Roger O Green

CHQ: We Can Actually Do Something

Bill McKibben

Here are the rest of the Chautauqua Institution lecture series, Our Greatest Challenges (That We Can Actually Do Something About)

Wednesday, July 24: “The Chautauqua Climate Change Initiative welcomes environmentalist and writer Bill McKibben back to the Amphitheater stage, where he’ll be joined by journalist, Professor, and Executive Director of the George Washington University Alliance for a Sustainable Future and Planet Forward creator Frank Sesno as they discuss work both men are doing to catalyze climate action across generations.”

This was the liveliest talk of the week because it involved the interaction between McKibben, who I saw 30 or more years ago, and Sesno, who I’ve read. The bad news: Sunday, July 21, 2024, was the hottest day on record; worse news: Monday, July 21, was hotter.

Frank expressed optimism because of the young people he worked with at ASF. Bill became faux grumpy with Sesno’s “the youth are the future” tone. Faux because he notes that in his 350.org group, much of the fossil fuel divestment campaign took place on college campuses.

Still, that’s why he’s involved with Third Act, a “community of Americans over sixty determined to change the world for the better. Third Act harnesses an unparalleled generational power to safeguard our climate and democracy.”

April 22, 1970

Some older folks were involved in the original Earth Day in 1970. They vote in large numbers, tend to know people in power, and are motivated to win back the lost gains. McKibben and Sesno both have grandchildren born in 2024. They may not be as robust as their young counterparts, so they sometimes participate in Rocking Chair Rebellions. While having an arrest record as a 19-year-old could be problematic, older folks don’t care nearly as much, notes McKibben, who had been busted recently.

Bill understands why young people may be sad and cynical. Frank countered that they are angry, outraged, and motivated.

McKibben touted California’s robust renewable energy infrastructure. However, he chastised New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) for putting congestion paring in New York City on hold.

Sesno, the journalist, believes storytelling is how to sway people. He tells of a Maryland farmer about how the rains have changed long, soaking events to “deluges that wash off the topsoil, wash off the seed.” He believes that intergenerational connection creates “lived history in context.

Sesno is still a working journalist, so he eschews speaking about specific political candidates. McKibben, by contrast, would be involved with a Kamala Harris fundraiser the following day.

Being a parent

Thursday, July 25: “American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Timothy P. Carney will deliver a lecture based on his newest book, Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be. He argues that the high standards set for modern American parenting are unrealistic and set parents and kids up to fail—and that it’s time to end this failed experiment.”

Carney’s premise is that the declining birth rate in the United States is a result of “civilizational sadness.” “2007 saw the greatest number of births in the U.S. history, and people were calling it a baby boom.” Then, it fell so that it is below what demographers call the replacement level, a total fertility rate of 2.1. There are fewer people under ten than over 60.

He believes this is bad for several reasons. The number of retired people over the number of working people is skewed. While Social Security can continue to make payments, “if there’s no one there to answer the phone when you call the plumber about a leaky pipe, it doesn’t do you any good.”

Another point he made is that, according to Gallup surveys, American women still want between 2 and 3 kids. The birth rate is about 1.6. “If you ask women of childbearing age how many do you want to have, they say 2.3 is the ideal. How many do you intend to have? They say it averages to about 1.9, so already there’s a gap… between our ideal and our intention, and then the gap between our intention… These are not just simple deficits but a deficit of the most important thing: your family is the most important thing in your life, and we have a deficit of connection, flesh, and blood. That’s the real problem.”

Sidewalks

I agreed with quite a few of his observations. Helicopter parenting leads to an epidemic of childhood anxiety. So-called free-range parents have been investigated for neglect in the 2010s because of how far they left their young children to walk on their own. Sidewalks are good. “Walkability does matter for kids to walk to school to roam freely and, importantly, safety… The challenges of raising a family in car-dependent societies are steep. One solution is to build towns for people, not for cars.” He also touts affordable starter homes and showed mild support in favor of immigration.

Carney believes communities and churches could have mixers for young adults rather than them using dating apps; it seems quaint. Ultimately, civilizational sadness can be addressed by another baby boom because “babies are good.” He was at Chautauqua with his wife and most or all of their six kids.

His Catholic faith meant that he opposed IVF. I’ll admit to being annoyed; both my wife and I felt that he was blaming women for infertility problems because they waited too long. He wasn’t particularly supportive of adoption or surrogacy.

Ending violence

Friday, July 25: Chico Tillmon, the executive director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab’s Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy, will speak to share stories of success and lessons learned from his work with the CVI Leadership Academy and throughout his career to effect positive change at a systemic level.”

Dr. Tillmon spent a LOT of time providing bleak statistics about the number of people, especially black people, shot every day. He asked, “Where do you feel least safe?” The school was relatively safe in his Chicago neighborhood of Austin, but the walk home could be perilous.

Moreover, he pointed out the disparate response from the country. After the Parkland High School shooting, there was so much support that it was overwhelming. Meanwhile, Chicago on the 4th of July weekend, with a like number of fatalities, and it’s business as usual.

However, a cookie-cutter approach will not usually work. It should be targeted to that particular area, its people, and its needs. He was proud that President Biden recognized him in a Rose Garden event.

I believe he ran out of time to get to more concrete solutions.

Dementia, anger issues, and many guns

Confronting Dementia And Guns

There was a touching article in the July 24 edition of the Boston Globe by Jake Berry Ellison Jr. titled, “My elderly father had dementia, anger issues, and many guns. What were we to do?” The subtitle: “One underreported aspect of America’s firearms epidemic: armed seniors with memory problems. My family had few legal options for disarming our dad.”

I don’t know how to make it available to you. However, I can provide some useful links from the piece. Here’s the third paragraph: “My father was one of some 60-plus million Americans over 65, an age demographic on track to make up nearly a quarter of the US population by 2054. Of this population, it is estimated that nearly 7 million currently suffer from Alzheimer’s or related dementias, and in 30 years, that number will grow to more than 13 million. Of those elderly with dementia, as many as half of them will live in a home with a gun.”

A few paragraphs later: “Researchers, physicians, and public health experts have been working hard to get information and tips about firearms and dementia to the general public. Dr. Emmy Betz, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado, says progress is being made, albeit slowly, with the help of firearms enthusiasts, sellers, and associated groups who are raising awareness…

Having a plan

“Betz and other experts have developed the Firearm Life Plan to help families have that conversation.” The website states: “The Firearm Life Plan was developed through feedback and guidance from firearm owners, family members, and other individuals who have experience with firearms or in providing support and care to older adults who own firearms… [Coversations] helped us develop tools, discussion points, and other materials that might assist firearm owners make and share these decisions with those they trust.”

Think of planning how to initiate conversations about taking away an elderly person’s car keys, only potentially more consequential. Or consider it like other decisions that need to be made if a family member becomes severely ill or injured and why you should have the conversations beforehand.

Betz co-authored the 2020 article Views on Firearm Safety Among Caregivers of People With Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias.

“’If you are not in your right mind, and you have a delusion that the kid knocking on the door is the devil or a robber, of course, it’s dangerous,’ says Fredrick Vars, a professor at the University of Alabama law school and author of the 2017 paper Not Young Guns Anymore: Dementia and the Second Amendment.”

Self-registry

The article discusses Donna’s Law for Suicide Prevention. From the site: “Donna’s Law is a voluntary self-registry prohibition to gun sales for those who choose to create self-defense against gun suicide.”

Check out the Kaiser Health News and PBS piece, Unlocked And Loaded: Families Confront Dementia And Guns from 2018, by JoNel Aleccia and Melissa Bailey.

But there are roadblocks to getting better data about gun violence. “Historical underfunding for firearm violence prevention research has created challenges for expanding the evidence-base and implementing life-saving policies,” the Surgeon General’s advisory states.

From the Globe: “One legal tool available to family members of people with dementia is the Extreme Risk Protection Order, known colloquially as a ‘Red Flag’ law. Unfortunately, ERPOs are very hard to obtain.”

This is a fascinating topic that had simply never occurred to me before, though there was a 2018 report about it on NBC News.

The 2024 Overrated List

“Do your research!”

GQ created The 2024 Overrated List because “a single page from GQ’s September 1995 print issue made the rounds, first on Reddit, then X, and finally, the tabloids. It was the 1995 Overrated List, comprising 81 people, places, and things the staff deemed ‘utterly unworthy of the praise and respect they’d received.’”

Unsurprisingly, I was unaware of the notoriety that the 1995 list engendered. Nevertheless, I looked at the 2024 list. I perused it, in part because I was fascinated by how many items were totally unfamiliar to me. Popping Zyns? It’s a nicotine pouch.

I have a strong interest in some items, though.

“The most important election of our lifetimes” -Yeah, I know we’ve heard it before. But in the words of Bullwinkle J. Moose: “This time for sure.”

Not wearing a tie – I’ve been way ahead of the curve on this topic. I’ve always railed against wearing a noose, even forgoing one in a family photo back in the 1980s. (There’s a story there, which I may or may not have told before.)

Telling it like it is – I noted on a recent Facebook discussion that many of those folks equate that whatever they read on an incendiary website becomes “what it is.” Then they say, “The earth IS flat! Do your research!”

Watching everything with subtitles – I’ve read several articles about how movie dialogue has become unintelligible in the past few years. This is also true of some television programs. Add to that an aging population and I’ll give those subtitle addicts a pass.

History has its eyes on you

Reexamining the past – How the heck does one learn anything new otherwise? I guesstimate that about a quarter of what I know about Black history and probably half of what I’ve gleaned about LGBT+ issues involved a reexamination of what we THOUGHT was normative.

Documentaries – I’ve read several recent stories of the travails involving documentaries, such as American Nightmare (“How we believe — or don’t believe — victims”) and The Jinx series involving litigation.

Working from home – I am SO happy I retired before COVID because my old office was, and inexplicably is STILL working from home.

Hard-launching your relationship online – I remain puzzled by “Facebook official”

Opening-weekend box office numbers are increasingly meaningless.

Binge-watching – I once watched three episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show. That was tough and I love that show. Definitely not my thing

Hawai’i’s Future

the most expensive state in the nation

Because of the anniversary of the Lahaina, Maui wildfire, there has been a large media emphasis on Hawai’i’s future. While some were pretty straightforward – the folks are still recovering – others were more interesting,

CBS Sunday Morning showed a piece about the Hawai’ian people, as celebrated at the Merrie Monarch Festival. “Thousands of miles from Paris, on Hawaii’s Big Island, another elite competition unfolded. The world’s best hula dancers gathered to showcase their skills, competing in both traditional and modern hula categories.” The dance is far more significant than mere entertainment for tourists.

Maui Rising

ABC broadcast a few items on the topic. From the press piece by Jim Donnelly: “ABC News’ reporting initiative ‘Maui Strong 808,’ which has been dedicated to chronicling the impact of the crisis and relief efforts [highlighted] its yearlong commitment with coverage across programs and platforms.” It began streaming on Aug. 8 at 8:30 p.m. EDT on ABC News Live.

“‘MAUI RISING: The Fight for Hawai’i’s Future,’ a one-hour primetime special marking a year since the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history tore through the picturesque town of Lahaina, Maui, leaving a community reeling and inspiring a new generation of organizers ready to stand up for change. Narrated by actor and Hawai’i resident Jason Scott Lee, the program highlights the strength, determination, and resilience of the people of Lahaina.” It “follows Native Hawaiian community leaders who see the tragedy as an opportunity to re-envision a new town based on ecological restoration, cultural repair, and ultimately a chance to build a stronger, more equitable and more sustainable future for all of Hawai’i.”

The latter news special, which I stumbled upon, aired on Friday, Aug. 9, at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. It should now be streaming on Hulu and available on the ABC app from your smartphone and tablet (iOS and Android), computer on ABC.com, and connected devices (Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon Fire TV).

It becomes obvious that the disaster was not merely a happenstance but a more than century-long inequity in favor of the sugar growers, the military, and tourism to the detriment of the native Hawai’ians.

“‘MAUI RISING: The Fight for Hawai’i’s Future'” spotlights Lahaina leaders who see the catastrophic fire as a pivot point and opportunity to rectify long-standing issues around affordable housing, the tourism-based economy, water rights, and resource exploitation. Interviews include legendary Hawaiian surfer Archie Kalepa; Hawaiian cultural practitioner Ke’eaumoku Kapu; key organizers of the grassroots community group Lahaina Strong, Pā’ele Kiakona, Courtney Lazo, and Jordan Ruidas; ‘American Idol’ winner and Hawaiian-born singer Iam Tongi and more.”

Last Week Tonight

John Oliver also tackled the issue of the islands. As the article in The Guardian notes: “Hawai’i is being reshaped by wealthy outsiders.’” Last Week Tonight looked into how billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg, wealthy tourists, and the US military have altered the state at the expense of locals.

“There are currently 32,000 short-term rentals in the state, meaning one out of 18 houses is a vacation rental, and nearly a quarter of Hawaiian homes were purchased by buyers outside the state. Hawaii is now the most expensive state in the nation for housing, and because the state imports about 90% of its food, residents also pay some of the highest prices in the nation for groceries.” See the Oliver piece here.

Also, check out the Centering Indigenous Leadership in Maui’s Fire Recovery interview. “Kaniela Ing, national director of the Green New Deal Network, co-founder of Our Hawai‘i, and a former elected official to the Hawai‘i House of Representatives, spoke with YES! Racial Justice Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on Rising Up With Sonali about the devastation on Maui and the coming recovery efforts. Ing, who is a 7th-generation Native Hawaiian, emphasizes the importance of centering Indigenous voices and leadership in rebuilding an island struggling with the ongoing impacts of tourism and colonization.”

These stories got me thinking about inequity, wealth, and the need for restitution.

Finally, 60 Minutes reran this story: “Thousands of gallons of jet fuel contaminated the Navy’s drinking water system for Pearl Harbor. Families dealing with health issues are suing, alleging they were harmed by negligence at Red Hill.” So even military families have felt neglected.

Movie review: The Widow Clicquot

champagne

In the movie The Widow Clicquot, François Clicquot (Tom Sturridge) loved talking to the grapes he grew. And he loved sharing his passion with his bride, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot (Haley Bennett). But when – no spoiler – he dies, she wants to run the wine business they had started together. A woman running a complicated, fledgling, undercapitalized operation in the politically hostile environment of Napoleonic Europe? She says, of course.

Her father-in-law Phillipe (Ben Miles) is among the many men who believe she is ill-equipped for the task. She does have one ally, the wine merchant Droite (Paul Rhys), who is willing to flaunt conventions.

The story is based on a true story, as told in Tilar J. Mazzeo’s New York Times-bestselling biography. The widow Clicquot practically invented the champagne industry.

It’s well-acted, especially by the lead actress, and well-filmed. The message is inspirational. Though it’s a French production, it is in English.

Arm’s length

Yet, it seems somehow at arm’s length. Mme. Clicquot’s great success is only footnoted at the end. Indeed, the best scene in the movie is the last one, when she is brought before a tribunal designed to ascertain whether she was violating just norms but the law. Then, the 90-minute movie ends.

Beatrice Loayza wrote in the New York Times: “Ambitious as it is in scope, the film is also somewhat charmless and dour, caught between wanting to deliver the passion audiences expect from a period romance and constructing a suspenseful underdog tale. It’s too bad it never finds a winning balance.” I so wanted to like the film. I admired the elements but the concoction never came together for me.

FWIW, both critics and the audience at Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 85% positive mark. Here’s an interview with Haley Bennett, not only the star but also a producer of the film.

My wife and I saw The Widow Clicquot in late July at the Spectrum Theatre in Albany.