11/7/2022

JRB,

            What’s your plan for learning about the returns tomorrow? I will watch Steve Kornacki (SJK), the political commentator on MSNBC with his Big Board, “doing election math on-air for what seems like 90 hours straight.”  I am intrigued by his “extremely high doubt-to-confidence ratio” & his exuberance about his search for facts. I like that kind of guy.

            On Wed. I plan to read the CSM to get their take on the election. I appreciate their “calm, non-sensationalist approach” to bring “light, not heat” to their reporting. They “acknowledge that there’s tremendous complexity & many shades of gray & try to let the readers draw their own conclusions.” 

            Did you hear that “Democrats remain competitive in the race for the Senate” & “have the upside potential for a good night: Upsets remain possible in states like Wisconsin, Ohio and North Carolina, even if Republicans are plainly favored (NYT)?” These races will largely be decided on election night so we can tune in to SJK’s show & see what unfolds.

            As my dear husband says, World Not Perfect (WNP), so there’s a chance that my fellow Americans will make some misguided choices. I just hope that everyone who wants to cast a ballot is able to do so, & every vote that is made gets counted. That would be a win in my book.

            Did you hear that the Tazaungdaing light festival in Burma resumed?  It’s an event celebrating the end of the rainy season when folks make hot air balloons with a bunch of candles that go up & then explode in a burst of fireworks. Kelly Grovier wrote about it as a work of art in the BBC in 2016, “Since what comprises each of us is nothing more than cosmic dust – the remnants of a bigger bang – is it any wonder that we should be so attuned to the conjoined beauty and violence of a firework’s ignition and display?” Please acknowledge this event so the people in Burma know you “see them.”

            BYBS,