All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Why should Kamala Harris bother with the news media? – Los Angeles Times

First, I know you’ve seen the AI-generated video of Donald Trump and Elon Musk dancing to the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.” Trump also posted it on his Truth Social, where truth goes to die.

This bromance is hard to watch. Musk’s power and privilege seem to be veering him into Howard Hughes-weird territory, where his crazy theories are matched only by his unique ability to foist them on the rest of us. And Trump will love anyone who loves him — or who has a lot of money. Sad…

Source: Why should Kamala Harris bother with the news media? – Los Angeles Times

Ray Bradbury Explains Why Literature is the Safety Valve of Civilization (in Which Case We Need More Literature!) | Open Culture

Ray Bradbury had it all thought out. Behind his captivating works of science fiction, there were subtle theories about what literature was meant to do. The retro clip above takes you back to the 1970s and it shows Bradbury giving a rather intriguing take on the role of literature and art. For the author of Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, literature has more than an aesthetic purpose. It has an important sociological/psychoanalytic role to play. Stories are a safety valve. They keep society collectively, and us individually, from coming apart at the seams. Which is to say–if you’ve been following the news lately–we need a helluva lot more literature these days. And a few new Ray Bradburys. Source: Ray Bradbury Explains Why Literature is the Safety Valve of Civilization (in Which Case We Need More Literature!) | Open Culture

Nu-ți feri privirea – ore de drum

Urbino, 2024

Prin muzee îmi place să mă plimb încet, să mă uit la tablouri și oameni, să deslușesc umbre, destine, vibrații, să mă las hipnotizată de intensitatea privirii unor personaje sau de insistența altora asupra cărora să-mi pun întrebari.

M-a reținut, într-unul dintre muzeele acestei veri, Piero della Francesca și întruchipările din tabloul Madonna di Senigallia, icoană pictată în jurul anului 1478 care a declanșat un șir lung de ipoteze asupra temelor anunțate de pictura sa. Înainte să ajungă aici, la Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, icoana a aparținut bisericii Santa Maria delle Grazie construită în 1491 la Senigallia, unde a fost redescoperită în 1822.

În lunga ei istorie, a trecut prin multe peripeții, unele grave, printre care și un furt, în 1975. Din fericire, a fost regăsită după numai un an și reașezată la locul cuvenit în Palatul Ducal din Urbino. Creația se presupune a fi un tablou de familie conceput ca dar de nuntă pentru nepotul Papei Sixtus IV, însă, la prima impresie, acest instantaneu pare desprins dintr-o reprezentare contemporană a unei reuniuni la nivel înalt…

Source: Nu-ți feri privirea – ore de drum

Thinking About the Road Through My Life’s Seasons | From Behind the Pen

Image Credit: Fabio Jock

Daylight is getting shorter as we approach our observance of the first day of Fall on the calendar next month. At times it seems like the seasons just meld together and we lose track of time. Today I sit down and think about my seasons of change. I think about my Spring of life, the time I was born and learned how to discover my little world. I then remember my Summer, my formidable years of bumps, bruises, and growing up. I hit the recall button of my Fall/Autumn years, experiencing challenges I never saw coming personally, career-wise, financially, and while pursuing my continued education.

Sometimes it’s not easy remaining positive each day, especially when grief hits your door. For the past four years, it seems like our family endured many heartbreaking transitions of life. Some of the deaths were unexpected and those sudden encounters were a little tough to swallow.

I had a conversation with one of my brothers on the first day of this year. He said, “I hope 2024 is kinder than the past few years.” I agreed. Yet, this year posed another set of tragedies that jerked our chain of heartbreaks. My husband had two sisters who passed away this year (January and June). My brother-in-law (the husband of my sister who passed away right after my birthday in 2021) died on his birthday which is the same as mine (July). Last week, we buried my father’s sister, the last sibling of their shared lineage. Interestingly, she passed away on my husband’s birthday. What a way to celebrate huh? But I don’t seek pity. Death is just as much a part of life as life itself.

As I look over my life, where I am now, and what I hope to accomplish before I leave this world, as I exit this Fall season and shift into my Winter season, I hope and pray that the work I’ve done so far in my life will propel me to do more and give more. I don’t want my living to be nugatory. So, for however long the rest of my seasons last, I don’t have any control over that. All I can do is use the time that I have left and be a viable asset to pave a path of optimism and hope for the future that many others trekking down their life’s path may need help with.

All of us deal with tragedy and the unexpected events life throws at us differently. But in the same stance, we experience some remarkable and unforgettable moments that make us smile with glee. Our emotions and attitudes can be like a wild rollercoaster ride at times. While I am not a fan of riding a rollercoaster, I just have to strap on my safety belt and prepare for the seasonal rises and dips that meander through the rest of my gift of life. This gives my spirit peace. So take a moment today, and simply allow your life’s work, thus far, to speak to you like it never has before.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;”

-Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (KJV)

 

Source: Thinking About the Road Through My Life’s Seasons | From Behind the Pen