A ReliableTest ~

 To assess a person's refinement: watch him while eating. 

The Cosmos ~

 We can only look out there and wonder . . . 

Learning to Cope ~

 The most important dialog is the one between me and myself.

Protesting in Russia ~ 2023

The father of a 12-year-old girl who drew this antiwar picture in her elementary school art class in Russia is facing criminal charges and a potential three-year prison sentence, and his daughter has been placed temporarily in an orphanage.                            The Washington Post

BBC

Opposing Adolf Hitler ~ February 22, 1943

Hans and Sophie Scholl were students who distributed flyers in the main foyer of the University of Munich protesting the War and Hitler's dictatorship. A janitor took note and called in the Gestapo. They were hauled into court and four days later were beheaded.        Photo: dpa

In the Cold of Winter ~

Photo: Brigitte Nake-Mann

Snowdrops in January, Grosser Tiergarten, Berlin 

 

Last Night's Dream ~

He was just a young kid who had come back from Vietnam and he was telling me how deathly afraid he was when out on patrol at night opposing the Viet Cong . . . 

Christmas 2022 ~ Three Nativities

Jesus Christ    0001

Adolf Hitler     1889

Vladimir Putin 1952

For Those Who Fought and Died ~

Red and Blue

 What would they think of their country now?

The Autumn Leaves ~

The leaves seem to be hanging on a little longer this year, just to give us some colorful cheer in these dreadful times. 

The Extraordinary ~

We lost two great personages in one week:

Queen Elizabeth II

Mikhail Gorbachev

Have Seen Him Before ~

 

 We are slowly learning to hate our enemy, Putin. 

Morning Walk ~ Urberg, Germany

 

A Nightly Visit ~

And there I was, in the old Bach choir again, not in the bass section but among the tenors now, singing away and reaching all the high notes.

Atmosphere~

cambridge.org

  When at the altar, you walk differently.  

Cassidy Hutchinson ~ Jan. 6th Testimony

cnn

Thank you for your reasoning and your courage.

Scarlett S. ~ Sadness for Our Region

Suedkurier

Scarlett S.

 A girl hiking in the Black Forest who disappeared in October 2020 and, in spite of continued searching, has never been seen since. 

The Gift ~

Nasa

He created Earth, then turned it over to us.

On the Scene ~

Seeing to it.

Morning Walk ~ Along the Rhine

 Waldshut, Germany

Morning Walk ~ Along the Rhine

 At the Swiss border. 

Symbolism ~

How appropriate, that Putin used half of Hitler's swastika  Z as his war emblem.

They told us ~

 Everyone should be carrying a weapon . . .

No Questions Asked ~

Down around the corner from where we live in Germany, a vacant house has been made available for Ukrainian refugees who arrived here with little more than their backpacks. 

Cradle ~

Nasa

He created Earth for us to be born on.

How It is Done ~

 We stand by and watch Putin, singlehandedly, provoke World War III. 

Vladimir Putin ~

 “It is obvious that we had no other choice.”

Looking the Other Way ~

We gave so little consideration to a bolder attempt to stop Putin. We spent years pleading with him and threatened with sanctions. He scoffed at them.

Sergev Lavrov ~ Russian Foreign Minister ~ 16th Day of the War

 "We did not attack Ukraine."

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky ~ Democracy

  

                                        Washington Post

“We are alone in defending our state. Who else wants to fight with us? Honestly, I don’t see anyone.”

Pope Benedict XVI ~

 They told us that the Pope was infallible. 

Holocaust Remembrance Day ~ 2022

Gestapo

Lovers, there is so much

You can do
By just holding one another
Tenderly this evening—
Like rounded basins
Holding water in fountains
Before the soft curling fall
From one basin to the other.

They are bounding
Up the stairs now,
Clamoring they enter.
Stand facing them.

A nod toward the door.
Grab them, herd them down
To the street,
Hurl them against the wall.
Two shots fired.
Jew, left printed on the wall
Where they fell.

Source

Pope Benedict XVI ~

He thought that Holy Mother the Church was more important than the victims who were abused in it.

Follow the Leader ~

Getty Images

They told us to look at Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch not wearing a mask, while all the other Justices are wearing theirs. 

January 6th, 2021 ~ Washington, D.C.

 They told us that they were the real American patriots. 

Language ~

The really meaningful things in life are said softly. 

A Young Seminarian ~

Poems about these boys.

The Ultimate Luxury ~

 The morning paper delivered right into my mailbox.

They Told Us ~

 Don't get vaccinated. Ever.

We set the clocks back ~

We set the clocks back an hour last night and enjoyed the extra sleep, but the neighborhood dogs were up at their regular hour and were whining and barking for relief. 

They Told Us ~

 Beware of Moslems. 

From Green to Red ~

Overnight the bush has inflamed. 

 

The Stolen Election ~

Trump taught us how to create reality just by saying, over and over again, that a thing exists.

Cutivated Discord ~

They say that the Reds and the Blues are moving to areas in the USA where they can live separated from one another. 

Hunger for Mobility ~

Last Sunday, three lanes on the German Autobahn with back-to-back traffic for 100 miles, moving at 40 m.p.h.. No trucks allowed. 

They Told Us ~

Gerrymandering is good. 

They Told Us ~

White Supremacy matters. 

Learn to pronounce

Walk Along the Field ~

Today I saw a white and bluish field of daisies and cornflowers with a red poppy here and there, swaying in the breeze.

Looking Back ~

How obvious are the deficits of our enlightened, high-priced American education. Educated cavemen of conspiracies we are. 

Morning Prayer ~

[My students liked this prayer before class:] 

Father, we thank Thee for the night,
And for the blessed morning light.
For rest and food, and loving care,
And all that makes the world so fair.
Help us to do the things we should,
To be to others, kind and good.
In all we do, in all we say,
To grow more loving every day.