Book Review-- American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, Colin Woodard (2011)

This is an important book offering a different take on American history.  According to this author, the founding of the US isn't about one group of guys in the same union and three cornered hats.  The US, instead, is a loose federation composed of not one or two but 11 "nations" which he describes as "ethnoregional cultures."  Those different cultures have all been in place since the mid 1800's and continue to the present day, notwithstanding the waves of immigration since.

I would belong either to (1) El Norte or (2) the Left Coast but my forebears were (1) Appalachian Scots-Irish Borderlanders (2) German/ Swedish Midlanders (Midwesterners) and possibly (3) Irish Catholic Yankees, if that's not a contradiction in terms.

It's important because it explains why people from the Southern part of the US seem to come from a different country because, in a way, they do.  We in Los Angeles have more in common with people just south of the border than US citizens from South Carolina.

His theory, however, has limits.  There are other factors that divide Americans.  It's not all about region and history.  There is the divide between big city v. small town/ country, and the divide between rich and poor.  However, the author has hit an important concept and his book should be read to counteract the fake version of American history put forth by cynical politicians.

Christmas and James' upcoming birthday

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From: danhall239@hotmail.com
To: jilfery@yahoo.com; hallj15@hotmail.com; pattymint7@gmail.com; davidtimothyhall@yahoo.com; taomahall@hotmail.com; alemorelli@aol.com
Subject: Christmas and James' upcoming birthday
Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 16:16:56 +0000

Everyone, we're looking forward to the holidays and spending time with all of you.  We would like the pleasure of your company.  We don't want you to spend money.  We will be moving soon and cannot load up with gifts.  If, however, you feel compelled to get something for the soon to be 4 year old, please consider a small legos set, serial numbers 60004, 60003, or 60001 or 60016, 60017, 60018, 4432, 4433.  You can build a small city with these.

Whatever you do, please don't get him a crusader costume with a sword, shield, chain mail, Iron Cross and helmet.  James went to a buddy's birthday party yesterday at Garfield Park in South Pasadena and the parents gave everyone Crusader costumes.  Most had the straight Christian swords and one had the curved Muslim sword.  These costumes are little plastic kits probably manufactured in China and sold in a big box store, if you can believe it.  I was stunned but kept my mouth shut (knowing I would be in big trouble with Taoster if I said anything).  You'd be shocked too to see a vaguely ethnic looking kid with a Mohawk dressed as a medieval crusader.

How does December 14 or 15th work?  James may want to head out to Durden and Patty's area but we're not sure yet.  He's back and forth on this.

Our Front Door

This is our front door.  I took off all the stuff on it to sand it down.  We're going to paint it to get ready to move.  The realtor says our place will fetch a higher price if it's freshly painted.  We don't have a new place to move to yet, and can't sell our place until we have one lined up, but that's just a detail and a matter of time.

Anyway, we're not putting the stuff back on the door and I felt I needed to document it.  When Taoski and I moved in here, we were a family of two.  We will be moving out a family of three.

Top left are baby pictures taken of our son, James, at the hospital he was born.  The doctor, nurse and I were the first people to see him.  I was in the delivery room when old 12-12 (he was born December 12) was born.  He had dark hair when he was born.  It's lightened over the years.  The nurse took that picture.  It's not on the hard drive anywhere and it will likely be destroyed and gone, but I've captured a picture of the picture.

Next to James is his Grandma Hall.

On the other side is another hospital picture taken of 12-12.

Just below and to the right is a picture of our family taken at Oxnard by Grandma Hall in the summer, 2012.  This is the one of the first pictures where is seemed to me James understood and appreciated that the three of us are a family and it's right for us to have pictures taken of us together on occasion.

The center is a picture of me and the youngster at Gil the Fish Gundersen's, perhaps 2010.  James was still in his pacifier phase.

Just above that one is me with Taoster and our masseuses.  We saw them for massages every day for the week or two that we were in Zhengzhou 郑州 in 2007 visiting her parents.  Like other workers in China, these girls had numbers, not names, and their numbers were 21 and 105.  We were decadent back then and may have increased our time in purgatory as a result of this indulgence.

At the bottom center and left are certificates he received this summer.  One is for completion of Science Camp-- Planet Patrol at California Science Center at USC.  The other is for completion of Bible Study at A Child's Garden/ Church of our Savior Episcopal Church in San Gabriel (but to my chagrin feels like San Marino).

How far 12-12 has come in a matter of a few months.  We went to a birthday party at one of his school friends' today.  He played with 5-6 boys-- running, climbing hills, chasing, playing t-ball--and watching it from the outside you'd think he's them his whole life.  In fact, he met them when he started at the Child's Garden a couple months ago.

Email to Aunt Marie re Evangelism

I've never thought it productive arguing with atheists or agnostics about belief and faith or trying to convince of anything. Most people see what you do and ignore whatw you say, which is how it should be. To paraphrase St. Francis, preach the gospel at all times, and don't use words.
There has beem a drop off from Christian churches in recent years, for many reasons. There isn't pressure in society to go to Church as much these days. Some churches are really blowing it so people don't go. And there are other religions that people can practice.

You might think this is a bad thing, but it's actually good. The people in Church are much more committed nowadays. If someone's in the pew next to you, they're likely there because they want to be.

We Catholics have a great evangelizer as Pope now, and he's getting people all over the world revved up about their faith. Many people who have fallen away from the Church are now coming back. And he doesn't spend time arguing with non-believers.

We did bring Taoster into the Church but I think that was primarily because she admired my dad, who was very devout. He never talked to her about religion until she went to the Church and then he would only encourage her to keep going. I think you also influenced her decision in this regard, just by the living example set and not by any particular argument. She always talks about how you take such good care of your kids, even though they're grown adults.

When you have a lamp, you bring it out to shine. You don't hide it. But you also don't need it to talk.

We also brought James into the Church but he really has no choice in the matter. He can barely use the toilet by himself. Eventually he will master that important skill and others necessary to become self-sufficient, and then he will choose for himself his own belief system.

I think I will put this email in the blog I'm doing. My hope is it will be there for James when he wants to know what his Dad thinks about things.