№ 494. Iggy's Friday

№ 493. History and the Apollo Moon Landings

History is politicized.

How much of what I've learned as textbook history is really true, fair or a balanced view? Is there even supposed to be a balanced view of history. How much of the propaganda of the victors went into the viewpoints that we learned in school?

Wasn't it said that "“In all revolutions the vanquished are the ones who are guilty of treason, even by the historians,”  “for history is written by the victors and framed according to the prejudices and bias existing on their side.” This is attributed to Sen. George Graham Vest, a former congressman for the Confederacy.

№ 492. Working from Home: Planning

Munch's Covid Scream

That’s why, according to a recent study Neupert co-authored, it’s important to keep making plans – even if they turn out to be futile. Doing so can help you stay in a positive mindset and keep you from being overwhelmed by stress. After all, planning’s in our nature. “As humans, we’re uniquely capable of thinking about the future,” explains Neupert. “We’re the only species that spends this much brain power planning ahead.”

№ 491. Maurice Ravel's La Valse

“We can redream this world and make the dream come real. Human beings are gods hidden from themselves. ” ― Ben Okri, The Famished Road


 

№ 490. Cast in Iron

№ 489. Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake

Here's a modern reinterpretation of a beloved classic.

№ 488. The Art of Small Steps

Lord, teach me the art of small steps

I am not asking for miracles or visions but strength to get through the day. Give me the wit to understand at the right moment who and what really matter to me. Help me to choose how I portion out my time.

Give me the sense of what is essential and what comes second. I ask for strength, self-discipline and moderation so that I don’t get swept up in life but can order my day wisely.

Help me to face up to the immediate as best I can and to recognize the present hour as the most important. Let me recognize that life is accompanied by difficulties and setbacks, which are chances to grow and mature.

Make of me a man capable of joining those who have gone below. Give me not what I want but what I need. Teach me the art of small steps.

--- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

№ 487. Working From Home: Hope

I'm stealing this quote from a post of a law school teacher.

Paul Gaugin on Vincent Van Gogh

№ 486. Covid 19 Deaths in Numbers: Finding a Context

Newsday

According to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine tally, today July 7, 2020, the total global deaths from the coronavirus is 538,796.

It is a staggering number.

To help understand this statistic, I'll try to compare it with other data generated on deaths caused by catastrophic events in the past. Just a few examples:

1. The total number of deaths in World War I was about 15 to 22 million.

2. An estimated total of 70–85 million people perished in World War 2, which was about 3% of the 1940 world population (est. 2.3 billion).

3.  A total of 1.5 million people died from TB in 2018 (including 251,000 people with HIV).

4. Haiyan, one of the deadliest Philippine typhoons on record, killed at least 6,300 people in 2013.

5. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami caused a combined total confirmed deaths and missing of more than 22,000 (nearly 20,000 deaths and 2,500 missing).

№ 485. Sa Kasintahang Nilimot Na

Sa 

Kasintahang Nilimot Na
Benilda S. Santos

Ang totoo, ayaw na kitang makausap.
Nakakainis kasi ang tawa mo sa telepono.
Lahat ng bagay pinagtatawanan mo—
kahit hindi nakakatawa
nagiging biro sa ‘yo.

Ayaw ko nang ganito.
Pakiramdam ko kasi, maysakit ang tawa mo
at medyo takot akong mahawa pa
sa mikrobyong dala-dala mo.
Ayaw kong manghina pa
ang malusog-lusog nang
kaligayahan ko.

Ngunit alam ko:
makikipagkita pa rin ako sa iyo
alang-alang sa mga alaalang
nakapagpapabanal sa tao
at dahil alam kong
sa likod ng malalakas na halakhak
ang totoo,
hinihingan mo ako ng reseta
sa sakit mo.

Hindi mo alam,
wala na akong maibibigay
na anupamang gamot.
Ang umiibig pala nang tapat sa iba
nagiging maramot.

“Sa Kasintahang Nilimot Na.” Kwadro Numero Uno: Mga Tula. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press. 2005. 80-81.

№ 484. Working from Home: Green Spaces

Decades of research have shown that spending time in green space is good for our physical and mental health – including boosting our emotional states and attention spans and improving our longevity. Even a little goes a long way: a study in the 1980s showed that post-surgery patients assigned to hospital rooms with greenery outside recovered faster than those who didn’t have such accommodations.