The Mesquite Weekly in keeping with devoting this space to veritable interests is hereby presenting the MW “Artful Things” pages. This section will cover a variety of topics and interest on subject matters that include music, literature, sports, hiking, photography and travel.
Baseball Allstars – Present and Future
A visit to sunny San Diego, the home of the San Diego Padres during April did lead to actually watching a game of America’s sport – baseball. With the beginning of spring, the Padres not unlike any of the major league baseball teams, envision and dream of a world championship; a dream that may came true – well at least for one team.
Not far from San Diego, in LaQuinta California we caught up with someone who understands that the pursuit of the dream begins much earlier than spring training or opening day. The pursuit of such a lofty goal and achievement of excellence calls for a prerequisite of 10,000 hours of dedicated focus and a passionate love for such an endeavor. The passionate pursuit of excellence in playing a game – any game – naturally evolves into an art form.
Max Shor and many of his friends intend to dazzle us with their art, their skills and their passion for Americas’ pass time now and soon in the future.
Book Review – The Monarchy of Fear
The early rumblings of the 2020 political campaigns call for some serious soul searching including an in depth look at WTF (What the F..) or HTF (How the F..) did this happen. Martha C. Nussbaum presents a philosopher look at our current political crisis and the retributive response to fear that has polarized American for the last four years. In the book titled “The Monarchy of Fear”, Nussbaum untangles the web of emotions and fear and articulates the politics of constructive work and hope.
Nussbaum first look at fear begins at the everyone’s beginnings, when we first enter the world and are confronted with unknowns that we can’t understand but only respond with emotional outbursts that apparently always gets someone’s attention. The author draws from historical and contemporary examples of fear-based motivations and traces likes and dislikes and value assignations to emotional responses to fear. It is a fascinating read and may upend the world as you know it and understand it and it will take you out of your engrained comfort zone.
Dr. Nussbaum discusses the book at length at a Politics and Prose event at the Bookstore Coffeehouse. Please watch this short video:
Martha C. Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, appointed in the Philosophy Department and Law School of the University of Chicago.