The Raleigh Rant: Trending in ....
Religion
Bible Studies
I belong to a group that has been studying the Bible for more than 20 years, so we have gotten to know each other’s opinions. In recent years we have used the videos of Dr. “Mickey” Efird, former professor in the Divinity School at Duke. One of his phrases is my favorite. “Don’t get lost in the weeds.” That is his Southern style of saying that we should not debate minor points that have little to do with the messages of the scriptures...
Public Policy
Happy New Year! But Which One?
Of course, we assume that the calendar that we use is used around the world. That’s true to a certain extent. It is the International Standard (Gregorian) Calendar that is used by most countries, corporations, governments, etc. It has been around since 1582, when the Julian Calendar was corrected. For most of pre-recorded history, people only noted the changing of the seasons as they used them in farming. The most basic day/night notation was strictly local and determined when people got up and when they went to bed...
Politics
Gerrymandering
In 2000, the combination of powerful computers, mapping software, down to the individual house created a more complicated system. In 2019, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that gerrymandering maps were unacceptable. In recent years, California and Texas have gone all out to rig their congressional maps to support their own primary political party. The effects of those local partisan trends is a national trend again to increase polarization in voting and to reduce political....
LGBTQ+
LGBTQ Book Bans
The most active impact resulting from banning LGBTQ books has been on gender-affirming treatment of children. Most actions have been local and restricted to specific issues. Anti-LGBTQ legislation has not been as active. One area that has remained relatively static is that of banning books. In most cases, this is done at the local school district’s board or library boards. Of the 87 districts with specific bans, 70 experienced local...
Travel
Thanksgiving in Washington
Although I lived in Washington for three years, I went back often to visit. I could show hundreds of photos of the District, but these are of a trip in 2018 and limited to just a few from that 3-day Thanksgiving trip. I have many photos of the National Gallery of Art and the National Portrait Gallery, but these are seasonal photos of the Rotunda and the Atrium...
General
Genocide in Gaza
A UN Commission concluded that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza. They noted the immense civilian toll and the systematic destruction of life-sustaining infrastructure such as water and electricity was evidence of genocide. The International Criminal Court that hears claims against individuals that include crimes against humanity and war crimes. The court issued arrest warrants for the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense for Israel. A warrant also was issued for the Hamas Commander....