You can see the challenge here, since each of the little yellow explanations could invite a volume of learned- or hysterical- dissertation. We marveled at some of them in the Sunday production meeting, which is abbreviated due to some of the Salts preferring to make the ten o’clock holy service and then be able to enjoy a relaxed and expansive luncheon under blue Virginia skies.
The morning traffic for discussion had the usual overseas noise, some of it fairly loud. There was an earthquake reported in North Korea. It was fairly modest, and could have been natural. Or it could have been an intentional demonstration of something intended to punctuate the athletic events in Paris. The ones that Commenced with the colorful mockery of old traditions intended- we think- to celebrate other ones. We blanched, briefly, but then continued the diversity of the day,
Over in the continuing trouble in Gaza, some of which was echoed right here in our town, was an incident on the other side of Israel, the one adjacent to a lovely coastal enclave known as Lebanon. The militants who are currently running that bit of land are known as “Hezbollah.” For some reason they have a predilection for shooting rockets into the territories of their neighbors for a variety of reasons,
That is generally considered an unpleasant sort of activity intended to provoke, rather than complete an action. One rocket, the latest of hundreds, just landed in a playground and killed a dozen
The reverberations from the remarkable opening ceremonies are still echoing a bit, and our reaction has been to tune the whole thing out. In the trouble So, the mention of the anniversary provoked some animated discussion that had, in turn, reverberated in recent events in Butler, Pennsylvania.
It was ninety years ago today for the event we talked about. In some ways it could be said to mark one end, generally, of what has been termed “The American Century.” Of course it was actually the act of a deranged lone Serbian man against the principal bemedaled figure of a modest European Empire composed of chunks of what we know as Austria and Hungary.
It did set of another few elements of drama that in the next four years would kill or injure some 40 million humans, set the stage for a second installment that would kill twice as many. And the great global empires of Europe that spanned the Earth from north, south, east and west and went up in pillars of sequntial smoke of several bright colors.
We took some comfort in the perspective of those events with the ones in progress around us now. It could be argued that our tumult is only part of a longer one that reflect the ability of some parts of the world to live lives of extraordinary luxury, control the size or need for their natural reproduction, and thus make way for others who struggle for the same.
So, we want to take this lovely morning to thank the heavens for having the chance to live in this part of the parade, banners still waving and colors still bright in comparison with some of the other previous anniversaries.
There is some modest good news to accompany sober memory. The earth is greening, not drying, according to recent study, and the panic machine has not yet adjusted to warning us about too much food production or deserts becoming fertile terrain. We are sure they will convince us to panic about that phenomenon shortly.
The news cycle process has changed since the Archduke fell. It once involved an intricate process requiring collection of information, processing it on paper, printing, and widely distributing it. We called it “The morning paper.” In some places, there was enough demand to have afternoon editions as well. They added or interpreted the morning line with fresh material coming the next day.
Radio changed that in a manner more profound than the telegraph, and television invited it into a more complete sensory experience augmented by new technology that enabled the daily cycle guided by the rotation of our planet into a process that simply revolved on itself. Spinning multiple times through a single solar cycle.
So, for this day on this cycle? It is the anniversary of something that happened to a wealthy couple out for a ride in their carriage. That event provoked a series of events that are still unfolding today. There was also a loud current “bang” in a small nation in Asia- small enough to be “natural,” so we will not regard it as something more than a signal of some sort if it is not.
The daily event in Lebanon was something quite different. It is an adjunct to the recent graphic horror of events in Gaza, provoked by earlier horrors in Israel that responded to the establishment of a religious state in response to a really Big Horror that resulted from a generationally-removed act of a deranged lone gunman against the couple in the carriage. We are going to just shake our heads in amazement and take a moment to remember.
And before we contemplate a lavish lunch, we thank the Lord that we had a chance to live at the precise time in a pretty damn good century. We intend to enjoy it while we can, you know?
Copyright 2024 Vic Socotra
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