Failed, then Tried Again

ARUP blood services asked me to donate platelets a few years ago. They hooked me up to their machine, my blood pressure dropped within a few minutes and the donation came to premature end. My donor file was marked, "Whole Blood Only." But last week, as someone was combing through some database searching for the ideal platelet donor, my file emerged as one of the good matches for a particular need. ARUP called and asked me to try again.  This afternoon I did. The whole process worked smoothy. I wonder if they'll remove that "Whole Blood Only" designation from my record.

This Is Not Paul Gauguin's Tahiti

South Mountain Resort near Phoenix might 

stand-in for an island paradise, depending on your 

camera angle. I shot this on a business trip in 2007. 

I've never been to Tahiti but I certainly thought about it this morning as I listened to Susan Stamberg's NPR feature on the Paul Gauguin "Maker of Myth" exhibit of at the National Gallery.

A key element of the of the story is that the Tahitian imagery Gauguin conveyed in his paintings wasn't true to reality. "It's widely accepted that artists reinterpret reality, but the trouble is that Gauguin (1848-1903) insisted that his depictions of island life were true — factual representations of a serene, sensual, primitive place. The French tourist industry was something of a co-conspirator in this; it wanted tourists to travel to the Polynesian colonies," reports Stamberg.

Sgt. Pepper and Edna Adine

A Refreshing Take

A lot of conservative pundits have understandably applauded something that happened at that religious school south of Salt Lake recently, but here's a refreshing liberal take in support of the much discussed honor code and it's high profile enforcement.

Rooting for BYU's Sex Ban 
by Jonathan Zimmerman
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/117785783.html?cmpid=15585797

Fred Rogers congressional testimony remains relevant today

According to the Wikipedia, in 1969, Rogers appeared before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications. His goal was to support funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in response to significant proposed cuts. In about six minutes of testimony, Rogers spoke of the need for social and emotional education that public television provided. He passionately argued that alternative television programming like his Neighborhood helped encourage children to become happy and productive citizens, sometimes opposing less positive messages in media and in popular culture. He even recited the lyrics to one of his songs. The chairman of the subcommittee, John O. Pastore, was not previously familiar with Rogers' work, and was sometimes described as impatient. However, he reported that the testimony had given him goosebumps, and declared, "I think it's wonderful. Looks like you just earned the $20 million." The subsequent congressional appropriation, for 1971, increased PBS funding from $9 million to $22 million.

Wonder of Wonders

Do you ever wake up with a song in your mind and you're not quite sure how it got there? This happened to me this morning. I found myself humming this song and sub-vocalizing these words from Fiddler on the Roof:

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles-
God took up Daniel once again,
Stood by his and side and- miracle of miracles-
Walked him through the lions den!

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles-
I was afraid that God would frown,
But like he did so long ago, at Jericho,
God just made a wall fall down!
When Moses softened Pharaohs heart, that was a miracle.
When God made the waters of the red sea part, that was a miracle too!
But of all God's miracles large and small,
The most miraculous one of all
Is that out of a worthless lump of clay,
God has made a man today.

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles-
God took the tailor by the hand
Turned him around and- miracle of miracles- Led him to the promised land!

When David slew Goliath (yes!), that was a miracle.
When God gave us matter in the wilderness, that was a miracle too.
But of all God's miracles large and small,
The most miraculous one of all
Is the one I thought could never be:
God has given you to me.