Today is New Year's Eve eve, so the next time you hear from me we will have kicked off a new year. Please have a safe and fun New Year! Here are two challenges for you as we enter 2016.
1) Set measurable goals. Last year I committed to reading and writing a certain number of books/pages each month. For the most part, I failed to reach my goals. I know that because I quantified them. Now this year I can readjust.
2) Fight for something better. I know I beat a dead horse with this message, but bad things keep happening that make it worth repeating. I'm not okay with a world in which Tamir Rice can be killed with impunity. I find it unacceptable, and I'm going to do what I can to change it. Please do what you can as well. That's what it will take. All of us, together.
As always, happy Wednesday and happy reading.
This Day in History
1922 - The USSR is formally established. After Czar Nicholas II was overthrown in 1917, Russia experienced a years-long Civil War between Czarist and Communist forces (and with lots of international interference). Guess who won? Hint: they spent decades as public enemy #1.
I'm going to take this opportunity to make a confession as well. When - during the 2012 election - Mitt Romney called Russia our #1 geo-political foe, I laughed it off as silliness. Come on, Mitt. The Cold War ended more than 20 years ago! Who is this guy? Well apparently he's someone with a better grasp of the situation than I. What seemed like silliness to me in 2012 now looks very prescient, and while I'm still not sure if Russia is our #1 geo-political foe - China still looms large - it's impossible to deny Romney's foresight. Czar Putin, my favorite punching bag, is doing his best to reestablish Russia as an international power. The problem is he's doing it with violence, terror, and bullying, and it's already causing a huge headache for America.
I've belatedly come to accept that Romney's analysis of Russia was quite astute. I don't know if a President Romney could or would have treated Russia in a manner that deterred their aggression in Ukraine and Syria, but he did a better job than many - including yours truly - of seeing the threat.
Happy New Year from Vlad
I often try to theme the digest around current events or "This Day in History." Well today's current event is New Year's and today's TDIH involves Russia, so what better way to kick us off than by combining these two? And so I leave you with Czar Putin's 2016 Calendar (from CNN).
As horrible as he is, I can't help but laugh at Putin from time to time, but this calendar is noteworthy because it highlights the cult of personality that totalitarian leaders must cultivate around themselves to maintain a psychological grasp on power. I'll just leave you with a little reference to Donald Trump here as something to ponder.
From Fun to Outrage
As we enter a new year, and look forward to opportunities unknown, we also reflect on the past. The month of January is named for the two-faced Roman god Janus who looked forward and back simultaneously. I am lucky to be able to imagine an exciting future for myself in 2016, but looking back I see that not all are so lucky.
Specifically, today, I am talking about Tamir Rice, the Cleveland boy who was murdered in November 2014. This week, a grand jury inexplicably decided not to indict the police officers who murdered Tamir, and I, for one, am beyond outraged.
If you click on no other link today, watch this clip of Tamir's murder (from the Guardian). I challenge anyone to perform the mental acrobatics necessary to absolve the officers of their crime. This is not my America. This is not my world. This is not the fate of my fellow citizens. This is a crime; the crime of murder. I don't want to rain on your New Year's celebration, but please look back this January and see the bad in the world. It will take our sustained outrage to do better for ourselves.
Next Steps Unknown
2016 may be a year of hope and opportunity, but it may also bring more turmoil, particularly here at home where the list of bodies continues to grow, but the meting out of justice continues to be withheld. Last year saw many protests, both peaceful and violent. There is little reason to believe there won't be more in 2016, and they could be worse as patience wears thin (from the Atlantic).
As Coates says, nonviolence can easily be seen as compliance, and there is a long history - including here in America - of using violence to achieve political ends. I will not condone violent protests, but let's not kid ourselves, they're quite easy to understand; we ought not be surprised that people who are systemically repressed would react violently. How we - that is white Americans - respond to systemic racism will determine if the future is more or less violent. The onus is on us to destroy barriers to opportunity and provide true equality for all citizens. If we aren't successful, the future may be dark indeed.
The Excitement That May Await
To end with something positive and exciting, I'd like to point out that in 2010 I predicted we would have found life or evidence of life elsewhere by 2020. I have absolutely no credentials to make such a claim, but since the world seems to be led predominantly by people who have no credentials to lead, I don't see how it hurts for me to predict life outside of Earth.
Even if I'm wrong (likely that I am), our exploration and understanding of the Universe is growing daily, and that is exciting. As for my prediction, the October announcement of liquid water on Mars gives me a bit of hope (from Medium). Some people think we have too much to worry about at home to spend time and resources in the stars, but I don't see that these are mutually exclusive endeavors. In fact, isn't exploration a human hallmark? Can't the excitement of the unknown capture our collective imagination and spur us forward? We have problems to fix at home, but we have a future to look forward to together as well. And even with all the problems we face, that future is very exciting.
Where's Bert?
No Bert here, but we do have an Ernie. Hailing from New York where he lives with his human Matt, Ernie is a big fan of belly rubs. In fact, he is pictured here anxiously awaiting one. Despite not having a sidekick named Bert, Ernie is still an affable guy who is always looking for new friends. His approach of making sad eyes and rolling over for belly rubs has proven to be an incredibly effective way to find new human friends. No surprises there! Big thank you to Matt for sharing Ernie!
Will's Weekly Trivia!
As always, please remember to send theopt-in form to friends, and to fill out the feedback form if you have any recommendations or want to share an article link or dog. Thank you to those who have!
I got some great feedback last week about the nature of the trivia questions. Apparently some are a bit arcane, and because this individual doesn't cheat (major props!), he can only answer the ones he knows. Now in part that's the nature of trivia - one shouldn't know ALL the answers - but if the questions are too tough that one doesn't know ANY, well that's bad trivia too. Very grateful for this feedback, and will try to adjust questions to encourage more participation.
IF you choose to answer the question, respond to staton.will@gmail.com with your answer. Please note that by competing you are giving me permission to publish your first name in the trivia leader board each week.
TRIVIA!
Last Week: What is the annual date of Earth Day? Which year was it first celebrated?
Answer: Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd, and was inaugurated in 1970. One point was awarded for each correct answer.
This Week: Vladimir Putin first became president of Russia in 2000, who preceded him?
LEADER BOARD
1. TN: Natalie - 2 points
1. NY: Alexa - 2 points
1. OR: Joe - 2 points
1. TX: Chris - 2 point
1. NY: Mike - 2 points 1. MS: Steve - 2 points
2. MS: Meghan - 1 point
2. NY: Joe - 1 point
2. MS: Bill - 1 point
