Life During Wartime - RESIST!

 

Project 2025 - PEN America

BBC Jan. 2025 Jack Smith Report

Feb. 2025 Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

 

The Covenant of Water - Abraham Verghese

I spent approximately three weeks inside the pages of this wonderful book. Within the first five pages I realized the strength of the story would be wrapped around female characters. Now after finishing the book, I realize why females. 

I have learned how female family members sacrifice so much for their families. Even in giving birth, prior to modern medicine, throughout history they have risked their lives for continuance of the family lineage. And they sacrifice out of love and duty. I once heard or read somewhere that "mother's die so that we may live!" Without a woman's maternal love and nurturing ways within a home, there would be no connections within a family, nor continuity of passing on culture and traditions to the next generation. This includes how to run a household, raise children, manner as a wife.

Through women, water, and love, everything in "The Covenant of Water" is connected. Men definitely play their roles as providers, but it is the women who carry the family torch from one generation to the next. And this is a multigenerational story. Without women there'd likely be no identifying where we come from or who we inherited looks and character from. Without the women to provide all they provide to a family; we'd all be orphans with untraceable beginnings and faithless futures. We'd be separated from our beginnings and endings.

"For the only thing each of us can be sure of is who our mother is, is that right?"

- Broker Aniyan of "The Covenant of Water"

The water in this story likely represents home. It provides sustenance for basic human needs but also can threaten family members who carry a common family trait known as "the Condition." 

Here is where the story presents so much tragedy for one family to bear and overcome. And as with great writing, the reader is pulled in to survive along with the family its many challenges. Life is akin to the Monsoon season. On the one hand it provides much needed rainwater crucial for agriculture after a long, dry season. On the other hand, it causes devastating floods, damaging infrastructure and homes while threatening lives.

The hardback novel, inspired by memories of the author's mom, is 715-pages long. But every page seems to add something that connects either past, present or future events and/or persons. Everything is creatively connected; however, one must have patience as well as a willingness to learn about a foreign culture's ways and history. To rush through this novel is to cheat yourself out of all it offers. Oddly, I felt myself a bit sad as I approached its final chapters. I knew the ending was near and yet I wasn't ready to part with the story

The author utilizes his medical background almost to a fault in the telling of this story. I however found it a very ingenious writing method, cojoining the characters with the very human medical conditions that arise. Descriptions of medical diagnosis, disease, surgical procedures and such are more detailed than some readers might wish to read about. Although much of the medical information might go over many readers heads, it feels relative and adds to the credibility of certain scenes.

It is all connected.

I enjoyed reading "The Covenant of Water." I enjoyed what it taught me about India and how everyday peoples living in a different era and society dealt with the human conditions of life.

The more different we see ourselves as cultures, the more alike we see ourselves as human beings. Whether living in 1900AD South India, or 2025AD America. It is all humanly connected.

-wpowell

Another Book Review: Book Review: The Covenant of Water « neverimitate

Eagles Dominate Chiefs in SBLIX

 Philly Special =  Pressure  -  Pressure  -  Pressure

How Eagles won Super Bowl 59: Vic Fangio's defense dominates Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

Score        1st    2nd    3rd    4th        Final

Chiefs        0        0       6      16           22

Eagles        7      17     10       6            40

It was simply the best one-sided Superbowl performance imaginable. Home viewers got to watch how off the mark expert predictions can be. Everyone knew the greatness of Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Everyone knew he and the Chiefs were a win away from a Historical Record three straight Superbowl wins. Not Everyone knew if the Eagles could thwart history while facing the same team who downed them in Superbowl LVII just two years ago.

As the iconic ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman is known for saying:

"And, That's Why They Play The Games"

Raiders New Head Coach

Oh Well! It could've been better. But could've also been dreadfully worse. I'll take the chewing gum king, seventy-three-year-old Pete Carroll as new Raiders head coach, over many other candidates. Why not? He's got Super Bowl winning experience, team leadership pedigree, and is a stabilizing force walking the sidelines while chomping down on gum like it's the opponent's playbook. 

If Pete can pull off a Raiders rebuild/resurgence, then I might forgive him for not running Marshawn Lynch and giving away a Super Bowl victory to the Patriots. The one red flag I see with hiring Pete is his age. I believe he will be the oldest to ever coach an NFL team. 

Sure, they say he's in good physical shape and all, but taking over the Raiders means he'll be a target for owners, media, referees, and just about anyone outside of Raider Nation. It's asking a lot for any seventy-four-year-old to endure such scrutiny. Because when it comes to the team wearing Silver & Black, the playing field is slanted uphill, and the odds are never in your favor. 

If the Seahawks gig felt like coaching in the Emerald City of Oz, then this new venture for Pete will be an awakening like no other. Its where old friends turn enemies, and sabotage lurks around every corner of the NFL landscape. It's where you watch and wonder how a Raiders strip sack becomes an incomplete pass, or an interception becomes pass interference. And it starts before the season even begins, where the league's game and travel scheduling for the Raiders is always suspect. 

So, rest up and hydrate old man. You are gonna need every ounce of whatever youthful elixir you been feeding that senior body and mind of yours.

As the fiery sign emblazoned above the entrance to Hell warns:

"Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here"

Welcome to the Black Hole Pete!!!

Raiders Update: - Chip Kelly leaving Ohio State to become Raiders' OC - ESPN

Peace of Mind

 

Peace of Mind (1948) Joshua Loth Liebman

Once, as a young man, I undertook to draw up a catalogue of the acknowledged "goods" of life.  I set down my inventory of earthly desirables:  health, love, talent, power, riches and fame.  Then I proudly showed it to a wise elder. "An excellent list," said my old friend, "and set down in a reasonable order.  But you have omitted the one important ingredient, lacking which your list becomes an intolerable burden." He crossed out my entire schedule.  Then he wrote down three syllables:  peace of mind. "This is the gift that God reserves for his special protégés," he said. "Talent and health he gives to many.  Wealth is commonplace, fame not rare.  But peace of mind he bestows charily. "This is no private opinion of mine," he explained.  "I am merely paraphrasing the Psalmists, Marcus Aurelius, Lao-Tse.  'O God, Lord of the universe,' say these wise ones, 'heap worldly gifts at the feet of foolish people.  Give me the gift of the untroubled mind.'" I found that difficult to accept; but now, after a quarter of a century of personal experience and professional observation, I have come to understand that peace of mind is the true goal of the considered life. I know now that the sum of all other possessions does not necessarily add up to peace of mind; on the other hand, I have seen this inner tranquility flourish without the material supports of property or even the buttress of physical health.  Peace of mind can transform a cottage into a spacious manor hall; the want of it can make a regal residence an imprisoning shell. Where then shall we look for it?  The key to the problem is to be found in Matthew Arnold's lines: "We would have inward peace But will not look within. . ." But will not look within!  Here, in a single phrase, our willfulness is bared. It is a striking irony that, while religious teaching emphasizes people's obligations to others, it says little about their obligations to themselves.  One of the great discoveries of modern psychology is that our attitudes towards ourselves are even more complicated than our attitudes towards others.  The great commandment of religion, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," might now be better interpreted to mean, "Thou shalt love thyself properly, and then thou wilt love thy neighbor." Some will argue that this is a dangerous doctrine.  "Human beings love themselves too much already," they will say.  "The true goal of life is the rejection of self in the service of others."  There are errors in this estimate of human nature.  The evidence points in quite the opposite direction.  We often treat ourselves more rigidly, more vengefully, than we do others.  Suicide and more subtle forms of self-degradation such as alcoholism, drug addiction, and promiscuity are extreme proofs of this.  But all the streets of the world are teeming with everyday men and women who mutilate themselves spiritually by self-criticism; who go through life committing partial suicide--destroying their own talents, energies, creative qualities. To one who goes through life hypnotized by thoughts of inferiority, I would say, "In actuality, you are quite strong and wise and successful.  You have done rather well in making a tolerable human existence out of the raw materials at your disposal.  There are those who love and honor you for what you really are.  Take off your dark-colored glasses, assume your place as an equal in the adult world, and realize that your strength is adequate to meet the problems of that world." Another road to proper self-regard is the acceptance of ourselves for what we are--a combination of strengths and weaknesses.  The great thing is that as long as we live we have the privilege of growing.  We can learn new skills, engage in new kinds of work, devote ourselves to new causes, make new friends.  Accepting, then, the truth that we are capable in some directions and limited in others, that genius is rare, that mediocrity is the portion of most of us, let us remember also that we can and must change ourselves. Every person who wishes to attain peace of mind must learn the art of renouncing many things in order to possess other things more fully. The philosopher Santayana pointed out that the great difficulty in life does not so much arise in the choice between good and evil as in the choice between good and good.  In early life, however, we do not realize that one desire can be quite inconsistent with another.  The young boy may vacillate between a dozen different plans for the future, but the mature person will have to renounce many careers in order to fulfill one.  The same truth exists in the realm of emotions.  It is fitting for the adolescent to transfer his or her love interest from one object of affection to another, but it is tragic when the grown-up still plays the role of the adolescent.  He or she has not yet learned that human growth means the closing of many doors before one great door can be opened--the door of mature love and of adult achievement. The first fundamental truth about our individual lives is the indispensability of love to every human being.  By "love" I mean relatedness to some treasured person or group, the feeling of belonging to a larger whole, of being of value to others. Our interdependence with others is the most encompassing fact of human reality--our personalities are made by our contacts with others.  There is, therefore, a duty which falls upon all of us--to become free, loving, warm, cooperative, affirmative personalities. To love one's neighbors is to achieve an inner tolerance for the uniqueness of others, to resist the temptation to private imperialism.  We must renounce undue possessiveness in relation to friends, children--yes, even our loves.  The world is full of private imperialists--the father who forces his artistic son into business, or the mother who rivets her daughter to her service by chains of pity, subtly refusing the daughter a life of her own. When we insist that others conform to our ideas of what is proper, good, acceptable, we show that we are not certain of the rightness of our inner pattern.  Those who are sure of themselves are deeply willing to let others be themselves.  We display true love when we cease to demand that our loved ones become revised editions of ourselves. . . . Both science and religion teach us that the obstacles to serenity are not external.  They lie within us.  If we acquire the art of proper self-love; if, aided by religion, we free ourselves from shadow fears, and learn honestly to face grief and transcend it; if we flee from immaturity and boldly shoulder adult responsibility; if we appraise and accept ourselves as we really are, how then can we fail to create a good life for ourselves?  For then inward peace will be ours.

Peace of Mind by Joshua Loth Liebman--Inspirational articles from Living Life Fully

Peace Of Mind : Liebman,joshua Loth : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Batavia - by Peter Fitzsimons

Batavia

by Peter Fitzsimons

Betrayal. Shipwreck. Murder. Sexual Slavery. Courage.

A Spine-Chilling Chapter in Australian History

What an amazing read. It is going to be very hard in 2025 to top this book. I picked it up on a whim, thinking it might be better than many of the historical fiction books I've tried about Ships and their crew. Wow, what a read.

The story was as gory and devilish as promised, but for me it was how the author told the story that made it memorable. Mr. Fitzsimons first gives the historical setup. Then he introduces us to the key players with their likes and dislikes which eventually play out in the most treacherous of ways.

This book is not for the weak of heart reader. I was informed of this in book reviews beforehand but took it lightly. I now know better and forewarn those tackling this misadventure after me. 

Warning: There is a monster within these pages. One the likes of which you might never have come across in your past reading. I especially warn mothers and some fathers who choose to read "Batavia," children are not spared from the jaws of this monster. He is a terminator. And as in the 1984 movie "The Terminator": 

"It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop... ever, until you are dead!"

What I liked about so monstrous a setting as Batavia's Graveyard is how you are placed on the island with the predators and prey, not knowing what horrendous incident is to come next. You have about as much hope as the prey do for rescue, but violence, death, thirst, hunger and weakness have drained you all of hope. Everyone is functioning in survival mode, including you the reader. Everyone, that is, with the exception of the Monster. For he merely entertains himself by having those who fear him carry out the violence unto death. 

Meanwhile, the surviving prey are on the clock awaiting a rescue which is taking too long. Some discover a hero and hope in one man who organizes a group on a neighboring island where they were put by the Monster and meant to perish. But a showdown is inevitable between our hero and the Monster. And should the Monster succeed in his devious plans, the killing will continue until even the arriving rescuers are slaughtered and all opposition silenced.

I actually stayed up late on multiple nights turning the pages of this easy-to-read adventure/horror story. Maybe knowing the historical truth to the story added to my interest. I challenge anyone to start this book and put it down for more than 48 hours. You can't. You'll want to know what happens next and what evil ways and methods of killing will the monster come up with next. You can't believe some of the vicious things that have taken place in the book, yet you can't turn away from its pages.

Seeing the Monster's Mutineers carry out his every evil wish is very disturbing, and yet you read on. Because it reminds us of the evil influence one human being can have on a group of human beings. Also, it shows us what lengths fearful people are willing to go to when threatened with violence and/or violent death. And really, how can we judge any of these folks. We can try putting ourselves in their shoes, but there is simply no way of knowing how any of us reading this today would handle such a brutal predicament. Given the choice to kill a defenseless person or be killed yourself, what would you choose?

The challenge I had in reading this book was in some of the similar Dutch character names. The author does an excellent job of immediately translating anything written in Dutch, but the common Dutch names shared by some individuals did pose a bit of a challenge. But, in the long run, name identification wasn't as important as whether the person had joined the Monster's Mutineers. You knew them by their murder committed. 

What really mattered most, thanks to the connect-the-dots, storytelling author, was what was happening on the page I was reading at the moment. Because every page seemed to add to what happened earlier or would happen later. The book kept me on alert for both past and future pieces to the puzzle. However, when innocent men, women, and children, with no chance of escape, are selected to be viciously slaughtered by a Monster, a story about being marooned on a desert island is taken to a whole other level. The only rhyme or reason to the madness lies with the Monster.

Yes, Jeronimus Cornelisz is every bit the monster as told of in book reviews and comments. But until one tastes the actions of said monster, one is like an atheist until his/her life is touched by a humbling God. So, tread cautiously should you choose to venture along with this Australian Bestseller by Peter Fitzsimons. Once you read what men are capable of under the leadership of a tyrannical beast like Jeronimus, you might never again let down your guard amongst so ambitious and inhumane narcissists in any leadership role, much less that of political leadership. 

 

Letter from Australia - Murder Islands - Archaeology Magazine - November/December 2022

Raiders End 2024 (4-13) - Make it Rain

They say crops, people, and organizations must go through humbling periods of storms before success rewards their labors. We been laboring a long time, Raider Nation. We been humbled by failed crops, devastating injuries, castoff and deserting all-pros, and a dizzying coaching carousel that just won't end. 

We are saddled with Buzzards Luck; "can't kill nothing and nothing's dying." It's hard enough to win in the NFL. But add to the fray Raiders organization bad decisions and self-inflicting setbacks and winning becomes a far and away mirage. Like a promising dream you wake up from just as the going gets good.

Here we are again, making team leadership changes in coaching and management. Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco are out. The Raiders are out of the running for drafting a quarterback at No.1 or No.2. And it just so happens we are in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL (AFC West), with three teams making the playoffs. Happy New Years 2025 Raiders!

How the heck am I gonna watch the NFL playoffs when my beloved Silver & Black are lumped in with the Buzzards of the football world. Sure, I'll wear my colors proudly should I choose to attend a Super Bowl party. But Damn! Damn! Damn! it gets so old watching the same old retooling scenarios playout during or after a losing season. I want some consistency on and off the field for the Raiders. 

"I Want Winners"

There. I got it out of me. Thanks, Mike Singletary, for setting the table with a memorable winner's quote. Maybe when all is said and done, Raiders new minority owner Tom Brady brings in his pal Bill Belichick to jumpstart a new era of winning. As of today, reports are Bill has no plans to leave UNC. We'll just have to wait and see about that.

Meanwhile Raiders fans, keep your head up. We've been through this before. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Buzzards are predators. The one thing you'll never see a Buzzard do is give up on small prey. So, until the Raiders return to their glorious ways of consistently winning and dominating in the NFL, stay hungry while feeding on lesser teams.

Win, Lose, or Tie!

A Gift For Cousin Cheryl

 

A Gift for my cousin Cheryl, in memory of Aunt Kizziah and so many other Black Women who raised us.

I was so captured by coming across this book. It brought out in me the memories of aunts, grandmothers, and other community women on their way to or coming from church. My mother raised us Episcopalian, but me and my siblings sometimes attended the Baptist church with relatives. The difference between the two churches was like night and day. Episcopals chant Amen, Baptists shout AMEN!

As a young boy, some of those differences stuck with me as I learned of the many ways to worship the Lord. Baptists had a soulful band and gospel choir, matrons dressed in angelic white, a sweating & shouting preacher, a responsively shouting congregation, and folks spasmodically falling out while being filled with the Holy Spirit. There was much to take in during those visits to the Baptist church. Enough to make a young Episcopalian have dreams of heaven or nightmares of hell. But there's one memory that I'd almost completely forgotten about until seeing and opening the book "Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats."  

Seeing all the Black Women in Church Hats gave such elegance and pride to the Baptist church service.  Everyone, men, women, and children wore their best outfits to church. But the many eye-catching Hats being worn by almost every woman in church stamped the service with a respect and dignity I had never quite felt in a religious service. It almost made a child like me feel as if he was being welcomed into heaven. It felt like sitting in a royal hall maybe seen in a movie or on television. Like the "Land of Oz" perhaps.

Every hat had its own unique character, and yet without any conformity seemed to give its wearer honorary membership to a spiritually uplifted women's society. Every woman looked radiant, appearing joyous and dignified.

It really was like entering a kingdom of some sort where all subjects are aware of and expressing reverence to their King. I always wondered what tradition it was that inspired all those hat-wearing women to sit in church without removing their head gear. The men removed their hats when in church out of religious respect, why not the women? And why were there no standards/restrictions set for types of hats being worn. 

Coming from the Episcopal church I had always associated church with conservative attire, and a place to fit in, not stick out. Many outfits worn in the Baptist church were bright and colorful, like those seen at a festival or party. Some of the women's hats would likely have drawn glares of criticism in our conservative church. They would have been looked upon as being over-the-top and perhaps gaudy (too loud) for a religious service. Some hats had glitter, some feathers or a netted veil. Some hat brims were slouched low, partially hiding one's face, while other brims might be wider than the wearer's shoulders. And then there was the chic, elegant hat towering upward and slightly outward upon the head, like a Queen's Crown, i.e. Nefertiti Headdress. 

After a few visits to the Baptist church the culture shock wore off and I began to understand how church is a celebratory expression for folks' minds, bodies and souls in honor of their Lord. The clothes worn are simply the icing on the cake. You need not go to church service wearing dark, gloomy clothing with a glum facial expression and attitude as if attending a funeral. Church is a celebration of God and the human spirit, and nobody does it quite like the Baptist Church. 

Here, some fifty-plus years later, after opening and perusing through pages of this book, I am filled with that early impression I had of beautiful Black Women wearing Church Hats. An impression of royalty and dignified honor while expressing spiritual devotion in the House of the Lord.

A huge smile creases my 62-year-old face as pictures and testimonials in the book fill me with that familiar spirit of church and black community. The many unanswered questions of a young boy finally put to rest by the wise, revealing memories these hat-wearing church women reminisce on in this extraordinary book. 

"Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats"

Scholars might categorize this book under ethnic customs and cultural relativism. But coming from within the Black culture, I'd say it depicts the strength, style, and love of Black Women in Black Communities of America, who are forged by their Faith in an Almighty God!

What would any culture be without strong, spiritually devoted women to nurture and bring its children into the fold of a strong, healthy community/society. And without gifted craftsmen the likes of Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry documenting these women's stories and styles with such artistic flair. 

"Crowns" is an historical document and should rest on any bookshelf where literature celebrates women of all cultures, past, present and future. We put so much into preserving historical structures and artifacts, let's not forget the importance of preserving what makes us, Us!

What Are Church Hats?

For many congregations, they’re more than just an elegant accessory.

By 

Betsy Cribb Watson

 

 

Updated on June 17, 2024

PHOTO: DIGITAL VISION.

In many Christian congregations across the country, statement-making hats are as synonymous with Sunday mornings as robed choristers and gospel readings. For writer Craig Marberry, who grew up in a Chicago Church of God in Christ congregation, the spectacular toppers were just part of the sanctuary topography. "In my church, women only wore three types of hats," he says. "Large hats, larger hats, and 'why'd you have to sit in front of me?' hats."

The pastor's grandson took the tradition for granted as a boy. However, Marberry gained a new appreciation for the fabulous millinery of his youth when he partnered with photographer Michael Cunningham to produce a tome telling the stories of church-hat-wearing Southern women. Filled with portraits, their book, Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats, published in October 2000.

"I realized that church hats weren't merely fashion accessories," he says. "They are an expression of faith, as well as a celebration of fashion. Every woman has a different and compelling story about what church hats mean to them."

The Origins Of Wearing Hats In Church

Historically, men have taken their hats off when entering an indoor space as a sign of respect. But for men removing their caps in churches, there's also a biblical reason—a passage from one of Paul's letters to the Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 11:7, Paul writes that men should remove their hats while worshiping "as he is the image and glory of God."1

The tradition of women wearing church hats has its roots in that same biblical scripture. In 1 Corinthians 11:5–13, the apostle declares women should cover their heads during worship to honor God. "In many religious denominations, women cover their heads for worship as a sign of respect for God and the church hierarchy," Marberry says. "But Black women alone have interpreted that edict with singular flair."

There's an important cultural element at play, too, he notes. "African Americans oftentimes think we were severed from our African culture, our heritage, because of slavery," the author says. "But there are a lot of things we do without realizing that they're connected to the motherland." Hats are one of them. "Many African societies believe that the soul is housed in the head, not in the heart, and therefore you adorn the head as a way of honoring it," he says.

Hats And The Civil Rights Movement

Wearing hats in church grew in popularity during the Harlem Renaissance and throughout the early 20th century. They became status symbols for the growing Black middle class. During the Civil Rights Movement, women leaders often marched in their church hats as a symbol of dignity.

"If you look at the photos of Civil Rights marches from the '60s, you'll see women wearing church hats: Dorothy Height, Coretta Scott King, and countless others," says Marberry. "Even Rosa Parks, the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, had on a hat the day that she refused to give up her seat to a white man."

Church hats, in other words, are a proud declaration of who you are, how you worship, and what you stand for. And the grander the hat, the better.

The Future Of Church Hats

Shortly before they finished shooting portraits and conducting interviews for their book, Marberry realized that they hadn't yet visited a Church of God in Christ, his childhood denomination, which is known for especially flamboyant hats. They visited a congregation in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he lived at the time. There, they showed the women some photographs of the other hat-wearing ladies set to appear in the book. One flipped through the photos, seemingly unimpressed. "I said, 'What's wrong? You don't like the photographs?'" Marberry recalls. "And she said, 'No, it's not that. Those are Baptist hats, honey.'"

And while these women of older generations may feel closer to God depending on the height and splendor of their hats, Marberry notes that younger church women he interviewed don't necessarily feel the same attachment to them, citing that they're uncomfortable or mess up their hair.

"Unfortunately, it's a tradition that's dying out with the current hat queens," Marberry says. "But I won't lose faith."

About Crowns

Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats

Classic - *she'll never burn down your garage*

 

Mere words just don't do this classic car justice. She says more in her body shape, colors, and overall character than any modern-day diva. Eat your heart out Tesla!

And then I saw her Face

Now I'm a Believer

And not a Trace

Of doubt in my Mind

I'm in Love

I'm a Believer

I couldn't leave her if I Tried

San Francisco's Magical Winter Days