History

From Star Trek, "the OK Corral shootout replays as history dictates at first, but history is soon changed by Kirk, Spock and the Enterprise crew (Spectre of the Gun)."  

Note Kirk's concluding choice - non-violence instead of violence - and Spock's observantly raised Zen-like eyebrow.  History is not only changed, the proverbial karmic cycle is broken.


 

Vision

Mitt Romney picks his running mate.  More here.

Television

Rachel Maddow has a nice little global overview of the growing occupation which has also spread to Iran and Egypt.  Though there are many more places, and while Rachel mentions the "dangers of demonstrating there," the problems witnessed with police have been in our own nation.  Will they let you pitch a tent in these places?  Will they shoot you with rubber bullets and tear gas canisters if you try?  What if you're snapping photos?  Will you get arrested or even shot?  Where am I?  This reminds me of Red Ink.

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Compassion

Paul Krugman writes about old-fashioned compassion.  Having canceled my cable television subscription years ago, I missed the following:

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Representative Ron Paul what we should do if a 30-year-old man who chose not to purchase health insurance suddenly found himself in need of six months of intensive care. Mr. Paul replied, “That’s what freedom is all about — taking your own risks.” Mr. Blitzer pressed him again, asking whether “society should just let him die.”  

And the crowd erupted with cheers and shouts of “Yeah!”

Courtesy of Pottery Trained In Roma 

Photograph by Kristina Neumann

"And there was a massive cross to the side in remembrance of those Christians who died there, but I found out that the only documented Christian persecuted in the Colosseum was Ignatius of Antioch. The mass slaughters we read about happen elsewhere."

 Hmm.