Subtle, indeed

Again, thank God for cartoonists and political cartoonists. What would we do without them?

An article worth reading

I'm gifting my readers this NY Times article--Trump's Broken Promises, in 11 Charts, written by Steven Rattner. It's absolutely worth reading. 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/18/opinion/trump-economy-campaign-promises.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6VA.tjhl.cxQZLGB9kK1U&smid=url-share

Some quotes about change

I'm fine with change for the most part, because change is a part of life, and our lives will continue to evolve and change even if we are resistant to the changes. Alan Deutschman summed up my attitude toward change generally when he wrote 'change or die'. But I'm not fine with unnecessary or frivolous change, or both. A number of so-called leaders need to leave their mark on things, so they 'make changes' to existing systems and structures that seem to be functioning perfectly well. Necessary? No, for the most part. Frivolous? Yes, if you're spending taxpayer dollars on vanity projects that reflect your narcissism. I'm a 'don't fix it if it ain't broke' kind of person. I'm also against 'change for change's sake'. There's too much of both in politics, in religion, and in the workplace. Here are some quotes about change, reflecting the pros and the cons: 

Do not ever take down a fence until you know the reason why it was put up. –GK Chesterton

Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable. --Denis Waitley

Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes. --Hugh Prather

The main dangers in this life are the people who want to change everything... or nothing. --Nancy Astor

All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward. --Ellen Glasgow

Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. --Bertolt Brecht

Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts. --Arnold Bennett

Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are. --Soren Kierkegaard

If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living. --Gail Sheehy

The changes in our life must come from the impossibility to live otherwise than according to the demands of our conscience not from our mental resolution to try a new form of life. --Leo Tolstoy

I'm always willing to accept change, just as long as it isn't change for the sake of change. If that change will result in a better way of doing things, then I'm all for it. –James Van Fleet

Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. –Maya Angelou

The movie My Penguin Friend

I can wholeheartedly recommend this movie from 2024 for families and for people looking for a film that taps into the area of their hearts that becomes inextricably bound to animals. Or birds in this case. The film is based on the true story of a Brazilian fisherman, João (played by Jean Reno), who rescues a penguin that has swum into an oil spill. Penguins cannot fly, but they use their wings, which have become flippers, for swimming and for balancing when they are on land. The oil coated the penguin's flippers and body and has made it nearly impossible for him to swim. João cleans him off and feeds him, and the penguin (named Dindim by Lucia, the daughter of Calista, the friend of João's son who drowned when he was a boy) becomes attached to João, and eventually to his wife Maria (played by Adriana Barraza). He stays with them until February, when he migrates from their Brazilian island Ilha Grande to Patagonia, Argentina, his natural breeding ground, a journey of five thousand miles. He then migrates back to Ilha Grande again in June, staying with João and Maria until he leaves again in February. He does this for eight consecutive years. In Patagonia, he and his fellow penguins are studied by a research team that quickly realizes that Dindim is an unusual penguin, one who is friendly to humans. They tag him in order to track his movements. As fate would have it, Dindim becomes a local celebrity back on Ilha Grande, and a video taken of him goes viral. The researchers eventually discover this, and send a journalist and his team to the island to interview João and Maria and to meet Dindim. I won't give away the entire story, but it ends on a realistic but happy note. 

It was a pleasure to experience a movie that taps into your emotions in a very real way. João, Maria, and the townspeople are kind souls who are quick to help when help is needed. You end up rooting for Dindim and João, and you realize that not only has João rescued Dindim, but Dindim has helped to heal João. The movie never feels forced or unnatural. Dindim comes and goes as he pleases (realistic), and João describes himself as Dindim's friend. It's a lovely friendship, one that will capture your heart. Kudos to the director David Schurmann and the writers Kristen Lazarian and Paulina Lagudi Ulrich who have done an excellent job of telling a captivating real-life story of a penguin and his fisherman friend. 

Ebeltoft--a charming seaside town in Denmark

We spent a week in July in the charming seaside town of Ebeltoft in Denmark. The town is situated on the central east coast of Denmark, 50 km from Aarhus, in Region Midtjylland on the larger Djursland peninsula of Jutland (information from Wikipedia). It attracts many visitors during the summer months, who enjoy the sandy beaches, the 'old town' with its cobbled streets, glass and ceramic boutiques, and restaurants, and different museums. The latter includes the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft and Fregatten Jylland. We enjoyed wandering around the Glasmuseets gift shop, where we bought quite a few lovely glass sculptures as gifts. Our visit to the Fregatten Jylland was also quite interesting; it is the longest wooden warship (frigate) in the world, loaded with cannons that were used during the Battle of Heligoland in 1864. My one thought when we walked around this old boat was how it managed to stay afloat under the weight of the cannons! A testament to excellent shipbuilding. The Brasserie 1864 is located adjacent to Fregatten Jylland, and we enjoyed several good lunches and dinner there. Since we had our car with us, we were able to visit the Ree Park Safari (outdoor zoo) and the Kattegatcentret, a public aquarium, in nearby Grenå. We also drove around Mols Bjerge National Park; it would have been nice to have hiked around parts of it, but we opted not to do so because it was so warm. 

I enjoyed wandering along Nedergade ('lower street') with all its diverse shops and restaurants. The weather was sunny and warm so it was a pleasure to be outdoors. I also was charmed by the Danish half-timbered architecture ('bindingsværk'); there are many houses along Nedergade that had this style of architecture, and many of them were very old. The town seems to be wealthy, since many of these houses have been completely renovated and restored, which must have cost quite a lot of money. 

If you're looking for a chance to enjoy life in a small charming seaside town in Denmark, Ebeltoft is a good choice.

 

small half-timbered house

large half-timbered house

gorgeous hydrangeas 

beautiful garden

Fregatten Jylland 

take a short tour with the little train

typical storefront

an old-style pub

Italian restaurant

looking out over the water 

view of courtyard from street 

Reflections on the tunnels in which we find ourselves

I've been thinking lately about the tunnels that we let ourselves enter and then get lost in. It struck me that we should be more careful about the tunnels we choose to enter, because it may be quite difficult to extricate ourselves or to find the way out once we're halfway in. I've never liked tunnels because I'm claustrophobic, so I literally avoid real tunnels if I can. But avoiding the figurative ones is not as easy, because sometimes you don't realize you've tunneled yourself until you're lost or can't find your way out. 

We live in a society that is constantly striving to seduce us, to engage us, to capture our attention, to keep us on our phones and scrolling through our feeds on social media. A society that wants to suck us into one or another tunnel. Excessive use of social media is one type of tunnel that sucks us in and from which it's hard to extricate ourselves. Other tunnels are certain schools of thought, political philosophies, religious beliefs, and so on. Any type of extremist beliefs, whether they be political and/or religious, are dangerous tunnels to enter because they only lead us deeper into them. The tunnels get darker and deeper and narrower, like caves, and it becomes harder to see the exits or how to turn around. Much like a forest that we can wander into and in which we lose our bearings. The light disappears and the forest begins to impede our movements. That's what eventually happens; we trap ourselves into a mental immobility. We lose flexibility, freedom of thought, freedom to change our minds. 

I remember Christ saying in one of the gospels that we have to be vigilant, be constantly aware, because we can never know when he will return. Keeping the lamps lit was what I remember from that reading. Always at the ready--spiritual readiness. If we have wandered too deeply into our tunnels, the lamps will go out and we won't find out way out. We won't be ready. It's a dark thought, one that can scare me if I focus on it. Loss of hope, despair, negativity--these are other tunnels from which it's difficult to extricate ourselves. Staying vigilant--that is our hope and our salvation. Guarding against a sheep mentality--thinking and doing what most others are doing--is our salvation. We were given intelligence for a reason; we should use it often and responsibly. 

Electric Feel by MGMT

This song from 2007 escaped my attention when it was first released. I don't remember hearing it or seeing the video when it first came out. But it showed up in one of my reels on FB, and I was intrigued enough to give it a listen. And I liked it. It definitely has a psychedelic hippie vibe; it brought to mind a Three Dog Night album insert that depicted the band and their families partying, and also the song Dancing in the Moonlight from 1972 by King Harvest.