Jazz Therapy

As you probably know, a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Northern Syria and Turkey, resulting in the deaths of at least 7,900 people, with that number growing.  (https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/turkey-syria-earthquake-updates-2-7-23-intl/index.html.  Rescuers are doing their best to look for more survivors; this search is also compounded by cold winter weather.  Survivors are left to grieve their loved ones, … Read moreHonoring Syria and Turkey in the Aftermath of the Earthquake

First reading about this case, I felt sad, disgusted, angry, helpless, and powerless.  I also started to think about how the officers in the case, the suspects, were Black too.  They have internalized violence and inflicted it on to fellow Black people.  I reflected upon the idea of the internalization of the aggressor, the aggressor … Read morePolice Violence Against Black people Must END: Honoring Tyre Nichols

Just two days after that, a shooter in Half Moon Bay opened fired, killing 7 people.  His name is Chunli Zhao and he is of Asian descent.  While motives are not completely known at this time, it seems as if this was a case of workplace violence.  It is another senseless tragedy  (https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/25/us/half-moon-bay-shooting-suspect-chunli-zhao-what-we-know/index.html). I am … Read moreReflections on the shootings in CA: Death, Bloodshed, and still no Gun Control

I have been thinking lately about the National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/), the United States federal agency “”…of the executive branch”,[4] charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also tasked with increasing public access to those documents which make up the National Archive (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Archives_and_Records_Administration).  The National Archives and Records Administration, or … Read moreHonoring the National Archives

On Sunday, January 8, 2023, President Biden visited the border between the U.S. and Mexico, in El Paso, Texas, his first trip to the region.  There, he visited the wall separating Juarez and El Paso.  Since he became president a few years ago, the amount of immigrants trying to come in to the United States … Read moreReflections on the Immigration Crisis in the U.S.

As I got older, I have more mixed feelings about football.  It is a compelling game, and it can be exciting to watch.  Yet, it is so brutal, gladiator-esque at one level.  There has been so much written about how NFL players suffer so many injuries, that when they leave the game or retire, their … Read moreReflections on Football: Damar Hamlin and the NFL

Over in Europe, The Guardian reported that many major cities are experiencing record heat in January, another piece of global warming.  “The warmest January day ever was recorded in at least eight European countries including Poland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia,” reported The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/02/extreme-event-warm-january-weather-breaks-records-europe).  One expert in the article … Read moreTuesday Tune-Up: Winter Weather around the World

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the war in Ukraine, my feelings about the war, and also about Putin.  I created a meditation to do as well, wherein we send positive energy to Ukraine, to all Ukrainian refugees who had to flee, and finally, to Putin himself; and of course, I also created a … Read moreThe War in Ukraine: Hope for Peace in the year’s end

This week, I was thinking about all of the many people all over the world who are sick.  I have seen lots of articles about the “tri-demic,” meaning that right now, COVID, the flu, and RSV are prevalent, and many folks are getting sick as a result.  I myself got over a bad bug just … Read moreHonoring the Sick and Healthcare Workers

Reading further about this, I learned that it will be at least a decade more before a nuclear fusion power plant is constructed, and perhaps even longer before this energy can be commercially applied.  It seems that now, nuclear fusion will also be moved forward in the hands of private investors, searching for profitable clean … Read moreTuesday Tune-Up: Delight at a Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough