Bob Schwartz

Month: November, 2023

November 25, 2023

Sane Space

Sane Space

Ben Zoma wise renegade
Among the Talmudists
Contemplated the space between
Creation’s waters gathered above and below
And went crazy.
Contemplate the space between
The demands of Israel and Gaza
You will go crazy too except
Long before Ben Zoma
On the second day
God called that space sky.

Ben Zoma sat at the Temple Mount, lost in thought. His rebbe Yehoshua ben Chananya came by, but Ben Zoma did not notice or rise in respect. R. Yehoshua roused him from his reverie and asked what he was doing. Gazing at the space between the upper and lower waters, he replied. R. Yehoshua explained to his disciples: Ben Zoma is still outside.

© 2023 by Bob Schwartz

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November 24, 2023

Black Friday over the Santa Catalinas

Deep discount. Actually, free.

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November 20, 2023

Mountaintops disappear: Bob, Coyote, AI (Part 2). Clouds are better than volcanoes or coal companies.

In Part 1 of this post, I transcribed a conversation with me, Coyote and AI about mountaintops disappearing. AI had a long explanation of this phenomenon.

Reviewing the conversation, I read that AI had said this:

“So in summary – distance, weather, sunlight and pollution can all contribute to an optical illusion where mountain peaks seem to blend into their surroundings and temporarily “disappear” under certain viewing conditions. Their disappearance is usually not literal.”

At first, I was shocked. AI seemed to be saying that sometimes, unusually, mountaintops actually do disappear. Then I realized that, of course, there are circumstances where this does happen. Volcanoes do blow off the tops of mountains. So do coal companies. I asked AI about this.

AI:

“Yes, coal companies do sometimes remove or “blast off” the tops of mountains as part of mountaintop removal mining operations. Here are a few key points about this practice:
• Mountaintop removal mining involves removing vegetation on a mountain ridge and then explosively removing the top of the mountain to expose underlying coal seams. This is done with heavy machinery and explosives.
• Blasting off mountaintops allows mining companies to access multiple coal seams that were previously buried deep within the mountain. It’s more economically efficient than underground mining.
• However, it has significant environmental impacts like destroying habitats, increasing erosion and sedimentation in streams, and reducing biodiversity. Entire ecosystems on mountaintops are removed.
• The blasted debris and rock is typically dumped into nearby valleys and waterways, further damaging the landscape and water quality. Reclamation of mined sites is difficult.
• Mountaintop removal mining is controversial and has faced legal challenges from environmental groups concerned about its widespread damage. Some areas have imposed restrictions on it.
• As of 2010, an estimated 500 mountains had been leveled in Appalachia by this practice to extract coal over several decades. The technique remains in use today at some surface mining sites.
So in summary – yes, removing or “blasting off” the tops of mountains is a real mining technique some coal companies employ as part of mountaintop removal operations to access coal deposits. It has significant environmental consequences.”

In the case of my waking up to see the mountaintops gone, which turned out to be low-hanging clouds, those instances don’t apply. These mountains are not volcanic and there are no coal companies operating here. If a volcano had erupted or a coal company had blasted the tops off, it would have been obvious and have woken me up even earlier. Clouds are much better.

© 2023 by Bob Schwartz

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November 19, 2023

Mountaintops disappear: Bob, Coyote, AI

Bob: The mountaintops have disappeared this morning.

Coyote: No. The clouds are hanging low.

AI:

There are a few reasons why mountaintops may appear to disappear:
• Distance and perspective – As you get farther away from a mountain, the tops will seem to shrink and fade into the sky/horizon. What was once a distinct peak may blend in from a distance.
• Weather conditions – Low-hanging clouds, fog, haze or heavy precipitation can obscure mountain peaks from view by blocking line of sight. This is a temporary effect that depends on the weather.
• Time of day – As the sun’s angle changes throughout the day, shadows are cast differently on mountainsides. Late in the day with a low sun, peaks may be silhouetted or washed out compared to midday when shadows are shorter.
• Seasons – Winter snowcaps or foliage changes can alter how distinct mountain tops appear from season to season when viewed from afar. Bare trees in winter may make peaks more prominent.
• Air pollution – On hazy or smoggy days, atmospheric particles can scatter light in a way that washes out color and detail over long view distances. This can make mountains seem less sharp or well-defined.
So in summary – distance, weather, sunlight and pollution can all contribute to an optical illusion where mountain peaks seem to blend into their surroundings and temporarily “disappear” under certain viewing conditions. Their disappearance is usually not literal.

Bob: I trust you Coyote because of your reputation for wisdom and because of your singing voice. I trust AI as far as I can throw them (preferred pronoun). They make things up, you know. And “appear to disappear” seems a failed attempt at poetry.

Coyote: Why don’t you climb the mountains and check it out for yourself?

Bob: It’s too early, I haven’t had coffee, and I don’t climb mountains.

Coyote: Just wait.

Bob: Oh, there are the mountaintops after all!

AI: Low-hanging clouds, fog, haze or heavy precipitation can obscure mountain peaks from view by blocking line of sight. This is a temporary effect. I told you so.

© 2023 by Bob Schwartz

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November 9, 2023

An authoritative, objective and non-partisan summary of the Israel/Gaza war—from Congress!?

The Congressional Research Service (CRS), a department of the Library of Congress, has since 1914 been one of the least-known and most significant government initiatives:

Mission

To serve Congress with the highest quality of research, analysis, information and confidential consultation to support the exercise of its legislative, representational and oversight duties in its role as a coequal branch of government.

Authoritative

All services and products are authoritative. Analysts demonstrate rigorous research methodologies, free of built-in bias. They present, explain and justify any critical assumptions; investigate and recheck data anomalies; use primary resources whenever available; double-check all statements of fact; and document and vet all sources. This assures Members, as they engage in debate, that the analysis they rely on is as accurate as it is current.

Objective and Nonpartisan

We maintain an outstanding reputation for objective and nonpartisan analysis. Our experts are vigilant in evaluating issues without bias. A multi-layered review process also helps ensure that CRS products present issues and analysis in a manner that is fair, considered and reliable.

Since the Israel/Gaza war began on October 7, CRS has been compiling and issuing an updated report, Israel and Hamas October 2023 Conflict:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

For those who have been devouring information from many and often divergent sources, this is as close as we may come to the informational middle of the road. This doesn’t mean that we will set aside our values and our opinions in this charged environment. We can’t and we won’t. It is just a reminder that in the so-called fog of war, there remains the possibility of the authoritative, objective and non-partisan.

Note: I was going to include some excerpts that seemed to support some of the points I believe in. But I realize that that defeats the purpose of simply asking people on all sides of the questions to consider one more source. Please do read.

© 2023 by Bob Schwartz

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November 8, 2023

How is the Year of Poetry going so far?

I forgot that 2023 is the Year of Poetry. I should remember, because it was me who declared it back in December. You probably didn’t notice.

Poetry seems very distant from the events and concerns of the past weeks, and from the weeks and months to come. But it shouldn’t, not for me, not for anyone.

Here are a couple of celebrated writers talking about the role of poets. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to read some poems instead of news reports.

What is [the poet’s] function? Certainly it is not to lead people out of the confusion in which they find themselves. Nor is it, I think, to comfort them while they follow their readers to and fro. I think that his function is to make his imagination theirs and that he fulfills himself only as he sees his imagination become the light in the minds of others. His role, in short, is to help people to live their lives.
Wallace Stevens, The Noble Rider and the Sound of Words (1941)

The pessimism of the creative person is not decadence but a mighty passion for the redemption of man. While the poet entertains he continues to search for eternal truths, for the essence of being. In his own fashion he tries to solve the riddle of time and change, to find an answer to suffering, to reveal love in the very abyss of cruelty and injustice. Strange as these words may sound I often play with the idea that when all the social theories collapse and wars and revolutions leave humanity in utter gloom, the poet—whom Plato banned from his Republic—may rise up to save us all.
Isaac Bashevis Singer, Nobel Prize Lecture (1978)

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November 7, 2023

Revisiting last Yom Kippur and reopening the Book of Life

The Hamas massacre in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza took place just two weeks after last Yom Kippur. I have already put away the High Holy Days liturgy until next year, but I am now revisiting it.

I may detail what I find in coming messages. Maybe not. Here is a general thought.

I listed my sins in the past year and asked for forgiveness—not just of God, but first of those down-to-earth people wronged. We did the same as a community and as a people. The Book of Life had been open for ten days and then closed, supposedly sealing our fate for the coming year. Whether or not there is such a book, whether God or angels are writing in it, we don’t know. We do know that our thoughts and actions lead to consequences. Those consequences are our book.

Now, here, weeks after Yom Kippur, you can still hear the blasts of the shofar. May you write for good in your own book.

© 2023 by Bob Schwartz

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November 5, 2023

Ani Shalom – I am peace – אֲֽנִי־שָׁ֭לוֹם

Too long have I dwelt with those who hate peace.
I am all peace;
but when I speak,
they are for war.

Psalm 120:6-7

I am not a pacifist.

There are many definitions of pacifist, including:

A person who opposes war or violence as a means of settling disputes.
A person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable.

Up until now, I hadn’t thought about whether I would classify myself as or be considered a pacifist. The short answer is ‘no”. During the wars I’ve lived through or for those I know from recent or ancient history, I can say that some of the wars and violence pursued were justified. Others were not, or were pursued in ways that were not justified, or for objectives that were not justified, or were pursued without trying other means, or were just stupid or evil.

But I am for peace. Peace should never be a secondary or tertiary objective once the other objectives have been achieved or not, once all the destructive and deadly means have been tried. Peace should have co-equal status at the top of the list.

During the ongoing war in Gaza, I’ve discovered that all the divergent thinking and rhetoric, from me and so many others, from just plain folks up to world leaders, is having little effect on the course of hostilities. Wars are about action, well-chosen or ill-chosen, and stubborn actors convinced of their rightness can be deaf.

Then I realized that if I am going to be using my words to little practical effect, I might as well use them to promote the possibility of peace.

Which is how I came to find a verse in Psalm 120. The standout Hebrew phrase is “Ani shalom”, literally the words are “I” and “peace”. Lacking a verb, it is variously translated as “I am peace”, “I am all peace”, “I am for peace”.

I am peace and I hope you are too.

רַ֭בַּת שָֽׁכְנָה־לָּ֣הּ נַפְשִׁ֑י עִ֝֗ם שׂוֹנֵ֥א שָׁלֽוֹם׃
אֲֽנִי־שָׁ֭לוֹם וְכִ֣י אֲדַבֵּ֑ר הֵ֝֗מָּה לַמִּלְחָמָֽה׃

Rabat shachna la nafshi
Ani shalom v’chi adaber hama lamilchama

Too long have I dwelt with those who hate peace.
I am all peace;
but when I speak,
they are for war.

Psalm 120:6-7

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November 1, 2023

Senator Lindsey Graham: “US should place ‘no limit’ on civilian casualties Israel inflicts.” Unlike others, at least he is honest.

I have little good to say about Senator Lindsey Graham. He is a model of what a civic leader should not be. For example, after being one of Trump’s harshest critics and opponents, as soon as Trump took power, he became his most ardent and over the top defender.

But his interview with CNN does deserve credit. Almost everyone else publicly avoids the obvious question: As the number of civilian deaths in Gaza rises, with no end in sight, is there a limit when it reaches what I call the “dayenu” moment—Hebrew for “enough”. Twenty thousand civilian deaths, thirty thousand, more?—all plausible numbers, all tending to young people, given Gaza demographics.

Graham says:

“No. If somebody asked us after world war two, ‘Is there a limit what would you do to make sure that Japan and Germany don’t conquer the world? Is there any limit what Israel should do to the people who are trying to slaughter the Jews?’ “The answer is no. There is no limit.”

This is a question widely avoided because it is difficult, because any answer—including Graham’s—is controversial and provocative. In general, leaders prefer to deeply discuss questions about casualties, military or civilian, after the fact. War is not won by the equivocating or the timid, and focus on unfortunate consequences only gets in the way.

Except. War has a price, or actually prices: the price spent on pursuing and the price exacted from those affected. It is the price of achieving the war’s objectives. The price for the security of a people, a nation, the world. The price for a principle such as freedom or democracy.

Israel has described its objectives as eradication of Hamas and return of hostages, along with, as Netanyahu has sometimes said, retaliation. The primary unanswered question is not entitlement to those objectives or their achievability. The question is the price to be spent and exacted.

Maybe the answer for Israel and its supporters, including the U.S., is that there is no price too high, no limit. If the U.S. or Israel did expressly say that, we can assume that the repercussions would be felt across America, Israel, the region and the world. Which is why the question hasn’t been answered at high levels before. And why we have to thank Senator Lindsey Graham for his honesty.

© 2023 by Bob Schwartz

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November 1, 2023

Mad Gods by the sea

Palestine Sunbird in Gaza

Mad Gods by the sea

God of Moses
God of Jesus
God of Mohammed
God of infinite names
Sitting by the desert sea
Pained and grieved.
This is madness.
These people
Every inclination
Is only evil
All the time.*
They take our names
In vile vain.**
There is the water
Let us drive them in
And start again
Just like days of old
Do better next time.
But how would they learn?
Hard hearts may soften
Dissolved in blood and tears.
We won’t abandon
We don’t approve.

*Genesis 6.5-7
**Exodus 20.6

© 2023 by Bob Schwartz

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