Deep Thoughts: Do our triumphs still hold validity if they were based on misinformation? A thought experiment essay

 

Deep thoughts.

I was recently approached to go above and beyond in my comfort zone and use strengths of character that I did not fully believe I possessed. [TLDR; I successfully navigated a two car caravan of first-timers out of a foreign country, an unfamiliar area with a language I do not speak.] I did this because my newly acquainted traveling companion, Lucy's*, mother was dying and she needed to return home. I stepped up, of course, wouldn't any empathetic companion do the same? 

 

My original plan was to take 2 or 3 days and return home leisurely and admittedly I was becoming increasingly personally distressed at how I was going to get myself home. I don't speak the language and relied upon a downloaded google map as my navigation. A technology still new to me, yes, google maps' features are still new to me. Now I have another human relying on me fully to make all the decisions of when we stop, how we cross back, which route, completely up to me. Lucy asked me to make all the decisions, because Lucy's "head was not in the game" - Lucy's words. 

 

I repeat, I used strengths I did not fully believe I possessed. I believed I can't drive well in any city, I believed I did not have enough grasp of the host country's language. I still do not do well in cities, that's a fact. I was raised during my driving years in the rural northwest; lack of experience is the primary problem and I'm well aware of my limitations based on former complications.

 

So some of you are going to see this coming and if not, that's okay: I didn't either. When we stepped foot back on US soil, literally at the gas station we found after border crossing, Lucy came clean and said - nonchalantly, it seemed to me - her mother was fine. Lucy lied because she did not want to be in Baja.*

 

I'm going to stop us all right here and redirect this into my main reason for contemplation today: What other relationships have pushed you to greatness and they were based on misinformation? Doesn't that personal triumph still hold a great deal of validity? What you did, what you accomplished, is still worthy of award, right? There's a parable of the couple in the boat, I think it bears telling, I'll make it succinct:

 

You and your sweetie are in a canoe in the river with a picnic basket enjoying a calm warm afternoon.

Canoe hits up against something and overturns. Down you all go underwater. Up comes sweetie and you, sputtering and wet, basket is gone.

You look and see your canoe has hit a sunken log and that is why it overturned.

What is your emotion? - think about this for a moment, your first reaction.

 

Now start over.

You and your sweetie are in a canoe in the river with a picnic basket enjoying a calm warm afternoon.

Canoe hits up against something and overturns. Down you all go underwater. Up comes sweetie and you, sputtering and wet, basket is gone.

You look and see your canoe has been hit by a prankster, and they are swimming away quickly and that is why it overturned.

What is your emotion? what is your first reaction? How are these two reactions different and why. The outcome is identical. 

 

The object of this parable is a thought experiment of sorts, and it as close as I have right now to help us re-frame our belief systems. Some people I have asked this parable of have been extremely nonchalant the first rendition and have actually threatened murder the second, and your core system, your cardiovascular system, your blood pressure, all your emotions are reacting based on what you have been told. It would have been better, emotionally for me, for Lucy to have kept her secret safe, gone radio silent and after a while reported a miraculous comeback, we all would have believed it. I would not be so put out for my valiant effort, which it still was, no doubt. 

 

The expression I have for us all here now is, how can we, with the information we do have -some accurate, some not- re-frame our experiences from the prankster back to the underwater log. Letting go of the personal association, any malice, and live with what we have now, still seeing our deeds for what they were, true personal greatness.

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*Lucy is not her real first name.

*Lucy had other reasons for not wanting to be in Baja, a myriad of complaints, none truly life threatening, all could have been addressed with open dialogue. Her personal problem set is not relevant to my dissertation; I've simplified it by saying she didn't want to be in Baja any longer.

Bald Eagle Located in Tree Scheduled to be Cut

 

There is an active nesting pair of bald eagles in danger of their tree being felled in the next 24 hours by PG&E. The tree is on private property on Ridgeway Hwy in Potter Valley.

PG&E’s Arborist has determined the tree is dead, however the tenant is awaiting a privately funded Arborist’s report that the tree is both alive and does not pose a danger to PG&E electrical lines. PGE Asserts the nest is inactive, yet the tenant is in possession of recent video evidence that the tree is being occupied by two adults; a mated pair of Bald Eagles. The photo to the left was taken 2 days ago: January 10th of this year 2022.

PG&E slated this tree for removal on the morning of Thursday January 13th.

According to wildlife.ca.govBald Eagles typically build their nest late December and January, and lay eggs in the nest mid January. Hatching and rearing of the young eagles are around mid February and the fledging (process of acquiring feathers and preparing to leave the nest) is around May. The particular tree in jeopardy has a long (25-30 year) history of housing nesting bald eagles.

The critical period is the 15th of January in the Forest Practice Act, Tiim Bray of the Mendocino Audubon Society tells me, in which the Forest Practice Act forbids cutting the nest down. 

What is being done?

The tree is on private property behind a locked gate but clearly visible from the roadway. A tenant on the property has paid for an arborist out of pocket; these services run $300 an hour. With an Arborists report that the tree is 1) alive and 2) poses no threat to PG&E lines (as the Arborist has recently deemed) then this tree should be left to stand and house the eagles as it has traditionally done.

According to Wildlife.ca.gov, Bald Eagles were once at dire risk of extinction. In the 1960’s and 1970’s there were only 30 breeding pair left in California. Through the dedication of advocates, restrictions on contaminants, protective laws including programs to improve reproductive success and survival, they have made a comeback. The Bald Eagle was removed from the endangered species list in 2007 but remains endangered in California.

What can the public do if they are concerned? Call Department of Fish & Wildlife and/or Pacific Gas & Electric and ask about the tree slated to be cut which holds an active bald eagle nest, just days before nesting season officially begins in California. Donations may be made privately to fund the independent Arborist.  

California Department of Fish & Wildlife has been contacted for a statement and has not returned comment prior to publication of this article.

More information or to come visit the tree and discuss helping or if want to support the tree from being cut you may email

 jseidell@gmail.com

Written by Keri Ann Bourne, on my way to the site in Potter Valley 

Voice or text 707-397-0155 keriannbourne@gmail.com

  

 

Local News: Dollar General proposed for downtown Fort Bragg location.

 

Dollar General proposed for downtown Fort Bragg location.

On August 20, 2020, local landowners Thomas and Bessie Carine filed a planning application form with the City of Fort Bragg. “The proposed project is a 9,100 +/- square foot Dollar General retail store located on 1.033- acre site, built in a single phase. The project is located at the corner of South Franklin Street and Maple Steet (APN#008-172-09-00). Loading/deliveries will occur at the north western corner of the building/site and an adequate area is provided for truck staging and movements. Operating hours are generally 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM. seven days per week. There are generally six to eight employees, with four on the largest shift. The number of customers at any given time is typically in the 10-12 range.”[1]

Three trees on the currently vacant lot on the west corner of Maple and S. Franklin will be removed in order to build the project in “a single phase”. There will be a 30 car paved parking lot. The loading zone is located on the west (parking lot is approximately the size of the store building) [2]

Replaced trees are projected to include 26 fifteen gallon size trees: three Big Leaf Maples, seven Shore Pines, three Red Alders and thirteen Chitalpa. Over a hundred five gallon screening shrubs: Manzanitas, Rock Rose, Ceanothus and others. 60 plus one gallon grasses and perennials including Fuchsia and Daisy. [3]

What is Dollar General

According to Wikipedia Dollar General “began in 1939 as a family owned business called J.L. Turner and Son in Scottsville Kentucky… in 1955  the name changed to Dollar General” as of January 2020, Dollar General has 16,278 stores across the contiguous US.  Dollar General sells a wide variety of retail from name brands – Clorox, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Pepsi - as well as their generic store brand DG. Many stores carry grocery, candy, pet food, baby needs, beauty hair and skin care, makeup, housewares and laundry, towels blankets and pillows, men’s and women’s apparel. Dollar General plans to expand its produce offers nationwide.[4]

Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar General are owned by the same company since 2015. The companies are now the largest dollar store operations in the country with a combined 30,000 stores in the U.S.

Criticism of Dollar Stores

“Perpetuating economic distress” while dollar stores occasionally fill a need in low income communities, they are seen not “merely a byproduct of economic distress. They’re a cause of it.”[5]

A number of cities and towns across the nation are passing laws that limit the expansion of dollar stores citing they create a “food desert”. Dollar general only offers fresh produce in 4 of its massive 47 state coverage[6]. California is not on the list of having a “fresh distribution facility” though it does boast 266 Dollar General stores.  Dollar Tree, in comparison, boasts 342 stores in California[7]. There is one already in Fort Bragg, at the Boatyard Shopping center; corner of Hwy 1 and Hwy 20.

Workers safety questionable and Sanitation Concerns.

Head of worker safety Debbie Berkowitz, who has studied workplace violence through the National Employment Law Project, says “Dollar General is a company that has a business model based on essentially breaking the law and cutting corners when it comes to basic worker safety”. [8]

“Despite receiving more than 100 safety and health violations at stores nationwide since 2010.. the company has still failed to take corrective action” says Dave Olah, director of OSHA’s Harrisburg PA Area Office.[9]

Josh Bernstein OSHA’s acting director in Fort Worth Texas says ““Dollar General stores nationwide have repeatedly been cited for exposing their workers to hazards posed by overstocking issues, while promising time and again to take corrective action, yet workers continue to be exposed to unnecessary hazards”[10]

Dollar stores across the nation appear to be infested with rodents[11] and other questionable sanitation concerns such as rotting food, live and dead mice in storage rooms, behind cash registers and droppings on shelves have led health officers to shut down dollar stores.

Glassdoor, which is an anonymous review site where employees can rate companies, gives Dollar General a 2.8 out of 5. Citing “very overworked no help from upper management” “Long hours for some, way shorter for others” “minimum wage and dirty bathrooms”[12]

Do Fort Bragg community members approve of this business model in town?

Far from the idyllic coastal getaway that many flock to, Dollar General and its various incarnations are an extremely controversial topic, with many pointing to the nationwide crisis’s of health and safety concerns, worker complaints, and the degrading of the mom and pop retail store that are the backbone of many small towns. It is a valid question, in the age of “shop local” and many of our local icons shuttering permanently, do we want to import an unrestrained amount of disposable goods into town and gain a meager 6 to 8 new local jobs? Those jobs of questionable safety and sustainability. 

Do we find ourselves needing to “keep up with the Joneses” and be like Willits and Ukiah with their access to low cost merchandise for low income town?What does that mean for Fort Bragg if we “need” another low income retail shopping center?

From the Fort Bragg City website: “Please contact Community Development at 707-961-2827 or Tsar@fortbragg.com if you are interested in more information about these projects.”[13]

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[1] https://city.fortbragg.com/DocumentCenter/View/13209/Design-Review-DR-2-20--251-South-Franklin--Dollar-General?bidId= page 1

[2] https://city.fortbragg.com/DocumentCenter/View/13209/Design-Review-DR-2-20--251-South-Franklin--Dollar-General?bidId= page 4

[3] https://city.fortbragg.com/DocumentCenter/View/13209/Design-Review-DR-2-20--251-South-Franklin--Dollar-General?bidId= page 5

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_General#Merchandise

[5] https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/19/business/dollar-general-opposition/index.html

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_General#Operations

[7] https://www.dollartree.com/locations/ca/

[8] https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/dollar-general-thriving-workers-say-they-pay-price-n1137096

[9] https://www.ehstoday.com/safety/article/21918160/willful-offender-dollar-general-on-oshas-violation-list-again

[10] https://advancedsafetyhealth.com/blog/osha-after-dollar-general-stores-again/

[11] https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190626/rodent-infestation-closes-dollar-general-in-hilltop , https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffsb&q=dollar+general+rat+infestion&ia=web

[12] https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Dollar-General-Reviews-E1342.htm

[13] https://city.fortbragg.com/486/Active-Planning-Permit-Applications

ART207 FINAL

 How is the Crucifix by Coppo di Marcovaldo (Chapter 17 page 527) an example of Maniera Greca?
How does it compare to the Crucifixion from the Church of the Dormition ?
Minimum 700 words. ART207 Final Essay. 

Photo files:

Marcovaldo: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/35271748@N00/4629391275

Dormition: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/05/2f/a5/052fa5ddab61a0ab796036ee8413951b.jpg

 

Submission:

Coppo di Marcovaldo was a Florentine, a painter, prolific in the mid-13^th century. He is credited for a fusion of Italian and Byzantine styles. His particular style was to influence many generations of Italian artists. The Crucifix of this essay was done in 1274 and is displayed in the Cathedral of Pistoia. The Pistoia Cathedral is the foremost religious building in Pistoia, Tuscany, located in the center of Italy.

Surrounding the main icon, the Crucifix comprises six panels; three on each side of the Christ on the cross. They include “the Capture of Jesus, Christ in Front of the Priests, Deposition, Deposition of Jesus in the Sepulchre, The Three Marys at the Sepulchre”[1]

The Crucifix by Coppo di Marcovaldo is an example of Maniera Greca in many of its most notable characteristics.  First in the Byzantine style of a venerated icon. This piece is undoubtedly of a venerated icon. The Crucifix portrays the Christian’s Christ Jesus as he suffers on the cross near death. Jesus, born of a virgin fathered by the God himself, is arguably the most distinct and highly worshipped icon of the religion.

Next is the classical attire on disembodied figures. Classical in art is “a term generally used to refer to the style of the ancient Greek and Roman periods”[2] within this context, we shall ascertain if Marcovaldo’s imagery is adorned in classical attire. Panel top left, the capture of Jesus, has several figures clearly in ancient roman attire. The attire is simple in structure and form:“classical attire” was marked with heavily draping fabrics on both sexes, with most status classes wearing colorful clothing as dye was relatively affordable even for the lower classes.[3]

The byzantine artistic rendition of figures often includes such portraits as floating in space. This affect gives a relatively theoretical semblance; it offers no clear grounding, the artist has lofted his subjects using theatrics and irrationality, which are all very distinct features of the style Maniera Greco.

Examining the top left panel again and looking in particular at the feet positions. They are relatively on a plane, but slight variations allow and they do not appear to have a finite implied line. The feet positions also face forward, if the foot is dangling, this does give the impression of floating. The main image, the crucified Jesus, is hanging, clearly, but that there is no weight put upon his limbs in any artistic sense also leads us to wonder, is he floating? Often the crucified renditions offer a bit of a V to the arms, and the feet have some appearance of rigidity. Neither of these real-world physiological suggestions can be made to the Jesus depicted here.

Next we will ascertain the use of gold in the painting, which is indicative also of Maniera Greca. In this painting, it is hard not to notice the extensive use of gold, as a primary color. Above and below the arms of the cross are thick lines of gold. Christ’s halo is gold. The background panels around the torso of Jesus appear as gold. Whether by design or proximity the body of Jesus has a golden hue.

The 13^th century introduction in Italian art was the propensity to stylize light. Shading and highlights were pronounced in Maniera Greca. In the crucifix, we can see this predominately in the loin cloth worn around Jesus’ waist. Almost cartoonish in severity between light and dark, renders the light in a unique way; almost no part of the painting makes use of such heavy highlight and shading except the loin cloth. The resurrection panel at bottom right has the similar color blue with less severe highlighting, as well as the bottom left panel, the disposition at the cross; again, a blue cloth. I find this odd, since the artist is quite skilled at this use, yet it is sparingly done to the point of where we do see it predominantly is almost out of place. Why go through the extraordinary effort of the loin cloth alone? Why draw attention to that portion and not any other. The cloaks and togas of the figures at the top panels could very well have some of the lighting but they do not. The actual flesh of the Jesus has very soft use of highlighting, it is not pulled to the stark white, nor should it be.

Finally we can’t help but distinguish this piece for its use of elongated form. Jesus is impossibly long of limbs. Considering his otherwise discomforting body position, his hands might be the first place we realize that this overall form is much elongated. That his hands are the length of his entire head is a physical rarity, in that hands, in reality, are only about ¾ the length of a head. That his arms, if they were at rest, would touch his knees is also unusual; most ands rest just below the hipbone, about halfway down to the knees.

We will now compare the Marovaldo piece to the Crucifixion from a crucifixion scene at Church of the Dormition.

The Church of Dormition is located in Daphne Greece and features some of the era’s most famous mosaics. The unusually bright gold glass used predominantly in the monastery is thought to have been made on site for the mosaics’ creation. The artist is an unknown from the Byzantine era of early 11^th century. The mosaics of the Dormition are generally thought to have been a return to classical traditions in that they were created during a “renaissance in culture art” and the adornment was greatly inspired by the times. They are considered “particular grand specimens of Byzantine art in general”[4]

Classical Attire: Yes. Both feature the GrecoRoman style of draped togas.
Veneration of Icons: Yes. The frontal figure is Christ Jesus.
Floating in Space: No, the Dormition mosaic has planted feet, indicative of standing on firm ground.

Use of Gold: Yes. The background of both are gold, the mosaic exclusive of other colors.
Contrasts in Shading and highlight: No. The Mosaic, though makes use of shading in the folds of cloth, does not make use of intense highlighting that the Marovaldo does.

Elongated form: No, the Dormition mosaic has physically proportioned human figures.

This concludes the examination of the Marcovaldo Crucifix as it represents Maniero Greca and the comparison of it and the Crucifixion from the Church of the Dormition.

Photo files:

Marcovaldo: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/35271748@N00/4629391275

Dormition: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/05/2f/a5/052fa5ddab61a0ab796036ee8413951b.jpg

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[1] https://www.triposo.com/poi/W__61682813

[2] https://www.catawiki.com/stories/5875-what-is-classical-art

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_in_ancient_Rome

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphni_Monastery#Mosaics