Union/Reunion

I was discussing WWI with my daughter since she is currently studying it, and after she’d described all the alliances, and the battles, and the ensuing Treaty of Versailles, which I told her had contributed to the start of WWII, I got an image of all those European countries jostling each other for centuries like hippopotami struggling to maintain their spot in a crowded pond. As evidenced by the European Union, I realized that finally these animosities have begun to permanently subside which reminded me of the evolution of my high school reunions. My graduating class was 750+ so it was a microcosm of Europe in that we all had a commonality in terms of our location but we all had secret and not so secret personal agendas. At the tenth high school reunion (which I missed), I was told people got into fist fights. At the twentieth, which was a more formal event, everyone was dressed to the nines and on their best behavior. At the thirtieth, which was a more casual event, fewer people came and they were all pretty mellow. It was hard to imagine anyone caring enough about the past to get into a fist fight. At the fortieth, we’ll all be pushing sixty so fist fights will be even more unlikely. As our physical interactions have diminished, our psychical interactions have increased, and new and unlikely friendships have emerged.

The Trials of the Wrestler

I recently watched The Trials of Ted Haggard, the documentary by Alexandra Pelosi (daughter of the Democratic Speaker of the House), and was struck by Ted Haggard’s likeness to the character of Randy “The Ram” portrayed by Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. Ted and Randy both exude an amiable haplessness and stark vulnerability that make it harder to judge their shortcomings than I would’ve guessed possible. Both were driven men who thought the wild ride of their success would never end, not unlike a few Wall Street types who’ve lately been in the news, but received their comeuppance in vividly dramatic ways, totally unlike the few Wall Street types who’ve lately been in the news.

 

A Fungus Among Us

I was talking to a friend who was recently diagnosed with cancer and we were talking about all the people we know who have cancer which seems to involve about one degree of separation. I then went on to regale her with all the reasons I thought this was so (see “My Cancer Cure” on my website) and in the process I realized that the slow, but steady spread of carcinogens in our food is not unlike the slow, but steady spread of subprime mortgages in our financial institutions. I expect the disintegration of our bodies to mirror the dissolution of our economy within a very short time.

 

Facilitatations

I was recently perusing Netflix and as I was presented with multitudinous choices based on my ratings of previously seen films which, along with the ratings of other viewers, helped me make selections of lesser known films, I wondered why Amazon, Barnes & Noble et al didn’t do the same thing to facilitate my selections of lesser known authors. (Being a lesser known author I have a stake in the matter.)