Will it be a Grexit?

Are we seeing a tipping point for the European Union or at the least for the integrity of the euro zone? The European Union was created with such high hopes of bringing peace to a region that had known the strife of two world wars.

Greece, which has been a member of the EU since 1981, has been slowly unraveling economically. We are now at a point where leaders in the EU are faced with a choice.

Euro zone argues into the night with Greece on bailout terms

It's not an easy choice, billions of euros are at stake. But is that all? Or is there something else at stake?

Sometimes the past has lessons to teach.

The Treaty of Versailles

While it is understandable that no one wants to act as a continual source of funds for an entity that does not show any real positive change, humiliating them is not a productive measure.   It can lead to unexpected consequences.  

This Ragged Old Flag

It is America's birthday this month and as I have been reading the news I have been contemplating the meaning of this holiday.  I have seen riots in Baltimore, and shootings in a church down south by a man with an unholy quest to start a race war. We have questioned the flying of the Confederate flag that Robert E. Lee flew in the American Civil War.  I have listened to derogatory remarks directed at Mexican immigrants by Donald Trump (“The Donald”), who is running for President.

On July 4th or 2nd, depending on which school of thought you ascribe to,  America will be 239 years old.  A young country compared to some others.  During that time we have had our struggles to overcome inequality, to survive economic crisis and war, and to hold true to the beliefs that are written in our constitution.   

We are a nation of contradictions. 

The riots in Baltimore left people wondering about our system of justice and the behavior of police towards black people, as well as the economic health of many of our cities.  Yet we have elected, twice, to the highest office, a black man.  We have seen an economy rocked by a recession that could easily have slid into a depression, yet we are seeing a return to a healthier financial picture for many.  Not all, it’s true, but we are at least heading in a better direction. 

I read an Opinion Piece in my newspaper written by a man whose father was from the south.  Every year his father would fly the Confederate flag on Robert E. Lee’s birthday.  Yet he refused to sign a petition floated around his neighborhood to request that a mixed race couple, whom he had befriended, be asked to move.  So while that flag might be seen as a racist symbol for some, for him it meant something else.  

And then we have “The Donald”.  A very successful man in business, but a little short of the mark in understanding his country.  For at heart we are a nation of immigrants.  I was talking to someone the other day whose daughter had just graduated.  At the ceremony was the American flag, but along with our nation’s banner there were 24 others.  These were the flags of the countries of origin of some of the graduates.  There is a reason people come here despite the difficulty of starting over.  

  

To write of all of the hardships endured, the triumphs celebrated, and the struggles of ordinary people to make America a nation that we can be proud of would take far more space than this blog or your time to read would allow. 

We are a nation of contradictions because people are imperfect.  But if we choose carefully the ideals that are worth striving for, worth fighting for, and worth creating a country for, then whatever challenges we face now or in the future will be surmountable. 

Happy Birthday, America!

A Tale of Two Movies

A couple of weeks ago I went to see Jurassic World. I went on a Sunday afternoon and the theater was packed with people. I haven't seen that many people at a Sunday afternoon movie since I was a kid! I hadn't heard much about the movie, except what I had seen in previews. But along with so many others I remember the first movie, Jurassic Park, which was one of the best movies made of that genre, so I was hoping for the best with this sequel.

I thought it was good, even very good compared to some out there, but there was something I couldn't quite put my finger on that bothered me. It didn't quite make that A+ rating that a great movie would deserve. Having went back and looked at some of the scenes from Jurassic Park I think I may have come up with what was bothering me.

We all remember that great T-Rex scene in Jurassic Park, don't we? Here, let me refresh your memory.

What I think I loved the best about that scene was that the main character was just a normal guy thrust into a situation where rushing in and being a hero wasn't what he would do lightly, and he was a good enough actor so that you could see it on his face. I will not mention anything about the lawyer being eaten.  Contrast that with this scene from Jurassic World.

What bothered me about this scene was that they made this guy larger than life. He just went sliding under that gate far too easily for my taste. Some people think he could be the next Harrison Ford. Well, maybe. But they'll have to ruffle him up a little, because right now he's too perfect, too much a macho man, to be a character I can empathize with.

So this illustrates my first problem with Jurassic World. It seems to have sacrificed good character development for the superficial. Frankly, I wonder if this is not what is wrong with our world today.

But what I really missed was the lighter moments that were sprinkled all through Jurassic Park. What does every good action movie have? Oh, you know, it's a car chase scene, of course. But what Jurassic Park did was take a car chase scene to a new level by having it take place in a tree.

Now, seriously, that was one of the best nail biting scenes I've seen, with an ending dialogue that had to make you laugh a little. :)

A great movie pulls you in and makes you identify with the hero/heroines of the movie. Wonderful action scenes sprinkled with a little humor and creativity combined with a talented cast go a long way to giving a movie that certain something that will rank it among the best of the best. Jurassic Park had that, Jurassic World just missed.

The one thing, though, that Jurassic World did right, was keep the theme song. :)  I loved this version with John Williams.

So, if you want to see a good movie, see Jurassic World, but if you want to see a great movie, see Jurassic Park.  ;)

"This is not my Islam"

I saw this the other day and thought it deserved center stage. We have criticized Muslims in the past for not speaking out against extremism, so I felt it only fair to lend a helping hand to someone doing just that.  Even if it is only on this humble blog.  

It's About a Horse

This Saturday is the Belmont Stakes, the third race in the Triple Crown. American Pharoah will be attempting to become the twelfth horse to win this series of races. The last horse to do so was Affirmed in 1978. There have been many good horses, but the horse that stands out in my mind is Secretariat. He still holds the record for the running of the Belmont at 2:24. So to get you all in the mood for this year's upcoming Belmont, and American Pharoah's attempt to win the Triple Crown, I thought I would revisit a little of Secretariat's life.   Real heart is a magical thing.

Update:

American Pharoah went wire to wire to win the Belmont Stakes today, becoming the twelfth horse to win the Triple Crown.  His time was 2:26, so Secretariat's time still stands.  Congratulations to American Pharoah!

Omaha

 "Gentlemen, we are being killed on the beaches. Let us go inland and be killed."   General Norman Coda

This Monday is Memorial Day here in the United States. For many it means a long weekend and the start of the summer vacation season. But its real purpose is to remind us of the sacrifices made by the men and women in our military. While war is controversial, there is nothing controversial about the men and women who have given their lives in service to their country.

On this Memorial Day I wanted to pay my respects to them. There have been many battles in various wars, but the one that stands out as being unique in its scope is for me the battle of Omaha Beach in WWII. I ran across the following documentary about the battle and realized that, while I was familiar with some of the difficulties and horrors experienced by allied forces, I wasn't aware of all.   If you have a spare hour or so it is worth watching, if only to try to understand what people have went through to defend our freedom and way of life.  

Rest in peace.

Coal...Fool's Gold?

Since man walked upon this earth he has looked for ways to cook his food, warm his home and power his transportation. Oil has been called black gold, but it is coal that was the first life changing fossil fuel to supply the energy the world needed.

The History of Coal

It helped fuel The Industrial Revolution.

Why am I writing about coal now when there are so many serious issues in the world today? After all, it helped change the world and has provided a living for many families, as difficult as it may be.

But coal is also one of the dirtiest fuels with regard to CO2 emissions, a major greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. As I was reading a back issue of National Geographic, yes I'm way behind on those, I ran across an article regarding the world's consumption of coal and capturing CO2 emissions from power plants. What shocked me was the threshold the authors were giving for the worst effects of climate change to be unavoidable.

“To limit global warming since the 19^th century to 2°C (3.6°F) and thereby avoid its worst effects, scientists estimate we must limit our cumulative emissions of carbon as CO2 to a trillion metric tons. As of 2012, by burning fossil fuels, making cement, cutting trees, and so on, we had emitted 545 billion tons. We're on a course to pass a trillion by 2040.”

It was that 2040 that hit me. That is only 25 years away. This is a complicated situation involving not just a single country, but many. While the United States has lowered its consumption China's has increased. Even within the United States there are objections to switching to alternate, cleaner energy sources. This next clip is a good illustration of the coal conundrum in the United States.

This is why I'm writing about this now, as serious as are the many issues facing the world today; the fighting in the Middle East, the global economy, migrants being forced to leave their homes, the issue of climate change will affect our ability to survive on this planet. It is that simple. All else pales in comparison. 2040 is only 25 years away.