POTUS Ghosts (President of The U. S.)

 

Contrasting Gen. Geo. Washington (L) and DJ Trump (R)

Apart from biological sex, there is almost nothing about George Washington and #TrumpConvictedFelon in common. GW created institutions, systems and processes, much as he did while leading the armed forces of the American colonials against the forces of the British king. DT destroys everything he touches. He is entropy in primate form, forcing orderly things into disorder, civilization into chaos. GW carefully shaped the new office of President to perform executive functions for the benefit of all who rejected the British king's claims of authority. DT continues to try to displace the other two (co-equal) branches of the federal government, the judges and the law makers. One is a fine specimen of human and humanity, the other lacks basic awareness of anyone except himself. 

It takes generations to imagine, create, and improve systems of governance. But it only takes 20 days for #TrumpConvictedFelon to follow the script from his cadre of puppeteers and upend the pulse and progress of monthly cycles and rules for governing. The people who drafted the Constitution and Bill of Rights assumed that anyone fit for office would serve the best interests of the citizens and abide by the oath sworn on inauguration day. But #TrumpConvictedFelon does neither of these things; instead his actions to weaken the national government and its functions abroad and at home can only serve the purposes of hostile governments.

Once the stupefying facts and methods of the law breakers dressed like lawyers and investors are clear, then opposition can begin. If there is no opposition, the past record of gun carrying citizens suggests that one or more people will take matters into their own hands. Already there are signs of distress in quiet residential neighborhoods.

Upside down flag means emergency or political protest or both

 

Comparing worship service live (in-person), live streaming (online), and playback (of earlier live stream)

 

February 7, 2025 Symposium of Worship at Calvin University

The annual gathering of church leaders in music, preaching, as well as lay leaders held five public worship services during the 3-day proceedings in Grand Rapids, Michigan. These screenshots come from the live stream of the fifth and final in the series about the 2025 theme of parables. The recorded version is online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNw-dGSgZl8. The same images are bundled into a slideset, downloadable in PDF for closer viewing and readability of the subtitle text, too.

Having attended the first worship service on the Wednesday in person, now to experience the same venue on a different parable and preacher and music groups, but now via the live stream offered a good opportunity to compare these two forms of engaging in the worship rhythm and substance. Both the in-person and the live-stream contrast to the playback of the uploaded, finished recording of the worship service. So all three ways of engaging can be examined here.

LIVE STREAM: Demonstrated in the Friday final worship service, there is a risk of technical glitches (audio interference on certain frequencies) having to be fixed on the fly. Events unfold in linear sequence; there is no jumping ahead or behind the present moment of engagement. Unlike in-person, the lens and editorial decisions about which camera position to select is restricted. Viewers see what the live editing team has selected. One cannot look left or right, study one person or another, or close eyes to take in the whole.

IN-PERSON at the worship service: This is a multi-sensory presence, wrap-around immersion; of being there: temperature and seat support, light in one's eyes, sound too quiet or too loud for personal preference, surrounding sounds and 3-D sound waves filling the surfaces, and even the smell of fellow worshipers.

PLAYBACK: One can chose the time and location for playback on demand; stop and start, set playback speed and volume. One can read comments by others and add one's own in reply to others and in response to the recording itself, as well. It is possible to make note of bookmarks (time marks) to revisit later or tell others about, to scrutinize or to excerpt. At times a person might want to engage with certain segments non-linearly, jumping back and forth; like reading a book according to one's aims or habits, not necessarily non-stop from start to finish. There is also the risk of distraction, notifications intruding on screen or one's wandering attention and intention (commitment to undivided attention).

In conclusion, when it is practical to participate in-person at the scheduled time and location, that is the richest form of building memories, sparking ideas, and mingling with others. Nextmost immediate is the virtual, ghostly sense of "being there" (almost) in the online live stream. But maybe the most utilitarian and usable is the recorded version to dissect, share, compare and contrast, reflect upon and digest little by little. It can offer rich rewards, according to the effort poured into it. But for most people that is a high bar and so the in-person experience fills the mind and imagination with least effort and most vivid sources of memory.

Engaging in the moment through one's lens - reality vs. representation

 

Live at the ice piano for the 2025 World-of-Winter festival

The video version of this scene filled with cameras is online. But the freeze-frame is easier to study here. Of the 50 or 60 audience members who came to the outdoor venue in Canal Street Park in downtown Grand Rapids, perhaps 1/4 or more took out cameras (mainly camera-phones) to snap a memento photo or video clip. Maybe 10 people came with tripods or big cameras and external microphones or both in order to record broadcast quality from the evening to share with others. A few of the professional-looking photo & videographers wore lanyards with photo ID, in what looked like a press pass or other credential to do their job here, in some cases blocking the view of the audience members or getting in each other's way to get the right framing for their compositions.

     Despite the mostly quiet and courteous movements of these photographers, it did nevertheless distract from the sole focus on the piano playing and the lyrics of the songs. But so ubiquitous was the picture taking by a variety of people for a variety of reasons, that it raises the question about this phenomenon: in what ways is one's experience (and by extension, memory and the way to share memories with others) mediated by carrying a powerful device for recording sound, video, and still photographs?

Pianist at the left, photographers at the right

     On the one hand taking pictures or video, and seeing others do so, is normal and possibly even expected these days. In a few situations people are specifically requested NOT to take pictures or video (some airlines include their policy during the preflight announcements: out the window is fine, but not staff or fellow travelers as photo subjects). But on the other hand, the attention diverted to the screen and the controls reduces the person's own embrace or immersion in the moment to moment rhythm and breath of the performance as well as the space that the photographer is part of then. Of course there are hands-off recording devices ("life loggers" or POV action cameras) that do not require any intervention from the person: everything is recorded for later review and selection of relevant segments. That approach might be the best of both worlds: recording but not involving the person who carries the device.

     One way of understanding the frequent use of cellphones for video or photos is something analogous to language itself. Just as many people feel the need to put an experience into words - simple description, or maybe more extended reflection and analysis - the same may be happening visually these days: the person wants to own a fragment of the moment which they can share with others as proof of having been present, as a way to replay the moment, and perhaps to give to others who may have relevant expertise or interest, too. In other words, without articulating the experience in words or images, somehow the moment passes when new things displace it. So reaching for one's cellphone in this case is a way to hold the experience closer than merely spectating as one minute passes after another.

     In any case, the sight of cameras popping up again and again is likely to continue for a long time as more and more people get used to picture-taking for self and for seeing others doing this in formal as well as informal settings. Rather than reacting with annoyance, or the reverse, joining in with the other photographers, it makes sense to understand the several reasons why people consider the positives outnumbering the negatives when pulling out a camera in all sorts of situations that seem significant for personal, professional, or avocational reasons.

College students borrowing books then and now

DIY book lending station at Calvin University's Hekman Library

Until sometime in the 1970s library books had to be recorded on the card located inside the cover of the book before the borrower could take it outside the library. Often they took out several books at a time, so the process of stamping the due date and recording the borrower's identifying information took time and effort. Those marked cards then had to be filed so that upon return the book could be reunited with its own card. This was manual labor in the most literal meaning and required many trained student workers. 

     The next stage was to use computer punch cards so the checkout desk could insert the book's punch card into the dedicated machine that recorded the time and date of borrowing, while pairing this with the borrower's campus details. The due date was still stamped in the back of the book for quick reference by the reader to come back for renewal or to return it for circulation to other borrowers.

     After that bar codes were added to the punch cards for optical reading and registration of the book to the borrower. When the book came back to the library then its barcode could be scanned optically with something very much like the one in the photograph, above. In this way the book(s) could be tied to the borrower's ID barcode with just a blink of the light in the scanner beam. And reminders of approaching due date could be emailed to the borrower. As well, the borrower could renew the book electronically (no need to present it at the checkout desk) - if no other borrower was waiting for it.  

     Fast-forward to the February 2025 photo, above. The old ideas continue: build library collections of physical books, lend them to people with library cards, track the book's return (and its condition), and track down any books not returned in a timely way. What is different in this photo is the self-checkout station. Gone are the student hourly employees to receive the book returns and reinsert the correct lending card in the jacket. Gone are the student workers to check out the book. Of course, the books still need to be sorted for efficient reshelving by human hands. But much of the accountability and tracking now is digital and relies on borrower honesty; although, probably there are video surveillance recordings in case anybody seeks evidence of a particular book exiting the building without being scanned first.

     This photo not only shows the absence of library workers and the sign for "self-checkout computer." But also the picture shows the card catalog underneath the countertop. Each title in the collections has a typed card that corresponds to the book or pamphlet. Since a person used to be able to search by author, by title, and by call number, each title must have been filed in several different ways. Since there are unpublished documents like sermons for the campus seminary program, perhaps the old catalog is still in use for certain collections. But probably anything written since 2000 or 1990 is searchable by electronic records, instead.

All in all the photo seems to sum up the present moment in the relationship between college students and the library collections intended for their use. Some content is online instead or in addition to the printed volumes. As a result there are some students who prefer to engage with ideas on their phone, tablet, or personal computer. Others search online for notes and summaries that others have already done, thus offering a predigested impression of the title. And since 2023 the average person has access to a certain amount of Artificial Intelligence bandwidth (search time use) to produce summaries on demand. The upshot is that fewer college students are used to wandering the open stacks in the catalog classification that fits their subject area. So the chance of serendipity to find an unknown and unbidden title is lost. And with less time spent in tactile experience of pages and indexes, college students are less comfortable with flipping around the chapters, skimming and scanning with their eye for keywords or passages that may suit their research interests. 

     The upshot is that fewer books go home with students. Fewer ever leave the shelves for reading while standing or briefly at one of the study tables. Perhaps the old and new books have each other for company, but without the touch of warm human hands, they must still be feeling a bit neglected.

Prices go up for ingredients at the bakery

Day-old baked goods rise in price since costs are going up

There is a premium bakery in Grand Rapids, Michigan that prides itself if using the best ingredients. Many people are willing to pay the high price for delicious bread, pastry, and other baked goods. Others shop on the prominent rack of leftovers from the day before; the "day-old" display. Until lately, everything rang up at 1/2 price from the freshly baked price. But now the hand-lettered sign declares "Day-old 25% off." When asked, the clerk described the rising costs of dairy and eggs in particular since they use so many and because the Avian Flu has led to mass extermination of flocks in an effort to stop the virus transmission to other birds and then to egg farms. However, the new pricing of day-olds is for pies and bread loaves, not the smaller items bagged up and sold as "buy one at full price and the second one is free"; in other words, two for the price of one, or 50% of the fresh pricing. So in this photo, the day-old wheat bread was marked down 25% but the bag of 2 muffins and the bag of 2 morning buns priced out at the old 50% discount.

Talking with the clerk further, it turns out that certain parts of the display case of pastries sell out sooner than others, depending on the day and the time of year. But in general, the fruit tarts and the cannoli with one end dipped in chocolate sell out soonest most days. Ham and cheese croissant sandwiches are very popular, too. Turning to the bread racks, the plain loaves (San Francisco Sourdough; Country French) are in high demand, but they are also at the lower end of the price scale. Two of the breakfast breads seem to sell out quickly, too: English Muffin Bread, and another laden with dried fruit called Breakfast Bread.

The high-end bakery is in a curious position: customers are loyal. They value the full-bodied taste of the baked goods. And at least some of them are not price sensitive; they'd likely buy the same as always no matter how much the prices rise. So while the range of products spans the staple (daily bread, albeit premium ingredients and pricing) to the luxury (diverse pastries), somewhat similar breads and sweets also sell in convenience stores, big box retailers, and grocery stores. In other words, what the premium bakery sells is not so much high-quality ingredients as the care, handmade process, and smaller scale compared to factory bakers. So the loyal customers are in a relationship or community experience. They know their purchases sustain the model of high-quality baking traditions and the people busy behind the counter in the process of making more. 

Deep-fried tubers hit all the right notes: hot, crisp, fatty, and salty in the same mouthful

side order of french fries with the chicken sandwich (1/2025)

In the feudal years of Japan it was a luxury reserved for people of certain status in the public pecking order to eat foods deep-fried in pools of heated oil: tempura (a batter and method taught by the 1500s Portuguese visiting Japan) and later other forms like Kara-age (chunks of chicken battered and plunged into boiling hot oil) and Age-dashi Tofu and abura-age (again, deep-fried). But in 2025 USA there is deep-fried food everywhere you turn; so much so that it is ordinary (not for special occasions like 1800s Japan).

When french fried potatoes seems dull or routine, some will opt for more creative forms like sweet potatoes that are cooked in the fryer. Or the slender fries from Russet Burbank potatoes may be prepared in unexpected shapes: chunky (cottage fries), with skin on (rustic), in lumps (American fries), or shoestring (thinnest of the long strips).

For people who only enjoy the deep-fried tubers once a month or so, due to dietary, availability, financial, or philosophical reasons, there is something particularly satisfying about facing off with a portion of fries recently out of the fryer and salted neither too much or too little. Thinking about the mouth experience of those freshly served fries there are several dimensions of the eating experience that intersect in that sensation of bite and chew.

First is the color and texture and temperature: tactile senses are engaged to begin with. Then there is the taste of salt and the sensation of heat radiating from the fries newly out of the oil. Upon biting the slender fries down to chewable size there is the crunch (ancestral delight in crunching on bugs?) and the contrast of crisp exterior versus soft interior. Finally, there is the sensation of the oil emanating from the cooked surface of the fries, tickling the primitive part of the brain, eager for fatty foods.

Taken all together, fresh fries combine so many dimensions of flavor that the result is particularly satsifying. And then some people will gild the lily by introducing various condiments to the fresh portions: mayonnaise (made famous by the Belgians), traditional tomato ketchup or one of the many variations, shredded cheese and gravy (made famous in Quebec: poutine). Thank the New World (Andean civilizations) for cultivating the hundreds of varieties of potato. But thank, also, the many local adaptations of the humble spud to deep fry in many ways; indeed, not only deep fried but in the myriad other forms it can be eaten, too.