-china-cause.html" target="_blank">"Why Did the Coronavirus Outbreak Start in China?"</a> by Yi-Zheng Lian. Lian argues that things got out of hand because of a cultural tendency in China to defer to "the official line" -- or, more to the point, the fear of punishment meted out to anyone who <i>contradicts</i> the official line. Lian writes, "Punishing people who speak the truth has been a standard practice of China’s ruling elite for more than two millenniums and is an established means of coercing stability. It is not an invention of modern China under the Communists — although the party, true to form, has perfected the practice. And now, muzzling the messenger has helped spread the deadly COVID-19, which has infected some 75,000 people."<br />
<br />
I have become very wary of broad brush characterizations of peoples and nations. (I come by this wariness honestly, as a recovering Orientalist.) But I was struck by echoes I found in Lian's article of a post I wrote about a decade ago about how the Chinese context sets up a "prisoner's dilemma" that squelches independent voices and independent action: <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2009/12/merry-christmas-mr-liu-prisoners.html">"Merry Christmas, Mr. Liu: The Prisoner's Dilemma in China."</a><br />
<br />
Coincidentally, a few weeks ago I watched an online lecture about the years leading up to World War II in the Pacific. <a href="https://www.thegreatcourses.com/professors/mark-ravina/" target="_blank">Prof. Mark Ravina</a> makes the case in "War Without a Master Plan: Japan, 1931-1945" (Lecture 19 in <a href="https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/understanding-japan-a-cultural-history.html" target="_blank"><i>Understanding Japan: A Cultural History</i></a>) that something similar was operating in Japan at the time: the facts showed plainly that Japan was embarking on a path that was doomed, but there was a cultural tendency to acquiesce to what was believed to be the group's overall view. No one wanted to dissent.<br />
<br />
Groupthink: the same phenomenon that we see in Florida today, where no one dares utter the words "climate change."<br />
<br />
Which brings me to the problem I spend the most time puzzling over: <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2019/01/what-do-we-talk-about-when-we-talk.html">our inability to cope with the risk inherent in the current nuclear weapons regime</a>, and our acquiescence in this state of affairs. <br />
<br />
We are all huddled in our homes now. We have a lot of time to think. We have grown tired of watching the same talking heads on the TV news shows. We have begun to reflect, and to have heart-to-heart talks with people we can really level with. And some of us are even beginning to think that maybe we really <i>can</i> live our lives differently.<br />
<br />
To do so will require us to <i>think</i>.<br />
<br />
And to <i>say</i> what we think.Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-81254763460979056442020-03-09T05:19:00.002-07:002020-03-09T05:28:47.054-07:00Great Films on Kanopy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="677" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9c_CjaUJHN6jM-sBON0lOzZO-RuRa0A3xP3UdLYXhcmJZNs2ikZMzT0RVuKrI2rFAoaUeD8jS261lIoPRsat0cqPhJ_DDgqxxyhLoYuPYPunueJX9m7o_e130UNzV_IKo9a42RUrUxEk0/s320/kanopy.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
There isn't a day that goes by that I don't tell someone about how they can watch great films on Kanopy.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/" target="_blank">Kanopy</a> is a film streaming service that people from many communities can access free using a local library card or university ID.<br />
<br />
I've discovered that many of my favorite films are available on Kanopy. (And I've discovered many, many more films I didn't know about -- along with tons of documentaries and educational materials.)<br />
<br />
Here are a few of my favorites -- together with blog posts I've written, where relevant.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/wings-desire-0" target="_blank"><i>Wings of Desire</i></a><br />
<br />
<i><i><a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/ikiru-0" target="_blank">Ikiru</a></i></i><br />
<br />
<i><i><a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/hours" target="_blank"><i>The Hours</i></a> </i></i><br />
<br />
<i><i><a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/women-without-men" target="_blank"><i>Women Without Men</i></a> </i></i><br />
Blog post: <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2013/10/women-without-men-us-iran-peace.html">Can Shirin Neshat's Film "Women Without Men" be a US-Iran Cultural Bridge?</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/jules-and-jim" target="_blank"><i>Jules and Jim</i></a><br />
<a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2014/11/veterans-day-friendship-stop-war.html">Blog post: What Would It Take for Friendship to Trump War?</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/great-dictator" target="_blank"><i>The Great Dictator</i></a><br />
Blog post: <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-werent-people-talking-about-it.html">Why Weren't People Talking About It?</a><br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/hurt-locker">The Hurt Locker</a></i><br />
Blog post: <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2010/02/du-will-we-ever-be-able-to-say-were.html">DU: Will we ever be able to say "We're done here" ?</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/most-dangerous-man-america" target="_blank"><i>The Most Dangerous Man in America</i></a><br />
Blog post: <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2013/09/zombie-alert-how-government-secrecy.html">Zombie Alert! (How Government Secrecy Seduces Congress to Support War)</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/national-bird" target="_blank"><i>National Bird</i></a><br />
Blog post: <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2016/05/truth-about-drones-not-approved-by-us-air-force.html">The Truth About Drones (*NOT* APPROVED by the US Air Force)</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/door" target="_blank"><i>The Door</i></a><br />
Blog post: <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2015/12/future-must-study-chernobyl-global-hibakusha.html">IN ORDER TO HAVE A FUTURE: We MUST Study Chernobyl . . .</a> <br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/hellfire-journey-hiroshima" target="_blank">Hellfire - Journey from Hiroshima</a></i><br />
Blog post: <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-marukis-antiwar-paintings-lesson-in.html">The Marukis' Antiwar Paintings: A Lesson in Collaboration</a><br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/i-live-fear" target="_blank">I Live in Fear</a></i><br />
Blog post: <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2018/05/nuclear-danger-three-ways-of-talking-about-the-unmentionable.html">FILM ABOUT HIROSHIMA: Kurosawa's "I Live in Fear" (Nuclear Danger: Three Ways of Talking About the Unmentionable)</a><br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/message-hiroshima" target="_blank">Message From Hiroshima</a></i><br />
Blog post: <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2018/05/on-tanabes-message-from-hiroshima.html">FILM ABOUT HIROSHIMA: On Tanabe's "Message from Hiroshima"</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/beneath-blindfold-lifelong-impact-torture" target="_blank"><i>Beneath the Blindfold</i></a><br />
Blog post: <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2012/01/revelations-of-beneath-blindfold.html">The Revelations of "Beneath the Blindfold"</a><br />
<br />
Here are several more great documentaries we have used in the past for <a href="http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-multimedia-church-movie-night.html">film screenings at church</a>:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/interrupters" target="_blank"><i>The Interrupters</i></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/house-i-live" target="_blank"><i>The House I Live In</i></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/bonhoeffer-anti-nazi-dissident" target="_blank"><i>Bonhoeffer</i></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/call-me-kuchu" target="_blank"><i>Call Me Kuchu</i></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/gasland" target="_blank"><i>Gasland</i></a><br />
<br />
<i>(What's next? I have a whole list of <u>new</u> films to watch on Kanopy . . . !)</i><i> </i>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-11783313953546177102020-02-23T09:58:00.000-08:002020-02-24T08:10:27.482-08:00For Christian Activists: "Faith in the Face of Empire"<div style="display: none;">
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCj06AX68DwgvTDCgsYxv3GsBLzCbG83tmnIz3aVLqEOFtOHBqmAMSO4HH3Jyf32VRZjac794EVeCKvLhArUNV5SOrJ7lugBz89I2ESJxltpo0NIMMRzj6B2BRVHhTagQTbamEjROlORCx/s320/faith-c.jpg" /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Face-Empire-through-Palestinian/dp/1626980659" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUXGMC_uOHgULntKnfBpmWgvBqZXOkK87VWMfpkQvurf0pZmaQ_hBsy1JDQwW1P0lghkl2gI9MDR5GKKyCmXt0V3BYH3hM_mqqFTPeHPPzDIAkb4V7msqpjwF61EeYXNFXOhyphenhyphenoy63gXgA8/s1600/faith.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mitri Raheb, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Face-Empire-through-Palestinian/dp/1626980659" target="_blank"><i>Faith in the Face of Empire:<br />The Bible Through Palestinian Eyes</i></a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
During Lent 2020, as I am looking for ways to understand <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2019/11/save-the-planet-way-of-jesus.html">what the way of Jesus might tell us about how to save the planet</a>, I have returned to Mitri Raheb's book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Face-Empire-through-Palestinian/dp/1626980659" target="_blank"><i>Faith in the Face of Empire</i>:<i> The Bible Through Palestinian Eyes</i></a>. I've previously written about Mitri's book -- see: <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2015/01/how-shall-we-live-in-face-of-empire-reading-mitri-raheb.html">How Shall We Live in the Face of Empire? (Reading Mitri Raheb)</a>. I am reminded once more what a vital resource it is for Christian activists.<br />
<br />
I've boiled down six takeaways from the book:<br />
<br />
<b>(1) The lure of Empire:</b> <i>Faith in the Face of Empire</i> is a wake-up call that today -- as in the days of Jesus -- it is practically a full-time job to keep from getting sucked in to a life defined in terms of the world's empires of power. Some of the ways that happens is through collaboration and accommodation, but it can also happen when we think we are meaningfully resisting or rebelling. <br />
<br />
<b>(2) Community:</b> Note to self! Pay attention to the distinction between getting wrapped up in <i>politics</i> and contributing to a new, better way of doing <i>community</i> (<i>polis</i>).<br />
<br />
<b>(3) The margins:</b> What might happen if, instead of devoting my time and attention to people with the most power, I devoted my time and attention to people who are sometimes considered "marginal"?<br />
<br />
<b>(4) Diversity:</b> Renew my commitment to seeing diversity as a
source of strength. (Beware of the temptation to think being strong
comes from presenting a monolithic front!) <br />
<br />
<b>(5) Live in tension:</b> Can I respond to the call to live in the tension between "the world as it is" and "the world as it should be"?<br />
<br />
<b>(6) What's the job?</b> Mitri suggests that the real job for me (and for all of us) is to be an
"ambassador of the kingdom" -- i.e. what Jesus was talking about when he
said, "The Kingdom of God is at hand." <br />
<br />
All six takeaways directly contradict mainstream habits prevalent in US society today. Notably, a common thread in many of these is the importance of not getting seduced by the appeal of force. In certain ways, these takeaways can also feel counter-intuitive to people who consider themselves "activists," and who are struggling for effectiveness and success in struggles for in social justice, liberation, and change. <br />
<br />
Maybe these six takeaways could be the basis for generative discussion about, for example, how the faith community might participate in the <a href="https://www.preventnuclearwar.org/" target="_blank">"Back From the Brink" campaign</a>.<br />
<br />
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827"><b>More:</b> See <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2019/11/save-the-planet-way-of-jesus.html">Want to "Save the Planet"? What Might We Learn from the Way of Jesus?</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827">(Here's a link to posts about the time I spent at Mitri's center in Bethlehem in 2015: <a href="https://faithinthefaceofempire.org/2015/03/" target="_blank">Faith in the Face of Empire: A journey in search of hope in the land of conflicting narratives</a>. </span></i><i><span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827">There is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitri_Raheb" target="_blank">good bio of Mitri Raheb on Wikipedia</a>.) </span></i>
Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-9955359932754830582020-02-04T16:51:00.000-08:002020-02-04T17:10:20.765-08:00What Will Our "Salvation Story" Look Like?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLB_MTheUcVXVJStm1Q3q2tT3dskL6VfyE9Z-Lc6ha2ezdHFVGvsbF99PufmfkDvODkE1fOCDj0OzAIZc0UzCkxewEQtLyXVFbTk0RynzXfRPhasVxoyAKLwxIrscQ-8XAY8m34wA_t30/s1600/fiery-furnace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLB_MTheUcVXVJStm1Q3q2tT3dskL6VfyE9Z-Lc6ha2ezdHFVGvsbF99PufmfkDvODkE1fOCDj0OzAIZc0UzCkxewEQtLyXVFbTk0RynzXfRPhasVxoyAKLwxIrscQ-8XAY8m34wA_t30/s400/fiery-furnace.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe and Rachel at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiery_Furnace_(Arches_National_Park)" target="_blank">"Fiery Furnace" formation in Arches National Park</a>, Fall 2017.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
If we get out of this mess, will it be through our own doing? Or will it be through salvation by God?<br />
<br />
Each year, on the day before Easter Sunday, many churches hold an Easter Vigil which includes stories of people's salvation throughout the ages with the help of God.<br />
<br />
My favorite of those stories is always the one about the "the fiery furnace" -- and God's protection of the faithful <span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827">Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the wrath of King </span><span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827"><span class="st">Nebuchadnezzar</span> (</span><span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827">Daniel 3:1-68). Of course, I also like the one about the Noah finally finding dry land after the flood; and I like the one about Jonah getting spit up by that whale after three days; and I like the one about the Jewish people escaping across the Red Sea with the Egyptians in hot pursuit.</span><br />
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827"><br /></span>
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827">But I think the reason I like the fiery furnace story so much is that it is simultaneously so surreal and so direct. It's a story of unbelievable horror -- and also of a horror that we have all faced every day since August 6, 1945.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827">I went through a different sort of fiery furnace experience, myself, during the summer of 2017. I was diagnosed with lymphoma and had to start immediate chemotherapy. I kept telling myself that it might feel like they were putting fire in my body, but I <i>was</i> going to come out the other end alive. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHrn9evWlbQhEbPe9ty9ldqr17Y1BYWcWdJ0VQj8ocMNtkefltRtKB25neSI9m5tc5cUyKZm85wFrcQojjXU7_dKsYzz5M30jlelbOFoUBSY1wN3vp5c1j4lc5hvkcrqLv94s7HbP7Qrc/s1600/hospital.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHrn9evWlbQhEbPe9ty9ldqr17Y1BYWcWdJ0VQj8ocMNtkefltRtKB25neSI9m5tc5cUyKZm85wFrcQojjXU7_dKsYzz5M30jlelbOFoUBSY1wN3vp5c1j4lc5hvkcrqLv94s7HbP7Qrc/s400/hospital.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baptism by fire: first night of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHOP" target="_blank">R-CHOP</a>, June 2017.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827"><br /></span>
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827">Within six months, the lymphoma was under control and I was able to go to a reduced treatment regime. We even managed to go on some trips. I was struck by how far I had come in a short time when we we posed happily in front of a rock formation called the </span><span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiery_Furnace_(Arches_National_Park)" target="_blank">"Fiery Furnace" in Arches National Park</a>, in Utah. </span><br />
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827"><br /></span>
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827">And I wondered: did I owe my salvation in that time of trial to God? Or to people? Or to both?</span><br />
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827"><br /></span>
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827"><a href="https://www.recna.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/recna/en-nwdata/list_of_nuclear" target="_blank">World nuclear arsenals are currently estimated at over 14,000 warheads</a>. Will we achieve salvation from this existential threat? Are we waiting for God to do it for us? <i>Can we do it without God?</i> How are we imagining this story of salvation -- if there is one -- will go?</span><br />
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827"><br /></span>
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827">These are some questions that I will be thinking about on Easter Eve, April 11, 2020.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="text Dan-3-19" id="en-NIV-21827"><b>More:</b> See <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2019/11/save-the-planet-way-of-jesus.html">Want to "Save the Planet"? What Might We Learn from the Way of Jesus?</a> </span>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-67004677149338005082020-01-29T15:02:00.003-08:002020-01-29T15:20:49.567-08:00The Woman at the Well: Important Conversations to Save the Planet<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wYRCjFsn_f0HTJXnpeq3wfFv6jORGkxK6WhsD96ZGuL9a0nmr38VAXyesSkC_yVbpgfWzkNJDxz-W61G7CpEcqrWQ1GJxuiy7iYdZfDuR0V9DA1pMQRGFalfvGGnSiPCAHjpWusLIkBG/s1600/defense-contracting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="830" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wYRCjFsn_f0HTJXnpeq3wfFv6jORGkxK6WhsD96ZGuL9a0nmr38VAXyesSkC_yVbpgfWzkNJDxz-W61G7CpEcqrWQ1GJxuiy7iYdZfDuR0V9DA1pMQRGFalfvGGnSiPCAHjpWusLIkBG/s400/defense-contracting.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conference for defense contractors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
As an opponent of nuclear weapons, and as a proponent of nuclear disarmament, I am inclined to seek out people who think like me: other opponents of nuclear weapons, other proponents of nuclear disarmament.<br />
<br />
Given an opportunity to travel to a meeting or conference or rally, my first question tends to be, "Am I likely to run into 'my people' there?"<br />
<br />
It's a reasonable enough impulse. This is hard work. We all need to draw strength from others who are committed to the same cause. And, as a practical matter, it's important to be together in the same place from time to time, in order to make plans and coordinate efforts. <br />
<br />
Recently, though, I've been thinking a lot about the story of the woman at the well (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4%3A5-42&version=NRSV" target="_blank">John 4:5-42</a>). It's a story about what happens when people who are <u><i>not</i></u> very much alike have an encounter with each other. It's based on particular conditions that existed 2,000 years ago; but it's also about what's happening right here - now, today.<br />
<br />
I notice three important things happening in the story:<br />
<div style="margin-left: 15px;">
<br />
* Jesus is talking to -- <i>gasp!</i> -- a Samaritan<br />
<br />
* Jesus "tells her everything she's ever done"<br />
<br />
* the two of them eventually get around to the main thing: the desire for "living water"</div>
<br />
From this story, and from the Good Samaritan, I've heard many times that Samaritans were a group of people that Jesus' Jewish audience would have considered "off limits." I'm finally beginning to admit to myself that I probably haven't really understood this in the past. I thought, "Well, Samaritans did things like eat pork and Jews don't eat pork, so, yeah, they would have been considered outsiders." But since I don't really have strong feelings about eating pork, this is a pretty weak characterization.<br />
<br />
It's beginning to occur to me that, to understand the depth of feeling about "Samaritans" that is intended in this story, I would need to think about a group that is devoted to living a life that is antithetical to the one I value. For instance - instead of opponents of nuclear weapons and proponents of nuclear disarmament, I should think about <i><b>proponents</b></i> of nuclear weapons and <i><b>opponents</b></i> of nuclear disarmament. I should imagine a conversation around the counter at the diner in Amarillo, TX, near the Pantex nuclear weapons plant.<br />
<br />
Okay, but what does the "tells her everything she's ever done" mean? I used to think that it had something to do with psychic powers or the ability to read minds -- or, anyway, at least profound powers of deduction, like Sherlock Holmes.<br />
<br />
I have now come to believe that it has a much simpler meaning. It refers to two people having a conversation, and one of them reflecting back to the other person what he heard her say. Is that so remarkable? Does that explain the joy with which the Samaritan woman reported to her neighbors about Jesus?<br />
<br />
When you think about it, we are seldom such good listeners. When was the last time somebody listened -- <i>really listened</i> -- to what you were trying to say? Most of the time, most of us are two busy thinking about what we are going to say next to be able to listen to the other person. Sure, we listen -- but we're really just listening for the pause that will be our signal to talk.<br />
<br />
I imagine the Samaritan Woman expected to be talked <i><u>at</u></i> -- and instead discovered to her surprise that she had been listened to.<br />
<br />
The climax of the story, though, is the part about "living water." It comes at the wrap-up of the conversation -- it's sort of like the end of a meeting, where someone says, "Okay, so where did we end up?" The Samaritan Woman says to Jesus, in essence, <i>Okay, I think we're done talking, so let's do what we need to do. You take your water and then I'll take mine.</i> This is sort of the 1st century version of, <i>Well, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree</i>.<br />
<br />
Jesus says, <i>Why do we have to stop being in conversation?</i> Instead of "getting down to brass tacks" -- <i>you take your water and then I'll take mine</i> -- he suggests something that is perhaps less easy but also more fulfilling. I believe that what he was suggesting with the words "living water" (and what she heard in those words) was <i>relationship</i> -- the way of staying in connection with each other (and staying in connection with God) that includes communication in both directions and growth on both sides. And I believe <i>that</i> is what drew her in, and what sent her out to tell other people.<br />
<br />
I am an opponent of nuclear weapons, and as a proponent of nuclear disarmament. I don't know if I have the courage to go to a well where people are likely to think exactly the opposite of what I think. I don't know if I will have the patience to listen. And I don't know if I even really believe (yet) it's worth it to stay in relationship with them.<br />
<br />
But I am pretty sure that if I want to follow in the Way of Jesus I am going to have to try.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>More:</b> See <a href="https://joescarry.blogspot.com/2019/11/save-the-planet-way-of-jesus.html">Want to "Save the Planet"? What Might We Learn from the Way of Jesus?</a>Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-83048656059696534252020-01-28T10:50:00.000-08:002020-01-28T10:50:21.707-08:00Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons: a "Hiroshima Centennial Call"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZEVXeRxMUjeslG1xSdzFV-oqCh1i3bfFyGzb8hnCcusWu2eHv5naagV8EQ2AeHV0y6glHTJbWt-Gc1IFgtITMKj80jaC3mSNZECkM_pBVEOew3CxxXv0SqlrmcXi9b1MsppBG8QVfRTZ/s1600/Hiroshima+Atomic+Dome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZEVXeRxMUjeslG1xSdzFV-oqCh1i3bfFyGzb8hnCcusWu2eHv5naagV8EQ2AeHV0y6glHTJbWt-Gc1IFgtITMKj80jaC3mSNZECkM_pBVEOew3CxxXv0SqlrmcXi9b1MsppBG8QVfRTZ/s400/Hiroshima+Atomic+Dome.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remains of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_Peace_Memorial" target="_blank">Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall</a>,<br />
explosion epicenter from the US nuclear attack on August 6, 1945.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
This summer will be the 75th anniversary of the days in August, 1945, when the United States used nuclear weapons against Japan.<br />
<br />
It is possible that, considering 2020 is the 75th anniversary, more people will mark this day than in ordinary years. But I fear that it will still only be a "blip" on the screen of most people, and will, in itself, not offer much help in the overall endeavor of ridding the world of these terrible weapons.<br />
<br />
Perhaps the best way to make use of the 75th anniversary would be to call attention to something that is perhaps much more sobering: the 100th anniversary. Because there is a very real possibility that the 75th anniversary will give way to the 76th . . . and the 76th to the 77th . . . and on and on, until we find ourselves facing the Hiroshima Centennial -- one hundred years of a world living under nuclear terror -- and realizing we have <i>still</i> been helpless to guarantee that it will never happen again.<br />
<br />
Thus, the <i>real</i> question becomes not "how will the anniversary be marked in 2020?" but <i><b>"are we still going to be in the same situation
twenty-five years from now?"</b></i> <br />
<br />
The time is now to issue a Hiroshima Centennial call for the total elimination of nuclear weapons from the world by 2045. And then work as hard as we can toward that goal. That would offer the hope of an anniversary recognition that all of us would be grateful to participate in.Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201253179489520279.post-16691770064736203212020-01-22T08:20:00.000-08:002020-01-22T08:20:08.051-08:00A Chicago Encounter With China: the "Golden Temple"<i>A little over twenty years ago, I started a newsletter called <u>Chicago China Newslink</u>. One of the topics I wrote about was a Chinese-themed pavilion that had been sponsored by a local industrialist and included in the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. Below are four articles about the "Golden Temple of Jehol." They are slightly edited from the original. In a subsequent blog post I will provide some reflections and updates on the topic.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6GwEwAwIE2MG3-GHu7Cu5DGxRvPdiSg53howZD5Iad57jJzIzbvYGkScEkojQ3jcRBAh3g2f32SLLxyZj2ois3Z5zinKPKEwhwciI2Zpcm6YHVSFC_WLkXNj8_KH-4EXGghmJfcZFKZ1/s1600/IMG-temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="1600" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6GwEwAwIE2MG3-GHu7Cu5DGxRvPdiSg53howZD5Iad57jJzIzbvYGkScEkojQ3jcRBAh3g2f32SLLxyZj2ois3Z5zinKPKEwhwciI2Zpcm6YHVSFC_WLkXNj8_KH-4EXGghmJfcZFKZ1/s400/IMG-temple.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Golden Temple of Jehol"<br />
Century of Progress Exposition commemorative print</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of</span><br />Chicagoans Chase Elusive "Golden Temple of Jehol"</b><br />
<i>(originally published July, 1998, in <u>Chicago China Newslink</u>) </i><br />
<br />
What do you do with a temple that has been scrupulously copied from an original in North China, erected at world's fairs in Chicago and New York, then dismantled and shuffled between a series of warehouses in the U.S., and ended up languishing in storage in Sweden?<br />
<br />
Rebuild it in Chicago! At least that's what Chicago architect Charles Gregersen says the current holders of the temple hope to do.<br />
<br />
Gregersen is a specialist in restoring and conserving historic buildings, and he has traced in minute detail the journey of the "<a href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/235402/golden-temple-of-jehol" target="_blank">Golden Temple of Jehol</a>," which was originally commissioned for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_of_Progress" target="_blank">Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago in 1933</a>.<br />
<br />
"The temple is currently in the possession of a foundation in Sweden, disassembled and in storage. It was rescued from oblivion years ago by the Swedish foundation and its head, Max Woeler, and they had hoped to erect it as a museum," says Gregersen. "But those hopes seem to be fading." According to Gregersen, Max Woeler believes the foundation's best hopes of fulfilling the terms of its trust now lie in making the temple available to be rebuilt in some other location, such as Chicago.<br />
<br />
The ideal location for the temple is somewhere on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_Campus" target="_blank">Museum Campus</a>, the site of the 1933 exposition, says Gregersen. "In fact, there is a triangle of land just east of the Field Museum that would be perfect," he says, continuing, "Don't forget -- this is the only remaining building of all those originally commissioned specially for the Century of Progress. Nothing could be more appropriate than restoring it to its original location."<br />
<br />
With the renaissance under way in Chicago-based China activity, that plan seems all the more appropriate.<br />
<br />
Little by little, the story of the temple is becoming known in business and cultural circles in Chicago. "Our committee has had the opportunity to learn a little bit about it, and it certainly is a fascinating story," says William Spence, a partner at Freeborn and Peters. Spence is the co-chairman of the committee of Chicagoans who are helping to build strong links between Chicago and the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Shenyang.<br />
<br />
"Now, all that is needed is the money," says Gregersen. He cites estimates of $3 million for the cost of constructing a foundation for the 5,000 square foot temple and restoring its former condition.<br />
<br />
And what of the original temple -- the one in China? It was reported to have fallen into disrepair, but Gregersen believes restoration is under way. The temple is ensconced in the central courtyard of the largest of a group of structures in the 18th century imperial summer retreat at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengde" target="_blank">Chengde</a> (about 90 miles northeast of central Beijing), also known as Jehol.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyWMjn1AezwpQVyyKdfmkKJZsKmedzt6N1RwCptTdv6tp_hhEbz5COZkK6MuB-0f0trPZay3VSQ4T-1qdcmRtnv-Q7XbA2-bKziLq56mEk7yXZOguT5mikJUmpGCd6gBvCXvsVz4T15Wi/s1600/IMG-original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="1600" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyWMjn1AezwpQVyyKdfmkKJZsKmedzt6N1RwCptTdv6tp_hhEbz5COZkK6MuB-0f0trPZay3VSQ4T-1qdcmRtnv-Q7XbA2-bKziLq56mEk7yXZOguT5mikJUmpGCd6gBvCXvsVz4T15Wi/s400/IMG-original.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Golden Pavilion of Jehol of which the Bendix Lama Temple of Chicago <br />
is an absolutely faithful replica made in Peking by Chinese workers."<br />
(Source: <i>The Chinese Lama Temple Potala of Jehol</i> exhibition booklet)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Recalled to Life</span><br />... and recalled to Chicago? How conservators on three continents are saving a piece of China's past</b><br />
<i>(originally published September, 1998, in <u>Chicago China Newslink</u>) </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The first time Swedish architect Max Woeler saw the original structure on which the "Golden Temple of Jehol" was based, in 1988, he was overwhelmed by a mixture of delight and melancholy.<br />
<br />
Delight was inevitable for someone who had, like Woeler, spent the previous five years in a dogged effort to conserve what remained of the replica -- the pieces of the full-size re-creation of the original structure, which were in storage at the time in Stockholm. "It was the first time I had been to China, and I was filled with anticipation. There was a whole group of us, and we spent three weeks in China altogether, but the most exciting part, our real goal, was seeing the original pavilion, set within the high-walled enclosure perched in the ills of the old imperial summer resort area of Chengde [Jehol]."<br />
<br />
At the same time, reaching that goal was bittersweet. According to Woeler, "The whole place was in a state of disrepair. The pavilion itself was dilapidated, rather run-down. None of the precious artifacts remained inside it. The area had been occupied by Japanese troops prior to WWII, and before that the warlords had sold off artifacts to buy weapons. But mainly, the problem was just the passage of time -- as if nothing had been repaired since the days of the emperors."<br />
<br />
What Woeler saw in that moment seemed to confirm the prediction made by another Swede, nearly 60 years earlier. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sven_Hedin" target="_blank">Sven Hedin</a>, a famous explorer and the man who oversaw the production of the pavilion replica that later stood in Chicago, wrote in 1930, "In ten or twenty years [the original] will be nothing but a mass of ruins. When [it] has rotted away, the Western World will be able to rejoice that a faithful copy of it has been preserved." Hedin felt the structure [in Jehol] was "the most sumptuous, not only in Chengde, but in the whole of China." The replica was as sumptuous as the original. In fact, Hedin thought the replica had one advantage over the original: writing in 1930, he had commented that the surrounding walls were placed so close to the original pavilion that there was no way for a spectator to step back and get a full view of it. The replica, in contrast, was ideally situated. "In its new position in the land across the sea, this masterpiece of Chinese architecture will come into its own. There, it will be possible to see it standing alone against a background of leafy trees, and there the sinking sun will make the red colonnades glow like real gold."<br />
<br />
Both the original and the replica were neglected for many years, but, by the late 1980s, people had begun to recognize the importance of preserving such treasures, and architect Max Woeler found that the goals of his Chinese hosts closely paralleled his own. "They were setting about to refurbish the original, just as I was trying to recondition the replica. We made a plan to work together -- to exchange technical expertise."<br />
<br />
The refurbishing of the various structures in the Chengde complex was an enormous effort. <a href="https://history.uchicago.edu/directory/james-hevia" target="_blank">Prof. James Hevia</a> confirmed this after a 1991 visit to the original. He wrote: "At that time, the Potala was undergoing massive reconstruction. The center of the structure, where the Golden Pavilion stood, was completely closed off, while other portions were only partly accessible. It was clear, however, that the restoration staff had to rebuild parts of the structure from scratch." (from a pre-publication version of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Qing-Imperial-History-Chengde/dp/0415320062" target="_blank">New Qing Imperial History: The Making of Inner Asian Empire at Qing Chengde</a>)<br />
<br />
The Golden Pavilion is 70 feet wide and 70 feet deep, and 60 feet high. (The replica and the original are identical in size.) Major repairs included replacing an elevated gallery in the walls surrounding it. The elevated gallery allows a closer view of some of the best parts of the pavilion, on the upper levels, but the gallery had been burnt down long before, probably prior to the wartime era.<br />
<br />
But the intricate details, carved and painted on hundreds of wood panels, were as challenging as the expansive structural work. For the painting alone, there was a team of 70 craftsmen. At that time, there were no artisans left who knew these specialized crafts. Now, little by little, young people are learning these special skills again.<br />
<br />
The Chengde restorations were completed in 1991. On a return visit, Hevia confirmed that a lot had changed: much of the restoration was complete, the entire site had been placed on the UNESCO world cultural heritage list, and "[its] new status as a global as well as national treasure seemed to be epitomized in part by the large crowds of domestic and foreign tourists, including large numbers of overseas Chinese . . . . [The] streets were bustling."<br />
<br />
As for architect Woeler, since first becoming involved with the pavilion in 1983, he had spent one entire year tracking it down to a warehouse in Ohio, and then procured it for restoration, planning to put it up in a park in Stockholm.<br />
<br />
Woeler set up a foundation to handle the massive project. First, the pieces of the pavilion replica had to be shipped to Sweden -- overall, it took nine forty-foot truckloads! Then preparations had to be made to refurbish key components, especially the beautifully painted surfaces and gold-plated copper roof tiles. In addition, a site was selected in a Stockholm park, and designs were drawn up to allow the structure to function as an exhibition hall, so that it could have a functional use, as well as serving as a symbol of growing ties with China and as an important cultural artifact.<br />
<br />
All that was needed to situate the structure in Sweden was the final agreement on the land. Unfortunately, obstacles emerged, and bit by bit grew insurmountable. Woeler and his foundation were unable to bring the project to completion.<br />
<br />
But Woeler hasn't given up. "It will really be like a phoenix, rising from the ashes," says Woeler, " -- when it finally gets built, that is!" Now his hopes have turned from Sweden back to the land that originally hosted the structure. "I think the pavilion should be brought back to America -- preferably Chicago!" he says.<br />
<br />
A committee of interested Chicagoans has been formed to determine whether funds can be raised to bring the Golden Pavilion replica back to Chicago and erect it here.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFH-gXHHLxx1HgI0yatb6A_l7IVbgdo10iTZggvX9MVkuhqEf5kbQvNV_aFyDePFPaJ_4QvGj4pCcrDGwYeJIR_zRA7dWPXh4TLwSDEDkhyFS1eQfijkzFDmOY8zzm0xlk9awgS_L6v9xu/s1600/IMG-bendix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1233" data-original-width="1600" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFH-gXHHLxx1HgI0yatb6A_l7IVbgdo10iTZggvX9MVkuhqEf5kbQvNV_aFyDePFPaJ_4QvGj4pCcrDGwYeJIR_zRA7dWPXh4TLwSDEDkhyFS1eQfijkzFDmOY8zzm0xlk9awgS_L6v9xu/s400/IMG-bendix.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title page, <i>The Chinese Lama Temple Potala of Jehol</i> exhibition booklet,<br />
with portrait of donor Vincent Bendix.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Idea's the Thing</span><br />What inspired Vincent Bendix to create one of the century's great monuments to Chinese art and locate it in Chicago?</b><br />
<i>(originally published November, 1998, in <u>Chicago China Newslink</u>) </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><u>Source not</u>e: Invaluable assistance for this article was provided by<br />Charles Gregersen, historic preservation architect<br />University of Illinois at Chicago: The University Library, Century of Progress Records<br />Mr. Pete Leatherwood, Director of Communications, retired, AlliedSignal/Bendix<br />Northern Indiana Center for History<br /><u>King of Stop and Go</u> by Menefee R. Clements<br />Family of Donald Boothby, Bendix architect</i><br />
<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Hugo_Bendix" target="_blank">Vincent Bendix</a> was a man who liked to make things. Even more, he was a man who liked to DO things, and do them in a BIG way. And if the things he made and the things he did caught people's attention, and captured their imagination, well, that was all right with him, too.<br />
<br />
Bendix has been called "The King of Stop and Go," after two of his inventions which had an enormous impact on the auto industry: the Bendix brake and the automatic starter. Those two products were just the most important in a long list of products that he invented and/or commercialized, products ranging from carburetors, hydraulic steering, and u-joints, to aircraft wheels, brakes, and struts.<br />
<br />
Bendix once said, "Business is only a collection of ideas, and you must keep getting a new idea." Bendix seemed to have an endless supply of ideas -- one former Bendix employee said Bendix "had more ideas than he had money to implement them" -- and those ideas went beyond just mechanics. It was Bendix who, in 1928, bought the Potter Palmer Mansion, together with a block of Chicago Gold Coast property, and planned to erect a $25 million dollar hotel there. It was Bendix who created the annual Bendix Transcontinental Air Race, which culminated with Gatsbyesque parties at his South Bend, Indiana estate. It was Bendix who bought a rather ordinary West Palm Beach mansion and turned it into an Italianate palace -- with the help, of course, of imported Italian palace builders.<br />
<br />
But, more than anything else, history is likely to remember that it was Bendix who conceived and executed the erection of a magnificent Chinese structure on Chicago's lakeshore in conjunction with the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition -- one which was visited by over two million visitors. One of those visitors was Joe DeFilipps, today a Nebraska travel agent who in 1833 was an 8-year-old student at Washington Irving School on Chicago's West Side. "What I remember most of all was just how beautiful it was -- and how big!!" says DeFilipps. "When you're eight years old, a five story building looks like a twenty story building. And of course, I remember the golden roof."<br />
<br />
Perhaps Bendix wasn't the only one who could have come up with the original idea. After all, in the 1920s, everyone was reading the headlines about China and the great archaeological discoveries made there by the Swedish explorer, Sven Hedin. It was natural to think about bringing those discoveries before the public.<br />
<br />
Still, it was Bendix who, as a leader of the Swedish-American community (one who had, in fact, been recognized for his public service by the King of Sweden), was in a position to meet Hedin and learn about Hedin's ideas in person.<br />
<br />
In the same way, the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition inspired scores of structures of a kind never seen before from contributors in Chicago and all over the United States, and from around the world, not just from Bendix. There were industrial exhibitions, concept pavilions like "The Future of Transport," pavilions of foreign nations, and more. The Century of Progress was as much about commerce as it was about entertainment and education. In large part, it was an explicit testament to the decade of economic development, especially in the automobile industry, that had made Bendix, himself, a rich man. By 1927, his plant was producing 26,000 brakes daily, and those brakes were used to outfit cars from Autocar, Willys, Hudson (& Essex), Marmon, Packard, Studebaker, to Lord's Lincoln and GMC's Oldsmobile. Not surprisingly, the most prominent pavilions at the Century of Progress belonged to Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler, together with exhibits by Goodyear, Firestone, and Sinclair, and the spectacular "Wings of a Century Pageant of Transportation" pavilion.<br />
<br />
What was intriguing about the project Bendix conceived was that, although it was certainly intended as a publicity vehicle for him and his companies, it was a profoundly subtle and indirect publicity vehicle. While the auto and utility companies were using their exhibition pavilions as little more than glorified car and appliance showrooms, and the national pavilions held obvious benefits, both diplomatic as well as for trade and tourism promotion, Bendix's pavilion was intent on addressing some "better angels" of his public's nature. Bendix was flamboyant and loved publicity, but he also "preferred the soft sell over the hard sell," as one of his former employees put it.<br />
<br />
Another important consideration in all this, beyond the Chinese theme and the idea of doing something big for the Century of Progress, was the money. Bendix wasn't the only one with automobile money in those days. Nor was he the only one funneling all that money into Gold Coast property development. However, some people's money started to dry up as the Roaring '20s gave way to the Depression '30s. The son of Bendix's architect, Donald Boothby, recalls his father saying, "To an architect, Bendix was a godsend -- it meant having a job at a time when jobs were very hard to come by." The senior Boothby, busily employed in implementing Bendix's architectural visions, was doing well enough to buy a new $3,900 Packard in the early '30s, and thought of his employer as a kind of Midwestern Medici.<br />
<br />
Of course, even a Medici has to have influence as well as wealth, and, in the late 1920s, wealth didn't confer much influence until after it had been transformed through devotion to civic responsibility. In 1929, Harvey Warren Zorbaugh wrote in <i>The Gold Coast and the Slum: A Sociological Study of Chicago's Near North Side</i>: "The means by which members of the Four Hundred become the arbiters of the social world, get into the top dozen, are many and varied. One accomplishes it by managing a world's fair and taking a prominent part in notable civic movements ... One is frowned upon, a little, in more conservative circles if one does not take a part in the larger civic and social movements of the day."<br />
<br />
Bendix seemed a step ahead of others in this respect, as well: his administrative partner in the Golden Pavilion venture was none other than Daniel Burnham (Jr.), son of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Burnham" target="_blank">Daniel Burnham</a> of "make no little plans" fame, and himself secretary of the entire Century of Progress project. Likewise, Bendix was living in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmer_Mansion" target="_blank">mansion whose renown stemmed from being the former home of the Impressionist art collection that eventually formed the core of the Art Institute's holdings</a>; he filled it with a new collection, one consisting of precious artifacts from China, and rechristened it "The Bendix Gallery."<br />
<br />
Bendix's imprint on this project was unmistakable: only Bendix could have done something which was at once so quixotic and at the same time so grounded in the nuts-and-bolts realities of manufacturing and construction.<br />
<br />
In the first place, there was the procurement of the components of a pavilion in distant China. In hindsight, it is easy to say that Bendix's money was well-spent, considering the spectacular Chinese structure it bought. The man Bendix relied upon, Sven Hedin, was a generally-recognized authority and inspired great confidence. Still, in 1929, entrusting a third party to embark for warlord-run and bandit-infested North China with $125,000, knowing that you would hear nothing from him for months, took nerve.<br />
<br />
Second, a superstructure needed to be supplied. Hedin copied and brought back reproductions of most of the intricate <i>woodwork</i> of the original temple. That left the structural elements -- foundation, supporting columns, and roof -- to be fabricated in the U.S.<br />
<br />
<i>Ah yes! That roof . . . . </i>The builders needed a way to re-create the gold-foil-coated roof for which the structure was so well-known. For a manufacturer like Bendix, the solution was obvious: he put his South Bend plant to work stamping out 25,000 copper roof tiles and plating them with 23-carat gold.<br />
<br />
Finally, more than anything else, there was the management of the thousand-and-one details that go into any production of this kind. I like to imagine Bendix, in his offices on the 38th floor of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Adams_Building" target="_blank">Bankers Building</a> in the Loop (on the southwest corner of Madison and Clarke, just west of The Rookery), where he could look out to where workmen were laying the foundations of the Century of Progress pavilions. What were his days like? <i>(The interior painting - can we get it done on time? What material will we use to pave the outside? How will admission work? How about postcard sales? Incense sales? How do we get the lighting just right?)</i> I try to remind myself that, for someone like Bendix -- someone who had established his first manufacturing company in 1907, and had been churning through business ideas continuously ever since -- the day-to-day travails of an undertaking such as the pavilion were probably more refreshment than anything else.<br />
<br />
Ironically, the greatest challenge for Bendix was to figure out what to do with the structure after the Century of Progress Exposition was over. Like every other exhibitor, he had agreed to abide by the Century of Progress Ordinance, guaranteeing that he would remove his structure, so that the lakeshore site could be returned in its natural condition to the South Park Commissioners. After much negotiation and request for extensions (some granted, some not), Bendix's organization in March, 1938, disassembled the structure and put it into storage. The Golden Pavilion had been created with the kind of care that goes into great and enduring buildings, and Bendix and others wanted to see it re-erected permanently. It was resurrected briefly for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939_New_York_World%27s_Fair" target="_blank">1939 World's Fair in New York</a>, after which Bendix gave it to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberlin_College" target="_blank">Oberlin College</a> as part of a Center for Oriental Studies it was to build. It then went into deep hibernation. It passed to a series of trustees, principally other universities with interests in Asian Studies, but none could ever match Bendix's ingenuity at getting the structure erected for public display.<br />
<br />
Bendix went on to other things. His Bendix Brake Company has had a glorious history in South Bend, Indiana; it is now Bosch Braking Systems (div. Robert Bosch Corporation). Other companies he founded included Bendix Aviation Corp. and Bendix Helicopters. According to one former employee, Bendix helped finance Amelia Earhart's ill-fated flight, was a part-owner of the original Washington Nationals (forerunners of the Senators), and helped build the original stadium at Notre Dame. Vincent Bendix died in 1945, with yet another grand project on the drawing board: "a popular type helicopter four-passenger sedan . . . to be ready for mass production after the war . . . . " Chicago skies are not yet full of family helicopters, but, with luck, they will once again soon be graced by the silhouette of Vincent Bendix's finest idea.<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h3U4yiFLNsYReiZwulFxFazcl1VoAyqEmAn4dVCQuPbNq8ZT2dcMYRSRLCEzhLAvgoK7L9NAzt_YPTto1pJ8gDvT6zXL0QdRe4jU5sFrtBgC3sSbrcyRFAuP0HHoi2LCxnk_PxbmIk06/s1600/macartney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h3U4yiFLNsYReiZwulFxFazcl1VoAyqEmAn4dVCQuPbNq8ZT2dcMYRSRLCEzhLAvgoK7L9NAzt_YPTto1pJ8gDvT6zXL0QdRe4jU5sFrtBgC3sSbrcyRFAuP0HHoi2LCxnk_PxbmIk06/s400/macartney.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An imagined rendering of the Macartney mission.<br />
(See description from <a href="https://prints.rmg.co.uk/products/tapestry-ko-ssu-d9668" target="_blank">Royal Museums Greenwich</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Noble Witness</span><br />Did the Golden Pavilion loom over the seminal event in Sino-Western relations?</b><br />
<i>(originally published April, 1999, in <u>Chicago China Newslink</u>) </i><br />
<br />
The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengde_Mountain_Resort" target="_blank">Summer Palace of the Qing Emperors at Jehol</a> was the site of perhaps the most important diplomatic encounter in China's history of engagement with the West. In 1793, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Macartney,_1st_Earl_Macartney" target="_blank">Lord George Macartney</a> traveled to China bearing messages from King George III to the Emperor of China. The Emperor's reply to those proposals contained what has become perhaps the most pithy statement of China's attitude toward the outside world: "We have never valued ingenious articles, nor do we have the slightest need of your country's manufactures." His reply went on to veto proposals for trading stations, warehouse locations, anchorages, and other aids to international intercourse. And so nearly two centuries of mutual misunderstanding was set in motion<i>.</i><br />
<br />
This encounter, along with its aftermath, is a staple of every history of China's interaction with the West. An often overlooked fact about this famous event, however, is that it took place not in Beijing but in the Imperial Summer Palace at Jehol -- the site of the original Golden Pavilion. This is not exceptional. Qing Dynasty emperors -- like any number of modern chief executives, who have discovered that, if they can rule from anywhere, why not rule from someplace they enjoy being? -- spent a very substantial portion of the year at the Jehol complex.<br />
<br />
Sven Hedin devoted a chapter of his book, <i>Jehol: City of Emperors</i>, to the Macartney mission. He focused in particular on the not inconsiderable question of whether Macartney would kowtow to the Emperor, or if the Emperor would instead tolerate some lesser evidence of respect. The Chinese side had the foresight to be gracious and accept kneeling on one knee, probably reasoning that, as the ones who would make a record of the proceedings for posterity, they would have ample opportunity to spin the event. (Hedin wrote, "Court gossip asserted afterwards that the noble Lord had been so overcome in tghe presence of the mighty ruler that his legs gave way and he fell upon all fours. If he had refused to kowtow of his own accord, the presence of the Emperor obliged him to do so.")<br />
<br />
The central business of the meeting was the transmission of a letter from the King of England to the Emperor of China, requesting a number of accommodations for the purposes of trade, as well as the presentation of a large quantity of official gifts.<br />
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[One of those gifts was described as "A clock resembling an astronomical instrument by which one can easily explain and reconcile the sun, moon, and stars in the heavens. It is useful in the study of astronomy and geography." Was this instrument useful for navigation? Was it possibly related to the breakthrough marine chronometer (described in Dava Sobel's 1995 book, <i>Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time</i>)? It would be ironic if this was one of the "ingenious articles" which the Emperor later said he "did not highly value."]<br />
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Macartney's visit had to compete for attention with visits by other ambassadors, such as those of Burma and Mongolia, and it was wedged in-between numerous other court functions, as well. "On the Emperor's birthday, September 17th, the Ambassador received an invitation to a review at which Captain Parish estimated 12,000 officers and 80,000 troops were present." One wonders if this display of power made Macartney feel any trepidation for himself -- did he have second thoughts about his principled refusal to follow the court ritual of the kowtow? -- or for the future of the interactions between his own, very powerful, country and the one he was visiting.<br />
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Hedin observed that "it is interesting to compare the manner in which <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qianlong_Emperor" target="_blank">Qianlong</a> received the King's envoy with the deference and obsequiousness with which, thirteen years earlier, he had received the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobsang_Palden_Yeshe,_6th_Panchen_Lama" target="_blank">Tashi Lama</a>. For him the King of England was merely one vassal among hundreds, whereas the Tashi Lama had power over all the Lamaist lands which were under the rule of the Middle Kingdom. In the opinion of the Emperor, Tibet was of far greater importance than Great Britain." What might the role of the Golden Pavilion in the 1780 visit by the Tashi Lama have been?<br />
<br />Joe Scarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02622018908879921573noreply@blogger.com0