in the Grids
What are you doing today? Plan to accomplish something? To me every day should be about accomplishing something.
Imagine each of these snow-covered branches representing another experience your soul is simultaneously having.
Place your cursor randomly on one of the branches, close your eyes, what do you see?
Come back again later and try it again on another branch. Compare experiences.
The not knowing, the mystery of it all, is what keeps humans engaged in all situations - the cathartic emotions we experience being the objective.
Focus Monday is on Obama's historic trip to Cuba, Tuesday's presidential primaries, the migrant crisis in Europe, the Paris attacks last November, March Madness in every sense of the term, and as always the weather.
Let's start with the weather. It frames most of what we do emotionally and physically. Humans have always been focused on - and guided by weather - especially now as the climate - and just about everything else - is in a state of flux making things unpredictable. Snow came to the northeast on the first day of spring. As I look out this morning there's only a dusting on the ground. To be continued next winter ...
The World Health Organization estimates that changes related to the weather phenomenon El Nino are putting 60 million people at increased risk of malnutrition and illnesses. El Nino patterns occur on average every two to seven years, when warm Pacific water shifts eastward, creating an immense warm zone in the central and eastern Pacific.
Greece could begin sending back migrants who are not eligible for asylum within days, but processing centers are not adequately staffed to comply with the new measures agreed to by the European Union and Turkey. Critics of the deal say it may violate human rights. There are alternative routes into Europe, and some smugglers are expected to begin routing migrants through Libya to Italy.
Though I don't like his demeanor, I still favor Trump to create the political changes the country needs at this juncture in history ... then he's gone. There are too many professional agitators out there now some hired by the Republican party who wants things to remain the same. Will the violence escalate? Can Trump stop it? Do you follow events like a soap opera?
Tuesday is about Arizona, Utah, and Idaho. Drama will surround Trump and his campaign until the end. Will this create collateral damage? Chaos has has been part of the political landscape - especially during campaigns in certain cities - in the past as so why should this era of revolution be any different.
Trump is headed to the nations capital today for a series of high-profile events among them a meeting with Republican lawmakers. In the ebb and flow of things ... this weekend brought more protests, more critics, and yet more likely than not that during the next round of voting on Tuesday he will expand his delegate lead exponentially
On the matter of Obama's trip to Cuba, in a tweet, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump mocked the fact that Obama was met at the airport by Cuba's Foreign Minister not president Raul Castro who personally greeted the pope and others. No respect. Respect is hard found in an election year.
President Obama's schedule today includes meetings with President Raul Castro and with dissidents, and a state dinner at the Revolutionary Palace. The president is accompanied by dozens of members of Congress and by business leaders. Despite Obama's loosening of travel and trade restrictions, Congress has not yet repealed the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba something Cubans have long waited for. Cubans - and person the rest of the world - are waiting for the Castro brothers to die so they can turn their feral paradise back into the millionaire's playground it once was. Some remember those good old days but most people do not. Last night on the news it was mentioned that Raul Castro plans to step down February 2018.
One of the highlights of Obamas trip is expected to be when he addresses Cubans on Tuesday and like any other dignitary laying out his vision for a bright future. So many dissidents in Cuba so much unhappiness. Hopefully this is the start of smoothing new with the usual dramas that change brings in the bipolar reality.
When someone my age remembers Cuba we think of the Kennedy administration exploring the possibility of normalizing relations. In an Oval Office recording on Nov. 5, 1963, the president can be heard discussing a plan to send his U.N. delegate, William Attwood, to Havana for a secret meeting with Fidel Castro. That was two-and-a-half years after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. In September, Castro's ambassador to the U.N. had told Attwood that the Cuban leader was interested in opening back-channel communications. Kennedy encouraged Attwood to explore talks - delicately. He suggested Attwood be pulled off the government payroll so that the White House could deny in the event of a leak that official talks had taken place. Attwood then called an aide to Castro and asked the Cubans to provide an agenda for the talks. "The ball is now in Castro's court," said a top-secret memo summarizing the exchange. Around the same time, on Nov. 18, 1963, Kennedy gave a speech in Miami that signaled the potential for normalization. Four days later, the president was dead - along with hopes for a new beginning for ties with Cuba.
Among the speculated theories about the assassination of JFK was the Bay of Pigs incident and what followed. Does anybody remember the theory that JFK was killed because he was about to expose alien coverups? Life is about conspiracy theories and the fun we have with them though many enlighten.
Obama's historic trip to Cuba CNN Coverage
Starwood, a U.S. company, has signed a deal to manage hotels in Cuba.
Amazon is lobbying lawmakers to allow new uses for commercial drones and to improve infrastructure in the U.S. that would help it be more of a delivery powerhouse.
Apple is expected to unveil additions to its iPhone and iPad lineup today.
U.S. stocks made strong gains on Friday, extending the market's recovery to a fifth consecutive week.
