Below Hawaii photos
Wild roosters kept me up all night, trying to sleep at Jon's apartment in a far rural side of Oahu.
Dragon dance punctuated Miss Chinatown pageant at Windward Mall.
Below, my talk at U. Of Hawaii
U. of Hawaii campus
With year-old grandson Kingston and his mother, below
Above, daughter Stephanie's pet tortoise, Moses
Tomorrow
would be my late son Andrew’s 49th
birthday. It’s been more than 20
years since we lost him, but, of course, we still miss him. Of course, to me, he will always be 27, the age he died.
While
I was in Honolulu visiting family, as per photos above, I also gave a talk
about Peace Corps and my other overseas service to inspire other older folks at
the U. of Hawaii’s Life Long Learning
Institute to undertake similar endeavors. The title of my talk was “New
Paths, New Passages” with quite a few people attending on short notice, but
none seemed particularly eager to follow in my footsteps. My daughter Stephanie
created a slide show on a thumb drive, using photos I took from my blog, particularly
those about my medical brigade participation last January.
Stephanie
and her husband put solar panels on
their house and now their monthly electric bill is a flat $18 per month for
lights, TV, radio, fans, water heater, and stove (no need for A/C or heat).
Hawaiian place names are heavy on vowels, light
on consonants. 'Olelo Hawai'i (the Hawaiian
language) belongs to a family of languages from central and eastern
Polynesia, which includes Hawaiian, Tahitian, Tumotuan, Rarotongan and Maori.
The Hawaiian language consists of just 12 letters found in the English alphabet
and the 'okina, (a symbol that looks like a backwards apostrophe).
The alphabet consists of the vowels a, e, i, o and u, and the consonants h,
k, l, m, n, p and w. Classes in the Hawaiian language are
popular now, especially for native children.
When we were at Windward Mall near Jon’s home
in Kaneohe, he met another couple he knew with 7 kids ages 4 and under. How did
they do that? The oldest was a girl, age 4, next came apparently identical triplet
girls age 3, followed by 3 boys, the youngest just a few months old. The
parents seemed very proud of their healthy looking kids. It was quite production
moving the family from place to place. The 4 girls rode together in a grocery
cart.
A recent Spanish interpretation client at
a specialty children’s hospital was a young woman from Central America with her
first baby, born as a 2 lb. premie after an emergency C-section when he had
stopped moving in the womb. Now, at 6 lbs., he was almost ready to go home, taking
in feedings by bottle, breast, and a nasal feeding tube. His reflexes, vision,
and hearing had tested normal so far. Meeting with a group of specialists evaluating
her baby, the mother thanked them and said that in her country, her child would
never have survived. She never left his side, even sleeping in the hospital
ever since his birth. Some of that fierce level of early maternal devotion,
which I have experienced myself. is probably hormonal.
The
EpiPen price hike is a calculated
exploitation of the health insurance system, passing on the cost to (and reaping
associated profits from) taxpayers and insurance subscribers, while offering
discounts to the relatively few without coverage. I’ve long noted how American manufactured
drugs are cheaper in Honduras than in the US, so I often pay less there than even
with my co-payment here. And, usually, no doctor’s prescription is needed.
Now
that Mother Teresa has been declared
a saint, I recall greeting her at a jungle religious shrine in Nicaragua in
1990, a greeting she did not return. My Nicaraguan friend had driven me there,
expecting to find it empty, as it was very hidden and remote. But instead, we
were surprised to see Mother Teresa there, praying with a male escort near her
side. They appeared equally surprised. I waved at her, but she did not even nod
her head in reply, rather, looking a bit bothered or flustered. She and her
companion hastily went to their vehicle and drove away.
Good news from Honduras, for a change,
namely that a US-financed program may be having some positive effect: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/honduran-aid-activist-killings_us_57acf39fe4b007c36e4dec10
So,
what’s happened to Trump and his wall? Will that go the way of his plan to
deport 11 million “illegals”? Trump and his diehard supporters may not care
what “pundits” and the Republican establishment say about him. He is apparently
not looking forward to debating Clinton and is already explaining his likely
loss: "And
I'm telling you, November 8, we'd better be careful, because that election is
going to be rigged," the New York billionaire told Fox News.
The danger is that his
diehard supporters, when (if??) he loses will create disorder and not accept
the results. And Trump will probably egg them on. After his loss, he may go
back to reality TV and his business empire, including the renovation of a
beautiful 1899 DC building on Pennsylvania Ave., once a post office, now being
converted into a hotel. It’s supposed to open in September, but apparently has
been delayed. Such a shame that he owns the place now. Of course, he may be
better at running hotels than at politics. We’ll have to see if his businesses
will be boycotted due to his controversial presidential bid. If so, he may
declare bankruptcy once again and give up that building.
50 GOP national security
officials say Trump would be 'most reckless president in American history’ https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-national-security-trump-reckless-000000096.html
After Trump insisted that Obama and Clinton created ISIS,
he also hinted that he wouldn’t actually mind losing the election, because he
already has a wonderful life. He may be getting tired of the whole campaign and
he clearly is not looking forward to any debates with Clinton. He does well
only with pre-scripted comments read off a teleprompter. Off-the-cuff or
Tweeting, he’s a disaster! So that should be a cue to the Republican Party to
focus down ballot and forget about trying to control Trump, because he isn’t
going to let it happen, at least not for long. Can you imagine him as president
with daughter Ivanka at his side trying to keep him on-message? If he actually should
win the presidency, he might listen to advisers even less than he does now. After
all, he would say, “I am the president!” Our country and the world would have a
wild ride for the next 4 years, but it would certainly be interesting. Hillary
is old news, as she’s been around and striving for so long, except for a few
years mostly out of the public eye after her stint as secretary of state.
Trump, on the other hand, surprises us every single day, delighting some, repelling
others. In any case, win or lose, Trump is one for the history books.
I
heard Hillary's economic speech in Michigan, which was solid, but not
spectacular or particularly inspiring. I am
personally not so opposed to TPP, but since the electorate is so strongly
against it (thanks to both Sanders and Trump), then she has to say she is too. It
would be good if Obama could pass it before his term is up. Nothing whatsoever has
been said about Cuba, which I think most Americans, to the extent they even care,
consider a done deal. Certainly, Democratic lawmakers visiting Cuba have taken
pains to meet only with the leadership and avoid any public comment on the
daily beatings and arrests of peaceful activists.
Obama
had a problem joining the mostly white old boys’ club of Congress because of
his race and being a relative national political newcomer, a Democrat, and more
cerebral than most members of Congress. Hillary will have a problem because she
is female and also a Democrat, though she is more of a known quantity than
Obama was when he first ran for president. She may not be readily accepted either,
facing the same sort of stonewalling by Republicans that Obama has faced, not
to mention the vitriol that has been leashed against her to undermine her
campaign. Obama has actually accomplished quite a lot in the face if all that
steely opposition. Let’s hope that Trump not only loses, but takes down some
Republicans with him. (Of course, if Trump should win somehow, he won’t be readily
accepted by Congress members of either party either.)
Does
Ann Coulter really think that Trump’s incoherent immigration
speech was actually “better then Churchill”? If so, those folks are living in a
parallel universe.
Predictions already abound about how Republicans
Are Already Planning How to Ruin a Hillary Clinton Presidency (politics is low-gauge
warfare)
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/amp48071/republican-plan-ruin-clinton-presidency/
Huma Abedin, now traveling with Hillary Clinton on her high-stakes presidential campaign,
was finally obligated to disassociate herself from her unfortunately named husband,
Anthony Weiner, who, apparently, had stayed home caring for their son. Weiner should
have known by now that his private inline “flashing” urges would not be kept
secret, especially during a presidential campaign, but maybe boredom, envy of
his wife’s prominence, and the thrill of a high-stakes risk kept him going, as
it often does for skydivers and race car drivers. Doing something like that is
almost creepier than engaging an actual affair. The last straw for his wife may have been
sending a raunchy photo of himself with his young son appearing in the
background. No doubt, Weiner has sought psychiatric “help” for his urges, but such
help doesn’t always work, especially if the affected person really doesn’t want it.
Some good news from Cuba: Cuba
reports remarkable success in containing Zika virus
My position on Cuba now is that US diplomatic
relations may have been a good first step and that travel and cultural
exchanges can build mutual trust outside of politics, but this does not mean
that US officials, particularly Democratic officials and US Embassy staff, must
only engage with the leadership and avoid everyone else. They need to take a
more balanced approach and to communicate with and support ordinary citizens,
including those expressing different political views in a peaceful manner.
That’s what our country stands for, not deciding, in the name of diplomacy, to
exclusively support an un-elected leadership (un-elected for 57 years!) and
turn a blind eye to the actions of that leadership, which routinely encourages
physical attacks and arrests of Cubans engaged in peaceful expression and
assembly, those seeking freer internet communication, or those who are simply
trying to make ends meet. There is something disquieting, almost obscene, about
lawmakers, high-end models, American media figures, sports stars, and other
“beautiful people” descending on Cuba to meet and be photographed with Raul Castro,
while the Castro government is routinely beating up and jailing the Ladies in
White and others engaged in peaceful expression. It’s as though our government
condones those attacks. And the Castro government’s defense that what happens
inside the country is protected by Cuba’s “sovereignty” is like asking someone
to be cordial with a neighbor who is beating up his wife and kids. Dr.
Martin Luther King said that "In the end, we will remember not the words
of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” We should not keep silent.
Article 53 of the Cuban Constitution states
that: “Freedom of expression and the press will be recognized in accord with
the goals of a socialist society … the press, radio, television, movies and
other means of mass communication will be property of the state and cannot be,
in any case, privately held to assure their exclusive use in the interest of
society.”
Changing subjects, earlier on
this forum, I’ve discussed the DR’s anti-Haitian descendants’ policy, on which that government is hanging tight, despite
international condemnation. http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/2016/08/24/triumph-black-dominican-athlete-at-rio-olympics-not-celebrated-by-everyone-back/__
Port-au-Prince (AFP) 8-29-2016- Former Haitian
president Jean-Bertrand Aristide made a rare public appearance to support
his party's presidential candidate. (I was an election observer when Aristide himself
was elected in 1990.)
"All of Haiti's children must
give a hand to help heal our country," said Aristide, who returned to
Haiti in 2011 after being ousted in a coup seven years earlier.
Speaking in Creole with his
signature use of metaphor, the former shantytown priest said he and candidate
Maryse Narcisse were "bringing the strength of our dignity."… Nearly 6.2 million voters are
eligible to cast their ballots on October 9 in the first round of the presidential
election as well as a legislative vote. The
presidential election's second round is scheduled for January 8.
Pastors
for Peace,
which has been sending material aid to Cuba for many years, may lose US
tax-exempt status http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article97617547.html
Posted: 23 Aug 2016 05:45 AM PDT
Tweet
from the daughter of Cuban democracy leader, Guillermo Fariñas, who is on the 32nd day of his hunger strike:
I don't understand. Where is the humanity of Pope Francis when in Cuba Guillermo Fariñas is slowly dying for the sake of human rights?
I don't understand. Where is the humanity of Pope Francis when in Cuba Guillermo Fariñas is slowly dying for the sake of human rights?
No comprendo donde esta la humanidad d @Pontifex_es cuan2 en #Cuba @cocofarinas esta murien2 lentamente x hacer valer
sus #DerechosHumanos
—
Alicia Fariñas (@HaisaAlicia) August 23, 2016
I’ve
read a couple of massive books recently, Bob Woodward’s Plan of Attack (2004), about GWBush’s decision to pre-emptively attack
Iraq. Even though no WMDs were found, Bush told Woodward that he was convinced
he had made the right decision, that history would be his judge, but admitting that
“by then, we’ll all be dead.”
The
other book is Far from the Tree by
Andrew Solomon, about parents raising kids very different from themselves:
deaf, gay, transgender, dwarf, autistic, or even criminal or genius offsrping. It’s
sometimes hard to remember, when a notorious criminal is captured, that he or
she has—or has had—parents and a family.
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