As the W-End Looms: Please Enjoy This "Virtual Musical Interlude" From Thelma Houston

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As the W-End Looms, please enjoy this "Virtual Musical Interlude" we chose from the available selections on YouTube--As it is our policy, all copyright materials are retained by the authors.

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): On Being Good

We hereby present this:

The French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy was recently interviewed by the New York Times about his grueling travel schedule, which will include 22 cities this year.

This passage of the interview is worth highlighting:

Q: When you travel, do you read, write, sleep, or watch movies?

A: I do not live very differently when I travel and when I don’t, which means I do my duty. My duty is to read, to write, and to fight. These are the three things that are my duty. Traveling and not traveling, this is what I do.

Although Lévy’s brand of philosophy is distinctly not Stoic—he’s the founder of the New Philosophers school—his answer does sound eerily similar to something Marcus Aurelius wrote in Meditations 2,000 years ago:

“No matter what anyone says or does, my task is to be good. Like gold or emerald or purple repeating to itself, ‘No matter what anyone says or does, my task is to be emerald, my color undiminished.’”

This is all worth pointing out because of the disturbing habit we humans have of making excuses for notdoing our duty or not being good. “It’s not cheating if it’s on vacation.” “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” “They hit me first.” “I’m on the road, who cares about my diet (or my sobriety)?” “I was tired. I couldn’t take it anymore.”

No. Duty is duty. Good is good. We must do it every day, everywhere.

Notations From the Grid (Special Edition): Out & About in Our World

In line with our mission to help change the conversation about our World, our team hereby presents this for all who may be interested in joining the CrowdCast courtesy MoveOn.Org to join an exclusive digital screening of "Time for Ilhan," the documentary film that chronicles Ilhan's historic first run for office. It's happening on Tuesday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET (7 CT/6 CT/5 PT) and all can watch from home at the same time...

Click here to claim your "seat" at this exclusive online event for MoveOn members! Click the "Save my spot" green button on the right to claim your seat.

We'll be joined by the filmmaker Norah Shapiro and other special guests for a live online discussion hosted by MoveOn Campaign Director Iram Ali after the screening.

You can participate from the comfort of your home or a friend's; all you need is an internet connection and a device to stream on. The movie and panel discussion will stream via Crowdcast, which you can access from any internet browser.

RSVP here for the May 14 exclusive digital screening of "Time for Ilhan,"  

Notations From the Grid (Special Mid-Week Edition): #RandomThoughts

As we hope all have enjoyed the weekly editions of Notations throughout our properties, we hereby present the following #RandomThoughts For Consideration:

On This Good Friday....

We begin by simply saying thank you as we are privileged to serve.    We also chose this uplifting and engaging message from MOAS that we've periodically featured in our properties--as we go dark through Easter Sunday, we wish all a fabulous Easter Week-End:

MOAS Director's Easter Message

This Easter, our Founder, Regina Catrambone, reflects on those who risk their lives in search of peace and safety   On Easter Day, we want to share a story of hope and solidarity. Earlier this month, MOAS delivered emergency supplies to the Sea-Eye vessel Alan Kurdi, which rescued 64 migrants on Wednesday 3rd of April, and was subsequently denied safe harbour in Europe for over a week. MOAS has stayed in touch with two women who were evacuated from the vessel and transferred to hospital in Malta.  On Tuesday 9th of April, as we were waiting for the go-ahead to deliver food, water, blankets, clothing and medication to the Alan Kurdi, we heard that a 34-year-old woman, whom we’ll callPatricia, had fallen unconscious and been evacuated to Malta. Knowing those on board were struggling to cope with their confinement at sea, we felt it was more urgent than ever to reach them and show them our solidarity. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, another evacuation took place: a 23-year-old pregnant woman suffering from seizures, whom we’ll call Beatrice, was also taken to hospital in Malta. Since last Friday, the MOAS team has visited Patricia and Beatrice in hospital several times. It is clear they have appreciated the company, and the love that we have shown them; several hospital staff members have commented on the value of our visits, and the positive effects they have had on both women. On Palm Sunday, MOAS arranged for Patricia and Beatrice to receive holy communion, as they had expressed a strong Christian faith. Patricia had been travelling with her sister, and Beatrice with her husband; both had also formed close bonds with the other women and the two small children on board. Throughout their time in hospital, they were desperate for news. They were overjoyed when we informed them that the rescued migrants had finally been allowed to disembark in Malta, and excited to be reunited with their families. It is difficult for anyone to be separated from their loved ones, especially when feeling unwell. Considering the challenges that many have overcome to reach a place of safety, rescued migrants are particularly vulnerable to loneliness and isolation. At MOAS, we believe that a gesture of kindness can go a long way towards letting someone know that they are not alone – that others are thinking of them, and looking out for them. MOAS co-founder and director Regina Catrambone says: “This Easter, our thoughts are with all the children, women and men who risk their lives to seek peace and security, and particularly those trapped in the hands of merciless traffickers. We also think of all those celebrating Easter around the world – particularly our team in Bangladesh, empowering Rohingya refugees to lead on preparations for the monsoon season, and our partners in Yemen, where we are delivering life-saving medical aid and famine relief. Our mission at MOAS is to keep hope alive wherever it is needed the most. On Easter Day, we wish for a world where we all try our best to share the gestures of solidarity that can mitigate suffering and bring comfort to our most vulnerable brothers and sisters.”

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): Meeting Other People's Expectations

On this mid-week pause during Earthweek 2019, We hereby present the following courtesy of Jonathan Lockwood Huie's Team along the Daily Stoic: 

"You always..." and "you never..." are code phrases for "you don't meet my expectations, so I am declaring you inadequate and unacceptable."
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

It is a better thing to weigh and measure priorities 
in the illuminating light of your own mission 
than to have your activities formed by the 
impressions and expectations of others.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

People see you as an object, not as a person,
and they project a set of expectations onto you.
- Candice Bergen 

Question every assumption and expectation.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The funny thing about egotistical people is that—despite any power or wealth they might have—they are really easy to manipulate. All you have to do is tell them what they want to hear; make everything seem like it was their idea; play to their vanity and their delusions. The same goes for liars—who are usually quite easy to lie to. There’s even an old saying: You can’t con an honest man. Liars and cheats are always looking for shortcuts and tricks, no matter how implausible or unbelievable they are. And the paranoid? As Seneca wrote, empty fears create real things to be afraid of. The paranoid leader often, unintentionally, encourages the enemies that end up taking them down.

All of which is to say that ego and deceit and paranoia are objectively bad strategies. They make you miserable...and they actually imperil the success that people think they help enable. We must steer clear of them like a ship must avoid a rocky shore. If we don’t, we will be dragged in by the current and torn to pieces on the rocks.

Look at Seneca’s experiences with Nero. Here was a man driven insane by his own ego and dishonesty and paranoia. He was emperor...but not for long. Centuries later, his name stands as a permanent indictment of how power corrupts (certainly he was an example, for someone like Marcus, of how not to be). Look at Donald Trump today. It doesn’t matter whether you agree with his policies or not—it’s hard to argue that these personality traits have served him well. He’s surrounded by a “team of vipers” who are constantly undermining him and stabbing each other in the back. His fears (and cries) of a “witch hunt” have only caused more investigations. His ego allowed him to be manipulated by partisans with extreme agendas that have little appeal to the vast majority of voters. How long it will go on, we cannot say, but it’s clear every second it continues is less and less fun for him.

And so it will be for you, too, if you indulge in these dangerous traits. We must sweep ego away. We must cultivate a habit of honesty and fairness in our speech and our habits. We must cooperate with others rather than protect our interests with paranoid possessiveness.

In short, we must be good people. It’s the best strategy. It’s the only way to live and lead.

Pete Buttigieg Presidential Campaign Announcement (C-SPAN)