...knowing history.

There is no hope of understanding the present or of preparing for the future without a deep understanding of the past. To put it simply, if you don't know history, you don't know anything.

...the melting of God.

The increasingly comprehensive understanding of the universe that science provides to humans is, for God, the equivalent of a bucket of water being thrown over the Wicked Witch of the West.

God is gradually melting away to nothing.

...losing Mom

My mother, Betty Treder, died late last night in Sunnyvale, California. She was 91, and had been in failing health for several years, but her passing was in relative peace and comfort. For that I am grateful, and for the opportunity to have known her for so long.

She was a whip-smart lady with a ready smile, very funny and also very hard working. She treasured good ideas, loved to read, to travel, and greatly appreciated beauty. Nearly all who knew her were warmed by her presence, even if occasionally scorched by her wit.

Although I’m very sad, and will deeply miss her, I’m happy that she had such a long, wonderful life, and it’s good to know that the suffering of her past few years has ended.

The photo above is of my mother and father in 1976 (I think), when they were on an Alaska cruise. My dad died four years ago, after 67 years of happy marriage to my mom.

...the arc of Preston Sturges

Writer, filmmaker, inventor, and restauranteur Preston Sturges lived an amazing life.

• As a child, he was an unremarkable student with no apparent special talents.

• In his twenties, he was a flop, with no success and no prospects.

• In his thirties, he was a celebrated author of hit plays and movies.

• In his forties, he was one of Hollywood’s best-known and most successful directors.

• In his fifties, he was a flop, with no success and no prospects.

• And before he reached age 60, he was dead.

What lessons can we learn from this?

1. If you are not successful now, don’t give up hope. Your best days may be just ahead.
2. If you are a success today, take time to savor the experience, for it almost surely will not last forever.

Recommended biographies:

• Christmas in July: The Life and Art of Preston Sturges - by Diane Jacobs
• Between Flops: A Biography of Preston Sturges - by James Curtis
• Preston Sturges by Preston Sturges: His Life in His Words - by Preston Sturges

...conservatives bitching, bellyaching, and whining

This is from a friend of a friend of a friend, who writes:

I'm tired of conservatives bitching, bellyaching, and whining about everything, without providing any solutions.

Remember this:

Conservatives opposed rebelling against England.

Conservatives opposed free public education.

Conservatives opposed allowing citizens to vote (not just property owners).

Conservatives opposed freeing the slaves.

Conservatives opposed the National Park System.

Conservatives opposed allowing women to vote.

Conservatives opposed Social Security.

Conservatives opposed Rural Free Electrification.

Conservatives opposed the Small Business Administration - while worshiping the same small businesses.

Conservatives opposed integrating the Armed Forces.

Conservatives opposed allowing blacks to vote.

Conservatives opposed providing equal education for all.

Conservatives opposed the Civil Rights Act.

Conservatives opposed Medicare.

Conservatives opposed Medicare Prescription Coverage.

Conservatives opposed regulating financial institutions - allowing them to run amok, creating the financial crisis.

Nearly everything that makes the USA the most envied nation in the world has been achieved in spite of conservatives bitching, bellyaching, and whining.

- John Watts

...atheism vs. religion

I'm sorry if my atheism offends you. But guess what - your religious wars, jihads, crusades, inquisitions, censoring of free speech, brainwashing of children, murdering of albinos, forcing girls into underage marriages, female genital mutilation, stoning, pederasty, homophobia, and rejection of science and reason offends me. So, I guess we're even.

...people-powered democracy

Things move amazingly fast these days, accelerated by the power of the Internet and an engaged populace. As an example, consider the story about relaxed security at a Barack Obama campaign event in Dallas.

It surfaced for the first time, apparently, yesterday morning (!) in the pages of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Quickly picked up by various small bloggers, and then circulated to the masses by high-volume sites like Americablog, the story gathered enough interest -- and enough pressure from we, the people -- that the US Secret Service felt compelled to respond.

This would not have happened without the intervention of alert bloggers and large numbers of concerned citizens like you. It's an excellent example of the real-world effective power that Internet communication and action is bringing to our democracy.

Good on you!

Tags: Politics, Society