Ehlana and Ethan:
We definitely feel as though we are transitioning this summer toward a more-responsible future because we chose to work with our books or beakers all day while our younger cousins got to play all day. Tai Chi by the river and breakfast made for a good start to our day; we got a lot done in my lab or Ethan’s archives; and then we only stopped in at home on the way to the ball practices Pizzeria pizza picnic dinner that we joined in on with family and friends before we then needed to move on to our teen praise team practice at the church. This was our final practice ahead of the holiday weekend service – and the parade; we did a full run-through of the service including skits and bible readings; and then Ethan and I came home without company again tonight so that we could do some work and a Magi lesson in the office. We used time phasing to get more done; the Magi lesson was mostly an experiment in alternatives for digital equipment manipulation. Even with the time phasing, we still worked until a bit after eleven o’clock; bath or Jacuzzi time was wanted if not as-needed as the showers were yesterday; and that’s why it is again getting late – or early; since we’ve already switched from June to July.
The calendar transition hasn’t led to any changes for our world news report – though we can dream of seeing the impossible happen by morning! There certainly weren’t any signs of actual good news for any of the major war or economic stories, and if anything; lines consider to harden on both sides regardless of the political or diplomatic talk to the contrary. Since there isn’t news worth writing about from the Middle East or Ukraine; let’s comment on some other stories of the recent couple of days. The disaster in Venezuela is unsurprisingly becoming a publicity opportunity for political messaging, and one story that annoyed us tries to link socialism with the collapsed public housing complexes that are among the buildings that were destroyed in the earthquakes. We do not doubt that those buildings were sub-standard for an active earthquake zone, but we are also sure that socialism had little or nothing to do with why cheap housing was built at all when we know that most of the economic stresses in Venezuela have been caused by American sanctions and trade restrictions that have been in place for more than twenty-five years. For a reminder, Venezuela has been ‘punished’ because their leaders had the audacity of demanding fair payment to their own people for their natural resources after previous decades of total exploitation. Our advice won’t be heard by any of those politicians or journalists, but we will still suggest here that those leaders should try shutting up for a while and spend that time reading a few history books!
The heat wave in Europe isn’t the only reason for rising temperatures across the region, and while potential war expansions and economic stresses are causing problems too; the mass immigration that has been continuing for upwards of twenty years now is creating stresses that are tearing at the social fabric in all European countries. Drastic changes to demographics are only statistics, and while the data is also a bit shocking; we are amazed by the politicians and ‘experts’ that are apparently clueless – or complicit – to the dangers that are ready to explode around them. For example, one well-know feminist leader in Germany has suggested that Europeans stop having kids and embrace more migration. We suggest that this woman go and live in one of the countries those migrants are fleeing for at least a few years; and let us know how that works out for her. We’ll predict that a feminist extremist will not fare well in countries like Syria, Afghanistan, or any other country where women have second-class rights and citizenship. On the other side of the immigration story, anti-immigration demands are rising in a lot of countries, and those efforts range from cutting or ending support subsidies to mass deportations. With all of the unrest in the Middle East and in many African countries too; Europe should be more-worried about a new wave of mass migration – especially as basic resources become a bigger problem thanks to the war and impending food security problems that will be coming over the next year or two.
That all adds up to a lot of depressing news, and we want to have happier thoughts to go off to sleep with; so Ethan and I are going to wrap this up; turn our attention toward happier things like an amazing holiday weekend; and head off to our beds right now.
Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!
