David > Recent Status Updates

Ray is reaching his limits and needs to figure out how to delegate to people he trusts. This after documenting as much as possible the principles of behavior desired at Bridgewater.

The Solidarity Dividend shares some uplifting (at last!) Stories of cases where people have seen firsthand the benefits of POC immigrants, places where the school is open or the main employer in town is still in business because of refugees having moved to town, or longtime residents making connections with newcomers because of, say, interest in French, and finding how alike we all really are.

The Hidden Wound is another devastating chapter on how we whites who want to be anti-racist end up defensive about our silence, e.g. when some participated in BLM events hoping for affirmation but receiving criticism for not waking sooner lashed out in response. Also about how white supremacy is tied with christianity--black people seen as not human/not holy, and therefore enslavable without sin.

In The Hidden Wound we're led to see that the racism beneath the surface that we (whites) try to ignore does have effects on us. One staggering set of stats is related to guns, with all the buildup of ownership over fear that Obama would outlaw them: white men are 1/3 of our people but 3/4 of the gun suicides, and 2x people die of gun suicide as the gun homicide we're trained to fear.

Some signs of possibility for achieving "solidarity dividends" with the story of Chevron in Richmond. Both the poor and the wealthy neighborhoods were suffering from similar high pollution levels, and after getting a majority of local council members elected that supported stricter protections, things started to get better.

In The Same Sky we're talking about why it is that so many American white men seem likely to deny there is a climate issue at all, when in other countries it at least seems like they acknowledge the issue even if they don't offer effective strategies for dealing with it.

Living Apart looks at how segregated we are in the US, including or especially white neighborhoods and schools. Interesting observations about environmental things that are better if the community is diverse.

The example of Austin TX and a mom seeing white privilege play out in the "these rules shouldn't apply to me" way, and finding just silence after deciding to enroll her kids in a diverse school.

Oh, voter suppression, you are diabolical. A "literacy test" that asks for ALL the signers of the declaration of independence? Sure, why not? That's just one tiny piece of the chapter Never a Real Democracy. Many of the shortcomings listed here have been on display in the news in recent weeks and months, including new efforts to make voting harder for people who might not vote for Republicans.

Describing the Fight for $15 in No One Fights Alone. Nissan in Canton, MS, and the tactics used to discourage workers from voting in favor of unionization. Pitting workers against each other, with easier jobs for some (still poor-paying, but with some prestige, a chance to feel superior to "mere" line workers). The psychology of pitting these workers against each other is brutal.

Ignoring the Canary (the actual title of this chapter) goes on to describe how the mortgage-backed securities came back to bite white homeowners as well as its earlier black victims and the investment firms that used them, including the fall of Lehmann. It also traces how Lehmann started, based on slavery, and then ended after this scheme that first robbed POC of their home equity through refinancing.

Canary in the Coal Mine is a devastating accounting of predatory lending practices that mostly targeted POC. Not surprising that Wells Fargo is one of the banks in this spotlight. It also informs how bank regulations get applied - they're based on the laws of some state where the bank has operations, explaining the # of lenders claiming operations in DE and, of course, South Dakota.

Hard to get behind the idea of relying more on intuition, mostly because of seeing many deceive others about their "intuitions." Certainly there are opportunities for interpreting events in non-obvious ways, but he was right to be worried about what others might think because of his use of tea leaves for counseling.

Going Without documents health care issues, for one, and how many rural areas have lost health care facilities. In many cases this happened because the state would not fund offered by the feds. An eye-opener from TX is that you're not eligible there for Medicaid if you make over $3692. That's for a YEAR. TX has evidently lost 26 rural hospitals just since 2010, partly because so many poor cannot pay their bills.

Ch. 2 has some of the "drained pool" examples I saw before requesting the book. Ch. 3 so far is extending those ideas to our education system, especially state universities. "Dog whistle" statements have become even more familiar lately during "former guy's" presidency. People seem to vote against their own interests because of statements that make it seem somebody else might be getting a handout they're not.

Recent chapter was about trying to get a climate agreement. Good laugh after he powers through an agreement with some bluster and staffer Reggie compliments the "gangster shit" he did to make it happen.

Last chapters on learning and starting a biz. It seems all states have some kind of senior citizen plan for free classes (MN - age 62+, e.g. at WSU). Not sure that a biz of my/our own sounds that appealing, at least not until or unless we find something that we'd be excited enough about. Definitely some interest in free classes, though figuring out in what area is a challenge.

Last chapters on learning and starting a biz. It seems all states have some kind of senior citizen plan for free classes (MN - age 62+, e.g. at WSU). Not sure that a biz of my/our own sounds that appealing, at least not until or unless we find something that we'd be excited enough about. Definitely some interest in free classes, though figuring out in what area is a challenge.

Rebuilding Bridgewater. Creation or enhancement of algorithms and use of rapidly improving PCs.

Some observations here seem somewhat obvious when stated directly, but I think they're not that obvious to DO. Such as saying successful people figure out how to change their behavior to account for their weaknesses and unsuccessful ones don't: well 'duh' on the one hand, but how many of us don't want to be reminded of our weaknesses so we don't look at them closely?

Finished chapters on doing your hobby as a retirement job and offering ideas of how to travel in retirement by teaching or offering other services you could, such as if you were a dentist or doctor.

(Switching to % vs. page because the data for the book is messed up - says there are only 240 pages but my book has more like 270.)

Just finished a long chapter with many specific examples of retired people and what they've done in retirement to keep their juices flowing. Many volunteered, some get paid. Some are doing things similar to their work life, many seem to be doing unrelated things or at least applying their skills in very different circumstances. Author gives permission to quit if you try something that turns out worse than expected.

Now part 2 is focusing more on specific things one might do. Examples of volunteering so far include things like being an archivist for a community group, taking a therapy pet to the nursing home, helping a new local business, book or movie club, and more.

End of part 1. Feeling like a lot of her preaching here was for "Type-A" people who need to be running things to be comfortable, which I'd say is not really me. Still, there've been good suggestions or guidelines about things like hobbies and relocating that should be considered before making any rash moves.

This is a book that would make sense for people to read well before retiring, so they have time for changes.

Mostly reminder thoughts here about being cautious and sensible approaching retirement, e.g. try out living in a different city before selling your house and buying a new one (duh!), or figure out a budget based on your current spending and anticipated retirement spending. The chapter on hobbies and other pastimes will be a good return point. And there's a general msg of remembering things may be hard but possible.

First, the title listed here does not exactly match the library book I have out, but the ISBN matches. Weird.
The first chapter is making the case that you might want a plan for retirement, such as for hobbies or other job options to explore - you don't want to "fail" at retirement! It does seem like much of that advice is for people who spent 60+ hours/wk working without thought, so I may be somewt not the target.

Exploring how the spaces where we experience conflict can shape those conflicts. Noting how different cultures (like Japanese of his mother's background) deal with situations differently, based on the history of the culture. Solzhenitsyn is quoted prominently, about the line between good and evil passing through every human heart (ie the problem is not just "out there").