I had never heard of National Dog Day before, but how have I been missing out on what is now arguably my second favorite holiday? The universe is trying to tell me something, Aquarius is upon us, the stars align, it's National Dog Day!!
Do your duty this holiday, dog lovers, and send the opt-in formto a friend. It's such a nice and easy gift to give. Maybe not a great gift, but an easy one!
As always, happy Wednesday and happy reading!
This Day in History
1920 – The 19th Amendment becomes official, cementing the right to vote for women, and it's been all downhill from there. WHAT WERE WE THINKING!?!?! I actually recall seeing a comedy show a few years ago, and the comedian was joking about arguments against same-sex marriage: if we let gays get married, what's next, will we have to let people marry animals? He likened this argument to the ones presumably made decades ago against letting women vote: If we let women vote, what's next, will we have to let cows vote? What about chairs? Thankfully, we drew the line, and our cow population today remains disenfranchised. Can you imagine what a disaster that would be!?
The Time I Agreed with Donald Trump...Kinda
Those are words I never thought I'd see come out of my fingertips and appear on a page. Bombastic though he is, Donald sometimes (accidentally?) turns his otherwise vapid arrogance in the right direction. In this instance, Trump isn't feeling Chinese leader Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit (from The Hill).
To a point, state dinners like the one Premier Xi will attend are necessary. They provide a forum for doing business in a safer and more relaxed manner. All sorts of people talk things out over food, but on the other hand, I wonder to what extent events like this one are hangovers from the days of yore when lavish events - banquets and jousts - were used to impress visitors and display one's wealth and power, because frankly, we have a lot to talk about and neither enough wealth nor power to waste on showcasing for the sake of showcasing.
While I doubt Trump's plan to throw a few Big Macs Xi's way and get down to business would be an effective way to approach such conversations, one does wonder if all the time and money that will be invested in a formal state visit will lead to increased dialogue and cooperation. I need to know that visits like these include large chunks of time for the leaders and their closest advisors to sit down and hammer out important issues if my tax dollars are going to pay for a fête for a visiting head of state. I'm not a serf harvesting wheat for his lord to use at an upcoming banquet, so what am I getting out of Xi's state dinner? Not the filet mignon, so there better be some conversation about cyber warfare, implementation of the Iranian deal, WTF China is trying to do with its economy, etc.
Psychology en Español
Just the other day I was having a conversation with a friend about cognitive behavioral therapy, which, as I misunderstand it, is a form of behavioral coaching designed to help you understand how your own brain works so that you can better control your thinking to adopt positive behaviors...or something. Part of our conversation was about EQ, or emotional intelligence.
And then along comes this piece from Katrina in NYC about how learning multiple languages is...wait for it...great for our brains, surprise! (from BBC). While the article explores learning many languages from different angles, one of my takeaways was how learning these languages was facilitated by and contributed to immersion in the culture as well. This seemed to me, a display of a very high emotional intelligence in addition to whatever intellectual skills are used in remembering multiple languages.
I'm neither a psychiatrist nor a linguist, but this did remind me of the Mark Twain quote:
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
Just more evidence that it can't be said any better than how Mark said it. I feel like I've ranted before about how important it is we expose ourselves to all opinions....eh, can't recall. It probably doesn't matter.
It Doesn't Matter?
Not this week! This week is for random - by which I mean for you to understand "awesome" and "interesting" - topics. Topics like close-up pictures of tiny insects! (from Medium). TRIGGER WARNING: There are arachnids featured here. I am arachnophobic. Horribly, horribly arachnophobic, and even though these are tiny insects (and arachnids), they're still close-up pictures.
These photos remind me of some my younger brother Thom took a few years ago of similar subjects. They're remarkable in their clarity and detail, and I couldn't help but feel a bit awed by how awesome and complex a place the world is, and how such an array of creatures evolved into being, and found niches. Even the spiders were interesting. Which reminds me, it's not hypocritical of me to post a trigger warning about that, right? That's not something I would endorse is it? There's a lesson for me here, but I can't quite put my finger on it...
It Really Doesn't Matter?
No, it doesn't matter this week! Stop taking me so seriously all the time. That's stereotyping me, and it's not fair. I bet you're the same kind of person who judges her too (from the Onion). If you're judging me, you may as well be judging Mei Xiang, but oh no you would never do that, would you? Now how do you feel?
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," Dr. King told us. And that's now a quote from Twain and a quote from MLK in a digest that doesn't matter. Ponder it. No don't.
Are You Chill? Because Tonks is Chill
Well yeah she's chill, she dates a werewolf. It's not exactly an easy gig, when he goes wolfsh*t crazy every full moon. Whatever though, Tonks is chill, and if this picture doesn't prove it, well nothing does. Tonks, who lives with her human Brandon in NYC spends most of her time chilling, but unfortunately the weather isn't always nice here, so days like these are offset by the "oh dear god how is this possible" cold, so Tonks is also a big snuggler. Behind those shades, you can just glimpse her eyes sassily asking "do you love me?"
The answer, of course, is yes, Tonks, we do. Thank you, Brandon for sharing Tonks!
A Last Request
I always write these digests Tuesday evening before giving them a proofread and clicking send on Wednesdays. But the shooting today of a young television crew in Virginia compelled me to make a last second edit. For sake of time and partially for loss of words, I ask only that you keep the victims in your thoughts and prayers. In future digests there will be time for examination, but right now we mourn and work for something better.
