July 16, 2021

July 4th was a strange day and evening. Muted with little fanfare. I did not notice many flags. Celebrating independence day in a divided country with news headlines of flooding, heat waves, forest fires, armed conflict and cultural wars that have become increasingly ugly in my view. The revelations of the insurrection keeps some of us shaking our heads while many others endorse the big lie and attempt to suppress their opponents from voting so they can prevail. Rebecca was talking with her old friend in Las Vegas about the climate change issues with peaking temperatures and attendant harm but her friend said she does not believe climate change is the result of human causes. Rebecca suggested that science had some bearing on the "truth". 

I do enjoy reading about these issues and puzzling over our irrational camps of leaders and followers declaring delusional perceptions and understanding as THE TRUTH. Today I read about how some people in the technology and artificial intelligence forefront are turning to religious and faith based knowledge to guide them in this sensitive quest. The author of the article (  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/07/16/opinion/ai-ethics-religion.html?searchResultPosition=1) describes an Asimov story. The researchers ask an A.I. machine is there a god? the machine answers "not enough memory and resources" so tons of money and resources go in and later the same question but again the same answer so more years, resources, and effort and again asking the question. The latest answer to is there a god "NOW THERE IS!" Money and resources towards a goal with little ethical guidelines can lead to all sorts of problems so some researchers and workers in this field now are looking towards religious and ethical guidelines developed over the ages. Remember IBM's Watson was going to help us answer some very difficult questions leading to innovative solutions and answers. So far the Watson project may have benefits in some health related pursuits but much less hype and hope now.  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/16/technology/what-happened-ibm-watson.html?searchResultPosition=2

Capitalism by itself can be very dumb leading to errors resulting in disease and death in some instances. I came across a very troubling article on how government and industry partner for their mutual benefit leading to bad policy and suffering while industry prospers. https://apple.news/AFo5OmDFmT9CJ_Y4_wPipcw

On the one hand here’s an article clearly questioning Florida government’s oversight into air quality problems affecting people with little political clout and benefiting an industry and lobbyists employment. On the other hand this article shows how difficult it is to change our corporate culture that has such power in our governance.  This dynamic has historical routes with examples such as lead gasoline, lead pipes and polluted water, cigarette smoking and vaping, slavery, regional wars, etc. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-09/the-politics-of-lead-poisoning-a-long-ugly-history  I already discussed the political issues assoicated with vaccine deniers in a previous post. 

However, we do continue progress but it’s a battle. Sometimes the battle includes the light of science and accurate information but other times our anger at these injustices includes vigilante actions which sometimes results in positive change. The Overstory by Richard Powers is a fictionalized narrative worth reading. and of course there is this https://www.gq.com/story/climate-vigilantes

So Beethoven has written some beautiful sonatas which I periodically work at. His Sonata #30 has a third movement of theme and variations that is very interesting to capture with my efforts. Once I have the ability to complete though more slowly these variations I have tackled the first movements which is more difficult for me and then the second very soulful. I am delighted now that I can even approach a piece like this to play. I then yesterday played Sonata #20. A short piece easier to play and fun! Recently we met our friends relatives daughter who is a concert violinist. We then a few weeks later met her parents who described her devotion and hard work to become so proficient with her instrument. Artists and composers make our humanity more whole and give some meaning to life beyond words and analytical thinking. However, capitalism is ignorant of this value sometimes and social class barriers prevent us from sharing the art across these lines. Steve McQueen in Lover's Rock movie gives an example of music and culture that I was never exposed to and had great value for appreciating music and dance. His other movies highlight other hidden realities less artistic but more to show how racism had prevailed in Britain. https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-immigration-caribbean-london-parties-90dc80875693e66b02474262ea554000

Our tendency to overlook artistic talents and careers importance is well described in an recent article in the New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/07/theater/pandemic-drama-graduates-north-carolina.html?smid=url-share

So in closing I'll describe a birthday story. July 11 we had a small party for me for my 82nd birthday.  A friends and his wife gave me a gift of meat thermometers for cooking bluetooth enabled for my iPhone. This friend had been telling us on our hikes about this gadget which he was using to get a more perfect tender though cooked fish dish. I was busy so put the gift on the counter and a few days later as I remembered I searched for the gift. I did not go through the birthday cards on the counter. So I put on rubber gloves later went into the garbage can in the garage and transferred garbage from bag to many other bags looking for the thermometer. No luck! O.K. Then I went through the cards after washing myself off with our garden hose. There in a card was a receipt from Amazon that the thermometer was on its way and an hour later a knock on the door and my package arrived. So living our lives can be messy, smelly, and cause some revulsion due to our faulty memory issues but the quest also can be amusing and fun from a different perspective. 

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Leonard