Stock market rout Jamison Teale Christ Church Hudson Roy Moore Alabama Gay Controversy Tiffany Martin Hamilton Tommy Ragland Charlie Hebdo Anniversary Oklahoma earthquakes Netflix Bill Clinton Hillary Clinton John Kerry Syrian Peace Process Iran Saudi Arabia California storms Ted Cruz Burns, Oregon
Well, I was smart enough today to not look at the market as it was another BAD day as China’s market shudders riled every other market in the world. While they were plunging, I had a pleasant day.
Answered emails, ran errands and wrote out the first draft of my syllabus for my class that starts on the 20th. It was actually kind of fun, if headache inducing.
Now it is evening and I have turned on the lights outside, classic jazz is playing and I think I will light a fire as it is going to be chill again tonight.
My Christmas tree is still up and I am not taking it down until Sunday. Having been gone for two weeks, I feel I deserve a little more time with it. It is a white artificial tree and I think this is its last year. But it has been a beautiful, for me, tree.
Jamison Teale, the Senior Warden at Christ Church [where I attend services] and his longtime companion, James, were married on New Year’s Day by Hudson’s first woman mayor in her first official function. They are coming for dinner on Saturday with the church’s Musical Director, Tom Martin, father to Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton of Hudson.
One of my errands today was to find them a small wedding present.
While James and Jamison married easily here in New York, the Chief Justice of Alabama’s Supreme Court, Roy Moore, has ordered that state’s probate judges not issue marriage licenses to gay couples. Federal authorities immediately ordered them to do so. Some have thrown up their arms and aren’t giving marriage licenses to anyone.
Ah, Justice Moore, this has been decided. No back pedaling allowed I think.
One probate judge, Tommy Ragland, summed it up best, saying, “We have a Chief Justice who is confused.”
One of the other errands I did today was to look for a clock radio to replace my ancient one that no longer works. You know, they are rather hard to find. Not nonexistent but hard to find. I am going online to see what I can find there.
My toaster also broke and I looked at those too and thought they all looked shoddy. More investigation needed.
It is the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Let there be a moment of silence.
The French police killed a man brandishing a meat cleaver today, who was screaming “Allahu Akbar [God is Greatest].” He was wearing a fake suicide vest. That confuses me. Why bother?
Oklahoma had a swarm of 70 earthquakes yesterday. In 2013 they had a couple of hundred. In 2014 they had over 5,000. That is an exponential increase. 2015 statistics are currently being gathered. There is a suspect: fracking.
Earlier this week Netflix was available in 60 countries. Today it is in 190 countries. 130 countries “turned on” Netflix while its President and CEO was giving a speech at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
I’ve attended a couple and they are always mind boggling. This year is not quite so much according to pundits but still generating lots of wow.
Politics continues. Bill Clinton is stumping for Hillary in Iowa. Lots of people I know would like him back but since he can’t….
Cruz is cruising in Iowa which frightens the bejesus out of me.
California is pummeled by storms and that worries me about friends there though I hope it is helping the drought.
In Burns, Oregon the unlawful occupation of a wildlife center continues. On social media people have been asking what would be happening if the occupiers were black or Muslim instead of gun totting white guys who are outraged over Federal land policy?
There are no easy answers to anything. Kerry says that the Saudi Arabia/Iran feud will not slow down the Syrian peace process but how can it not? I mean, how can it not?
I am taking solace in the cottage and in my hope that our better angels will prevail.
Tags: Alabama gay controversy, Bill Clinton, Charlie Hebdo, Christ Church, Claverack, Fracking, Hillary Clinton, Jamison Teale, Mat Tombers, Mathew Tombers, Netflix, Obama, Oklahoma earthquakes, Reed Hastings, Roy Moore, Stock market rout, Tiffany Martin Hamilton, Tom Martin, Tommy Ragland
Letter from the Vineyard 
January 8, 2016 at 1:01 am |
Every night before dinner- I wait to read your updates!
I don’t understand what’s happening with the world- if only peace would prevail- if only people would concentrate on the UN SDGs n not war. Why- why is the govt so quiet about this? Ok now I’m rambling….