You'll Never Guess What I'm Reading

A few years back, I was privileged to work on some tricky issues with a very gifted woman, my successor as President of the Board of Horizon House, Karen Lane Rahm. Aside from her various public service roles, she was curious and adventurous. (After she termed out of the Horizon House Board, she went to live in Paris for six months to polish her French and wrote charmingly of her explorations in a series of posts she called "Karen at Large.")

Somehow, one day, we talked of books and she mentioned belonging to an Anthony Trollope reading club. In my ignorance, I was astounded; I had read Trollope's Barchester Towers as a junior in high school, but assumed no one today bothered with that 19thC relic. I could remember nothing whatsoever about it and had only a vague sense that I had found it of no interest whatever. Callow youth.

Well, a few years ago, I undertook to re-read what I read or should have read those 75 or 70 years ago. I learned by these re-visits that my high school and college professors knew what they were about. I have re-read Moby Dick, Gulliver's Travels, Don Quixote, The Book of Job, Magic Mountain, You Can't Go Home Again and several others. (I also am now re-re-reading the Fagles translation of The Odyssey.) 

Last year, I came across a reference to Trollope's Palliser series of novels, so in honor of Karen, I decided to explore why such a keen intellect as hers would be enthused by an obscure 19thC English novelist, one whose works on Kindle were listed at $0 or a buck or so. I downloaded and opened Phineas Finn, the Irish Member because it appeared to be about English politics. And, indeed, it absolutely delighted me with its sly wit and descriptions of the foibles, pretentions, and posturings of upper class England. I found myself chuckling again and again; Trollope is funny!

Now I'm hooked. I'm 2/3rds through Can You Forgive Her? (1865), which preceded Phineas Finn in the series. Four to go. 

I am sure that this admission will not surprise my buddies but merely confirm, for them, their assessment of Fletch, their weird friend. So be it. 

In the Present

In these fraught times, one side is promising something wonderful about the future while the other, something horrible. Or one side is blaming the other for something in the past and and the other in turn, finding something new to blame the first for. One side magnifies past sins of the other, while the other heaps blame upon the first. Both make grandiose promises about the future.

Past or future; we need to stop for a moment and call out something uplifting from the present that we all can share, especially this semiquincentennial weekend (who came up with that!) Let me suggest:                 

    Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain.

    For purple mountains' majesties above the fruited plains. 

    America, America, God shed his grace on thee

    and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.

Words by Katherine Lee Bates in 1895 and set to the music Materna, composed by Samuel A. Ward in 1892. 

America the Beautiful says it all to me, plus I can sing it. And it isn't rooted in conflict, in bloody Fort McHenry or any other conflict. No having to extol courage under fire. We've had enough of bombs bursting in air. 

Of course there are many who have doubts about that brotherhood stuff; I can think of a couple whose initials are SM and JDV. Invariably, such patriots consider themselves good Christians, i.e., good Catholics or good Protestants -- or good Buddhists or good Hindus or good Muslims or good whatevers, despite that their creeds endorse universal brotherhood. These folks have been steeped in suspicion of the other, in dislikes of strange names or odd (to them) hats or foods or worship. (We're suspicious of their foods until one of them opens a hot restaurant in town.) 

Well, I've wandered away from something many of us should be able to agree on here in the present: America has beauty inherent in her. 

Let's work together to make it manifest once again.

        PS Ann points out to me that over half of the USMNT are immigrants.

Underdogs

I watched my first World Cup game of this year’s tourney: Germany vs Cote d’ivoire. For a period and a half little Cd’I led one nil. Then Germany got their tying goal, and in stoppage time, their go-ahead score. It was a lovely and well-played game despite some German defensive sloppiness.

I looked up the two: Cote d'Ivoire isn't so little after all: 33 million folks. I had no idea. Germany, of course, the largest in Europe at 84 million.

I rooted for Cote d’Ivoire. I have an urge to add ‘of course.’  I suppose there are people who favor the favorite, but I would guess most favor the underdog. Consider that phrase, create an image of an under-dog: chilling isn’t it? A small dog on his back, a larger dog lying on top with a grip on the underdog’s throat. I know many cheer for the expected winner; many for the competitor given less of a chance by the bettors. Americans supposedly support the underdog out of a sense of fairness, of equalizing the match with their enthusiasm and cheers. The bettors usually know better.  Unless ‘you’ve got a dog in that fight,’ the American will cheer for the underdog. Good on us.

Germany got two goals from Deniz Undav, a Stuttgart sub born in Bremen whose family is Kurdish‑Yazidi, father from southeastern Turkey and mother, northern Syria. Thus, those hateful immigrants brought Germany its advantage. My bet is that most of Germany’s soccer fans are MGGA’s, perhaps members of AfD, folks who are intolerant of immigration just as are our MAGAs who stupidly don't connect dots.

(While the boom of my neighbor's practice shots-on-goal echo in my ears.) 

 

I

What Do You Know About SYSO?

Seattle is known for Microsoft, for its persistent growth, for Grunge and Kurt Cobain, for its suffocating traffic, for its Seahawks and dearly departed Sonics, for Starbucks coffee, for Dr. Frasier Crane – but not for SYSO. Would that the world’s attention be somewhat more encompassing . . .

. . .  for SYSO is one of Seattle's cultural gems.

The Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra Program is the largest youth orchestra program in the world, renowned for feeding conservatories and music schools with a steady stream of students. Symphonies the world over have SYSO alum as players, principals, concertmasters, conductors and even composers. SYSO also is known for its traditional affinity for and recordings of the music of Gustav Mahler, something no other youth orchestra has tackled. SYSO has five performing orchestras, each with its own conductor, seven if training orchestras are included, more than any other youth symphony program.

I must admit that had it not been for our grandson, Max Janes, being Principal Trumpet in SYSO's senior Youth Orchestra, I might not have known of SYSO either. SYSO is a cultural gem hiding its brilliance under a bushel.

You might naturally assume, as did I, that SYSO is a division within the Seatle Symphony and run by them. Not so: SYSO is an independent not-for-profit organization, with its own board and management, its own staff, and its own fund raising. SYSO’s mission is “Empowering youth through excellence in orchestral education.” And it delivered this past year:

• 1300 students were enrolled
• from 256 Pacific Northwest schools.
• 32 concerts were given
• before 12,500 attendees.
• In addition, 270 more students received over 400 hours of instruction in schools.
• the senior orchestra toured Portugal, playing with orchestras and ensembles in four major cities.
• SYSO's total budget is over $2.6mm.

SYSO and its supporters (which includes our family) believe that participation is transformative. Students and graduates speak of developing leadership skills, confidence, improved school performance, discipline, collaboration, community, and joy.

Recently, Ann and I attended the spring concert at UW’s Meany Hall. It was packed not just with doting parents and grand-parents, but with folks who were there simply to enjoy classical, orchestral music. The sound, even from the “Debut” orchestra, the youngest kids, was incredibly polished and mature.

Watch Completion of a Brancusi-inspired Sculpture

This past week I brought to completion The Cellist project. The three bronze castings of the marble bas relief have been distributed; I had a very satisfying auction (now actually having sold a piece, does that make me a professional artist?) and seeing folks genuinely enjoy the work, 

Over the next few blog posts I will let you watch step-by-step completion of my next piece, already begun, in the style of Constantine Brancusi whom I consider the 20thC and so far the 21st greatest sculptor and stone carver. I also revere Giacometti and Barbara Hepworth, though theirs were an additive rather than reductive sculpture. They are the three greats, and a fourth, Henry Moore, might also be added to the set.

My new piece is not a precise copy, but very much in the Brancusi style à la Flight, Birds in Space, and Golden Bird. I will be working under the guidance of Sabah al-Dhaher and invite you to watch step by step the completion, of the piece. When done, it will be about 7 and 1/2 feet tall, a construction of oak timber salvaged from my brother-in-law's warehouse, granite or marble, and basalt. You can watch it formed and grow here.

Here is The Cellist in bronze, the copy Ann and I have kept. 

Assassination and the Great Man Theory of History

 Posted Saturday, April 26th

Saturday was a glorious spring day but only when we got home in later afternoon did we learn of the 

spoiler: the attempted assassination at the Correspondents’ Dinner.

Assassination: 

That attempt to alter history and derail governance comes from acceptance of the Great Man theory of 

history: remove the Great Man and change the future. 

Has it ever worked? Did the assassination of Julius Caesar change the dissolution of the Republic, or 

only hurry it onward? It certainly did not restore the Republic which Caesar had already undermined. 

And Lincoln? The American Democratic-Republic form of governance only became stronger as 

Congress ruled the roost throughout the rest of the 19^th C., especially after the 13^th and 

14^th Constitutional Amendments were ratified.  

 

“Great Man” did not emerge again until Roosevelt, the Depression, and WWII. The Executive Branch, 

especially the Pentagon, became the center of policy and initiative. 

So, knock off the Great Man and you derail governance? Most often only the most deranged 

romantic believes strongly enough to become an assassin. Failed assassination strengthens the 

Great Man. Successful assassination most often puts the system into the hands of a new, would-be 

Great Man.  

 

Much as I want Trump gone, assassination is worse than he, an aberration, a lazy man’s answer. We 

need to do the hard intellectual work of understanding process, cause and the forces bending our future. 

We must reject the Great Man theory of history. It is a simpleton’s myth.

 

The simpleton now in the Oval Office must be removed but only through a Democratic-Republican 

process.    

What the hell are we doing?

From my 21stC Journal of a 20thC  Man: 

I awoke thinking about the war. What the hell are we doing? We should be focusing on ending our war, our illegal, unjustifiable American/Iranian war of choice, using our time and energy, using our best people, to find a settlement to end this horror. Instead, we are using our time and energy seeking settlement of someone else’s war, one between Israel and Lebanon. We are not in that war. We have no troops on the ground (I hope!) We are not bombing either Lebanon or Israel. Theirs is not our war. We ought to be gone, to deny support and provision of our precious arms to either combatant. To unlink negotiations.

I know, as always, easier said than done. In America, strong voices call out support Israel; other strong voices yell support Lebanon, few say to hell with both of you. In Iran, the strong voices say Lebanon is also a victim of the USA for Israel is but America’s agent. Others say America is Israel’s agent. The Israeli/Lebanese war, Iran says, must be included in whatever cease fire or suspension is to be reached with America.

This makes it impossible for us. We should simply stop. Shift the world’s attention to Lebanon and Israel. Humiliation of not “winning” is better than escalation of death and destruction, loss of face better than loss of blood. And if done deftly, by accomplished diplomats of which we have a few and explained by glib and gifted spokesmen of which we have many, we might come to be seen by some as one of the peacemakers of whom Christians, Jews, and Muslims speak so highly.