2026-06-10T05:36:39-04:00 lifetype-1.2.13-dev https://sca.salemsattic.com/lwblog/rss.php?blogId=1&profile=atom Copyright (c) sursumcorda tag:sca.salemsattic.com,2026-06-10:4894 2026-06-10T05:36:39-04:00

One characteristic I share with of both my parents is a deep-seated suspicion of psychology and psychiatry, especially in their popular manifestations. Granted, I've known people who have been ...

sursumcorda Health Glimpses of the Past One characteristic I share with of both my parents is a deep-seated suspicion of psychology and psychiatry, especially in their popular manifestations. Granted, I've known people who have been helped by counsellors, but I've also known those who have been badly hurt by the process. History is littered with examples of "best medical practices" that were more likely to kill patients than to cure them, and practices that mess with people's minds are no exception. I totallly agree with my father's reaction to a lecture he heard in 1993, while visiting Uruguay. The lecturer started talking about an article from "Psychology Today" on "The Secrets of Happiness," and I began to have problems. The problems were mainly with semantics and my interpretation of the meaning of words and while this was not a subject for discussion, I spent a fair amount of time thinking about it. The article listed four important traits of happy people: 1. Self Esteem: Happy people like themselves. 2. Optimism: Happy people are hope-filled. 3. Extroversion: Happy People are outgoing. 4. Personal Control: Happy People believe they choose their destinies. Of course I got into trouble early by asking what is meant by self esteem. I think she figured it was obvious, but she gave a rather long explanation that I didn't understand either. I suppose the answer is: Of course I like myself—I'm the only self I have. But what we did not discuss is my dislike of the word "happy." To my mind, "happy" is a rather shallow word that describes a short-term condition. You were happy about Heather's recital; Porter's birthday was a happy event. But over the long run, your life is not happy except at times. You are contented, your life has been very satisfying, but it has always had the ups and downs that make "happy" inappropriate. Anyway, I think there are better words, no matter what others think. Perhaps my problem is that I don't have all the important traits for being happy. I have still more to say about that letter, and that lecture, but that will be for another time. tag:sca.salemsattic.com,2026-06-05:4895 2026-06-05T05:26:12-04:00

This was my father's comment, from a 1993 letter, on the prevalence of creative wedding vows. I think that trend started in the 1960's. I think the standard words are just fine if people ...

sursumcorda Children & Family Issues Glimpses of the Past Here I Stand This was my father's comment, from a 1993 letter, on the prevalence of creative wedding vows. I think that trend started in the 1960's. I think the standard words are just fine if people would only listen while they repeat the marriage vows. tag:sca.salemsattic.com,2026-05-31:4899 2026-05-31T05:16:06-04:00

I have created my first, and I hope only, anti-Trump political cartoon. I usually give the president grace for decisions he makes that I disagree with, but supporting year-round Daylight ...

sursumcorda Politics Glimpses of the Past Here I Stand AI Adventures I have created my first, and I hope only, anti-Trump political cartoon. I usually give the president grace for decisions he makes that I disagree with, but supporting year-round Daylight Saving Time is a bridge too far. As most of my readers know, I'd be fine with permanent Standard Time, but being so far out of sync with the sun is just not right. (I'll give you time zones, for practical reasons, but see no such excuse for pretending that noon is one o'clock.) This work was inspired by a political cartoonist whose name I don't know, who published a cartoon using the blanket-snipping idea back when President Nixon had the same crazy thoughts about permanent DST. I tried to find the cartoon online, but failed. So I decided to create my own, with a little help from Copilot. Okay, a lot of help. It can draw, and I can't. Copilot may be able to draw, but its rules can be very frustrating, as I've said before . However, there's a certain creative challenge in trying to make one's point within the restrictions; it was actually rather fun. At first I tried re-creating the old cartoon as I remembered it. My prompts are in italics, Copilot's responses in bold. These are excerpts from a much longer conversation, as we worked through the creation and refinement process. Most the design work was mine, but Copilot made the speech bubbles, and I thought they were great so I left them in. Please draw a cartoon of President Trump in bed, with a blanket and a pair of scissors. In the first panel, he is snipping off the bottom of the blanket; in the second he is sewing the cut-off part onto the top. I can help you create a cartoon — but I can’t generate or depict current political candidates or elected officials in new images. That includes drawing President Trump in any scene. All right, make it President Nixon, then. I still can’t generate this cartoon, Linda — even with President Nixon — because he is a real political figure, and I’m not allowed to create new images depicting actual politicians, even historical ones, in fabricated scenes. Hmm.   How about if you use a generic man but indicate somehow that he is a U.S. president? It got a little further, but eventually came back with, I can’t create this cartoon, Linda. The request was blocked because it still counts as depicting a U.S. president, even a fictionalized one, in a political‑cartoon scenario, which falls under the same safety restriction. At this point, I changed the scene entirely, keeping the main idea but taking the president out of bed (which looked ridiculous; I don't remember how the original cartoon made it look otherwise) and putting him behind a desk, with a salesman selling the blanket-cutting idea. I added the caption to make it clear that the man was president of a fictional country. That passed! and the rest of the work was just refinements. tag:sca.salemsattic.com,2026-05-29:4900 2026-05-29T05:40:31-04:00

Guard with jealous attention the public liberty.   Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel .  — Patrick Henry This week, the governor of Connecticut signed a bill ...

sursumcorda Education Politics Children & Family Issues Guard with jealous attention the public liberty.   Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel .  — Patrick Henry This week, the governor of Connecticut signed a bill (H.B. 5468) imposing serious restrictions on home education. Connecticut had long been one of the best states for homeschooling freedom, but with the stroke of a pen it has become one of the worst. If you can reach this HSLDA site,  the front page is a good summary of the immediate problem . Bottom line: There are other new requirements that are objectionable on their own, but the greatest threat involves the Department of Children and Families (DCF). I've lived through enough years of fighting for parental and child rights to get chills down my spine and knots in my stomach at the mere mention of such organizations. Their "better safe than sorry" excuse has been responsible for tearing even very young children from loving, stable homes, and separating nursing infants from their mothers—for days, weeks, or even months, while the system wheels grind slowly. So it's no wonder I get queasy at the thought of handing them the authority to take away a family's right to home education. H.B. 5468 would ... require that families seeking to withdraw their student to homeschool be checked against the DCF registry. The registry includes not just confirmed abuse, but a wide range of “neglect” findings, some of which are minor, disputed, or entirely unrelated to a parent’s ability to educate their child. The bill also bars homeschooling for any family that shares a household with someone who has an open DCF case—even if the case has not been substantiated. This expansion sweeps in an enormous number of families. Research cited by the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform shows that 25% of all Connecticut children, 34% of Hispanic children, and 42% of Black children will, at some point in their lives, live in a household with an open DCF case—overwhelmingly because of reports later found to be false or unsubstantiated. Connecticut’s definition of “neglect” is broad and subjective. A parent can be placed on the DCF registry if a caseworker has “reasonable cause to believe” a child was neglected—a standard well below even the preponderance of evidence threshold used in civil court. Our litigation counsel has reviewed the bill and concluded that it raises serious constitutional concerns under both the Due Process Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. This isn't just about homeschooling. These weapons have been used in issues related to breastfeeding, to COVID vaccine compliance and a variety of other health issues, to nutritional choices, even to controlling a child's access to television. And parents will submit to almost anything to get their children back. This law puts families at the mercy of disgruntled neighbors—and vindictive ex-spouses. There is no "bail" for these families, no right to a speedy trial, no protection against cruel and unusual punishment, and certainly no right to be considered innocent unless proven guilty. For too long we've taken our hard-won homeschooling freedoms for granted— all our freedoms , for that matter. What just happened in Connecticut is a grim reminder of how easily the most basic of human rights can be taken away under conditions of complacency. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.  — John Philpot Curran, 1790 tag:sca.salemsattic.com,2026-05-27:4897 2026-05-27T04:25:06-04:00

I've been working pretty intensely with Anthropic's Claude on my father's letters, but every once in a while I need a break and delve into something else that might be interesting. For example, ...

sursumcorda Education AI Adventures I've been working pretty intensely with Anthropic's Claude on my father's letters, but every once in a while I need a break and delve into something else that might be interesting. For example, I recently asked Claude to tell me the 10 books written in English (or translated) that it would consider the most important. The response surprised me. Shakespeare and the Bible were obvious, but some of them I'd never even heard of. Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes Widely considered the first modern novel. It shaped storytelling itself and introduced ideas about reality, fiction, and idealism that still resonate. The Complete Works of Shakespeare – William Shakespeare Cheating slightly by bundling them, but no single body of work has shaped the English language and human self-understanding more profoundly. The Bible (King James Version) Whatever your beliefs, its influence on Western literature, law, ethics, and language is simply unmatched. Hamlet – William Shakespeare (if we're picking one) The deepest exploration of consciousness, mortality, and indecision in the English canon. In Search of Lost Time – Marcel Proust The most ambitious novel ever written — a towering meditation on memory, time, and what it means to be human. The Iliad – Homer (translated) The foundational text of Western literature. War, honor, grief, and fate — all still urgently relevant. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky Perhaps the greatest psychological novel ever written, and a profound exploration of guilt, free will, and redemption. 1984 – George Orwell No book has done more to shape how we think about political power, surveillance, and the fragility of truth — and it only grows more relevant. To the Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf A revolution in how fiction renders consciousness and time. Woolf changed what the novel could be. The Origin of Species – Charles Darwin Not a novel, but arguably the most consequential book written in English — it changed our understanding of life itself. A few honorable mentions that nearly made the cut: Middlemarch , Moby-Dick , The Divine Comedy (translated), The Brothers Karamazov , and One Hundred Years of Solitude . Although I am an avid reader, of this list I've read embarassingly few: Shakespeare (not the complete works, but I have watched all the plays); the Bible (all of it, many times, including the Apocrypha), Hamlet (of course), and 1984 (indeed I did find it much more relevant when I returned to it in 2020 than when I first read it back in the 1960's).   I started both The Iliad and The Origin of Species but didn't get very far in either.   The books for which I didn't even know the titles are In Search of Lost Time , To the Lighthouse , and One Hundred Years of Solitude . Of all the books I read for school, not many are on this list:  Hamlet (also Macbeth ), Moby Dick (in college), and possibly  1984 —I read that one and Brave New World  at the same time, and while I think the latter was the one required for school, I can't be sure. It sounds like an interesting challenge. Not that I really need additions to my To Read list; straw and camels keep coming to mind.... Then again, just last week I read a book recommended by one of my favorite granddaughters that was such a delight I would hate to have missed out just because my list is overwhelming. (Full disclosure: all my granddaughters are my favorites.) tag:sca.salemsattic.com,2026-05-25:4896 2026-05-25T19:43:30-04:00

We almost never sing my favorite verse of the Star-Spangled Banner , so I was especially pleased that we did so at the regular Friday-night-pizza-and-hymn-sing when we were recently visiting our ...

sursumcorda Glimpses of the Past Heroes We almost never sing my favorite verse of the Star-Spangled Banner , so I was especially pleased that we did so at the regular Friday-night-pizza-and-hymn-sing when we were recently visiting our New Hampshire family.   (The hymnal we used has two verses of the National Anthem:  the first, and this one. Oh! thus be it ever, when free men shall stand Between their loved home and the war's desolation! Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust." And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! As I said two years ago, the best way we can honor those who stood bravely "between their lov'd home and the war's desolation" is to stop taking for granted the freedom they gave their lives to protect. Let's not defile their sacrifices by treating lightly the present-day assaults on our sacred liberty and Constitutional rights, but work to preserve what was gained at so great a cost. Today I want to honor those who sacrificed, not their lives, but their lineage :  the Gold Star Mothers (and Fathers) who have lost a child in service to their country.  Here are those nearest in our family line who gave this "last full measure of devotion."   Each of their soldier sons died in World War I, serving in the 101st Machine Gun Batallion.  ★  Wallace and Florence Gesner (Wells) Porter    ★   parents of Hezekiah Scovil Porter ★   Olaf Frederick and Hilma Justina (Reuterberg) Faulk   ★   parents of Harry Gilbert Faulk tag:sca.salemsattic.com,2026-05-24:4871 2026-05-24T17:37:02-04:00

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Possibly I inherited my attitude toward dancing from my father. The following is taken from his write-up of his Elderhostel in Uruguay (emphasis mine). ...

sursumcorda Travels Random Musings Glimpses of the Past The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Possibly I inherited my attitude toward dancing from my father. The following is taken from his write-up of his Elderhostel in Uruguay (emphasis mine). The after-dinner event last night was tango lessons at the Alianza. I have failed to learn anything about dancing in the past 71 years, so I saw no reason to start now. But tonight they had a live orchestra playing tango music, so those who had learned their lessons could put it all into practice. I went, and although a few demonstrated their skills, I was content to listen to the music, which I enjoyed. That said, several of my grandchildren greatly enjoy contra dancing, which is something like square dancing, and I think I would like it reasonably well if I were 30 years younger. As it is, I got too dizzy to find it pleasurable. Like my father, however, I enjoyed the music. tag:sca.salemsattic.com,2026-05-22:4893 2026-05-22T15:34:22-04:00

Incomprehensible to our grandchildren's generation—from a 1992 letter from my father. Today I had an appointment with my optometrist and my usual way of getting there is down Paoli ...

sursumcorda Glimpses of the Past Incomprehensible to our grandchildren's generation—from a 1992 letter from my father. Today I had an appointment with my optometrist and my usual way of getting there is down Paoli Pike. But today Paoli Pike was closed and I was at a loss to know what to do and I spent about an hour driving all over I don't know where and I never did get there. I have a new appointment for Friday and I have now looked at a map and know what to do. Then again, the disconcerting feeling of being physically lost has been replaced by the even more disconcerting feeling of having lost one's phone, so maybe the current generation isn't so much better off after all. tag:sca.salemsattic.com,2026-05-15:4890 2026-05-15T11:47:46-04:00

Today I came across this treasure from one of my father's letters.  The penultimate line is what made me laugh, and struck me as indicative of both his humor and his attitude towards ...

sursumcorda Glimpses of the Past Today I came across this treasure from one of my father's letters.  The penultimate line is what made me laugh, and struck me as indicative of both his humor and his attitude towards parties.  I include the context to soften it a bit, since many of you don't know that Nancy throws excellent parties and he actually loved being at her house, except perhaps in the context of attempting to be sociable when under the stress of unfinished work. I have finished my Christmas shopping months ahead of the date which I have defined as 25 March.  But I still have cards to write, presents to send to my sister, presents to wrap, and a Christmas tree to decorate. Tomorrow things will be better except I will go to a party that Nancy is giving. Merry five days before Christmas. tag:sca.salemsattic.com,2026-05-08:4884 2026-05-08T15:43:13-04:00

I love my father's sense of humor, and I love the way he write. I recognize that not everyone does, but as I write for those who enjoy my stories, and not for those who can easily pass them up, ...

sursumcorda Everyday Life Just for Fun Glimpses of the Past I love my father's sense of humor, and I love the way he write. I recognize that not everyone does, but as I write for those who enjoy my stories, and not for those who can easily pass them up, today you get another excerpt from one of his letters, written in January 1981, about a ski trip taken by the Boy Scout Explorer group he and my siblings were involved with. We made it to Resica Falls Friday night without any problems, although we were in a rather intense snow flurry for about the last ten miles. We got the cars unpacked and the Health Lodge warmed up a little and then everyone went to bed at a reasonable hour to prepare for the coming day. John M., a neighbor and parent who also had driven a load of Explorers, and I stayed behind in camp while the rest went to the Camelback Ski slopes. I have long ago concluded that skiing is much too expensive a sport for me to take up seriously, and therefore there was no point in my getting battered and bruised on the ski slopes on a once-a-year trip. So I stayed in camp to make sure that dinner was ready for the crew when they got back. After a certain amount of reading before the fire, I set about the preparations for dinner about 11 a.m., while John M. worked at rejuvenating the wood supply. I planned chicken curry for dinner and so the first five hours, more or less, were spent cutting the meat off 40 chicken legs. And since I had all those chicken bones, it seemed reasonable to make chicken noodle soup. And since I broke each of the 80 chicken bones before putting them in the pot, it can be said that I broke more bones on the ski trip than everyone else put together. When the others got back, the soup was waiting for them and many proclaimed it the best soup they had ever eaten! Of course, I recognize that for people who have been exercising all day in the cold, anything tastes good, so building a reputation as a soup-maker was rather easy. The chicken curry also went over well—even the rice turned out well. So now I am thinking of retiring from cooking while I am ahead.