Anarchy in the US

I live in Saint Paul and have been active in my neighborhood.  During this time, I have seen the police department respond to various issues.  The current St. Paul police chief, while in a previous role, would come to meetings regularly, and do the right things toward inclusivity.  He is in the news based on the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd.  In neighboring Falcon Heights, in 2016, Philando Castile was murdered by a police officer.  In Saint Paul, we honor Philando every summer-- https://www.centralhonorsphilando.org/   . The event is peaceful and has police and city support.

Black Lives Matters protests regularly, based on events such as the Philando Castile murder.  They choose to block the rail or the freeway on occasion, often choosing my St. Paul neighborhood for these protests, and there are police interactions.  These events are not intended to be violent.  We don't see buildings burned down.

In 2008, the Republican Convention came to St. Paul.  My wife and I were there watching various protests and media broadcasts downtown.  Code Pink, Donna Brazile, Samantha Bee and Clint Eastwood each crossed our path.  A local media personality attempted to philander after hours.  All of the organizations protesting did so peacefully.  Occasionally, there would be police round-ups.  I saw nothing to make me ashamed of my city, though others may recall differently.  Some there to protest may have not understood that others, presumably from out of town, were there to create mayhem.

Anarchists or paramilitary outsiders or who knows what they call themselves-- people dressed in black, gave the impression that they wanted violence.   We saw a man dressed in all black walking down the sidewalk, carrying a flower, looking much like a mime.  When he was tackled by four police officers and drug away, the crowd cheered silently.  Except for anarchists-- people from out of town who seemed to be present based on their enjoyment of inciting violence-- there was peaceful mocking of Republicans.  Did someone hire the anarchists to make the protesters look bad?  We don't know.  It seemed that way.  Or, who knows?  Maybe, there are people who like to fight and destroy.  Protests give them the excuse to do so.

Yesterday, a red car zoomed past me weaving in between one car then another.  I thought I should report it, then noticed it had no license plates.  Last night, the people with cars with no license plates caused great destruction in my neighborhood.  Was this because George Floyd would have wanted it or to punish evil corporate America or were small businesses who have worked diligently to bring the neighborhood together targeted?  The violence and destruction didn't spare the good guys.  The businesses with the most Black patronage were targeted.  Big Top Liquor, a diverse place and a part of the neighborhood fabric for decades, was targeted.  Vigs guitars was targeted.  This, in a struggling neighborhood where the Walmart and Office Max just closed.

The murder of George Floyd was used as justification to damage my neighborhood last night.  This wasn't where George was murdered.  This wasn't the same city or the same police department.  It wasn't done by supporters of George or in memory of George.  Those involved had no knowledge of whom they were hurting.

It was opportunists from who knows where, maybe the same people who show up at political conventions. The city of St. Paul had nothing to do with it.  People who actually work diligently toward solutions end up as the targets.

Anarchists will say that the murder of George Floyd justified what happened.  Many protesters will agree.  But, those who would weave dangerously to other cities in cars without license plates to destroy random neighborhoods are what?  They are criminals, just as police officers who would murder are criminals.  The murder was White on Black crime.  Every anarchist I have seen has been White.  The destruction of my neighborhood is White on Black crime.

Lloyd's Pharmacy:

Leaders Say Riot Damage Not Caused by Minnesotan



https://medium.com/@BarackObama/how-to-make-this-moment-the-turning-point-for-real-change-9fa209806067

How are you coping? Let me know!

 Just drive to work and back.  Stay at home!  It's as if everyone just got sentenced for first offense DWI!

Our nuclear family has done all we can to minimize risk of exposure to the virus.  I limit shopping and try to shop when and where it is least crowded.  Our little girl has pre-K sessions via Google Meet.  I attend Toastmasters via Zoom.  We are well stocked with masks and sanitizer and food staples.

We are somewhat exposed because one of us is an essential health care worker.  She understands and follows precautions better than the rest of us though.  Ever since that Norovirus of 2007, she has avoided work exposure. Extended family is far enough away that we are not tempted to visit them.  The exception follows below.  We had a Zoom call with family for Easter and a few family Facebook calls.

Music is one my passions.  I've watched live shows on Facebook by Ralph Covert and Ralph's World (children's music).  He does them daily.  I saw a special "I Am A Building show" by Mark Mallman..  Bill Kirchen has Facebook shows on Friday nights.  I also watched promoter KC Turner interview him.  I found a 1992 Young Fresh Fellows set on a fan page.

Musicians have lost their livelihood as the live shows pay the bills.  But, as a music fan, there seems to be plenty available at all levels-- the local band to the international performer.  Yep Roc keeps sending me LPs.  I found my cousin's  pandemic themed kid music and a Scott McCaughey solo recording on Bandcamp-- both from and of these times.  I don't get to walk to the Turf Club for shows.  But, I am not deprived either.

Please believe me when I say that I am not suffering.  Just as the mentally ill have their cigarettes and perhaps use nicotine to give them a sense of control, I may be over-consuming caffeine these days.  If there is some "bad habit" that gives you a sense of normalcy, I wouldn't fault you.  I'm not saying I like cancelling my vacations.  It is just that I have so much more to be thankful for than I have to complain about.

My little girl is not suffering, either.  She knows that for now there are things we can't do because of coronavirus.  What does she miss?  Friends at school.  And, church.  She loves church but doesn't care for live Facebook or Zoom alternatives.  Her attitude is positive.  She understands things are different.  But, everything is new at her age and therefore her coping skills are off the charts compared to her parents, and most of us.

When I was younger, would I have suffered from pandemic restrictions?  I am thinking I would have been okay.  The worst case scenario I can imagine is too much TV-- that WOULD depress me.  Being a teenager might have been seriously annoying.  As an adult, I've always had a good music collection.  Astronomy and pre-Internet computer activities quickly filled evenings.  Working in Knoxville, Iowa as a young adult felt very close to self-isolation most of the time.  College age years would have been hardest.

My father-in-law who is very social might be suffering, though.  He was always at a dance or playing cards, even on days when we visited.  He is in his 80s, is at high risk, and a best friend for fifty plus years died of COVID-19 a couple weeks ago.  He was so close of a friend that pre-COVID, I was part of visits with him at a nursing home in St. Paul this year.  My father-in-law misses people.

 Against my judgment, we visited my father-in-law for a few days at his farm.  We were careful about exposing ourselves to each other-- no hugs, no handshakes, separate bathrooms. We brought some food and cooked it ourselves so that we could avoid grocery stores. I told him over and over, he should stay with us and not be tempted by those of his friends who are crazy enough to play cards.  I wasn't sure that he might not be crazy, too, or at least lonely enough.  (I  will have a few days at a cabin on Lake Superior as one enticement to wrest him away.)  

He worries about others.  He checks his temperature daily.  (It has been normal.)  His temperature checks are less about his well being than his genuine concern for others.

I  take seriously that you may be suffering now.  People are curious what is going on.  Schedule a Zoom call with me on a Sunday or 3 pm on a Monday and let me relay your story.   How are you coping?   Let's talk!  If you feel you just got sentenced for a crime you didn't commit, you have my sympathy.

Hawaiian Beach Paradise

My family and my sister's family are sharing a condo on the beach just south of Kona on the island of Hawaii.  We went to the top of Mauna Kea last night and saw the stars.  We looked at the star system with the nearest known black hole.  It is visible to the naked eye.  We have been eating well.  It's mostly seafood from Costco.  Since several of us are capable, no one is tasked with too much cooking.  Tomorrow, we boogie board, drink Kona coffee and visit sea turtles on the beach.  Whoops.  

We are home like everyone else. 

Suffering?  No.  Gaining a few pounds from Monica's instantpot meals.  But, the Wii still works.  It's beautiful outside.  The lawn is looking good?  Green, anyway.

Pre-K is winding down.  There are not as many assignments as before.  Classroom decorum has improved.   Yes, learning is happening online,  even for four year olds.  Mrs. Oh dropped off Rose's graduation tee shirt today.

I am reading Harry Potter to Rose now.  Great book.  Really good book.

We could be sad.  We were looking forward to Hawaii. We'll get there again someday.  But, we haven't given it much thought.  I just realized today that now would be the middle of our trip.  Being sad is not our choice.  It could be.  It is not.

It is important to focus on the positive.  We are lucky there is plenty of positive to think about.

The Future (and will there be masks?)

The past, the present and the future-- what's the difference? The activities of people stay similar. One answer of what changes, not original to me, is this-- "the percentages."

Who would have thought that there would be lessons from the 1918-19 flu pandemic in the year, 2020? Yet, social distancing lessons from then apply now. Some cities reopened too quickly and had second death waves. This is already starting to happen in 2020. The past has relevance. People walked around with masks 100 years ago, as they are now.

Where will we spend the rest of our lives? The rest of our lives will be spent in the future. The future seems very important. What do we know about it? Will there be masks?

We know the past had kings, plagues and brutality. Some look back nostalgically or naively and imagine experiencing wealth, nobility and the countryside without care. It is clear most of us would not relish the harsh realities most experienced. (My great grandmother shucked dozens of bushels of corn each season, while in her 80s, and spoke of it without complaining!) People were the same then, just more toughened up, so perhaps we would adapt.  But, let's choose not to tolerate kings, plagues and brutality.

We can't extrapolate the future from a short view of history. Scary books in the 1960s were written about overpopulation. Predictions of starving masses have not come true. (Rather, the cause of starvation these days is war.) There is no reason to assume food supply will not keep up with population trends, nor should we assume that whatever we are eating doesn't taste better than our spaghetti. We've had one major natural pandemic in my lifetime, so we shouldn't expect terrible natural viruses all of the time, either. Rather, our recent experience should prepare us better for the next bug. Scientific progress has always muted Thomas Malthus’ worries.

War has ravaged. We might experience it firsthand and up close. This is relatively likely, even if we never see military service. This was a lesson of 9-11. This is also a lesson if virus warfare is ever used. Nukes still exist. Globalization is currently badmouthed, but it is still our best defense from war. Thriving countries choose not to wall themselves away. It portends bad news if we do.

If we think shopping weekly at Costco with a mask is “dystopian”, we might not do well at handling what many countries deal with right now or in the recent past. Read up on the Democratic Republic of Congo for a look at what is possible. Violent war rape is common. That part of the world may seem far away, but the world is close. I know about DRC mostly from local refugee neighbors, not from what is in the newspaper. Consider also Nazi practice of 75 years ago if one relates to a Caucasian example of torture and death. Just as with infectious disease, if we stamp out the worst brutality, no matter where, and eradicate it from the world, the world becomes a better place. Our struggle, even if this is a pandemic and a depression, does not seem too bad by global or historical standards.

Optimism suggests to us the probability of great prosperity and wealth. Our smartphones, such as what I type in right now, would fit nicely into the original Star Trek future. The robot at the Microsoft store is functional enough. Google Home plays internet radio via voice command making that wonderful, special radio I was given ten years ago seem obsolete. AI possibilities go far beyond chess playing. 3D printers are at every high school and might actually be useful at some point for ordinary day to day items. The video calls we could have been doing for twenty years just now seem vitally important. It may seem like nothing happens, but look!, my watch knows how many steps I took. The trend to more computerized tech isn't going to stop. Some imagine merging themselves with AI into “the singularity.” (I used to regularly interact with these people. I wonder how their ideas have changed in the past 15 years.)

Unlimited energy would be a breakthrough that changes the world. There have been possibilities for decades, such as fusion. Forget climate change as an apocalyptic scenario if energy becomes free. Just pull the excess CO2 out of the air by machine. Travel becomes essentially free. It could happen in our lifetimes. It might not, also. Probably not.

What about masks? They will likely survive. In Asia people wear masks regularly to prevent their colds (or flu, or coronavirus) from spreading, and have been doing so since 1918. It is just common courtesy if one thinks about it. (You should be wearing a mask now, by the way*.)

How does one cope with the future? Understand the past and the present and make educated guesses about what may increase.  The activities are pretty much the same. The difference is the percentages.

Uncle Bert

This is a personal story, more about me than about Uncle Wilbert and Aunt Ellen, but I will share it anyway upon Uncle Bert's death at 88.

I grew up in Des Moines.  My grandparents lived in Anita and Atlantic.  We would visit 500 Spruce to see my aunt and uncle and Bert, Mary Lou and Norman.  I imagine I visited when I was baby.  We would visit regularly while I was a child.

It was a learning experience to visit.  It was more chaotic than I was used to.   There were slightly naughty things around, like comic books and Mad magazines.  I don't remember why, but it seems like we slept there once.  I remember going upstairs late in the evening one night.

Dad said that if there was an emergency,  Donna and I would stay with Bert and Ellen.  Mom said that we would stay with Aunt Bev's family if the worst happened.  Either scenario was scary and different.   But, the idea of living with people who knew how to laugh and have fun had appeal. I felt both families were more normal than my own.

Grandma would sometimes be there.  Grandma sometimes acted concerned.  But, mostly I remember Uncle Bert or Aunt Ellen joking around with me.  Whatever catastrophes were happening any day I was there were not so serious that Uncle Bert and Aunt Ellen couldn't joke around.

I remember dogs.  The dogs were always the happiest dogs.  I remember helping to take the dog for a walk with Uncle Bert in Atlantic.  

My father, Aunt Ellen and Uncle Bert visited my house in El Cerrito 15 years ago.  We went to Pier 39 and ate at Bubba Gump's.  I got a picture of Uncle Bert modeling Forrest Gump's shoes and he got a picture of me. 

Bert saw my display of the three foul ball baseballs I had gotten at games, not quite catching but at least retrieving.  He took one of my "homerun balls" for a grandson.

My family and my father visited Ellen a week before she died.  She was still joking.  She also got upset at my father, which was her right.

We visited Bert at the Anita nursing home, too.  But, just once I think.  He was still joking, too.

In the 1990s, I started a record label which released about 20 CDs of local Twin Cities musicians.  I named the label "Bert Records" after my uncle.  I would tell people that Uncle Bert had happy dogs.

That is how I remember Wilbert Hoeck.

How to Live to 100

This is my final speech toward a Advanced Communicator Gold Toastmasters award.

__________________ 

I had my 59th birthday last month.  I like being 59 so much that I might stay this age for a while on my way to 100.  Getting to 100 involves luck because tragedy befalls the strong. Getting to 100 also requires overcoming tragic events-- death of parents, death of children, even outlasting pandemics.  There are transitional events we all go through. Betty White at 98 is on her way to 100. Does she still wear sexy underwear? Depends. Perhaps you need a healthy diet and lots of exercise to make it to 100.  For sure, you need the right attitude, which can be summarized with words containing the letter G-- you need to be grateful, engaged and you need at least one goal.

Being Grateful

I think to my great grandmother born in 1884.  I knew her well. She lived until I was an adult.  In her 80s she shucked dozens of bushels of corn each year.  Toward the end, her husband was in the nursing home while she was on the retirement home side of the building.  I remember her being asked about living apart from her husband. "I couldn't take care of him!", she responded.

My daughter might also have the proper attitude.  Mom told Rose how sad she will be when Rose grows up and leaves home.  Rose answered, "I'm here now."

My wife, Monica, worked at an assisted living facility.  A lot of people in their 80s were whiners. Those in their 90s and above were glass half full people.

My grandfather was very fastidious about washing his hands. But then not too many people experience age 100 without a pandemic.  He was 13 for the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. 

Betty White is doing fine in the pandemic.  "I wasn't leaving home that often anyway." 

 I'm doing fine in the pandemic.  Having Rose home while she goes to school is the best of both worlds.  If you are doing fine distancing from others in the pandemic, you might have the grateful mindset needed to live to 100.  Or, else you are an introvert.

How do you feel more grateful?  I imagine life for Otsi, found frozen in the Alps after 5000 years with grass shoes and a copper axe.  Or, if pre-history actually appeals to you, imagine life 100 years from now. With the right framing, almost any current scenario seems pretty pretty good.  Situations much worse than what we put up with are the historical norm.

Being Engaged 

I love reading about Astronomy.  It is amazing how much gets discovered each month.  When Rose was born, New Horizons was flying past Pluto.

I love travel.  My daughter goes to a Korean immersion school.  Wouldn't it be fun to live in a different country for a while?

The senior member of the seniors writers group that I joined in El Cerrito,  CA went bowling every week.

At Twins games, they are always pointing the camera at a centenarian going to their first baseball game.  Following the Twins is being engaged.

I'm amazed by Monica's elderly aunt who knows everything about her relatives young and old.

Betty White plays Scrabble with her friends over Zoom.

To live to be 100, you have to be engaged and in the moment.  Engagement counts as 2 Gs.

Having a Goal 

Did you know that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both made it to the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence? They both died July 4, 1826.  They willed themselves to the milestone.

 Do people die at 99 ½ or do they make it to 100?  People make it to the milestones. Those who make it to 100 will themselves.  Freakonomics studied the data and found this to be true.  

__

Let me close with a story about Monica's favorite 104 year old from the assisted living facility.  She had issues with getting to the bathroom and solved them. All she needed was crotchless underwear from Frederick's of Hollywood.  The elderly may indeed have sexy underwear. 

I love being 59 and am looking forward to many more years.  By having a mindset based on the letter G-- being grateful, staying engaged and having the goal, we have the mindset to outlast the pandemic and make it to 100.

P.S., NIH reports that very strong mental health is a trait of the very old. 

Link: https://parade.com/1051505/paulaspencer/centenarian-secrets/