Oligarchy

Bernie was on Meet the Press today. At one point, the host asked him if he should have used a different word than oligarchy to describe his rally tour with AOC - some Democrats think voters don't know what "oligarchy" means. That made Bernie laugh :) I recall the term from Greek history/philosophy, but all you need to do is think of Putin's Russia to get the idea.

The funeral

Some highlights from Pope Francis' funeral.

The chair

Lately I've been sitting by the front door with Yoda in the mornings. It's kind of peaceful at that time, with lots of birds chirping, the trees rustlung, the sun flickering.

Here's Yoda, sitting on her box, looking out through the screen door ...

Last year I bought a chair. Never bought a chair before, but I needed one that had arms I could use to help me get up and down now that my knees are so bad. Also needed one I could easily move, so I could be where ever Yoda was.

And so the chair came into our lives. I agonized over which chair to buy, searching Amazon for one I could afford, reading the reviews, and finally I chose a gaming chair because they are made to be comfortable, have sturdy arms, can be easily moved, and can be thrown up on by Yoda without being destroyed. And they can be pink! :) ...

Now I can alyays hang out with Yoda.

Earth Day

There comes a Day,
One of those glorious deep blue days,
When larks are singing and bees are humming,
And Earth gives voice in a thousand ways -
Then I, my friends, I too shall sing,
And hum a foolish little thing,
And whistle like a blackbird in the Spring. ~A.A.Milne #EarthDay pic.twitter.com/NebPE0M5x6

— A.A.Milne (@A_AMilne) April 22, 2025

Pope Francis: RIP

Sad. There were a lot of things I liked about him - he cared about the environment, cared about the poor, cared about refugees. He seemed to care about substance over style.

But I feel I must say that there were a lot of things I didn't like too, and though he has passed away, I don't think we should accept the idea put forth that he was a "reformer" pope.

Francis could have allowed women to become priests, but instead he insisted that women would never be priests in the Catholic church. He could have allowed women to be deacons, but he put roadblocks in front of that too. In fact, he made clear in his writings that a woman's purpose in life is basically to reproduce.

Francis could have limited the damage done by pedophile priests by making priests madatory reporters to the police of sex abuse. He wouldn't. Instead he allowed guys like Cardinal Law to hide out in Vatican City with immunity from prosecution.

Francis could have had the church accept the relationships of gay people, could have accepted gay couples adopting children. Instead he wrote/spoke against these things.

Francis could have changed the policy that keeps divorced Catholics who have remarried from taking communion. Didn't. Instead people must still pay an arm and a leg to buy an annulment, a cynical end run around the rules.

Pope Francis didn't reform the church (in my opinion) but he was a good person who cared about other people and about the planet. Sorry to see him go.

Gregg Allman

I've just checked out from the library Gregg Allman's autobiograpy, My Cross to Bear. It's a New York Times bestseller and Editors' pick, so hopefully it will be good.

A couple of his songs, the first one from 1973, Midnight Rider, at the Grand Opera House in Macon, Georgia ...



I'm No Angel, at the Grand Opera House, 2014, three years before he passed away ...

Easter

Happy Easter! 🐰🌸🐣

We hope you have an egg-stra special day filled with joy and a splash of springtime magic ✨ pic.twitter.com/E7fqhjromH

— The Wildlife Trusts (@WildlifeTrusts) April 20, 2025

Sen. Chris Van Hollen

Meet the Press Now had the press conference by Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen at the airport after his trip to El Salvador, where he was able to meet with Kilmar Abrigo Garcia, the husband of his constituent, who had been abducted and sent to a mega-prison in Central America by the Trump administration without due process.

Holy Week

According to the gospels, Jesus did a lot in the week between Palm Sunday and Easter. Among other things, he cleansed the temple, visited Simon the leper, told off the Scribes and the Pharisees, ate Passover meal with the disciples, and saved a woman from getting stoned to death. Although the adulterous woman story is not thought to be an authentic part of John's gospel, I like it ...

Baby zebras

Watch out, world! These baby zebras in Tanzania’s Serengeti may look small, but they have big personalities 🦓 #ourHOME#IncredibleAnimalJourneys is now streaming on @DisneyPlus. Stream the #ourHOME collection all month long. pic.twitter.com/7XeiOBCbAr

— National Geographic (@NatGeo) April 16, 2025

In the neighborhood

Thousands gather for 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour led by Sanders, AOC in Folsom

About 15 miles from here, near the small town of Folsom, Bernie and AOC appeared the other day. Didn't go, but it was interesting that they were so close and that they chose to appear at a rather upscale and conservative community.

Earthquake

Stronger together 🐘

Elephants have the unique ability to feel sounds through their feet and formed an "alert circle" during the 5.2 magnitude earthquake that shook Southern California this morning. This behavior is a natural response to perceived threats to protect the herd. pic.twitter.com/LqavOKHt6k

— San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (@sandiegozoo) April 14, 2025

Are we there yet?

Can we finally admit that we are now in a constitutional crisis?

:)

On SNL, a presidential-themed parady of the tv series The White Lotus ...

Palm Sunday

Here is a clip from the film The Gospel of John ...

The Gospel of John is a 2003 epic biblical drama film that recounts the life of Jesus according to the Gospel of John. The film is a word-for-word adaptation of the American Bible Society's Good News Bible and follows the Gospel of John precisely, without additions to the story from the other Gospels or omissions of the Gospel's complex passages. It stars Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus of Nazareth, Stuart Bunce as John and is narrated by Christopher Plummer.

This is one of my favorite Jesus movies, partly because of Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond of Lost) but also because it's a way to "read" the whole gospel of John.

That gospel has some disrurbing parts about Jews (it has been called the most Anti-Semitic of the gospels), but the film does try to mitigate that, including with a warning at the beginning. But it does have many of the stories of Jesus interacting with women, which I like. And it also has the interesting bit at the end of the gospel - the resurrected Jesus hanging out with the disciples, fishing and saying cryptic things about John and a possible Second Coming.

Why?

I don't know why, but I am entranced by this commercial :)

Olive

Got a photo of Olive yesterday. I realized that he is getting older. He was one of the first cats to show up here and then he was an adult. The earliest photo I have of him is from 2016, ...

So he must probably be older than 10. He's lost weight lately too, though it's hard to tell because of his fluffy hair. Worried about him :(

Val Kilmer: RIP

Val Kilmer, Film Star Who Played Batman and Jim Morrison, Dies at 65

Val Kilmer, a homegrown Hollywood actor who tasted leading-man stardom as Jim Morrison and Batman, but whose protean gifts and elusive personality also made him a high-profile supporting player, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 65. The cause was pneumonia, said his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer. Mr. Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered, she said ...

Sad. Many have mentioned his most popular movies, but here are some others that I liked too, that people might want to check out ...

- Thunderheart ...

a 1992 American Neo-Western mystery film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay by John Fusco. The film is a loosely based fictional portrayal of events relating to the Wounded Knee incident in 1973 ...



- Heat ...

a 1995 American crime drama film written and directed by Michael Mann. It features an ensemble cast led by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, with Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, and Val Kilmer in supporting roles.



- At First Sight ...

a 1999 American romantic drama film directed by Irwin Winkler and starring Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino. It is based on the essay "To See and Not See" in neurologist Oliver Sacks's 1995 book An Anthropologist on Mars and inspired by the true life story of Shirl Jennings.



- Red Planet ...

a 2000 science fiction action film directed by Antony Hoffman. The film stars Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Tom Sizemore.