loving art, science and creative kids
5/23/2026 4:04:24 PM
Replanting The Garden
Planting a garden and watching things grow over the summer is a wonderful way to stay connected to nature.
Summertime: Will the Living Be Easy?
For most children, summer vacation is supposed to be a season of freedom—a time to relax with friends and family and enjoy the long, carefree days away from school. In one of the world’s richest nations, you might expect endless opportunities for young people to thrive during those months. Yet for many families, summer has become a stressful and lonely season, one that can negatively affect children’s emotional well-being and development.
Research consistently shows that children from lower-income families report poorer mental health and lower overall well-being than their wealthier peers. Food insecurity, lack of supervision, social isolation, and limited access to enriching activities all contribute to the problem. According to a report by the National Summer Learning Association, many low-income students also experience “summer learning loss,” falling behind academically during vacation months while wealthier children often move ahead through camps, travel, tutoring, and educational activities.
The statistics are troubling. The Afterschool Alliance reports that more than 24 million children in the United States are unsupervised during parts of the summer because their parents work and cannot afford childcare or structured programs. Meanwhile, the average cost of a summer day camp places it far beyond the reach of struggling families.
When I was a child, my grandparents helped care for me whenever my parents were busy. That kind of family support was a tremendous blessing to working parents. Today, however, families are often scattered across the country. Adult children move away for employment, and grandparents remain behind. Of my five children, only one lives nearby, and he has no children. My grandchildren live far away, beyond daily reach.
Because I missed the companionship and energy of young people, eight years ago I became an informal grandmother to two girls in an immigrant family. I visit them weekly, taking them to cultural events, museums, and nature trails. Over time, I have grown to worry about their futures as deeply as if they were biologically my own.
This summer, both parents will continue working long hours. The younger daughter, now eleven, will spend much of her time at home under the supervision of her fifteen-year-old sister, who naturally would rather be with her friends. Their community offers few free summer programs like the ones I enjoyed growing up. My elementary school once provided half-day programs filled with crafts, games, and sports. Those opportunities seem increasingly rare today.
Childcare has also become extraordinarily expensive. In Portland, Oregon, babysitters commonly charge fifteen dollars an hour or more. Day camps often cost upwards of $350 to $400 a week, while overnight camps can exceed $900 for only five days. For families already struggling with housing and food costs, these programs are simply impossible luxuries.
Out of concern for safety, the girls’ parents do not like them playing outdoors unsupervised. With few toys or organized activities available, screens become the default entertainment. Like millions of children, they spend hours online playing games, scrolling social media, and chatting with strangers. Excessive screen time among adolescents has been linked in multiple studies to increased anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and loneliness. As I discovered when the older girl became emotionally involved with an unsuitable man living in Los Angeles, the internet can expose vulnerable children to relationships and influences they are not mature enough to navigate.
Before the internet transformed childhood, I once read a study examining women who rose to the top of their professions. Surprisingly, many shared one common experience: during childhood they had spent long stretches of time away from traditional schooling. Some suffered serious illnesses. Others lived abroad because of their parents’ work. A few stayed home to care for siblings or ill family members. What mattered most was how they used that time.
High achievers read books, solved puzzles, learned to cook, built things, experimented with crafts, and explored hobbies independently. Their parents supplied them with educational toys, books, and encouragement. Though they talked with friends on the telephone, conversations did not consume entire days. They had time to think, reflect, and discover who they were. Solitude became a source of creativity rather than boredom. In learning how to occupy themselves meaningfully, they developed self-discipline and self-motivation—qualities that later helped them achieve extraordinary success. Perhaps there is still a lesson in that for parents today.
Summer can become a gift if approached thoughtfully. Children do not need expensive vacations or elite camps to grow intellectually and emotionally. What they need most is structure, encouragement, curiosity, and human connection.
Set schedules that include reading, exercise, household responsibilities, and creative projects. Visit libraries. Explore nature trails. Share childcare with trusted neighbors or friends. Keep puzzles, games, art supplies, and books within easy reach. When possible, spend time together riding bicycles, cooking meals, gardening, or simply talking.
The goal is not merely to keep children occupied. The goal is to raise curious, capable young people filled with wonder about the world around them. Summer should teach children not how to avoid boredom, but how to transform free time into imagination, self-sufficiency, and growth.
And yes, there is one additional blessing every parent can appreciate: no early-morning rush to catch the school bus—and no lunches to pack before sunrise.
References:
Website (2026) Gallup Summer Data National Summer Learning Alliance. Retrieved from https://www.summerlearning.org/gallup-summer-data/
Hones, S. (2018) How Children’s Socioeconomic Differences Play Out Over Summer Break Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/how-childrens-socioeconomic-differences-play-out-over-summer-break/2018/05
Morgan, K. (2019) Poorer children’s summer holiday linked with worse mental wellbeing. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/poorer-childrens-summer-holiday-experiences-linked-with-worse-mental-well-being-114533
Lenhart,A. (2018) The Summer Care Gap. New America. Retrieved from https://www.newamerica.org/insights/summer-care-gap/
Website ( 2026) The Summer Struggle for Everyday Families. Summer Afterschool Alliance. Retrieved from https://afterschoolalliance.org/AA3PM/landing/
Please share your thoughts on how to blend work with childcare during the summer. . You can comment on my blog site at https://www.eichingerfineart.com/blog.
Art is always for sale, The garden is a 20” x 16” framed acrylic painting. To purchase go to https://www.eichingerfineart.com/workszoom/3536926/replanting-the-garden#/ Shipping free in continental U. S.
Need to know more contact me at [email protected].
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Eichinger books make good summer reading. Give yourself a gift. Available on AMAZON.
2/27/2026 2:23:14 PM
SUNLIGHT PUSHING THROUG SMOG
The Price of Speaking Up
The freedoms we depend on are rarely removed in dramatic fashion. They don’t vanish overnight. More often, they’re adjusted, narrowed, or reinterpreted—so gradually that most of us don’t notice until something essential feels different.
The safeguards written into law were meant to protect ordinary people: the ability to speak freely, gather peacefully, live without fear, drink clean water, breathe clean air. On paper, those promises still exist. The harder question is how they hold up when they collide with concentrated power and profit.
The real battlegrounds today aren’t always visible. They aren’t marked by headlines or flashing lights. They’re found in zoning decisions, environmental permits, trade agreements, and regulatory fine print. They surface in water bills, air quality reports, and access to public lands. If clean water is a commodity instead of a shared necessity, who absorbs the cost? If air quality standards are loosened, who lives closest to the fallout? If public lands are stripped for short-term gain, what happens to the animals and the communities who depend on them for livelihood, recreation, and cultural memory?
These questions don’t announce themselves as moral debates. They arrive in political forums wrapped in technical language and procedure. They are debated in hearings most people never attend and decided in documents few have time to read.
While writing Antheia in the Thorns, I began thinking about how often environmental harm lands unevenly. Petroleum coke in the novel, like numerous environmental hazards, isn’t only an ecological concern. It becomes a question of fairness of who benefits and who bears the burden. Those who speak up don’t just face pollution; they face resistance from systems designed to exhaust them.
Powerful people don’t always shout. They delay, bury, litigate, and reframe. They make the process so complicated and expensive that ordinary people begin to doubt whether it’s worth continuing.
What does it take to turn a grieving anthropologist into someone willing to confront that machinery? Jennifer Russo doesn’t begin as a hero. She begins as a woman trying to survive her own loss. Brian Adakai, Antheia’s local director, doesn’t seek conflict; he wants to protect and to tell the truth. Circumstances force a choice many of us hope we’ll never have to make: stay quiet and stay safe, or speak and accept the consequences.
We tend to believe that if something is wrong, the system will correct it. That truth will prevail on its own. But history suggests that correction usually requires someone willing to endure discomfort, criticism, and risk. Yet the erosion of protections rarely happens in a single sweeping act. It happens through small concessions, procedural shifts, loopholes, and “temporary” adjustments that become permanent. Each change may seem minor. Together, they redraw the boundaries of what we accept.
Clean air, safe water, and public lands are not abstract ideals. They are daily realities. They are the unnoticed background conditions that allow communities and economies to function. When those conditions shift, the effects ripple outward. The question beneath The Water Factor and Antheia in the Thorns is not simply who is right or who is wrong. It’s more subtle than that. It asks: What is the cost of speaking up? And what is the cost of remaining silent? If you’re drawn to stories where power operates behind closed doors and ordinary people find themselves facing something larger than they expected, and if you enjoy reading thrillers, Antheia in the Thorns will resonate with you.
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Art is always for sale. Sunlight Pushing Through Smog can be purchased on my website at SUNLIGHT. COntact me with questions at [email protected].
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Antheia in the Thorns is on Amazon for a reduced price for early purchasers. An honest review on Amazon, should you choose to read it, helps more than most readers realize. The ebook and paperback versions of Antheia in the Thorns are currently on Amazon at an introductory price. An audio version is coming. It will be in bookstores later this spring.
2/14/2026 12:36:22 PM
To my friends, family, and loyal blog readers,
I’ve been waiting months to share this with you. Antheia in the Thorns is now live on Amazon for presale, and for a limited time, the ebook is discounted as a thank-you to early readers. It is an exciting, yet informative read for young adults through senior citizens.
For more than three years, this story has lived with me, following one woman’s journey through grief as she confronts a hidden yet powerful environmental danger—petcoke. Picture black dust drifting quietly into our neighborhoods and waterways, silent signals of the challenges beneath the surface.
Jennifer Russo, an archeologist marked by loss, escapes to the wilds of Oregon in search of peace, only to stumble upon a secret that upended her world.
If you’ve been with me on the blog, you know I never shy away from what matters. My stories dig into reality. This one is grounded in the silent forces that work out of sight, tainting our air, dusting our cities black, polluting the ocean, and leaving a legacy that lingers long after the harm is done.
f you decide to preorder, your support means the world to me. After reading, I’d be grateful if you left and honest review. Even a few words or a simple star rating can help my book reach new readers and truly make a difference. Thanks in advance for helping to make this launch memorable. Purchase now and have it delivered to your inbox on February 20th.
Here’s the presale link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GNCV2BGK?ref=sp_email
Thank you for reading my blogs all these years. Your comments and encouragement keep me writing.
Warmly,
Marilynne
(To set up a book talk, contact me at [email protected])
2/6/2026 6:58:13 PM
THE CAVE
Silence: Before the Story Begins
Before Antheia in the Thorns becomes a story about land, power, and resistance, it begins with a woman alone in the dark.
Jen Russo is not an activist when readers first meet her. She is not thinking about corporations, policy, or climate models. She is a grieving woman. Her child is gone, and the world she understood no longer makes sense. When she enters the cave in the opening chapter, she does not do so to prove anything or to be brave. She goes because grief has stripped her of caution. The ordinary rules of what is safe, what is sensible, and what is worth fearing no longer apply.
That was important to me as a writer. Environmental stories often begin with a catastrophe or confrontation. I wanted this one to begin with silence. I also wanted readers to ask why such an unpolitical person as Jen would become an activist.
The cave is not symbolic in a definable way. It is not a place of revelation or rebirth. It is cold, damp, and indifferent. It has existed for thousands of years and will exist long after Jen’s pain has burned itself out. Yet inside the cave, time behaves strangely. Sounds from the outside world are swallowed as the light recedes. Jen’s thoughts circle the same thoughts again and again: that love does not guarantee protection, that nature does not bargain with humans, and that loss does not announce itself politely.
In the confined space of the cave, Jen is not fighting anything. She is simply enduring.
I was interested in how grief collapses the distance between people and the natural world. When you are grieving deeply, your environment no longer feels like home. The wind is sharper, the ground feels harder. The darkness within and without feels personal. Jen doesn’t enter the cave seeking communion with nature; she enters it because she no longer cares if nature is kind to her. That indifference, hers and the cave’s, meets in a way that feels honest to the emotional reality of loss.
When she becomes trapped, it’s not by a villain. There isn’t a human antagonist with malicious intent. Just a body pushed beyond its limits and a place that does not notice. Yet, despite all she’s been through, having crawled into that uncaring cave ignites a spark of curiosity, and that matters.
One of the quiet arguments in Antheia in the Thorns is that harm does not always come from cruelty. Sometimes it comes from systems, from neglect, from loss, and from the simple fact that the world keeps moving even when individuals cannot. Jen’s experience mirrors life on a personal scale. The cave is not evil. It simply exists. Like people trapped in the darkness of their minds, those who struggle through have the choice to survive and thrive or to wither away.
Jen’s rescue by Bear and Zane, forestry students who happen to be in the area, is not a triumphant moment. It is somewhat awkward, human, and imperfect. Her rescuers are not heroes in the cinematic sense. They are young, unsure, and startled by the weight of what they have stumbled into. They don’t save Jen so much as interrupt her isolation. They pull her back into a world that still hurts and welcome her into the light.
That moment sets the emotional key for the entire novel.
What happens after—the activism, the confrontations, the betrayals, and the risks only work because they are grounded in an earlier truth: that people do not enter movements because they are fearless. They enter them because something has already broken open inside them. Jen’s grief is not a subplot. It is the emotional soil from which the rest of the story grows.
I want readers to understand, from the very beginning, that Antheia in the Thorns is not asking them to admire courage. It is asking them to recognize vulnerability. Jen’s pain is not to motivate others or to prove a point. It simply exists, and the world must make room for it.
In environmental conversations, personal grief is often treated as a distraction. It’s too emotional, too personal, or too soft to discuss. But grief is where attention sharpens. It is where denial fails. It is where people stop accepting easy answers. Though Jen does not leave the cave enlightened, she has become curious and emerges changed. And change, once it begins, is difficult to contain.
The cave scene is quiet by design, without speeches or great revelations. It just carries breath, darkness, stone, and the fragile persistence of being alive. Yet everything that follows in the novel, the resistance, the risk, the refusal to look away, echoes back to that first silence.
Before the story could be told, it had to listen to the silence. Only after finding herself could she process the horrific sight she saw on her way back to her car. As Antheia in the Thorns prepares to enter the world on February 20th, I hope readers pause over moments like this one, not because they are dramatic, but because they are true.
I’m looking forward to unveiling the cover next week. Until then, if you haven’t already read it, now is the perfect time to read The Water Factor, the first book in the Rightfully Mine Series. The novel is available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. It can be purchased on AMAZON, Barnes and Noble, and as an audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.
1/17/2026 11:54:19 AM
COUNTDOWN TO PUBLISHING
Part of writing a book is finding the right title and cover design, and Antheia in the Thorns, going on sale at the end of February, is no exception. Its early working title was The Cave, but after discovering dozens of books with the same name, I set out to find something more distinctive.
That search led me to Antheia, the Greek goddess of gardens and love. Imagining her caught in thorns felt like the perfect metaphor for an approaching environmental reckoning. Does it make you wonder what happened?
Below are four early cover designs that didn’t make the cut. The final design, created by Streetlight Graphics, will be unveiled next week. Between now and February 22, I hope to whet your appetite for the story behind the thorns.
A Scene Behind Antheia in the Thorns: When I began writing Antheia in the Thorns, I didn’t start with a thesis. I started with a scene.
In the chapter titled “Dying Embers,” the protagonist, Bear Stanton, sits on a curb in the early morning hours, watching smoke rise from what had once been Antheia’s headquarters. Firefighters are packing up their hoses. Reporters circle, microphones extended, eager for outrage or accusation. Somewhere inside the charred building are lost hard drives, children’s artwork, handwritten notes from tribal elders—things that will never make the news crawl.
What struck me as I wrote that scene wasn’t the fire itself, but the silence afterward. The way catastrophe becomes ordinary once the cameras leave. The way destruction is framed as spectacle rather than consequence.
That moment on the curb is fictional, but its emotional truth is not.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I watched a NOVA program detailing how warming temperatures are destabilizing the Arctic, releasing methane, sinking cities, and accelerating flooding across the globe. These aren’t distant projections or worst-case scenarios. They are unfolding now, quietly, incrementally, often out of sight. When disaster doesn’t arrive with a single dramatic explosion, it’s easier to ignore.
In Antheia in the Thorns, the fire is not just an act of violence—it’s a message. It’s meant to intimidate, to erase evidence, to remind ordinary people how fragile their work is when it challenges powerful interests. That dynamic plays out repeatedly in real life, whether through lawsuits, regulatory pressure, misinformation campaigns, or the slow erosion of public trust in science.
Fiction allows me to place a human face on those forces. To show what it feels like to lose not only a building, but a sense of safety. To ask what happens when the cost of telling the truth becomes personal—and whether it’s still worth paying.
I don’t expect novels to change the world on their own. But I do believe stories can slow us down long enough to feel what headlines encourage us to skim past. If Antheia in the Thorns does anything, I hope it helps readers connect the data we’re shown every day to the lives quietly affected by it—and to the choices still within our control.
Sometimes, the most dangerous fires aren’t the ones that burn buildings, but the ones we pretend not to see.
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The Water Factor, the first book in the Rightfully Mine Series, questions whether water should be considered a commodity, as it is now, or a human right. Antheia in the Thorns raises a similar question about air quality. The novel is available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. It can be purchased on AMAZON, Barnes and Noble, and as an audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.
I look forward to your comments.
1/9/2026 3:42:13 PM
HEAVEN AND BEYOND
We must never forget that we are part of the universe and subject to its laws above all else.
Behind the Scenes of Antheia in the Thorns
Writing environmental thrillers in an era when government leaders openly mock global warming is a challenge. How do you present scientific information to a public riddled with doubts reinforced by the very leaders they voted into power? The task is especially difficult because my fiction is grounded in real-world events. People can rightly say that much of my story is imagined.
However, like many writers I respect, I believe the novel is the perfect place to explore the possible outcomes of a society that disavows scientific studies and replaces them with hearsay promoted by corporations more interested in profit than the public’s right to the truth. To deny global warming, climate change, and the pollution caused by oil and coal is, in my mind, unconscionable. Yet nature won’t let us bury the truth.
This week, I watched a NOVA program showing what is happening in the Arctic as it warms faster than even scientists once predicted. Large sinkholes are forming in thawing permafrost, weakening building foundations and releasing methane into the atmosphere. Houston is sinking by one-fifth of an inch per year, with some areas subsiding by as much as two inches annually. Eight major U.S. cities—New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Dallas—account for more than 60 percent of the population living on sinking land. These cities are already experiencing increased flooding. New York City has discussed building barriers along its shores, installing a gate around the harbor, and relocating people from the most hazardous regions.
It’s not only rising waters and sinking land that are of concern, but also the dramatic increase in asthma, now affecting more than 250 million people worldwide. The tiny particles we breathe come from traffic emissions, industrial activity, fireplaces, and disintegrating plastics. Long-term exposure to pollution has caused increases in cardiovascular disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other respiratory illnesses. Nearly half of the U.S. population lives in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution.
Antheia in the Thorns, the second novel in my Rightfully Mine series, is about to be published. It centers on a highly polluting, heat-raising product that few Americans know about, even though the United States is its largest producer. This oil-based energy source is processed into a substance resembling coal. It burns hotter than coal, is cheaper to produce, and is exported to India, China, and Africa—contributing significantly to global warming. Its continued production and sale demand scrutiny.
The thrill of seeing ordinary people confront corporations willing to dispose of anyone who gets in their way is life-affirming. It is ordinary people who ultimately bring about change. My first novel, The Water Factor, explored what happens when water is treated as a commodity rather than a public right. Antheia in the Thorns asks whether there should also be a right to clean air—and to live without constant fear of floods, fires, or toxic exposure. Though the story is a page-turner and its characters come from my imagination, its incidents are based on actual events.
I’ll let you know the moment Antheia in the Thorns becomes available for purchase later this month. Your purchase and review on Amazon will help it get off to a good start.. As with The Water Factor, I hope it sparks lively book club discussions about accountability, power, and what we owe one another in a rapidly changing world.
References:
Krajick,K (2025). America is Sinking: 28 Major Cities Are Slowly Going Under. SciTechDaily. Retrieved from https://scitechdaily.com/america-is-sinking-28-major-cities-are-slowly-going-under/
Surico, J. & Underwood, N. (2025), New York Is Going to Flood. Here’s What the City Can Do to Survive. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/15/nyregion/new-york-climate-flooding-solutions.html
(Staff (2024)Air Pollution’s Role in Rising Global Asthma Cases. American Journal Of Medicine, Retrieved from https://www.emjreviews.com/en-us/amj/respiratory/news/air-pollutions-role-in-rising-global-asthma-cases/
Art is always for sale. Heaven and Beyond can be purchased on my website at https://www.eichingerfineart.com/workszoom/1662380/heaven-and-beyond#/
I look forward to your comments on my blog site at
The Water Factor is an International Firebird Book Award winner for best dystopian novel and a Literary Titan Gold Award recipient for best thriller. The novel is available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. It can be purchased on AMAZON, Barnes and Noble, and Powell Books Online and as an audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. Ask your bookstore to order a copy from Ingram. Please leave a review.
12/12/2025 9:18:38 PM
Can a youth overcome life in a dysfunctional, drug-abusing household to become a contributing member of society? Making the switch isn’t easy. Streetwise once told me that he preferred to go to jail, where he’d have a warm bed and food, rather than spend the rest of his life on the streets.
Is There a Gene for Cruelty?
Do people have a genetic predisposition toward being evil? When I look at conflicts around the world and growing divisions in our own country, I can’t help but revisit the old nurture vs. nature question. With human rights abuses mounting, I wonder whether science has learned more since the completion of the Human Genome Project.
Psychologists identify sadistic or callous individuals as those who score high on measures of lying, manipulativeness, lack of empathy, aggression, and criminality. Large twin studies suggest that traits associated with psychopathy are moderately to highly heritable. This means genetics plays a significant role. Individuals with stronger genetic predispositions showed higher levels of callousness and emotional detachment.
Psychopaths and sociopaths both disregard social norms, customs, and the rights of others without remorse. Sociopaths tend to be more impulsive and emotionally volatile. Their crimes are often spontaneous actions that may later cause distress. Psychopaths are outwardly controlled and more elusive to recognition. They often lead outwardly normal lives, manipulating others by mimicking emotions they do not truly feel.
There is evidence that psychopathy has a stronger biological component, while sociopathy is more closely linked to trauma and neglect. Still, most researchers agree that behavior emerges from gene–environment interaction, not from genetics alone.
This question became personal for me when I learned of ongoing bullying in my granddaughter’s fourth-grade class. I wondered whether those children had been subjected to violence or neglect at home. That instinct aligns with research showing that early adversity is one of the strongest predictors of later aggression. I felt the school needed to address it immediately so the children wouldn’t carry unresolved trauma into adulthood, potentially harming others.
What my intuition didn’t fully consider was how biology can influence those experiences. One gene I read about is MAOA, sometimes called the “warrior gene.” Certain variants of MAOA affect how the brain regulates neurotransmitters linked to mood and impulse control. Research suggests these variants are associated with increased risk of aggressive or antisocial behavior, especially when combined with childhood trauma. Children without that genetic vulnerability appear more likely to overcome early abuse. Some studies showed that those with both the gene variant and early trauma were much more likely to be convicted of violent crimes later in life.
When neuroscientist Christian Jarrett was asked whether there is evidence-based therapy for individuals with psychopathic traits, his answer was cautious. Recently, New Zealand psychologists have called the belief that psychopathy cannot be treated a myth. New evidence suggests that intensive cognitive behavioral programs can reduce violent behavior and help some individuals experience empathy and regret, even though their core personality traits remain unchanged.
Another emerging field, epigenetics, further complicates the story. Severe stress or trauma can leave chemical markers on genes involved in stress regulation, altering how those genes are expressed. Research involving Holocaust survivors and other victims of political violence suggests these effects may persist across generations, allowing violence and neglect to continue beyond a single lifetime.
Unfortunately, cruelty can also feel rewarding in the short term. For some, fighting and hurting others is exciting, giving a sense of power. Since the neurochemicals responsible for those feelings don’t last, it often leads to repeated acts of cruelty in a destructive cycle that also damages the person’s health.
By contrast, good deeds such as helping, cooperating, and caring activate brain systems linked to long-term well-being. Kindness and generosity are associated with lower stress, better health, and sustained happiness. Goodness reinforces itself, propelling people to do more.
When we look at today’s political landscape, the violent treatment of immigrants, the killing of suspects willing to surrender, and the disproportionate incarceration of people based on skin color, I feel fear. I am tempted to wonder whether sociopaths or psychopaths are at the helm, knowing that what they are doing is a crime against humanity.
Though genes and trauma matter, having a trustworthy leader matters more. If we want a future with less fear and violence, we must focus on reducing harm, protecting children, and building environments that reward empathy rather than cruelty.
References:
Stokstad,E. (2002) Violent Effects of Abuse Tied to Gene. Science. Retrieved from https://www.science.org/content/article/violent-effects-abuse-tied-gene
Jarrett,C. (2025). Can people have a genetic predisposition towards being evil? BBC Science Focus. Retrieved from https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/can-people-have-a-genetic-predisposition-towards-being-evil
Jarrett,C. (2025) Is there a cure for evil? BBScience Focus. Retrieved from https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/is-there-a-cure-for-evil
Viding, E., & McCrory, E. (2019). Towards understanding atypical social affiliation in psychopathy. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(5), 437–444.
Glenn, A. L., & Raine, A. (2014). Neurocriminology: Implications for the punishment, prediction and prevention of criminal behaviour. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 15, 54–63.
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I imagine you might have a lot to say on the subject. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Reminder. Art is available for sale. Some prices are already reduced for the holidays. Make me an offer if you see something you like that seems beyond your reach. Contact me at [email protected], and I’ll do my best to have it arrive before Christmas.
Books by Marilynne Eichinger make a great gift. They are available on Amazon
11/21/2025 8:49:30 PM
How do you know when a painting is finished? Parenting is a painting I posted before, but it felt incomplete, and I decided it needed editing. Hope you like the finished product.
Edit, Edit, Edit – It Takes Time
I began writing Antheia in the Thorns in 2016, shortly after Donald Trump became president. It was my first attempt at a novel. The story centered on a little-known industrial product called petroleum coke, or petcoke, and its role in global warming and pollution. While the storyline had potential, my writing at the time was mediocre.
I put the novel aside when Joe Biden was elected. He acknowledged the urgency of climate change and was enacting policies to reduce the U.S. carbon footprint. During his presidency, I hired a writing coach who critiqued my work as I wrote, helping me refine my craft. That guidance led to my award-winning book, The Water Factor, which has been deeply rewarding to see readers respond to.
When Trump returned to power, I realized Antheia in the Thorns could be more than a story—it could be a vital work of geopolitical environmental fiction. The president was increasing, rather than decreasing, the use of petroleum-based products. Suddenly, the novel felt worth rewriting.
Petroleum coke resembles coal but burns hotter. It’s cheaper, more polluting, and contributes more to global warming than coal. The U.S. is the world’s largest producer, with 59 refineries supplying local industries: cement plants, aluminum production, graphite electrode manufacturing, steel and titanium dioxide kilns, and power plants. Most of it is exported to China and India, with secondary markets in Europe, Central and South America, and other Asian countries.
I realized I had an important story to tell. After more than a dozen rewrites, plus feedback from beta readers and my writer’s group, Antheia in the Thorns has evolved into a geopolitical environmental thriller that both engrosses and challenges readers. It’s a story about courage, conscience, and confronting corporate greed. Antheia, the goddess of gardens and love, faces a thorny world where entrepreneurs will do anything to make millions. My Kirkus reviewer praised the book for keeping the reader interested until the very last page.
Antheia in the Thorns will be available for presale at a reduced price as an ebook in early January. I hope you’ll consider purchasing it and sharing your review—it will help ensure a successful launch. I’m counting on my best supporters and will keep you posted as we get closer to that date.
This Thanksgiving, I wish you warmth and joy surrounded by friends and family. If you find yourself alone this year, I wish you peace and leave you with this timeless poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
What is Success?
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by
a healthy child, a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded
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You can find information and purchase Parenting on my website at. https://www.eichingerfineart.com/workszoom/6292511/parenting#/
Paintings and books make great gifts. Last week, I Zoomed into a book club discussion of The Water Factor held in Pennsylvania. It is a great way to enrich your club's reading, and I do it without cost. Purchase my books in time for a holiday delivery, and can do that for you. Better yet, have them read the book now, gather round the Christmas tree for a lively discussion, and I'll join you online. Great free entertainment. Contact me at [email protected] with questions.
9/13/2025 11:17:21 AM
Is selling off half the trees in the nation's preserved forests and parks justified?
DOES THE END EVER JUSTIFY THE MEANS?
The phrase “the end justifies the means” is often attributed to Niccolò Machiavelli, but it actually originated with the Roman poet Ovid in his Heroides (The Heroines). Still, Machiavelli came close to the idea in The Prince, where he wrote:
“Moreover, in the actions of all men, and most of all of Princes, where there is no tribunal to which we can appeal, we look to results. Wherefore, if a Prince succeeds in establishing and maintaining his authority, the means will always be judged honorable and be approved by everyone.”
In other words, if you hold power and maintain it, history is likely to judge your methods favorably. Yet many psychologists argue that lies and manipulations corrode the liar’s character, eventually coming back to haunt them.
Politics, Lies, and Economics: From a Machiavellian perspective, deception in politics is tolerable, even necessary, if it achieves the desired goal. But the 2008–09 financial crisis shows the dangers of this thinking. Investment bankers traded subprime mortgages, knowing many homeowners could never pay them back. Because the risk was offloaded onto third parties, the bankers enriched themselves while the broader public suffered the fallout. The “means” worked for them, but the “end” was catastrophic for millions.
Is Lying Ever Acceptable? Most ethicists see lying as a form of disrespect. Yet some cases challenge that rule. Consider what happened when the Nazis searched for Anne Frank—her protectors lied and said she was not there. Was that lie justified? Similarly, are people who shelter migrants fleeing violence and poverty acting rightly when they defy the law? Who holds the moral high ground?
The Justification of War: History shows that violence is sometimes perceived as the only viable option.
- The Civil War: The North concluded that only armed conflict could end slavery. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and millions of civilians paid the price, but slavery was abolished. Was there an alternative to getting this result?
- World War II: When Hitler’s regime could not be stopped internally, global war followed, leading to 50–55 million civilian deaths. Was such devastation the only way to end fascism?
The Power and Limits of Nonviolence: Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance in India mobilized tens of thousands, often at great personal cost. During the Salt March in 1930, more than 60,000 were imprisoned, and many were beaten or killed because the British didn’t share Gandhi's approach. Killing and imprisoning those in their way felt justified to them. Gandhi’s movement ultimately led to independence from Britain, but it did not prevent the violent partition between Hindus and Muslims. Could India’s freedom have been won more quickly, more unified, or less bloodily, by other means?
Similarly, in the U.S. Civil Rights movement, two strategies coexisted: Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolence and Stokely Carmichael’s militancy. Nonviolent protest gained moral authority and public sympathy, while militant groups, such as the Black Panthers, raised the stakes for federal leaders. Together, the contrasts created pressure that contributed to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Moral Boundaries Today: What about now? Is violence ever justified against those who spread hate, lies, and division? What about political figures who oppose diversity, deny science, and inflame gun culture? Should citizens ever take justice into their own hands?
And what about governance itself? Do freedom of speech, expression, religion, honest reporting, having privacy, health and sexuality rights, and gun ownership matter to you? As corporate power expands and authoritarian impulses grow stronger, we must ask: Will an autocratic system provide more freedom than the “messiness” of democracy? Or will resisting such a system lead to violence once again, killing millions? What system of governance will make you feel safe?
The Unsettling Question: History suggests that both violent and nonviolent means can achieve monumental change, but at great cost. Whether the ends ever justify the means is not an abstract puzzle but a pressing ethical dilemma. These are dangerous times when individuals take the law into their own hands. Yet, I find our governance both scary and confusing. Our choices must be studied carefully, because their consequences will shape not only the present but the generations that follow.
When I consider these matters, I strive to keep love at the core of my decisions. It’s a calming thought that helps me understand those who think differently from me.
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Start a discussion. Please share your thoughts.
Art is always for sale. To purchase one of the thirty trees or a canvas print of them, go to the works page on my website at https://www.eichingerfineart.com/works. Stroll down to Arboredum and/or Canvas prints.
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References:
Philosophy website (2014) Retrieved from https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/14881/where-did-machiavelli-say-that-the-ends-justify-the-means
Mintz, S. (2018) Do the ends Justify the Means?Ehics Sage. Retrieved from https://www.ethicssage.com/2018/04/do-the-ends-justify-the-means.html
BBC website (20235) How a college dropout from the suburbs became MAGA star Charlie Kirk. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c33r4kjez6no
Website 92026) Research Starters: Worldwide Deaths in World War Ii. The National World War II Museum.Retrieved from https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/research-starters-worldwide-deaths-world-war
Britannica Website (2025) Resistance and results in Mahatma Gandhi. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mahatma-Gandhi/Resistance-and-results
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How should homeless and runaway youth be treated? Like truants> Do they belong in the criminal justice system, or should they be helped to overcome the sordid background they want to escape?
Over the Peanut Fence is available in paperback and ebook formats in bookstores and online. To purchase on Amazon go to https://www.amazon.com/Over-Peanut-Fence-Barriers-Homeless-ebook/dp/B07Q7SLRM3
9/6/2025 12:19:23 AM
Old-growth forest within the Bull Run Watershed
Water: A Slippery Slope
Last week, I took a Bull Run Watershed Tour to learn more about how Portland’s water is delivered. It was designated as the city’s water source in 1890 and currently serves approximately 950,000 residents. Like Seattle and Manhattan, Portland’s water is not filtered.
A second reason for the trip was to investigate whether a corporate subcontractor might be contributing to rising water rates. Across the nation, many communities outsource water management to private companies, firms that often prioritize shareholder profits over cost containment for customers. When I asked several people in the Water Bureau about this, I was assured that Portland’s water and waste systems are managed in-house. Yet the information forwarded to me was so confusing, with pages of names and numbers, that it was impossible to find a clear answer.
The tour began with a beautiful hike through a 750-year-old forest to the headwaters, where a spring bubbles up from the ground to form the river. This river flows through a 140-square-mile area jointly managed by the Portland Water Bureau and the U.S. Forest Service. Although logging was permitted until the mid-1960s, it is now prohibited. The system includes two reservoirs created by dams on the Bull Run River. While this is Portland’s primary water source, the city also maintains a groundwater well field as a backup in case of emergency.
I was especially fascinated by the dams. The first, completed in 1929, was designed and managed entirely by in-house staff. Despite the absence of OSHA at the time, the dam was built in just two years, under budget, and with no casualties. The second dam, built in 1962, tells a different story. Smaller than the first, it was subcontracted to consultants. Construction dragged on for four years, ran over budget, and resulted in the deaths of four workers.
First Dam built in 1929
T
There is also a diversion stream, left untreated, to support fish runs. The main supply, however, is treated with chlorine, ammonia, sodium carbonate, and carbon dioxide.
More recently, Portland began building a $2 billion filtration system to remove Cryptosporidium, in compliance with federal and state regulations, and to increase resilience against natural disasters such as wildfires and landslides. Unsurprisingly, the design and construction were contracted out. What surprised me was learning that a management contract is already in place for after completion. Once finished, Pleasant Home Water District customers will begin receiving treated water by September 30, 2027.
From the research I’ve conducted over the past four years, this is often how corporate takeovers of local water systems begin: construction contracts gradually expand into management. Transparency is nearly impossible, as costs can be hidden in dozens of ways. Water bills inevitably rise. A 2022 study by researchers at Cornell University and the University of Pittsburgh found that private ownership is linked to higher water prices and reduced affordability. The oft-repeated claim that private companies run water systems more efficiently than government agencies is a myth. The corporate takeover of water is a slippery slope.
I look forward to reading your thoughts about the issue. Please comment below.
I wrote The Water Factor after years of researching the aftermath of water being designated a commodity rather than a right. It's why a twenty-year-old became an eco-activist, willing to put his life on the line to reclaim a Native tribe's right to water? The Water Factor presents a powerful example of what happens when people become fed up with corporate greed; they overcome their fears and act. The book is a Firebird International Award winner for Best Dystopian Novel and a Literary Titan recipient for Best Thriller, available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. Available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell's Books, and Annie Bloom's Books, as well as in other national stores, and on audiobook platforms such as Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.
4/4/2025 4:06:48 PM
Will my novel be next because it reveals the misery caused by the corporate takeover of water?
Brain Drain
As a member of The Authors Guild, a national writers' organization, I was alarmed by this week’s newsletter headline: Writers Are Under Attack—Help Us Fight Back. “The freedom to write, research, and publish is the bedrock of our democracy, yet it is under siege. Book bans are silencing writers. AI companies are exploiting authors' work without consent, threatening their livelihoods. Journalists face intimidation simply for reporting the truth. These are direct assaults on free expression, and we cannot allow them to stand.”
Historically, intellectual migration has been a boon to the United States. During World War II, brilliant minds such as Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, and Bertolt Brecht sought refuge here, enriching our scientific and cultural landscape. For decades, the U.S. has been a global leader in research, attracting top talent worldwide. But this is changing. Since Donald Trump’s presidency, European nations have sought to capitalize on America’s growing hostility toward intellectuals and researchers. With the government cutting funding for universities and research facilities, many scientists are looking elsewhere. A recent Nature Magazine survey revealed that more than 1,200 U.S.-based scientists out of the 1,600 surveyed are considering relocating to Europe or Canada.
NPR reports that prestigious institutions in France have established financial incentives for American scientists. The engineering school at CentraleSupélec allocated approximately $3.2 million to fund projects that can no longer continue in the United States.
Aix-Marseille University, one of France’s oldest and largest universities, has launched a "Safe Place for Science" program, offering $16 million over three years to support up to 15 American scientists. The Netherlands and Canada are also implementing similar initiatives to attract displaced researchers.
Throughout history, intellectuals have been persecuted for challenging authority. Totalitarian regimes often employ anti-intellectualism to suppress dissent. Trump, both during his first administration and now in his second, has popularized "fake news" and "alternative facts," distorting reality to serve his agenda.
History offers grim lessons on the consequences of such repression. During the White Terror (1936-1945), Spanish dictator Francisco Franco executed 200,000 intellectuals, including teachers, scientists, artists, and writers. Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia systematically annihilated the country's educated class. Argentina’s President Juan Carlos Onganía imposed rigid censorship, silencing the press, literature, theater, and cinema.
Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) forced musicians to hide their instruments and writers to bury their work, as intellectualism was deemed counter-revolutionary. Adolf Hitler and the Nazis consolidated power by banning books, persecuting opposition, and using fear to control the populace. They targeted anti-Nazi judges, trade unions, religious leaders, Jewish communities, and Romani people, establishing concentration camps with horrific conditions. By the time the world intervened, Germans within the country had lost the power to get rid of Hitler.
A few days ago, I spoke to a woman who protested Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Though the U.S. has not declared war on Gaza or Hamas, she fears punishment for expressing her views. Her Egyptian-born son-in-law, despite his legal status, now feels targeted. Columbia, Harvard, and Portland State face threats of losing billions in funding for upholding free speech around the Palestinian issue.
I fear that the president is waiting for Democratic protests to turn violent as an excuse to declare martial law and seize dictatorial power. His recent rhetoric about invading Greenland and Panama is reckless. If he follows through, the only way to remove him might be through international intervention—a scenario too dire to imagine.
We must remain resolute and continue to speak out. Protests must remain nonviolent and follow Martin Luther King Jr.’s example of resisting oppression through peaceful means. Excuses to crack down on intellectuals and free expression will further erode democracy.
Our right to think, write, conduct research, and speak freely must be defended at all costs.
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Access to clean water cuts to the core of democracy. Access to clean water cuts to the core of democracy. It is being weaponized, pilfered, polluted, traded, and sold at astronomical prices. Access to clean water is a human right and not a commodity. The Water Factor is a Firebird International Award winner for best dystopian novel and a Literary Titan recipient for best thriller. Though fun to read, it carries a severe message about water scarcity. It is available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. It can be purchased on AMAZON, Barnes and Noble, and as an audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. Ask your bookstore to order a copy from Ingram. Please leave a review on Amazon after reading. Purchase while you can. I will happily zoom into your book club discussion.
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Resources:
BBC website.(2025) Why the Nazis were able to stay in power. Bitesize. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zgtyvcw/revision/3
NPR Website. (2025) Countries boost recruitment of American scientists amid cuts to scientific funding. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2025/03/29/nx-s1-5343966/countries-boost-recruitment-of-american-scientists-amid-cuts-to-scientific-funding
Britannica - Cultural Revolution: Chinese political movement. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/event/Cultural-Revolution
Please comment below. Share what you are doing to insure our children will grow up in a democratic country.
11/10/2024 4:09:30 PM
ACT LOCAL
Friends and Family: I'm excited to share the trailer for The Water Factor that was completed this week. Click on the image below to be among the first to see it. I appreciate the comments many of you shared after reading the first of my Rightfully Mine novels. I have a lot of fun ZOOMING into book clubs when invited to comment. Discussions have been inciteful and lively. A question asked most often is how to get the younger generation to become actively involved in shaping their future.
Though half the country is upset by the election, there is a great deal that can be done by putting national politics aside and helping improve your community. Neighbors who get to know each other tend to seek out commonality. They enjoy dinners together, celebrate age milestones, are there when their neighbor needs them, and can easily organize. It is easier to focus on local issues that affect you directly than on national and international problems beyond your control. The reason I decided to write a series of environmental thrillers is to explain how easily the public is manipulated when they don't pay attention.
The Water Factor was written to entertain, yet it provides insight into the consequences of water being treated as a commodity that's traded on Wall Street rather than as a public right. Turning control of local water systems over to private companies results in escalating water rates. But change is happening. Throughout the U.S., more communities are taking back control of systems subcontracted to private companies. I hope the novel inspires readers to pay attention to how utilities in their communities are managed. Ask yourself if you think taxpayers should pay for private entities to make a profit or if local utilities should be operated by PUDs (public utility districts). Studies show that private companies are not better at managing utilities than those under government control.
The book makes a great holiday present for those who like dystopian novels. It is also a gripping coming-of-age story for young adults. According to the UN, water is at the center of the climate crisis. THE WATER FACTOR, A RIGHTFULLY MINE NOVEL, is your chance to peer into the near future to a time of water scarcity controls by corporate criminals. It is available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. It can be purchased on AMAZON, Barnes and Noble, and as an audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. Could you ask your bookstore to order a copy from Ingram?
9/19/2024 12:24:53 PM
Yeah, the food's good but I won't go back!
The food is delicious, but my partner and I can't wait to leave. We can't hear each other talk over the din of clattering dishes, piped-in music, and patrons screaming at each other to be heard. After leaving this popular Portland restaurant, I vowed to pay more attention to the decibel ratings restaurant critics are starting to include in their articles.
I don't understand why people enjoy dining at a place that leaves them with a sore throat. Yet restaurant owners say people prefer loud noise when dining, though they may deny it. They claim customers are more likely to return when energized by the atmosphere. They also say it is a good way to turn tables. Some managers increase the volume and speed of their music to have patrons eat and drink faster. If you feel like you are being pushed out of a restaurant by the noise level, you probably are.
Interior decorators recommend unfinished ceilings and uncarpeted floors to save money. Warehouse restaurants are particularly difficult to soundproof, with a finished ceiling costing as much as $50,000. Eliminating tablecloths and wall coverings are cost-cutting measures that also increase decibel levels. More and more restaurants have levels that exceed 80 and damage ears. OUCH!
According to Bon Appetit, besides the rising cost of dining out, the most frequent complaint they receive is noise. I am among the complainers who like being able to talk in a normal voice and not strain to hear. This has led to making earlier reservations than I prefer or to ordering from a takeout menu when I don't want to cook.
Restaurant noise isn't a problem when I travel abroad. Not only can I hear what my table-mates say, but I'm never rushed. I feel free to linger over a glass of wine or cup of coffee, not worried that the server has to turn the table over to receive an extra tip. Dining out abroad is civilized and stress-free.
In researching this article, I read that rebellion is in the works. Noise complaints have reached a crescendo, and some restaurateurs are listening. If you are like me and prefer a quieter atmosphere, don't be afraid to tell your waiter. Change will occur when enough people express themselves. Your complaints may enable me to dine at my favorite restaurant again.
References:
Belluz, J. (2018) Restaurant Noise Levels. VOX. HTTPS://www.VOX.com/2/8/4/18/17168504/restaurants-noise-levels-loud-decibels
website(2024) Reasons why restaurants are so loud, Bon Appetit. https://bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/3-reasons-why-restaurants-are-so-loud
Please share your thoughts below.
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Lives of Museum Junkies tells what happened when a white paper was written complaining about industry using science museums to promote their products. It led to a reevaluation of the purpose of museum education and improved the way displays were constructed to include hands-on devices. If we unite our voices around restaurant design, we can get them to create more relaxed yet fun atmospheres where diners can hear each other while appreciating their food.
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Lives of Museum Junkies, second edition is available at Powells Books, on Amazon, KOBO, and Barnes and Noble. It tells of the struggle to fund and start museums with interactive devices that elucidate scientific innovations.
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8/11/2024 1:27:27 PM
Access to clean water cuts to the core of democracy. To see why, read my article published in Wordpeace, a literary online journal for peace and social justice. The Summer/Fall War and Peace issue, includes poems, stories, essays, and visual art reflecting on the world’s current struggles. My article in the non-fiction section, questions whether water is a right or a commodity. To read the essay, go to https://wordpeace.co/marilynne-eichinger/
The Water Factor: A Rightfully Mine Novel is a Firebird International Award winner for best dystopian novel and a Literary Titan recipient for best thriller. Though fun to read, it carries a serious message about water scarcity. The book is available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. It can be purchased on AMAZON, Barnes and Noble, and as an audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. Ask your bookstore to order a copy from Ingram. Please leave a review on Amazon after reading.
WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR DEMOCRACY? “The world's most powerful democracies are mired in seemingly intractable problems at home, including social and economic disparities, partisan fragmentation, terrorist attacks, and an influx of refugees that has strained alliances and increased fears of the ‘other.’” A Freedom House report.
Both right and left-wing pundits shout that democracy is in trouble and the “other” party is the cause. They make me wonder if the situation is as dire as they say. Our country has overcome political turmoil several times over the past hundred years. The Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and Vietnam gave rise to assassinations, riots, and a disgraced president. People distrusted our country’s economic system and the military-industrial complex and abhorred racial and political diversity, yet the underlying tenets of our democracy held firm. They trusted the voting system, and though some disagreed with the decisions, they didn’t question the Supreme Court’s loyalty to the Constitution.
The people's will came into question after two of the last four presidents won the popular vote, yet the opposition took office. That, along with the increasing use of filibusters, makes Senators unable to pass bills even when representing the majority of Americans. Representation in The House is also skewed, not reflecting the popular will because of gerrymandering. Political games have weakened the post office, FDA, OSHA, and EPA. The 2025 Republican document threatens the National Water Bureau with closure because water forecasters discuss global warming. After the Supreme Court treated corpora as individuals, special interest donations soared. This led to book bans, eliminating a woman’s right to choose and threats to gay, lesbian, and minority rights.
We say our country is democratic, yet we don’t allow the majority opinion to prevail. Laws governing taxation, the environment, and workplace protections favor the wealthy and penalize the middle class. Despite this, poor, rural, religious extremists and uneducated citizens continue to vote for wealthy oligarchs. How can the country consider itself a democracy when California, the world’s 5th largest economy, with a GDP of nearly $3.9 trillion in 2023 and a population of over 39 million, has the same number of Senators as South Dakota, the 47th worst U.S. economy with approximately 902,000 residents?
The recent trend toward authoritarianism is fueled by the frustration and cultural biases of those afraid of diversity. Democracy in a multicultural society creates challenges that require compromise and expanding attitudes toward gender, language, and foreign values. It is easier to reside in a monolithic society like Japan, Israel, Poland, North Korea, or Tanzania, where there is geographic isolation and religious and racial homogeneity. Nazi Germany practiced monoculturalism through genocide and a campaign for Pan-German nationalism. Democracy requires compromise for it to succeed.
The United States is the polar opposite of a monocultural society; it is a country with the greatest racial, ethnic, and religious diversity. Unfortunately, our differences spark a divisiveness that rears its head occasionally. We tarred, feathered, and hung enslaved Black people, sent Japanese citizens to internment camps, and labeled liberals as Communists because they wanted social reforms. White Christian Nationalist is rearing its ugly head once more in a country where forty-one percent of the people are not white, and thirty-seven percent say they are not Christian. The twenty-eight percent unaffiliated group is growing.
The U.N. has its hands full, and so do Americans. Thankfully, some counter-trends bring the world together. Trade and issues around global warming and technology create unifying standards. Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, PayPal, Mobile, Visa, Dove, Lipton, and Toyota are a few of the companies that sell worldwide. Coca-Cola, the most widespread, is restricted in North Korea.
The world’s future depends on getting along and compromising for the betterment of humanity and the plants and creatures that inhabit the globe with us. Though it may be difficult, there is no other choice if we are to survive. We will never be a democratic nation if billionaires contribute millions to elect candidates who will help them line their pockets with gold.
First, let’s keep the media and political pundits from lying and spreading rumors on social media. The winner-take-all nature of the Electoral College in most states exaggerates the problem, holding Americans captive by a minority opinion of Americans. Getting rid of it is a reasonable option. Access to water is a democratic issue. Should our citizens be held hostage by companies selling it for excessive gain? Can’t we have access to clean water at a reasonable price? It is time to Sing Leanard Cohen’s song about democracy, loud and clear.
"Democracy"
It's coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It's coming from the feel
that this ain't exactly real,
or it's real, but it ain't exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It's coming through a crack in the wall;
on a visionary flood of alcohol;
from the staggering account
of the Sermon on the Mount
which I don't pretend to understand at all.
It's coming from the silence
on the dock of the bay,
rom the brave, the bold, the battered
heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
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For the entire song, go to https://www.onourselvesandothers.com/democracy-usa-leonard-cohen/
Do comment on my site at www.eichingerfireart.com
References:
Why Democracy is in Peril and What we Can do About it Aspen Ideas. Retrieved from https://www.aspenideas.org/sessions/why-democracy-is-in-peril-and-what-we-can-do-about-it?
Why pluralism is shared for democracies. Washington Post. retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/25/yascha-mounk-why-pluralism-is-so-hard-for-democracy/
Pluralism: a vital challenge of the 21st century. THE Elders. Retrieved from https://theelders.org/news/pluralism-key-challenge-21st-century
Leonhardt, D. (2023) A Crisis Comment: The Twin Threats to American Democracy, New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/17/us/american-democracy-threats.html
Conversi, D. (2008). "Democracy, Nationalism, and Culture: A Social Critique of Liberal Monoculturalism." Sociology Compass. 2 (1): 156–182. doi:10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.00063.x.
Barbaro, Mi. (2016). Donald Trim Clung to Birther Lie for Years and Still Isn’t Apologetic. NY Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/us/politics/donald-trump-obama-birther.html?_r=0
5/3/2024 12:35:40 PM
Attaining Perfection is Difficult.
It’s near impossible to do everything right, though some people think automation and robots come closer to it than humans. We want our doctors to be perfect and not make mistakes. Still, what about book publishers? Unfortunately, AMAZON messed up the first few paperback editions of The Water Factory. It must have been surprising for purchasers to open the cover to 40 pages of another author’s book before getting to mine. Unless you think a misprinted book will become as valuable as a dollar with a printing error, I suggest you return it to AMAZON and ask for another. The printing was corrected, so you don’t have to worry.
It has been an exciting two weeks. Launching a novel is not easy. Every author wonders what will bring their book to the forefront of the thousands of books published daily. Part of a successful launch depends on friends and family. In appreciation of your support, I reduced the cost of the Kindle and paperback through the 20th of May. Purchasing it now will put me higher on AMAZON's complex algorithms.
What makes this week particularly exciting is the review The Water Factor received from Literary Titan, which will be shared with 60,000 followers. You can purchase it on AMAZON IN e-book and paperback formats. An audiobook will be available later this month. The Water Factor will be sold in bookstores in time for good summer reading.
To purchase now, go to https://www.amazon.com/Water-Factor-Rightfully-Mine-Novel/
THE WATER FACTOR—A RIGHTFULLY MINE NOVEL
“The Water Factor plunges readers into a gripping eco-thriller set in a dystopian near-future of 2039, a world not so far removed from our own. Here, the scarcity of water drives a tale of struggle, resistance, and survival, mirroring our current global water crisis. At the heart of the story is James Hokama Byrne, a character who embarks on a daring mission to steal water trucks for his drought-stricken community. The novel’s fusion of an urgent environmental theme with the classic elements of a thriller creates a compelling narrative that resonates with contemporary concerns about resource depletion and corporate greed.
Eichinger’s writing is both potent and poignant, vividly illustrating a world on the precipice of ecological collapse. The portrayal of a future where water is a precious and fought-over resource is unsettling yet believable, which is a stark reflection of current global water scarcity trends. What sets this novel apart is the author’s inclusion of indigenous perspectives on natural resources, which I thought was a rich and often overlooked dimension that adds depth and nuance to the environmental conversation.
One of the most riveting scenes in the book is the heist of water trucks led by James. In the dead of night, James and his team stealthily infiltrate a secure compound. This moment of high-stakes theft is not just about acquiring a vital resource it symbolizes a desperate fight against a corrupt system that commodifies water. It’s an exhilarating sequence that highlights the risks the characters are willing to take and the dire state of their world.
The Water Factor is a thought-provoking and timely novel. Its fusion of environmental issues with thrilling elements will appeal to readers who enjoy suspense novels that not only entertain but also inform and provoke reflection. Particularly recommended for fans of eco-thrillers and readers interested in environmental activism.” Literary Titan
Can't help but love them!
If you have questions, are interested in a book talk, or would like a Zoom meeting with your bookclub, contact me at [email protected].
3/30/2024 5:48:31 PM
The Water Factor will be available mid-April online and in bookstores in audio, paperback, and ebook formats.
Alder trees is part of a series of paintings with tree bark added to the canvas.
Water: Good Stewardship
n previous blogs, I discussed factors that created a water crisis that global communities are grappling with. Though the situation is dire, and 663 million people lack access to safe drinking water, countries are becoming more proactive in instituting reforms. Because of strict regulatory policies, Switzerland, Norway, Luxemburg, and France have the cleanest drinking water in the world. Australia, Israel, Namibia, Singapore, and South Africa, incorporate water reuse into their water management programs for domestic, agricultural irrigation, and industrial purposes.
Southern Nevada, has the most comprehensive and progressive water programs in the United States. When Las Vegas was situated in the desert near Springs Preserve, approximately 4,000 gallons of water per minute flowed downhill toward the city. By the 1920s, the population grew so large that the spring couldn't support its visitors. When the spring's water stopped spurting from the ground, they started pumping. And, when the table continued to drop, valley residents tapped into the Colorado River hundreds of miles away.
The state signed the Colorado River Compact, dividing the river's water among Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and later Utah and Mexico. Las Vegas's 100,000 residents benefited when The Hoover Dam was constructed in 1932, creating the Lake Mead Reservoir that for years provided them with plenty of water. But since that time, until today, water in the reservoir has been in continuous decline, causing political infighting and interim agreements. In 2022, the Federal government declared a water shortage for states dependent on the Colorado River. Some futurists predict Las Vegas will eventually be abandoned. Anticipating a crisis in 2020, the city began implementing policies to reduce water consumption. What they did pushed back their worries for the next twenty years. Some of the changes they made flow:
1) Las Vegas saved 55 gallons per square foot by converting turf grass on golf courses to drip-irrigated desert landscapes.
2) Swimming pool sizes, which were limited to 600 square feet in 2022, are expected to save more than 32 million gallons over the next 10 years.
3) Water flowing down the drain from all shows and faucets is treated at wastewater plants and recycled. The treated water is discharged and flows into Lake Mead until needed. Approximately 40 percent of water is continuously reused. MGM Resorts returns 75 percent of its water to Lake Mead. They train guests and staff to conserve.
4) Hotel guests are encouraged to reuse tools and bedding to reduce laundry volumes.
5) Hotels replaced grass landscapes with artificial turf and drought-tolerant plants.
6) 90 percent of the water of the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay is reused.
7) Motels and newer homes collect rainwater from the roof and send it to cisterns where it is stored, treated, and used for cooling and other purposes.
8) Casinos now use Solar Energy to cut energy costs. Their buildings have become more energy efficient, they collect and monitor data and their staffs use less harsh cleaning supplies when performing custodial tasks.
9) Car washes are recommended because their water is recycled and they have high-pressure, low-volume equipment. No more than 10 gallons are allowed per car. Shut-off nozzles are required when using a hose to car wash at home.
Las Vegas residents and businesses are impressive in their efforts to reduce water consumption, yet a growing population and increased attractions continue to tax their water and sewage systems. If Lake Mead went dry, Las Vegas would lose access to 90 percent of its water, and though there may be enough drinking water, agricultural activities would come to a halt.
Nevada is one of many cities worldwide looking to alleviate water shortages. California dreams of getting water from the Great Lakes in the Midwest or the Columbia River on the West Coast. However, doing so would put these great bodies of water in the same situation as the Colorado River is today. With water scarcity an increasing challenge for the nearly 8.1 billion people inhabiting our planet, it behooves everyone on Earth to be conscious of how this critical resource is cared for.
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What are you and your community doing to preserve water? Please share your thoughts on my blogsite at www.eichingerfineart.com/blog
Art is always for sale. Original acrylic painting of Alder trees is available for $595, canvas prints for $99. Both delivered to your home in continental U.S. without charge. for information contact me at [email protected]
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References:
Website: Ten Top Countries with the Healthiest Tap Water. Pentair Water Solutions.
https://www.pentair.com/en-us/water-softening-filtration/blog/top-10-countries-with-the-healthiest-tap-water.html
Website. Draft National Water Reuse Action Plan: Appendix G. U.S> Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/documents/water-reuse-2019-appendix-g.pdf
Website: Global Water Crisis Facts - 665 Million People Lack Access. waterisbasic.org
retrieved from: https://www.waterisbasic.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8J6wBhDXARIsAPo7QA_f2O0sNjpVF1oaI93uU9ZU27ISiskUqakY4fev5PaKI_find89QncaAgr9EALw_wcB
Website. Our Approach to Water Stewardship - MGM Resorts. retrieved from https://www.mgmresorts.com/en/company/esg/protecting-the-planet/water.html#:~:text=Water%20Efficient%20Guest%20Operations,water%20by%20reducing%20laundry%20volumes
Website Drought and Conservation Measures, Las Vegas Valley Water District. retrieved from https://www.lvvwd.com/conservation/measures/index.html
3/23/2024 10:39:42 AM
THE WILLAMETTE FALLS
Willamette Falls Power Station was formed in 1888 at the end of the Oregon Trail. It was the first station in North America to transmit power over electric lines between two cities. Before then, the falls were an important fishing and trading location for many tribes. After the power station was constructed, it became home to paper mills that are crumbling and falling into the river today. A tribal coalition plans to restore the falls to its pre-industrial condition with a new public access project on the river's west side.
WATER AND THE WTO
The World Trade Organization (WTO) conference was hosted in Seattle in 1999. It initiated one of the largest protests the city had ever seen. I never understood why my neighbors to the north were so agitated. As the world’s largest international economic organization with an overall objective to use trade to raise living standards, create jobs, and improve people’s lives, their goals sound more than reasonable. The intergovernmental organization provides a framework for countries to negotiate trade agreements and resolve differences, and it promotes free trade by reducing barriers to it, like tariffs. Don’t developing nations need our help? And don’t we like the inexpensive gadgets provided by companies that manufacture abroad?
Free trade sounded good to me, so why the protests? And why were tensions so high during this February’s annual WTO conference? The meeting revealed bad feelings between industrialized nations, like those between China and the United States, and the conflicts between industrialized nations and activists who want a greater say in rules managing their country’s trade.
Protesters view WTO as an organization devised to increase the profits of international corporations. Their regulations allowed foreign companies to take over critical services with little oversight. WTO rules say little about unfair trade practices like cartel agreements, price fixing, and the abuse of dominant position on the market. Economists Dan Rodrik and Ha Joon Chang and anthropologist Marc Edelman argue that the WTO "only serves the interests of multinational corporations, undermines local development, penalizes poor countries, [and] is increasing inequality.” All too many agreements have led to restricted access to food, water, and healthcare, causing large numbers of deaths.
I delved further into water rights and water and wastewater management systems to understand the relationship between the WTO, the World Bank, The International Monetary Fund, and international corporations repairing infrastructure problems. I label the WTO as the Fixer. The Fixer goes into a country to deregulate its industry, softening the reluctance of elected officials to protectionist policies. This opens the way for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to offer loans with interests that can tax a fragile economy to the hilt. With money guaranteed and oversight slight, international water cartels are willing to take over community water systems. This often leads to rising water rates and draining aquifers farmers have depended on for generations. Companies are able to acquire water rights to bottle and sell it back at 2,000 times the cost of getting it from a kitchen faucet or pumping it from a well.
Water is also vital to manufacturing. When it’s diverted to produce widgets, companies abuse the privilege by polluting the rivers with industrial waste, making the water inaccessible for livestock and human consumption. When diverted to large agriculture, small farmers losing water rights are forced off the land with nowhere to go. Peasant protests are becoming common. “Take agriculture out of WTO” is a familiar protest cry. Indigenous and peasant communities are also affected and are seen campaigning for rights to land, water, and governance of their own people.
Understanding the positive and negative aspects of the WTO is complex. International trade can reduce production costs, lower prices, and provide more choices. Looking at the U.S., you can understand what happens when production is outsourced to countries with struggling economies. It leaves our workers struggling to make a living wage. However, protections in affluent markets raise domestic prices and affect consumers in poorer countries. When global food imports are sky-high, the least developed countries that depend on them suffer. According to an article in Sage Magazine, “Since 2004, attention in the WTO has shifted from overarching human rights concerns toward a focus on technical detail constraining developing countries from acting to respect, protect, and fulfill the right to food.” This goes for water as well.
This review scratches the surface of a multifaceted issue that forms a backdrop for The Water Factor, a Rightfully Mine eco-thriller about corporate crime. The book will be available to pre-order on Amazon. Look for my announcement next Saturday.
Please share your thoughts on my blog site at www,eichingerfineart.com/blog
The Willamette Falls Painting is in a private collection. To see other art, go to www. echingerfineart.com or for information, contact me at [email protected].
References:
Website (2024) World Trade Organization: Promoting Free Trade. Academy 4SC. Retrieved from https://academy4sc.org/video/world-trade-organization-promoting-free-trade/?
Website (2024) Who we are. World Trade Organization. retrieved from https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/who_we_are_e.htm#:~:text
Hawkes, S.& Plahe, K (2018) Worlds apart: The WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture and the Right for food in developing countries. Sage Publications. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0192512112445238?icid=int.sj-full-text
Website (2024): The World Trade Organization should reorient from rule-making to dialogue. Retrieved from https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/03/world-trade-organization-should-reorient-rule-making-dialogue
WTO website. (2024) The WTO can…cut living costs and raise living standards. Retrieved from https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/10thi_e/10thi01_e.htm
The Water Factor will be available for pre-sales on Amazon in paperback and ebook editions by the first of April.
Book Launch -- Mid-April
3/16/2024 3:43:45 PM
SEE All
Be wise like the owl and see what is going on in your community so you know how to vote and take action.
Water: A Right or Commodity?
For millions of years, the animal kingdom treated access to clean and safe water as a For millions of years, the animal kingdom treated access to clean and safe water as a fundamental right necessary for life. In 2010, the United Nations recognized the right to water and sanitation as essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights. It took twenty years to get there. Advocates for this perspective believe that water should be managed as a public good, ensuring equitable access for all, regardless of ability to pay.
In 1992, at the U.N.'s International Conference on Water and the Environment, The Dublin Principle declared water an "Economic good" for the first time, spurring water to be traded for the first time. The debate of whether it was a commodity or not escalated until corporations took matters into their own hands. In the Hague, 5,700 people gathered at the World Water Forum convened by big business in 2002. The topic was how to benefit from selling water globally. Though U.N. officials, The World Bank, WTO, and 140 governments were non-voting attendees, they were not voting members. The main players were Vivendi, Suez, and food procession conglomerates like Nestlé. Since then, water has been one of the most actively traded commodities on Wall Street. It can be bought, sold, and allocated based on supply and demand. Proponents argue that treating water as a commodity encourages efficient allocation and incentivizes investment in water infrastructure and technologies.
The debate continues as water scarcity increases due to global warming and population growth. We are no longer a hunter-gatherer society wandering the globe, and stopping at freshwater holes. Nor are we farmers with guaranteed rights to collect water from clean-flowing streams and rivers on our properites. Today's access to water revolves around the cost of managing it sustainably and efficiently.
With 89 percent of the U.S. population and 68 percent of the world's population in cities, water scarcity is a pressing issue made worse by automotive runoff, household contaminants, industrial waste, and pesticides that pollute waterways. Wishing for filtered water to come to our kitchens and bathrooms for practically free is a dream, but with rates so high, an increasing number of residents can't pay their water bills. In Detroit, tens of thousands of households had their water shut off in 2014 because they couldn't pay their bills. One mother asked a U.N. representative, how he could deny a person the right to use a toilet.
Flint, Michigan, residents have dangerously high lead levels in their bodies and experience various health problems due to a mismanaged water system. Though not directly connected to Flint's problems, Nestlé has been depleting local wells and wetlands nearby, paying almost nothing to bottle and sell it. In California, Nestlé pumps water from the San Bernardino National Forest for its Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water.
Forty-four nations, including the United States, abstained from the U.N.'s resolution affirming the human right to clean drinking water and sanitation. The U.S. argued that water was not a human right despite its being necessary for survival. Since it passed, the resolution is a legally binding international law stating that water and sanitation must be sufficient, safe, acceptable, accessible, and affordable (not more than three percent of a household's income). Unfortunately, this laudable goal is failing, with the attempt to gain private water rights growing.
Extensive land purchases are being made in America, Africa, and Asia for the water that goes with it. It has been labeled as the "great water grab." JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank increased their water investments and companies like Northwest Natural Gas and PGE in Oregon have departments devoted to purchasing water rights. Companies that bottle and sell water, energy companies involved in fracking, and industries that use water to sell their goods have a huge incentive to acquire water rights. Some of the largest water corporations, like Suez and Bechtel, have taken over municipal systems worldwide to much criticism.
After the 2020 heatwave in California, The Chicago Mercantile Exchange allowed farmers, hedge funds, and municipalities to begin hedging against future water availability, with $1.1 billion in contracts at stake. This put a basic human right in the hands of financial institutions and investors. Rather than protecting the environment and ensuring universal access at a reasonable cost, privatizing water guarantees corporate profits will go to private companies. Activist David Hall studies past examples of privatization. A common example is what Guinea experienced where prices became seven times higher than those of their neighbors. On average, communities with privatized utilities have bills that are 59 percent higher than those with public providers. Given this statistic, why would any community let its PUD slide into public-private arrangements that raise rates?
Change is happening slowly due to rising alarm. Last year, U.N. experts concurred that water should be managed as a common good and urged the United States to "ensure that human rights and water defenders be placed at the core of the UN-Water Conference." They convened a three-day session to consider the global water situation for the first time in 50 years.
In my area, The Portland Utility Board (PUB) serves as a community-based advisory board for the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) and the Portland Water Bureau (PWB). In 1999, Portland employees provided eighty-five percent of its drinking water and 95 percent of wastewater treatment. Since then, the market began opening up to private providers for capital to repair or replace aging infrastructure without going to the public for bond approvals. In 2023, The Portland Water Bureau seated twenty-eight contract teams for projects worth $1.83 billion.
My hope is that our cities will end this practice. Private companies are difficult to monitor, and their goal to make money for shareholders is passed on to consumers. I agree with the Indigenous nations that signed an agreement "reject absolutely the commodification, privatization and dispossession of water being implemented by states and private sector entities around the world."
The way Indianapolis shows us that with proper incentives, public employees can be as competitive as outside vendors was an example in the City Club of Portland Report on Privatization of Government Services. Non-profit entities can manage as well as for-profit neighbors. Rather than changing the Monopoly board going forward, let's continue to keep Public Utility districts government-owned for the public good.
Your thoughts are always welcome. Please share them below.
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Help me launch The Water Factor in mid-April and write a review. It will first be available online in paperback, ebook, and audio versions and in bookstores by August.
References:
Burtka, A. & Montgomery, W. (2018) A right to water - Is water a human right or a commodity? ERB INSTITUTE, University of Michigan. Retrieved from https://erb.umich.edu/2018/05/30/a-right-to-water-is-water-a-human-right-or-a-commodity/#:~:text
Statements and Speeches (2023) Water is a common good, not a commodity: UN experts. United Nations Human Rights. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2023/03/water-common-good-not-commodity-un-experts
Shukla, N. (2021) Water is Now Being Traded as a Commodity Amid Fear of Scarcity. Earth Org.Retrieved from https://earth.org/water-trade/
DiFelice. M. & Grant, M. (2022) We Have a Right to Water. The U.S. has yet to Deliver. Food & Water Watch. retrieved from www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2022/09/15/we-have-a-right-to-water-the-u-s-has-not-delivered/
The City Club of Portland (1990) Privatization of Government Services. Report. Retrieved. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1492&context=oscdl_cityclub
Newcomb, T. (2023) Portland, Ore., Picks Contractors for $1.8 B in Water Projects ENRNOrthwest. retrieved from https://www.enr.com/articles/56809-portland-ore-picks-contractors-for-18b-in-water-projects
Website. Historic UN 2023 Water Conference generates transformative commitments. United Nation. Retrieved from https://www.unwater.org/news/historic-un-2023-water-conference-generates-transformative-commitments
Website. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DECLARATION FOR THE 2023 UNITED NATIONS WATER CONFERENCE. Retrieved from https://www.iitc.org/indigenous-peoples-declaration-for-the-2023-united-nations-water-conference/
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SEE ALL is a 24” by 48” by 2” acrylic painting available for $895. Free shipping in continental U.S. Purchase online or contact me at [email protected]
3/2/2024 5:42:49 PM
You are the first to view the cover graphic for The Water Factor, a thriller about the corporate takeover of water. Though set in the future, everything in the story is based on fact. You'll be surprised, horrified, intrigued, and concerned about water cartels operating throughout the world without much oversight. They consider water to be blue gold, a commodity to buoy up billionaires, letting millions drown in poverty. The Water Factor will be in bookstores and online by mid-April. Over the next few weeks, I will share some of my underlying research, with a few insights gleaned from what I learned. I hope that people will become better informed and do more to protect the most important substance needed to support life.
114 Degrees Fahrenheit
With the thermometer rising and sweat pouring down my face, I went to my studio to paint heat. Never had I been so miserable without air conditioning. To make matters worse, forest fires were blazing in the northwest and we had to keep windows closed even during the early hours when the temperature dropped a few degrees. There is no denying it. Global warming is real and likely to get worse in the future.
Over the next few weeks, I hope you will share your thoughts about water. Do you consider it to be a right or a commodity?
I look forward to reading the comments written below.
Art is always for sale. 114 Degrees Fahrenheit is a framed acrylic painting on canvas, delivered free to your home in continental U.S.
3/11/2023 11:51:17 AM
Though there are stories of rape in Lives of Museum Junkies and Over the Peanut Fence explains what happens when LGBTQ youth are sent from their homes, these books aren't yet banned. You can find them in bookstores and on Amazon in paperback and ebook formats. You might want to purchase them before it's too late.
"Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature…but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself-" John Milton, author of Paradise Lost wrote in his 1644 book, Areopagitica.
Oh, no--not again!
Banning books has a long dark history, spanning every continent. Still, it is surprising to see it happening again. Unfortunately, Florida, Texas, and other conservative states are doing just that. Totalitarian regimes throughout history are the ones that target culture. I fear the United States is headed in that direction. White and Christian nationalism has spurred action that belies the founding documents that assure us freedom of speech, the press, and worship.
In Germany, the Nazi German Student Association declared war on the Un-German Spirit, and in 1933 initiated public purges by fire. Under a symbol of intolerance and censorship, works of Jewish, liberal, and leftist writers went up in flames. Joseph Goebbels gave a speech shouting! No to decadence and moral corruption! Yes to decency and morality in a family state!" Among those on their blacklist were Ernest Hemingway, Karl Marx, Bertolt Brecht, Thomas Mann, Jack London, Helen Keller, and Theodore Dreiser.
Hitler Youth members burn books, 1938 - (Smithsonian Magazine)
Over thousands of years, libraries and books have been targeted by all ethnicities. In 1817 students got rid of anti-national and reactionary texts and literature they too thought to be "Un-German." Years later, in 2012, al-Quida Islamists invaded Malii and then Timbuktu, destroying priceless manuscripts. Thankfully Abdel Kader Haidara and others risked their lives smuggling out 350,000 manuscripts.
To gain greater control over his people, the Chinese emperor, Qin She Huang, ordered a bonfire of books. Poetry, philosophy, and history went up in flames so a comparison wouldn't be made between him and other rulers. When Mao Zedong took power, the cultural revolution destroyed books that didn't conform to party propaganda. Australia banned books like Brave New World and Lady Chatterley's Lover.
A long list of emperors and leaders threatened by the ideas of others felt themselves to be victims of malicious writings. In Livy's History of Rome, he writes that Bacchanalia (200-150 BC) outlawed writings to prevent disorder and the spread of foreign customs. The Catholic church burned books and manuscripts along with heretics who attacked church doctrine and practices like indulgences and cosmological readings. More recently (1981), the Jaffna Public Library of Sri Lanka, home to 100,000 rare books of Tamil history and literature, was burned by Sinhalese Buddhists. Though they outnumbered the Tamils, the Buddhists felt their beliefs were under threat by the Hinduism of the Tamils.
Unfortunately, many of today's leaders are too weak to allow divergent viewpoints to circulate. They feel threatened and compelled to wipe writing they disagree with from the historical record. Over the past century, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, and A Separate Peace have all been subject to bans. So have the works of children's authors J.K. Rowling and Judy Blume.
Under President George W. Bush, EPA libraries were threatened with closure. In 2014, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper locked away or destroyed scientific research documents. Scientists working for Fisheries and Oceans were prevented from doing science. Their knowledge was purposefully taken from the public.
Power is scary when it allows someone to negate others' beliefs and put into effect their own logic as though they were a god. Historian, Barbara Tuchman, warned in her 1980 address at the Library of Congress, "Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, and thought and speculation at a standstill. Without books, the development of civilization would have been impossible.”
Today's bans are aimed at the LGBTQ community and race. States like Florida are prohibiting teachers to discuss black history before 1965. Gay, lesbian, and transvestite issues are not to be mentioned. Florida is not alone in negating history and biology. There were 2,532 instances of book bans across the nation between July 2021 and June 2022 and over 100 bills were initiated at the state level to censor them.
Book bans are devastating to authors and gay teens who see the community treat them as being abnormal. Banning denies students the right to receive a culturally and biologically relevant education. Youth need to be given a broad spectrum of information and learn how to analyze issues that are raised. They are our future lawmakers and their minds have to be open to change. By 2040, white people will no longer account for the majority of the U.S. population. White supremacy is bound to fail in the end. Whether it will do so without bloodshed remains to be seen.
The first amendment guarantees freedom of thought and expression. If you advocate for this freedom, speak out and fight against censorship tactics. If you hear of censorship, contact the local press to write about it. Show up at meetings where decisions are being made. It may be a PTA meeting, a school board, or a public event. Whatever you do, make your voice heard. People, including students, need a balanced perspective to make objective decisions. Books are a way to unite us in freedom, while censorship is divisive.
Suggestions to combat censorship: Read a banned book. Speak out publicly. Host a banned books party. Volunteer at your local library. Join your library or school board so you'll have a seat at the table. Contact the press and let the public know what is happening.
Isn't this supposed to be the land of the free and the home of the brave? Please share your thoughts below. _________
For those interested in knowing more, the following information was taken from an article in The Daily Beast.
Five Book Ban Trends to Watch in 2023
1. Laws to limit access to information.
Since the summer of 2022, Florida schools have been removing books with LGBTQ+ content under threat of punishment from what critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law. In Missouri and Utah, new laws concerning the distribution of material deemed "harmful to minors" have led schools and librarians to cull their collections, scuttling away books with any nudity or sexual content
2. Changed policies making book banning easier.
One Pennsylvania district passed vague rules last summer about what kinds of books can be purchased. In the fall, a Texas district passed a prohibition on all books that discuss "gender fluidity." In Florida and South Carolina, districts have suspended access to slates of books when challenged, then rewritten their policies to justify such bans retroactively. And in Tennessee, a politically-appointed commission will soon have the power to ban books across the state's schools, and some commission members do not want to have to read the books before banning them.
3. Activists are equating all sexual content with pornography.
The pressure to root out such content appears to be working, as some schools and librarians have determined that even classic works like The Handmaid's Tale or The Bluest Eye, or books about puberty like It's Perfectly Normal, are somehow indecent materials that lack value for minors because they have sexual content. This dragnet is sweeping up memoirs and works of fiction that might teach young adults about consent, sexual assault, or date rape-and parallel new efforts in some states to censor education about abortion.
4. Censorship efforts are intensifying at public libraries.
Though schools are at the epicenter of a movement it is spreading to public libraries. In numerous states libraries have been facing demands to remove lists of books, and to ban LGBTQ-themed books, displays, and content in children's sections. When one Michigan library refused to ban a handful of LGBTQ+ books, local citizens mounted a campaign and voted to stop funding it.
5. Proposals to regulate books are getting more extreme.
The city council in League City, Texas, for example, recently voted to prohibit purchasing, displaying, or stocking books with certain content from any public library. In doing so, they are empowering local governments to dictate what books all citizens can freely access. Likewise, in Texas and Oklahoma, bills recently introduced would require new age ratings for books, which would be used to strictly police their public availability. Unlike rating systems for movies or music which are industry-driven, the Texas proposal would give the state new authority to set and enforce these ratings. Publishers that don't comply would lose access to the state's public school market entirely.
References:
Oliver, D. (2023) What happens to our culture when books are banned: ‘A chilling effect’. USA Today. retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2023/02/22/book-bans-what-happens-culture/11262643002/
Holocaust Museum website. (2-23) Book Burning. Holocaust Encyclopedia. retrieved from https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/book-burning
Boissoneault, L. (2017) A Brief History of Book Burning, From the Printing Press to Internet Archives. Smithsonian Magazine. retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/brief-history-book-burning-printing-press-internet-archives-180964697/
Rogerson, K. ( 2023) The State of Book Bans in the US win 2023. Lit Reactor. retrieved from https://litreactor.com/columns/more-the-state-of-book-bans-in-the-us-in-2023
Friedman, J. (2023) Here are 5 book Ban Trends to Watch in 2023. Daily Beast. retrieved from https://www.thedailybeast.com/here-are-five-book-ban-trends-to-watch-in-2023
10/21/2022 9:51:03 PM
Loyalty and Responsibility
Most people I speak to consider homeless teens to be self-centered misfits who don't care about society. Yet, the opposite is true. One of the surprising things I learned while researching Over the Peanut Fence is that homeless youth follow a strong ethical code. Though they may appear to be antisocial in their parents’ homes, on the streets they develop a loyalty to their friends and obey unspoken rules that help them survive.
Zach, the young man I wrote about in Over the Peanut Fence, described a situation he found himself in when responding to a friend’s invitation to couch surf at her place. She and two girlfriends shared an apartment, but when ten street kids were invited there to party, her roommates didn’t approve. As the evening progressed, the celebrant's raucous behavior was more than the roommates could take and they asked them to leave. Their request was ignored. As more drugs and alcohol consumed the noise escalated, adding to the roommates' upset. They finally took matters into their own hands and called the police. Zach shared what happen next.
“Me and a friend were outside smoking at the time and enjoying fresh air when we seen a police car approaching.” Zach said, “We ran inside to clean up.”
I stopped his story, for I was surprised he didn’t run. When asked why he returned to the apartment, he answered as though I were a nitwit. “You never leave your friends hangin’. It’s the first law of the streets.”
The boys returned to gather up the remnants of pot, bongs, pipes, and related drug paraphernalia and hid them under mattresses and in holes covered by toilet paper stacks. When the police pounded on the door, Zach's friend did not want to let them in, but her roommates shouted out that they were the ones who had called the police, so there was no stopping them from entering. The partiers were put in a back room except for Zach, who had talked back to the cops, and the boy who had been smoking with him outside Yet, though they seared the house, they found little of interest.
“All of a sudden,” Zach went on, “I realized that we had cleaned the apartment but forgot about what we was carrying on our bodies. I had a wad of pot in my pocket ready to be used in my soda-pop pipe. The bulge was so obvious that the cops found it and cuffed us immediately. Then they found that my friend was carrying heroin. That’s when I got really scared. The police grabbed us both and got ready to take us to the station to be charged with possession of illegal drugs.
“I went crazy and screamed that I never used heroin. Luckily I was backed by Jenny. Since the only thing the police had on me was possession of a small amount of marijuana, I was let go, but they were angry because I acted belligerently. I was given a $1,200 ticket while my buddy was pushed out the door and taken to jail.”
The fine was staggering for a person with no income, and Zach would never have paid it off if it wasn’t for us insisting that he do so. We lent him the amount of the fine without interest, and over time, he paid most of it back. The boy Zach called his friend, was a kid he had just met earlier that evening. After the boy was hauled away, Zach didn’t follow up to see how he was doing. He thought of everyone on the street as a friend and part of his family until something happened and they moved on.
Social workers say that youths who follow the rules of the street can be rintegratedinto society. It is a sign that they are engaged and feel loyalty and responsibility to others. The goal is to help these young people to transfer those feelings to society at large. After mentoring Zach for five years, that transformation took place. As a young adult, he is a caring, respectful member of his community.
Homeless youth don't belong in the same category as unhoused adults, for they are malleable and can be educated and inspired to become their better selves.When I see them floundering on street corners, I hope they'll seek assistance from organizations like Outside In, Naya, and New Avenues for Youth. They are young and feel trapped, but most can be helped to find a way that won't lead to a lifetime of drug addiction and crime. They are worth paying attention to if we want to part keep our cities livable.
Do share your stories and interactions with homeless and runaway youth in the comment area below.
Over the Peanut Fence is available in paperback and ebook formats in bookstores and online. To purchase on Amazon go to https://www.amazon.com/Over-Peanut-Fence-Barriers-Homeless-ebook/dp/B07Q7SLRM3
