Waxing Poetically: News and Lifestyle with a Twist of Poetry

They (people and also the media and medical community) say that one out of every 60 families in the U.S. is affected by autism in some way. For me, I know at least five people who are affected, two in my semi-immediate family.

So when I found this story on the National Public Radio site about the Wallace-Bates family whose 16 year-old autistic daughter Tara requires full time care, I took notice. Here’s the catch, because they moved to Switzerland before Tara was born, Tara receives fully state funded special needs care including special schooling, disposable diapers and also a house keeper to clean the messes she tends to leave in her wake. The family considers it all a great blessing to live where they do. The Tara’s coverage is due to a 9 billion dollar disability insurance program that has put the Swiss into debt to the effect of several million dollars.

Meanwhile, an ocean away in the United States, in Gloucester, Mass., Nancy Legendre and her husband, Walter Herlihy, have two autistic daughters, 19 year-old Julia and 17 year-old Lily. Legendre worries that the facilities set up for the disabled will not be enough. She is worried that the horror stories she has heard about assisted living homes.

I worry a bit too about one person in my life in particular. Will he be protected? How will his needs be covered? Is there a Home care system in place anywhere? It’s quite a bit of work to care for him. I have faith that the autism situation can get better in this world, but I just hope we can cover the costs effectively. This is is Mike reminding you to think critically about our world and wax poetically whenever possible.

(Click here for more).

Image provided by literacyrules.com

It seems something that many of us don’t want to think of but in the years prior to Word War II, the United States practiced a form racism call Jim Crow. Jim Crow laws,
(named after a popularly stereotyped caricature in stage and radio shows), were laws that openly denied blacks the right to live, play, and generally exist equally to whites.

Today, that history was revisited by Congress in a public apology for years of what they described as forms of slavery.

Excerpt from Congressional transcript:

It’s hard to imagine, in 2008, that such a society existed and was sanctioned by law, that the laws of the nation provided for segregation and enforced slave fugitive slave laws. In fact, the history of slavery goes not just through the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to our constitution, but as so eloquently written, just yesterday, in “The Baltimore Sun” in an editorial by Mr. Leonard Pitts Jr., that slavery existed up until about World War II, but it was a form of slavery where people were bought and sold for debts, it was slavery by another name. In a book called Slavery By Another Name by Douglass Blackman, a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, when he talked about a convict leasing system in the south where in poor black men were routinely snatched up and tried on false petty or nonexistent charges by compliant courts, assessed some fine they could not afford, and then put into the servitude of an individual who bought them.

But now I pose the question to you, where does this leave us today? What effect has the past of U.S. racism has on the culture today: The poor, the rich? How has it affected your own views on race? Let me know in your comments and be sure to wax poetically!

(Click here to read the transcript and listen to the NPR radiocast).

It begins innocently enough: A young man gazes from across the room at a little diner in suburban Chicago. His eyes have fixed themselves upon the seemingly angelic presence of a vibrant, young, women in a gently draped pink, cotton blouse and white, Capri pants that both appear to fit quite well with her body’s contours. She has features that he’s rarely seen: richly carameled skin, and wavy, black hair that falls to the nape of her neck. All the while he can’t help but notice that her hair has the faintest indigo tint in the room’s light. As she turns her eyes toward him, the young man notices her familiar dark brown, walnut shaped eyes quite craftily and symmetrically woven into her face. Her nose is kitten-like and her mouth’s lines seem to invite him to conversation with her…and so the young man carefully approaches the women.

“Hi” he says. She looks calm back at him. “Dave?” she asks. Moksha,” he exclaimed!
“How are you? I knew it was you!”
Oh, I’m pretty well, I’d say.”
“Babe, c’mere! You remember Moksha from the figure drawing class? Ya know… the model.”

Where did you think I was going with this story? Keep waxin,’ Folks! I’ve got more in store for future posts.

A new report today speculates that diamonds could be the source of all life on Earth. Yes, in fact there’s a very good chance because diamonds contain carbon, one of the central building blocks for life on Earth. When a bit of hydrogen is fused into them, water forms and water has always been essential for life as we know it. Scientists theorize that crystallized carbon bumped into hydrogen in the far reaches of outer space billions of years ago. (Source: FOX News’ Robert Roy Brit)

Well, all things considered this may give new meaning to the phrase, “Diamonds are forever”, wouldn’t you say? So Ladies, the next time you look at you rings, you might want to think of yourself having the start of a whole new Universe ahead of you. Until next time… wax carefully!

(Read the article).

Google image of Watts

As of the past two months, I’ve come across the work and lectures of philosopher, theologian and overall all-star trippy dude Alan Watts. Watts’ work incorporates philosophies eastern and western, Socratic and zen-like into poignant lectures about what life might really mean.

In this piece entitled “Music and Life,” Watts acknowledges how many of us are trained to be so goal fixated, so focused on the end result of our journeys that we miss all the little moments and “musical notes” along the way. Whether our goal is med school or Heaven, Watts believes we too often forget to dance to the music along our journeys while we naively obsess over the final note. Is he correct? In my opinion, he is. Please watch the video and wax thoroughly with your comments!

“Music and Life” (Animated by Matt Stone and Trey Parker of South Park)

Alan Wilson Watts (1915-1973) was a naturalized American author and lecturer who interpreted Zen to the West. His writings were particularly popular among the so-called “beat generation” of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

- From the Encyclopedia of World Biography

Here’s something a bit different apart form the usually political and philosophical vibe. As someone who studied sociolinguistics in college, I thought I might challenge your ears with a little game. This is a study in your imagination and perception. Below is a video of actress Amy Walker performing 21 accents from Brisbane, Australia to Brooklyn, New York.

Step One:

Close your eyes and listen. Notice how each accent adds a particular personality and emotion. While your eyes are closed picture what kind of person each accent reminds you of and what that person looks like.

Step Two:

Now open your eyes and replay the video. Watch how Amy’s facial muscles help to define her performances and the personalties she quickly drifts in and out of with just so slight alterations.

Please respond with your comments. If you respond well, there will be more posts like this in the future. Thanks and keep waxin’!

At the request of a friend, I will include some sources this time. The text is made up of
Confucius’ Doctrine of the Meanin the first few pages, the rest are the words of Deuteronomy 30:19, Revelation 3:16 and Jesus in the Gospel of Mathew 6:4. Peace be with you all and wax poetically as always!

Having a Choice to Do Good or Evil and Your Secrets That God Knows:

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So [therefore] choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants. [If you should be, or] because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

The path may not be left for an instant. If it could be left, it would not be “the path”. On this account, the superior man does not wait till he sees things, to be cautious, nor till he hears things, to be apprehensive.

There is nothing more visible than what is secret, and nothing more manifest than what is minute. Therefore the superior man is watchful over himself, when he is alone. so that [his] giving will be in secret; and [his] Father who sees what is done in secret will reward him.

While there are no stirrings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, or joy, the mind may be said to be in the state of Equilibrium. When those feelings have been stirred, and they act in their due degree, there ensues what may be called the state of Harmony. This Equilibrium is the great root from which grow all the human actings in the world, and this Harmony is the universal path which they all should pursue.

Let the states of equilibrium and harmony exist in perfection, and a happy order will prevail throughout heaven and earth, and all things will be nourished and flourish.

What do you believe? It seems simple to answer for some people who have firmly planted feet in one area or another. One says, “I’m a Democrat!” or “I’m a Christian!” or an or “I’m an Environmentalist!” while happily smiling and shaking hands with Joe Schmo and Sally Bag-o-nickels. But If you’re anything like me, the lines and limits aren’t so neatly drawn for you. Thus a dilemma arises.

Growing up I was the type of kid who asked questions, heard answers and then formed my own opinions about the world spinning under me. I asked all the questions in the known Universe from little things like, “Who invented underwear?” and “Why do baby’s cry?” to the profound childhood query of, “Mommy, is there a toy store in Heaven?” to my loving mother gently replied, “I don’t know, but there could be.” Around age seven when I asked about when the Jewish family across the street believed in God, I got the kind reply,, “They believe in God… they just don’t celebrate Christmas.” So basically, I was the Socrates of little kiddies, minus the students.

The same spirit of questioning stayed with me me though to high school when my new knowledge of the Protestant Reformation had me questioning my Catholic faith and my knowledge of the two party system had me voting Independent by age 18. I now consider my a Libertarian: I’m socially liberal with the exception of my pro-life stance, and fiscally conservative with my full belief in the free market and overall capitalism and my belief that socialism goes against human nature. These days, I’ve also been listening to philosophy podcasts from UC Berkley to generate ideas for my screenplay. So my brain has had a lot of time to think about beliefs in general.

Yet my religious affiliation is boarder still. I’m currently a practicing Catholic but my inner most being still has a sense of exploration. I have many interests in the philosophical parallels between the teachings of Jesus, the Buddha, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Krishna, and Mohammad as is evident in my doing my comparative scripture study in the past two weeks. This week my beliefs were tested even more when a Youtube user invited me two nights ago to watch his videos on Islam when while looking up a single text in the Qu’ran, (Koran) I ending up reading a few chapters and finding so much of my “personal” faith in it (if not all of it through the “lens of my own interpretation” of certain texts).

So in the spirit of my own weirdness, I’d like to ask you what you believe. You can post any view, so long as it is not hateful or violent. Even if you think I’m crazy, I don’t mind hearing it. So come on and wax poetically!

Note: The video below is an interview with author Irwin Tang on his book, Gook: John McCain’s History of Racism and Why It Matters. Tang shows evidence of John McCain’s tendency to dehumanize “the other” in times of war. Also, note that all known sources confirm that McCain was tortured in a P.O.W. camp for five years under the Vietcong Army in Vietnam, so you may not be surprised that McCain would use the term “gook” so loosely in a non-war and public context.

However, Tang points out that McCain with military background, he tends to make dehumanizing comments across all areas in which McCain sees an enemy. Tang points to the fact that after McCain was told that cigarettes were a major U.S. export to Iran, McCain replied, “Good, maybe we can kill ‘them’” and cites to McCain’s rendition of “Bomb, bomb, bomb– Bomb, bomb Iran” ala The Beach Boys.

While I always try to give a look at all sides of an issue, this ones irks me. I’m afraid McCain’s personal vendetta may take Americans to places they don’t want to go in wartime or peacetime… or dinnertime for that matter; and while I understand his hatred toward those who tortured him, he should know better than to use a racist term like that in a public forum. It’s now a blanket term used on all Asian types to dehumanize them. Think of it this way, if he has said, “I hate those Ni****’s and I’ll always hate them,” no matter to whom he meant it, his career would be OVER!

For me it’s personally troubling because of my many Asian friends and extended family. I even had an Iranian pediatrician for my entire childhood and guess what? I’m still healthy! Keep waxin’!

Link: For more on racism in politics, read my review of the classic novel, The Ugly American.

Image provided by ehonline.org

Here, My Friends is a thoroughly scientific look at the prospects and pitfalls of embryonic stem cell research from objective study. Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch, a Professor of Biology at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and founding member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research discusses the evidence of why certain types of cloning can be in many ways set apart from others and further attempts to clarify the media’s picture of the whole issue. Jaenisch’s lecture is followed by a presentation by Dr. Steven Marks, of the Harvard School of Public Health. Marks takes on all sides of the legal rights and human rights debate. Enjoy this debate and wax on!

Note: Both lectures are clearly objective and present logical explanations for all views including the ethical and theological. Please if you have a chance, watch the video below. It has definite made me think about my own views.

Here is a summary of the lecture:

Definition of a Stem Cell

Stems cells are those single cells that can renew themselves and create cells of any type.

– There are generally two types of embryonic stem cell cloning:

Reproductive Cloning

– The cell is fertilized to clone an animal or human with a newly made genetic make-up and MUST BE implanted into the uterus. However, because it is a clone, the embryo doesn’t contain the usual distinct genes needed from two parents and the baby is not normal.

Therapeutic Cloning

– Using somatic stem cells (bodily cells): The donated egg is combined with let’s say… a skin cell:Unlike in reproductive cloning, new genetic forms are not made and therefore there is very little evidence if any, that a baby could ever be created… The embryo IS NOT Implanted in a uterus.

Problem:

– The Process of epigenetic manipulation (or manipulation beyond DNA) makes certain genes not readable: All clones have deficiencies (only offspring have been shown to be normal).

Excerpt from learnoutloud.com:

Ignore the noisy debate around cloning, Rudolf Jaenisch quietly insists, and instead look closely at the biology involved. First, note that there are two different kinds of cloning: reproductive cloning, the attempt to create an exact replica of a human being, which Jaenisch believes to be both biologically flawed and morally questionable; and therapeutic cloning, which offers potential cures to some of mankind’s most devastating diseases, and from Jaenisch’s point of view, sidesteps ethical pitfalls.

(Watch the lecture here, 1 hr 30 mins).