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Jack Mallory

Read the Pinker book as an antidote to cynical doom and gloom, Glen. I'll claim as many experiences contributing to a pessimistic, cynical outlook as most folks can; but I found the book enlightening. See what I did there?

There's also this, with an emphsis on the current state of the world and its progress--like Pinker, Rosling offers plenty of evtdence that things are far better than we usually perceive.  He has great techniques for presenting data visually, and is especially interested in how/why we tend to see things in the bleakest perspective. He argues for a number of changes in perspective to make one's thinking data-based and critical. Not a best seller with the current administration or its supporters, I'm sure. 

Janet Lowry (Deal)

Jack Mallory

And reflecting today on what human imagination and knowledge can produce, as we mourn the damage to Notre Dame. I’m amazed how sad this makes me. 

Jack Mallory

It appears that much of the cathedral's art work has survived, along with the bell towers. No inventory, yet, of losses. I’m a big gargoyle fan—I hope there is at least a good photographic record f them. 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-16/notre-dame-medieval-design-innovation-saved-gothic-cathedral/11020228

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Nature's art:

Robert Hall

I took a walk around the B-CC neighborhood today.  Beautiful weather.

Sleaford and Kentbury facing the old stone culvert area where the C&O tracks ran left to right.  The culvert and a lot of the embankment are gone.  Construction continues on the Purple Line light rail system that will run from Bethesda to New Carrollton on the old train right-of-way.

Robert Hall

Kathy Humphrey and Debbie Pellington's homes.

The Hoag Home.

Students leaving for the day.

Robert Hall

Graffiti rock.

Where the Grand Union parking lot was (if I remember correctly)

Hot Shoppes corner.

The back fence area of Shoppes where the guys with cars parked.

Robert Hall

The Bank of Bethesda main office..

Enlarged old Perpetual Building Association.

Where the home of the "Tops Sirlioner" was.

Community Paint and Hardware after its second move--north to Middleton Lane.

Large construction site opposite the Bethesda Theater where the old Medical Building and Bethesda Motor Inn once stood.  Only Tastee Diner and an adjacent building remain on the north side of this block.

Still there, but the owner is looking for a buyer.

"Starry Night" constructed from plumbing parts.

Back steps to the Bethesda Theater from old parking lot.  Now used as an emergency exit from Chevy Chase Acura (Chevrolet).

Another home on Harling Lane about to be replaced by something more in tune with the current market.

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Robert, the photos are great. So nice to see the neighborhood and the present shots of BCC. I really enjoyed seeing them. Thank you so much. Love, Joanie

Glen Hirose

Thanks for the photos Robert,

Though I can't help but feel just a twinge of melancholy. I try to envision what used to stand on those spots in your photos, but memory is failing me these days; can’t seem to locate my cell phone most mornings. 

As for the Nationals fans a wisp of smoke (electrical short-circuit) seems to be coming from the Nats Starting Pitchers / Bullpen. I hope the season doesn’t end up just a pile of ashes... 

Jay Shackford

Hey, the Democratic race is getting very interesting.  Mayor Pete has added a dynamic, multi-faceted dimension to the race for the Democratic nomination.  Granted, it’s still way too early to pick a winner but the contrast between Mayor Pete and Trump couldn’t be starker. 

Mayor Pete is young, smart and authentic and has a very interesting human story to tell – Rhodes Scholar, veteran who served in Afghanistan, mayor of mid-sized city in the industrial Midwest, and a gay man who is very comfortable with his own sexuality.  Check out his interview with Rachael Maddow on Monday night.  Regardless of how this race turns out, 20 years from now our grandkids will be looking at that interview as a historic turning point in American politics.  

In contrast, look at Trump – old, dumb, lazy and fat as well as being a narcissistic and psychotic racist, bigot, draft dodger, hush-money criminal, possible Russian agent and a tax and golf cheater …. the list of character flaws can go on and on.  Golf cheater – really?  I think I mentioned that fact in one of my posts about a year ago, when I noted (as many have noted before) that you can tell a lot about a person’s character by the way he/she plays golf.   I think we will find out a lot more about the character of Old Bone Spurs once the Mueller report is released tomorrow.  

Nori – a couple of weeks ago you asked for some insights into the Brexit crisis in Britain.  At that point, I was confused and in the dark on the Brexit crisis and I didn’t have much to contribute to that discussion.  However, on Friday, April 12, Tony Blair appeared on Morning Joe– one of your favorite news shows, right.  In a five-minute interview or so, he had a very interesting and illuminating perspective on what is going on in bloody old England.   I’m sure a clip or text of that interview is on Morning Joe’s website.  It’s worth watching.  

Robert --thanks for the photos of Bethesda.  It's comforting to know that the Tastee Diner is still alive and well. By the way, what's happening with BCC's football and other athletic fields?  

Glenn and Nori -- root for the Caps for me.  I'm out of the country for the next couple of weeks.  Hopefully, we will be well into the second round of the playoffs once I return. Bests  

Robert Hall

Thanks Joanie, Glen and Jay. Bethesda being what it is now I had to park two blocks from the school. The Purple Line construction is making big changes to parts of the area. Thirty years ago the owners of Community Paint and Hardware couldn't believe that the county would require the developer of their property to preserve and move the wood frame building south 50-75 feet (?) the first time. I don't think, if they were alive today, that they'd believe it would be moved several blocks north 30 years later. Probably done to confuse us seasoned folk when we visit to reminisce.....

Robert Hall

Here is the football field and track and field stadium Jay.  The baseball fields are undisturbed at this time.  BTW there isn't any free legal parking for non-residents of East Bethesda within a quarter mile of B-CC between 7am and 5pm Monday through Friday.  Easiest parking is to pay at a county parking garage downtown and walk to the school during those hours.

Jay Shackford

Robert -- Thanks for the shots of the BCC football stadium under construction.  Do you know when it be completed?  

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

The Justice Dept. has briefed the 'white House on the Mueller Report and so there is not even a tiny attempt at separation of the Attorney General from the President. Now Barr is going to hold a press conference about the report. I suspect he will try to skew the report in the President's favor. as he did in the first so called summeary.  Love, Joanie

Robert Hall

Jerry Morgan

Jack Mallory

As Joanie notes, and as Jay suggested a couple of days ago, Barr and his people have been working with White House staffers for several days to put the best lipstick possible on the pig.

Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. Breaking News Alert  April 17, 2019 NYTimes.com »

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/us/politics/trump-mueller-report.html

It looks like the Robert Kraft motel sex video is also just about to be released. Trump and his people must be hoping it will divert attention from the Mueller report. Although I'd rather read every word of the report, page by page, multiple times, instead of watching Robert Kraft in motel porn.

Glen Hirose

Jack,

Do you know if it's a Netflix release?

Robert,

Thanks for the B-CC images; they look eerily similar to the latest North Korean missile construction sites.  I wonder how advanced B-CC’s missile program is.  I’ll look for the most recent satellite images to get a better prospective…

Jay, Nori,

Certainly I’m rooting for the Caps, and will enjoy watching Ovie KO several more Hurricanes if need be.  The trouble is I’m fully committed to the Natz as well; it’s a character flaw with no hope of rehabilitation.

One of the things I'm planning to serve for the Stanley Cup Finals...

Jack Mallory

Quoting Barr, this morning: “the GRU transferred some of the stolen materials to Wikileaks for publication. Wikileaks then made a series of document dumps. The Special Counsel also investigated whether any member or affiliate of the Trump campaign encouraged or otherwise played a role in these dissemination efforts. Under applicable law, publication of these types of materials would not be criminal unless the publisher also participated in the underlying hacking conspiracy. Here too, the Special Counsel’s report did not find that any person associated with the Trump campaign illegally participated in the dissemination of the materials.” (Emphasis mine)

Interesting. You can legally disseminate stolen documents for the Russians, as long as you didn’t help steal them in the first place. And Mueller's conclusion was not that nobody in the Trump camp “participated” in such dissemination, only that no one “illegally” participated. I think we’ll see more on this.

Jack Mallory

Mueller Report, in brief: thanks to The New Yorker  

Joan Ruggles (Young)

Anyone making your way through the full Mueller Report raise your hand. I'm only 100 pages in and it's fascinating!
 

Jack Mallory

I’m waiting until work tomorrow, Joan, figuring it will be a slow day before Easter weekend. In the meanwhile, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/18/us/politics/mueller-report-pdf-takeaways.html

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And in celebration of las Pascuas:

Being more or less bilingual is so much fun! Ask your Spanish speaking compañeros/as for help. A dictionary won’t do it,  there's a pun involved. Sra. Jenkins would NOT have approved. 

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

A friend sent me this. Love, Joanie

https://politics.theonion.com/william-barr-agrees-to-release-nonverbal-abstract-visu-1834004014

Glen Hirose

“it's an ill wind that blows no good”

And I’m afraid that’s just what happened when the Hurricanes beat the Caps 2-1…

I'm trying to be optimistic so here is a second playoff food: