Reminded of our common humanity by this bronze, “Angels Unawares,” at the Minneapolis Basilica. “Be welcoming to strangers, many have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2. Too often, statues celebrate leaders who’ve trampled on the humanity of folk.
Category: In This Together
Debunked Lies
Congratulations Senga, my invisible friend and motormouth. Her Tweet, debunking wealthy pillow magnate and conspiracy theorist, Mike Lindell’s claim he was assaulted, has been viewed over 32,000 times. She got the tipoff about the presser when she phoned the police public liaison officer in Sioux Falls, SD.
Phlebotomy Vocabulary
Covered some heavy stuff with my ESL/phlebotomy student. I’d be amazed if I’ve spelled all the words correctly.
Japan Occupation Photos
Started digitizing and (digitally) pinning photos to a map of Japan. Dwight’s uncle took the photos when he was a soldier in the occupying army when World War II ended. We may visit some of the locations when we explore Japan with our nephews (13 and 14).
Tasting the Air
As I pedalled I could taste the air. Because of Canadian forest fires, exacerbated by drought, we have the poorest air quality ever measured in Minnesota. Meanwhile, another mile of shale oil extracted from the Bakken formation of North Dakota made its way east.
Remnant of WWII
On my cycle ride: World War II guard tower built to protect a Norden bombsight factory. Today, tenants of the old factory buildings include a distillery and a company that develops LEGO military model kits. (The LEGO Company has a strict policy against selling military models.)
Pride
Cycled to the Pride Festival. Here, Nick Kor (chatting with a cyclist) is standing for city council. His mom has cut our hair since he was a baby. In 2012 he worked full-time to defeat an amendment to the MN constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
Civil War Veterans
Cycled through Hillside Cemetery with a friend, taking in great views of downtown Minneapolis. The big surprise for us was a section for Civil War veterans. The markers honor veterans who joined units in states other than Minnesota.
Celebrating July 4
On our July 4 walk: the neighborhood was a backdrop for a group of Hmong women in traditional dresses. The Twin Cities are home to over 65,000 Hmong people.
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic
Cycled to a clinic to get blood drawn by a phlebotomist. Later, held a biweekly ESL (English as a second language) Zoom session with an adult student who is studying to be a phlebotomist. We’re working through a text book learning to say words like “ethylenediaminetetraacetic.”