WHO IS THE JUGGLER IN THE CENTER RING?

We seem to be fascinated with all sorts of things and theories.  Like children at a circus we are mesmerized by things we know are not so, but we still watch with fascination.

When we discredit scientific information research and education with rhetoric that belongs in the annuals of mystic writings, we are buying our ticket back to the dark ages.

When the response to air and water pollution is that it is necessary to have for economic development we are allowing our representatives to do little to enforce existing regulations and laws.

When we are told that voters like you and me cannot discern fairness from cheating or lying or bullying, we are handed a kaleidoscope covered over with duck tape to conceal those very traits.

When we are told that it is not guns that murder people,  adults and children tell us they do. Many legislators look the other way and claim an inability to enforce existing Federal Gun and Equipment Registration Laws yet that Law is on the legislator's desk and never discussed.

When we speak of our elected officials' disregard of America's Democratic process we are told we are unpatriotic by the Juggler in the Center Ring.

When we are told all this we better stop buying a ticket to this Circus and run it out of town.

THE OBELISK AND A BOY'S CURIOSITY!

There is an unusual, black 12-foot Obelisk in the Mall where I walk with my friend each morning.  The sculpture stands in contrast to shops, kiosks , food islands and theaters.  Its uniqueness is that it appears to have water running from the top to the bottom never leaving a drop of water at its base or on the floor.  Much of the time we walkers pass it without a glance though children are often intrigued by it.

Today I noticed a young boy watching the obelisk intensely.   I stopped and asked him how does he think the water goes up to the top and than comes down again?  He thought for a moment.  Then he said, "There must be a pipe inside the Obelisk that sucks the water up and then when it hits the bottom the pipe brings the water back up again. "

My friend who is an engineer made a quick sketch to demonstrate how the Obelisk works and how gravity plays a role in the process. As we spoke with the young man and his mother we learned he was in the sixth grade and interested in science.

I do not know what impression all this had on the young man.  What I do know is the boy's awareness of his surroundings and questions will serve him, his school, his community and all of us well as we continue to plan for the future.

AMERICA, THE MELTING POT?

"Melting Pot", the description was once used to describe America. Today, to assess the real strength of America we weigh-in factors not necessarily thought of years ago.  As a people we recognize that we and immigrants share common human aspirations. Citizen and immigrant alike want the opportunity to work and have the life style we want.  We and they wish to contribute to this country.  We and they seek a just society and the protection and security of our laws.

I thought of all this at my granddaughter's graduation Commencement Ceremony where I was squired around by her parents, my other son and my grandson and his companion.  The Ceremony was held at Bard college amidst the spectacular environment of New York State.  The graduates included men and women from different states and countries around the world.  Graduates were of different colors, cultures, dress and spoke different languages. Each graduate's thesis was listed by Title and indicated study in subjects that ranged from the environment to scientific technology to the arts and human and animal relationships and economic requirements for opening a business/

It will take much more than the "Melting Pot" known to my grandparents to help get us through the swift moving channels of change America and the world finds itself in today.  But  the graduates I met,
and the education they received are capable of navigating the rough waters ahead and I am optimistic about our future.

A TIME OF UNKNOWN DESTINATIONS?

Our destination one sunny and still crisp April Day was unknown.  We just got in the car and went.  We came upon a park that held many attractions so we took a winding road through it.

Tucked in a corner of the road we found a small cluster of people setting up for what appeared to be a community-wide garage sale in front of very old buildings.  As we walked around we learned we had come upon the Historic Village of Thornhill*, named after the second governor of Missouri.  The village and park were formerly  owned by Leicester and Mary Plant Faust who donated 200 acres for public, educational and historic use in 1968.

When we were there, we spoke with a number of people responsible for maintaining the Park and planing long list of activities that are available to non-profit organizations, families and people seeking nature's beauty the year around.

As we walked through the Park, a place we had not expected to visit, I was reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote that "Life  is a journey not a destination," which has served people so all well even in  changing times.

*www.stlouisco.com/parks/faust
For a list of year around activities.

                   

CHASING DREARY MORNINGS

The day begins with drizzles and than it rains steadily.  We drive out to a small french restaurant for coffee.  We sit at a table with five people people next to us.  There are two adults and three children.

One of the adults tells us the youngest,  a boy, is two.  He is playing with a computer device that appears to be a cell phone and laughs when he sees something on its screen.  I am intrigued with the child's dexterity and humor.

This very small encounter with the ability of a child to use technology gives me hope for the future as does the musical "Bon Jour!" we were greeted with when we entered the restaurant.

FIVE GENERATIONS OF WOODWORKING

Every once in a while I attend the public meetings of the St. Louis Woodworkers Guild where the work of their members is often shown. One meeting  recently featured the work of Grant Black*.  He shared his techniques for bending,  shaping and finishing wood for the Traditional Chair he makes.  He attributed his skill as being inherited from five generations of his family.

He spoke of  the men and women in his family who had inspired him, including his mother who still
helps him by weaving material for the chair seats which he displays.  He showed pictures of
his ancestors from the  late 1800s.  Some of the chairs built by his family are on display in The Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C., and some are in the homes of two former American Presidents and a Governor.

Grant Black has earned his Ph.D in economics from Georgia State University.   He works on wood with some hand tools inherited from his ancestors. Yet, he works with power tools as well. He is part of a growing number of people who have found that professional interests and skills learned over the years are still compatible with the technology of today.

As he told his story I was reminded that so much of who we are today is shaped by those ancestors who came before us.

* The link to see the Traditional
Chairs Grant has created is:
hrrp://www.SLWG.ORG/newsletters/SLWG_2017_ll.pdf

The St. Louis Woodworkers Guild
News Letter September 2017 Issue

STEPHEN HAWKING AND STUDENTS

On November 16, newspapers in this country reported the death of Stephen Hawking, scholar, author, physicist. On that same day students around the world walked out of their classrooms protesting the lack of governmental action about gun control.

The two events were not connected but do illustrate how confusing is the time in which we live.
Hawking's thinking reflected a perspective of life not always shared by his peers.  Yet, in the face of skepticism and ridicule he continued to proceed and advanced the thinking of others.

The courage students have and are showing in their protests reminds me of the quality with which Hawking advanced his own thinking beyond his time.

Yes students belong in the classroom, but it is also time for elected representatives to use governmental  law and regulation that provide the gun control to stop the carnage.

It is time for all of us to support and elect representatives who will provide those laws and regulations.