Notes – January 2012
I HAVE REALLY GOOD NEWS
Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker has written a book called THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE and it presents an encouraging and optimistic view of life today. He demonstrates that we are living in the most peaceful era in our species existence. Hard to believe when we see violence and hate everywhere but statistically only 3% of us die from man- made catastrophes where 13% of native Americans died of trauma and in the 17th century, the thirty years war reduced Germany’s population by one-third. Homicides are down all over and the murder rate in Britain has fallen by 90% since the 14th century.
Now all these statistics seem small comfort when the nightly news shows us horrors around the world but we definitely are going in the right direction. There is global consensus today that slaughtering civilians is an outrage and the pace of moral indignation has accelerated on issues like civil rights, the role of women and equality for gays. There is less tolerance for cruelty to children and animals. One comical statistic is that modern children’s television programs have 4.8 violent scenes per hour compared to nursery rhymes with 52.2.
Like everyone I hanker for the good old days. I miss the people I knew back then and the slower pace of life. But wouldn’t want to give up my cell phone and computer. And central air and heat that doesn’t involve a coal furnace. And television which brings me out into the world while I sit in my wing chair. One of my young grandchildren asked what kind of tv programs kings and queens in medieval days watched. He was blown away by the idea of a court jester instead of 200 channels. So I explained that we Americans are living in wondrous times, in a world however flawed where humans seem to be getting nicer.
One startling statistic is that of all the humans who ever lived on planet earth, 10% are living here now. And given that lesser populations produced Mozart and Michelangelo, a sizeable percent must have talent so how come we’re stuck with the Kardashians and Snookie? And wouldn’t you think the Republicans could come up with better contenders? Why do I keep coming back to court jesters?
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Book Launch
There was a full house at the Nyack Center in Nyack, New York, celebrating Terry Hekker's new book DISREGARD FIRST BOOK as the crowd thoroughly enjoyed an evening with the author and her friends, the actresses Elaine Stritch and Arlene Dahl.
The stars of stage and screen delighted the audience with their readings of book excerpts --- Ms. Stritch relayed the story -- in her inimitable way -- on how she came up with the title of the book (Chapter 1, AFGO). Ms. Dahl enchanted the crowd with highlights from Chapter 6, The Madam Was Adam, sharing the author’s views on the vast, and not-so-obvious differences between the sexes, and the possibility of the female as the original sex.
The author took questions from the audience, including inquiries about her next book and the fascinating people she’s met along the way, and autographed a mountain of books.
CLICK TO SEE TERRY AT THE NYACK CENTER!
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DISREGARD FIRST BOOK, Terry Martin Hekker’s second non-fiction book, follows the success of the 1979 bestseller, Ever Since Adam and Eve, hailed by Publisher’s Weekly as “a gem”. The book launched her as a national domestic authority for her views on the joys of motherhood and homemaking at the height of the feminist movement. Decades later, following Terry’s unforeseen divorce after a 40-year marriage, Terry decided to take life head-on, becoming the first woman elected mayor of her Hudson Valley village of Nyack.
In 2006, The New York Times ran a piece written by Terry about her divorce and recovery in their Modern Love column, which went around the world and triggered enormous media interest and hundreds of letters. Although there had been many requests that she write a book, Terry felt she could hardly write a sequel to her story of happy homemaking with the chronicle of a dumped housewife. Mostly, she couldn’t even think of a title. Until her long-time friend, the astonishing Broadway legend Elaine Stritch, came up with a perfect one, ‘Disregard First Book.’
Disregard First Book offers the author’s mixture of wit and wisdom as she tackles issues triggered by the cataclysmic changes fostered by the feminist and sexual revolutions. Readers will enjoy her odyssey of hope and love punctuated by uproarious anecdotes about her big Irish family.
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Click to read excerpts from "Disregard First Book"
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