Tom Chavez

July

In a decision that outrages Democrats, President Trump commutes the federal prison sentence of pal Roger Stone. The White House states that imprisoning the 67-year-old Stone would be inhumane because he has a medical condition that requires him “to roam free at night seeking fresh human blood.”

Meanwhile in Delaware, Joe Biden’s team continues to ponder the question of who should be Joe’s running mate, the goal being to find somebody who (A) is a woman and (B) has a name that Joe can remember.

Kanye West announces that he is running for president, representing the Birthday Party. In any other year this would seem ridiculous, but in 2020 a lot of people are like, “Why not?”

On the diplomatic front, the administration announces that it has reached a peace agreement under which U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Portland, Ore., where for many weeks protesters have been seeking social justice via a combination of peaceful demonstrations and arson.

In sports, the Washington Redskins, bowing to mounting public pressure, announce that they are changing their name, which critics say is insensitive. They will henceforth be known as the Pittsburgh Redskins. 

In Major League Baseball, the teams begin a shortened season with stadium seats occupied by cardboard cutouts representing fans, except in the case of the Houston Astros, who use live human snipers.

Speaking of threats, in ...

August

… President Trump escalates his attacks on TikTok, a Chinese-owned social media app that threatens our national security by causing millions of Americans to learn stupid dances while Chinese people are making useful products to sell to Americans. 

The president wants to force TikTok to be sold to Microsoft, apparently in the hope that Microsoft will render it unusable by means of “updates.”

Meanwhile the nation’s mood is increasingly tense and angry as Americans are bombarded with a constant stream of news about protests, boycotts, disruption, despair and rage. And that’s just on “SportsCenter.”

California, as it traditionally does at this time of year, bursts into flames. Adding to the misery are rolling electrical blackouts, possibly connected to the state legislature banning all sources of electricity except windmills and 9-volt batteries.

Joe Biden makes history by choosing Kamala Harris as his running mate. During the Democratic debates Harris leveled harsh criticisms at Biden, but a campaign source says that “Joe has forgotten all about that. Literally.”

For his part, Trump dismisses rumors that he might change running mates, telling reporters, “I’m very happy with whatshisname.”

The Democrats adopt a sweeping platform filled with bold policy initiatives that nobody will ever look at again. The Republican platform consists of, quote, “whatever was in the president’s most recent tweet.”

Tom Chavez

September

Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett to fill the seat, arguing that she is “perfectly qualified” for the high court because she is “a woman, but not like super hot.” 

The biggest political event of the month is the much-anticipated Trump-Biden debate, a lively affair featuring a frank and open exchange of sentence fragments highlighted by a heroic but ultimately unsuccessful attempt on the part of moderator Chris Wallace to silence the president with a Taser. 

Biden inspires his supporters by appearing, most of the time, to be fully aware that he is participating in a debate. For his part, Trump displays presidential leadership by firmly yet calmly reassuring an anxious nation that the election will be a complete fraud. 

Meanwhile as fires continue to devastate the West, the California legislature, meeting in emergency session, votes to ban lightning.

In college sports, both the Big Ten and Pac-12 vote to resume playing football, citing the improving covid-19 situation and the fact that the Houston Astros are leading both conferences with a combined 179-0 record. 

October

The White House announces that President Trump is infected with the coronavirus, as are the first lady, White House staffers and others who have been near the president at events where many people did not wear masks or observe social distancing. This seems to suggest, crazy as it sounds, that the virus — who could possibly have known this? — is an infectious disease that you can catch from other people.

In an effort to keep the nation informed on the president’s health without creating confusion, the administration employs a two-pronged communications strategy:

PRONG ONE: The president’s doctors hold a press briefing in which they say that the president is doing fine.

PRONG TWO: Immediately thereafter, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows tells reporters that the president’s vital signs are “worrying.”

The important thing is that the president recovers quickly and announces that covid-19 is frankly no big deal for anybody who has a large team of doctors, 24/7 access to a world-class medical facility and a helicopter. Then, having learned an important lesson from his experience, the president resumes holding massive rallies where many people do not wear masks.

Joe Biden enters the final stretch of the campaign with a schedule that has him doing as many as one appearance per day. Also taking a brutal toll on the former vice president is that he must repeatedly deal with the grueling physical strain of not telling reporters what he thinks about packing the Supreme Court. 

At one appearance, when asked about this, Biden says: “The moment I answer that question, the headline in every one of your papers will be on the answer to that question.” While reporters wrestle with the Confucian profundity of this statement, Joe is whisked back to Delaware.

Gregg Wilson

A ten year old girl, Karolina Protsenko, Plays "Despicato" on the violin in the open street. Absolutely amazing. A special place in Heaven should be reserved for her.

Go to Google.

Tom Chavez

Gregg, she has no doubt descended from heaven, and she dances like a celestial apsara. 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXIP3u-ObD8

Tom Chavez

Wrapping up: November

When finally, after all the politics and the platitudes, the debates and the demagoguery, the rallies and the riots, the allegations and the alliteration, it’s time for the American people to do what they have done since the founding of the republic: Eat all their leftover Halloween candy. 

There’s a lot of it this year because there were few trick-or-treaters, leaving many Americans with no choice but to snork down the weight of an adult male cocker spaniel in mini Snickers. But we do it, because we are Americans, dammit.

Then, at last, it’s Election Day. Political experts are confidently predicting an easy Biden win, possibly a landslide, based on input from professional pollsters armed with conclusions derived from sophisticated statistical analysis of data obtained via surveys of the seven Americans still willing to answer the telephone.

But the actual race turns out to be much closer, and several days pass without a clear winner. Florida surprises everybody by reporting the vote count almost immediately, thanks to an executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis to “just go ahead and reuse the results from 2016, since we counted those already.” 

But the process is much slower in states such as Pennsylvania, which uses the base 17 numbering system, and Arizona, where by law votes must be tabulated on cowhides.

It is not until Saturday that the news media call the election for Biden. President Trump claims that he won the election BY A LOT, but it is being stolen from him via a vast, sophisticated, malignant vote-fraud scheme. 

To combat this fraud, the president forms a crack legal team headed by former sane person Rudy Giuliani. It eventually becomes clear to everybody not living in the White House that Trump will not successfully challenge Biden’s win.

But it is also clear that the media elite greatly underestimated support for Trump, who got more than 74 million votes. Who on Earth could these 74 million Americans be? It’s a mystery that probably will never be solved, at least not by the media elite.

The number of cases is spiking once again. Many states impose tough new covid restrictions, most notably California, which bans “all human activity not personally involving the governor.”

Trump, carrying on a cherished White House tradition, pardons turkeys named “Corn” and “Cob” and a former national security adviser named “Michael Flynn.” “Corn” and “Michael Flynn” were convicted of making false statements to the FBI; “Cob” was serving a four-year sentence for tax evasion.

Joe Biden, preparing for a historically difficult transition to a presidency that will be confronted with a daunting array of critical challenges both at home and abroad, fractures his foot playing with a dog.

December

The economic outlook remains troubling, with the U.S. economy being kept afloat by consumers making monthly payments to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, CBS All Access, HBO Now, Peacock, HBO Max, and a bewildering array of other streaming services that consumers keep paying because they can’t figure out how to cancel their subscriptions.

“These people are pumping billions of dollars a month into the economy,” states Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. “God help us if they ever remember their passwords.”

The Trump legal team, alleging that there was a massive organized conspiracy to commit vote fraud, files multiple lawsuits but achieve basically nothing, WHICH ONLY PROVES HOW MASSIVE AND ORGANIZED THIS CONSPIRACY IS.

While the president continues to insist that he was reelected, members of his staff quietly prepare for the transition by updating their résumés and conducting a search for the briefcase containing the nuclear launch codes, last seen in the back of a golf cart in Bedminster, N.J.

Tim Jones (Jones)

Happy New Year to you all.  Wow!  2020 is in the wake. Like most of you, hoping 2021 will be a better year. I spent six days with my daughter in Seattle over the holidays, not accomplishing a lot, but enjoying each other's company.

We watched a series Alone The Arctic on Netflix.  Some interesting lessons and challenges observed and learned from that series. One of course is our relationship with food. One of the males lost 80 pounds in about 70 days.  All contestants lost substantial weight. The other lesson, our relatiohship with family and friends....defines us. What is important!

As I approach 75, I find myself in a lot of introspection and within that, a lot of nostalgia. It's possible I've found to overdose on nostalgia. I'm finding more and more home movies on the net taken in the 1950's and 60's. What a wonderful time to be growing up! Well at least if you were white and middle class.

I know something about nostalgia as my dad was a professinal photographer. I'm sitting on thousands of 35mm slides, negatives and prints. For a while I was scanning them and had three slide projectors set up.  Sharing the scans with family.  Finally, had to quit for a while. Return to the present.  As Timothy Leary was often quoted: "Be Here Now!"  Now is the only NOW there is. 

Despite the 'stay at home' orders from the governor, I did manage to get my boat out a few times in 2020. Linked up with friends in their 1958 Skagit that my friend's dad bought new. Cruised up to Quartermaster Harbor for an overnighter. Despite some fog, was a lot of fun.

Also made a trip down to Bend, Oregon where my oldest son and his wife and kids moved to last July. My first time in Bend. Nice little town.  The drive back spectacular. 

So, already making plans for the new year and hoping my health holds out. Wishing you all have a great new year ahead..

Cheers,

Tim

Diane Paulson

Tom Chavez

Childhood Pastimes

Sometimes the elder gopīs (cowherd ladies) took Kṛṣṇa to the courtyard and began to clap, praising him. Kṛṣṇa would dance along with their clapping, like an ordinary child. Completely controlled by the gopīs, he sang and danced like a puppet in their hands.

Mother Yaśodā sometimes asked Kṛṣṇa to bring a wooden seat for her. Although the seat was too heavy to be carried by a child, somehow or other Kṛṣṇa would bring it to his mother. 

Sometimes his father, Nanda, would ask Kṛṣṇa to bring his wooden slippers. Kṛṣṇa would put the slippers on his head and bring them to his father. 

When he was asked to lift some heavy article and was unable to lift it, Kṛṣṇa would simply move his arms. In this way, at every moment, he was a reservoir of happiness for his parents. 

Kṛṣṇa exhibited such childish dealings with the people of Vṛndāvana to show the philosophers and sages searching after the Absolute Truth that the Personality of Godhead is controlled by and subject to the desires of his pure devotees.

Tom Chavez

After the Storm

    President Lincoln stated in his second inaugural address, “…if God wills that it [the civil war] continue … every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn by the sword.” 

    We are all responsible for our actions and will draw our individual and collective ‘pay.’ As Jesus said, “As you sow, so shall ye reap.” Our karma, both good and bad, will always find us. 

    After years of escalating violations of respect and decency, today is a new opportunity to consider our own role in the course of our nation and world.

    The recent chaos and crisis was not the result of one man, or a few thousand vigilantes. It was the result of years of vitriol, divisiveness and hate, of the unfair and unlawful treatment of others for selfish interests.

    Whatever our faith or philosophy, political persuasion, color or creed, let’s put aside negative divisive thoughts, words and acts, and realize that the destiny of our nation and the world, and our very souls, rests in our hands.

    Each day, each moment, we have the power to choose kind or hurtful words, to be examples of light or darkness to our children, to say that the hate, the spiteful words, the selfish acts, the abuse, and the anger must stop.

    We have the power to promote policies in our homes, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our nation, our media, our political parties, and in our houses of worship that are fair to all—not just to benefit one section over another.

    We can help set our nation and the world on a better path. We too, as President Lincoln called upon us, can act with “malice towards none…to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

Michael Gray

Well said Thanks for your comments 

Tom Chavez

The Essential Ingredients Are Love and Devotion

One day, a fruit vendor came before the house of Nanda Mahārāja. Upon hearing the vendor call, “If anyone wants fruits, please come and get them from me!” child Kṛṣṇa immediately took some grains in His palms and went to get fruits in exchange. 

In those days exchange was by barter. Kṛṣṇa had seen His parents acquire fruits and other things by bartering grain, and so He imitated. But His palms were very small, and He was not very careful to hold the grains tight, so He was dropping them. 

The vendor who came to sell fruits saw this and was very much captivated by the charming child. She immediately accepted whatever few grains were left in His palms and filled His hands with fruits. 

In the meantime, the vendor saw that her basket of fruit had become filled with jewels. The Lord is the bestower of all benedictions. If someone gives something to the Lord, he is not the loser; he is the gainer by a million times.

If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it. ~ Bhagavad-gītā 9.26

“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of goats. When ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will

not hear, for your hands are full of blood.” Isaiah 1:11, 15

Gregg Wilson

Linda Pompeo (Worden)

Puts us all in the 'ancient ruins' category!

Tom Chavez

One day mother Yaśodā was churning yogurt into butter when Kṛṣṇa, desiring to drink her breast milk, caught hold of the churning rod to stop her from churning. Mother Yaśodā took Kṛṣṇa on her lap and, looking at his face with love and affection, allowed him to suck her breast. 

But seeing the milk pan on the stove boiling over, she abruptly put Kṛṣṇa down and went to rescue the milk, although he was not yet fully satisfied. Having been interrupted, Kṛṣṇa was very angry. He took a piece of stone, broke the churning pot and ran away. 

After attending to the overflowing milk mother Yaśodā returned and saw the broken pot. Concerned by Kṛṣṇa’s misbehavior, she picked up a small stick and began to search for him. 

She found Kṛṣṇa with Balarama in a storeroom. Kṛṣṇa was on a large mortar for grinding spices. Having turned the mortar upside down, He was stealing butter hanging from a rafter to share with Balarama and the monkeys. 

Seeing the stick in his angry mother’s hand, guilty Kṛṣṇa immediately jumped down and began to flee as if in great fear.

Gregg Wilson

In 1974, the gold price was $116.50

Applying the Federal Reserve inflation rate, it would be $648.00 today.

Only the current price is $1,850.00

Hmmmmm........

Tom Chavez

Gregg, are you suggesting that gold is overpriced? Or that inflation is under-estimated? I'm beginning to doubt that the masters of the financial universe have it all well under control.

Tom Chavez

Kṛṣṇa quickly ran out into the courtyard, with Mother Yaśodā fast behind. As Kṛṣṇa dodged about, his mother tried to catch him. Mother Yaśodā was not built for speed. Her hair came loose and oleander flowers from her hair fell to the ground behind her.

Yet she did not fail to capture her son, Kṛṣṇa. Yogīs and jñānīs can hardly approach Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet even after many years of austerity. Mother Yaśodā shows the example that one can capture Kṛṣṇa simply by love and affection. 

Kṛṣṇa was so subordinate to mother Yaśodā that when she showed him the stick in her hand, he immediately admitted his offenses and began to cry like an ordinary child. 

Mother Yaśodā, did not want to punish her beloved child very much. She immediately threw her stick away and simply rebuked Kṛṣṇa, saying, “Now I shall tie you up so that you can’t do more nonsense.”

Mother Yaśodā was always overwhelmed by intense love for Kṛṣṇa, not knowing who Kṛṣṇa was or how powerful he was. Because of her maternal affection for him, she never even cared to know who he was. 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead has no beginning and no end, no exterior and no interior. He is all-pervading. He controls the past, present and future of time. He exists in His own transcendental form at all times. 

That unmanifested person, who is beyond the perception of the senses, had now appeared as a human child, and mother Yaśodā, considering him to be her own son, desired to tie him to a wooden mortar with a rope.

Gregg Wilson

Tom,

Gold has not changed in value at all. The dollar has fallen off the table.

Has food gone up in price?  Yes.

Have homes gone up in price?  Yes.

Have cars gone up in price?  Yes.

What hasn't gone up in price?

And the dollar value will go down much further.

Tim Jones (Jones)

Mimosa for breakfast!  Well, I'm celebrating. Not cool to talk about politics, money or religion here.  Sort of like being at a party with the in-laws. My doggie, Tito is a little under the weather today.  Not sure what that's all about?

Oh, I have a new grand-daughter!  Tula Jones, born January 9th.  Parents are my middle son Barry and his lovely wife Mirela.  They were married in September 2019, in California.  Looks like it will be a while before I can get down to Calif to visit. 

Here's a toast to 2021.  Wow!  That's a big number.  Don't have a New Year's Resolution, yet. 

Maybe simply that 2021 is a better year than 2020.  

Hope you are all doing well out there.  Stay healthy.....

Tim

Virginia Wolfe (Scheffer)

Tim......congratulations!  A new precious bundle of joy!

Linda Pompeo (Worden)

Congratulations Tim.  Grandbabies are such a blessing.  Nothing better than a sweet little baby to cuddle and marvel over the miracle of new life. 

Glad to hear you are doing well....and hopefully your puppy is too.  Stay healthy....and as soon as this virus is under control....head on down to California and let your new granddaughter meet her Grampa in person.

Bill Engelhardt

And at the movies -- 1964

Tom Chavez

When mother Yaśodā tried to bind Kṛṣṇa to a wooden grinding mortar, she found that the rope was too short. She called for more rope and added to it, but it was still short. As many ropes as she joined, they were all too short.

Mother Yaśodā’s friends, the elderly gopīs in the neighborhood, were smiling and enjoying the fun. Similarly, mother Yaśodā, although frustrated in her efforts, was also smiling. All of them were struck with wonder. How was it happening?

In attempting to bind her son, Yaśodā became tired and was perspiring. When Kṛṣṇa saw his mother fatigued, he agreed to be tied up. Of course, this entire universe, with all its galaxies and demigods, is under his control. Yet Kṛṣṇa has a transcendental attribute: he comes under the control of his pure devotees.  

Everyone is controlled by Kṛṣṇa, but he sometimes desires to be controlled by someone else. Such a controller must be a devotee engaged in spontaneous loving service. Kṛṣṇa is not so amenable to mental speculators, to those striving for self-realization by severe austerities, or to those who consider the body the same as the self. 

After mother Yaśodā bound Kṛṣṇa and returned to her household affairs, Kṛṣṇa observed two yamala-arjuna trees in the courtyard. They were actually two sons of Kuvera who had been cursed by sage Nārada to become trees. Kṛṣṇa decided to fulfill the desire of the sage.  

Tom Chavez

Gregg, how dare you derogate the Almighty Dollar here? Tim says it’s not cool.

Things cost more now for two reasons. 

1. Many things are more valuable now. The quality of a new car or TV is superior to older models. Naturally it costs more.

2. There are more people now, and demand is stronger. And there is a housing shortage. When demand goes up and supply goes down, price goes up. Demand has increased for gold, but supply is inelastic. Price goes up. Q.E.D.

Of course the dollar is eventually headed for the dust bin of history, like every other fiat currency in history. Make good use of your money while you can. If you don’t know what to do with it, send it to me. I’ll put it to good use.

Gregg Wilson

Tom,

You have a fantastic sense of humor.