12/27/2021

Dec 27, 2021

MDF&P, JRB,

            I’m sure you heard the terrible news from Myanmar reported in yesterday’s NYT. “Save the Children said that at least 38 people had been killed …near the village of Moso in the Hpruso township, a Christian community.” I am grateful that the UN is calling for investigations of this incident & hope you will add to the voice of our Burmese Embassy by “pressing for accountability.” Please consider accepting refugees from Kayah State  & supporting the Border Consortium that works on the Thai border. I’m disappointed that there is no follow up coverage of this story today.

            I’m afraid that once again, the former POTUS is getting more news coverage than you. While it is not positive, he’s mentioned at least as frequently as you are in my 3 papers today. The good news is that the NYT published letters to the editor in response to Brett Stephens (BS) suggestion that you not run again – 4 of the letters suggest giving you a break & 1 agrees with BS.

            The biggest news in Sacto is the snow in the mountains that has led to road closures & power outages. We also lost a couple of local heroes. Famous painter, Wayne Thiebaud (WT), died at age 101, on Christmas Day & Joan Didion (JD) passed on last week. You might remember WT’s paintings of cake & pie in bright colors. He believed that “reality has to be digested, it has to be transmuted by paint. It has to be given a twist of some kind.” He taught at UC-Davis for 40 years & found that teaching fueled his work.

While WT created playful, upbeat works, JD’s creations tended toward the negative. According to Friday’s NYT, JD “ was uncannily attuned to the dark undercurrents of the day — the social fractures and divides that fueled carelessness and alienation.” 

As my artist friend says, “art speaks to our heARTs and that good ole right brain of ours” so please acknowledge the passing of these two heroes as a way to encourage others to keep creating.

BYBS,