Tonight's Notes

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TGIF+HBKC! My notes don't look too promising: vote- Iraqi father, Frontline, Nature, Nova - 'Democracies equal peace' - Mozart TTLS - Politics vs Religion (circ) - Now (Bill Moyers).

The first note refers to the rules defining an eligible voter in Iraq. One of those rules states that the prospective voter must be descended from an Iraqi father. I thought this rule interesting, especially when it is compared with the rule used by the Jews to define an eligible Jewish being. The Jews define the mother as the necessary parent, whereas the Iraqis define the father. My interest was piqued because both cultures are 'ancient.' How is it that the one defines fatherhood as essential, whereas the other defines motherhood as essential? And what does that say about those cultures?

I can understand the Jewish view(tap): whereas motherhood is indubitable, fatherhood is problematic (I am quoting myself here). The Iraqi view makes the less sense.

The 'Frontline, Nature, Nova' stuff was written down as I was thinking how much I owe to PBS. I must be in a self-reproachful mood, guilty about not contributing to that most deserving organization in many years.

The President recently suggested that one of the main reasons for his pre-emptive strike on Iraq was that 'Democracies equal peace and we aim to make Iraq a peaceful democracy' (or words to that effect). I had to laugh.

TTLS refers to the high point of my day so far. I was just parking the car in the King Soopers parking lot when KVOD began playing Mozart's 12 variations (tap) on 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.' I don't have it in my collection, so I sat there with the motor running, listening. The music is played on the piano. It begins with the pure melody (by Offenbach?), then, variation by variation, repeats itself with each succeeding variation illustrating a different Mozartean technique.

'Politics vs Religion' must refer to the differences between the Iraqi War and the Vietnamese War. As I was watching the piece on tv which inspired this thought, I was thinking, actually wondering, whether religious feelings were more ferocious than nationalistic feelings, and also wondering about the aspect of Penis Envy in this most recent war. I know that Jewish Penis Envy is a very ugly thing and I can't imagine that Muslim Penis Envy is any less ugly.

The last item refers to Bill Moyers leaving NOW. Bill Moyers is one of my heroes and I hope he finds satisfaction in his next endeavor. I found his series of interviews with Joseph Campbell unforgettable and equal in all respects to the science series done by Carl Sagan, another of my heroes.