James M. Redwine

The Donald

Up Stairs, Down Stairs

by Leave a Comment

Donald Trump will be forever associated with escalators. Much of the world, at least the part I am part of, had paid little attention to The Donald until he and Melania descended those moving stairs at Trump Tower in New York City, New York on June 16, 2015. Then there was the non-moving escalator at the United Nations building September 23, 2025. President Trump demanded an investigation.

President Trump spoke to the assembled countries of the world that day. He began his lecture with:

“I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell.”

Perhaps he has information about the world from some higher source the rest of us are not privy to. Next, he criticized the United Nations; he alleged the U.N. sent strongly worded letters but took no action. Then he dismissed the recognition of Palestine by 157 of the world’s countries while he ordered the United States to stand with currently Zionistic Israel, and formerly Nazi Germany and formerly Fascist Italy and Japan in refusing to demand human rights for Palestinians.

I can relate to how The Donald felt about the mal-functioning escalator system at the U.N. It is a common human frailty to ascribe our personal problems to others. In Trump’s case, the United Nations organization did an almost immediate investigation and determined Trump’s difficulties were caused by members of his own staff abetted by U.N. funding deficiencies due to Trump Administration policies.

It is not that most of us never fall victim to feelings that the world revolves around us and that misfortunes are intentional blows from an evil or uncaring universe. Narcissism, to some degree, is just part of being human. But for most people, the assumptions are normally that snafus are not personal but coincidental.

I have concluded that most of my misfortunes are not due to fortune but to my own errant decisions or just dumb luck. I believe most of humanity eventually comes to similar realizations. As for The Donald, his narcissism is just part of his character. However, the fact remains he did make a successful descent down that escalator in 2015 and is now in a position where untested aspersions cast upon others can be dangerous. We can only hope for more introspection.

Spann(ing) The Globe

by 2 Comments

 

Jim Redwine making soap

It may not be the “Constant variety of sports” or the “Human drama of athletic competition” as promised by ABC’s Wide World of Sports, but Jim and Stephanie Spann’s New Harmony Soap Company provides a fun learning experience and great smells. Peg and I now know how to make soap and we have the aromatic masterpieces to prove it.

When Peg told me she had signed us up for a three hour soap-making class for this past Saturday my first thought, which I prudently kept to myself was, “Well, there goes my day off”. It was held at the New Harmony Soap Company on Main Street and was taught by the Doctor of Saponification, Jim Spann.

Saponification is not a misspelling of the great Italian sausage, soppressata, which is what I secretly hoped when Professor Spann started his lecture with the term. Turns out it is an ancient Latin term for soap-making. According to Jim we humans have been trying to remove the grit and maliferous substances from our bodies with homemade soaps since, at least, Babylonian days about 5,000 years ago, probably about the time that human population began to increase.

My first memories of soap-making involve our Pawhuska, Oklahoma neighbor lady, Mrs. Caldwell. I do not know her first name as when I was a child adults did not have first names. Today, complete strangers address everybody by first names and even the President of the United States is “The Donald”. But the demise of polite society is stuff for another column. For now, we are addressing the wonderful world of soap-making.

Whereas Mrs. Caldwell brewed her lye soap in a galvanized tub over an open fire in her yard next door to my family home, Peg and I were carefully and skillfully instructed in the use of electric hot plates and stainless steel pots.

Instead of hours of stirring her concoction of sodium hydroxide, water and lard as Mrs. Caldwell did, Peg and I had the use of electric mixers. And our lard was supplanted with coconut oil, palm oil, sunflower oil and shea butter mixed with distilled water and a cornucopia of interesting scented oils, such as clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, eucalyptus, rosemary, peppermint, etc., etc., etc.

Jim Spann helping Peg Redwine

Once I accepted my fate of a Saturday without football or simply vegetating on the couch, my next fear was of falling into the remedial group of soap makers. No problem. The process was so easy even a judge could follow it. Although Peg was always at least one step ahead of me, no one else seemed interested in my progress. It was truly a lot of fun.

If you are looking for something different to do right here in Posey County, I highly recommend the Spann College of Saponification in New Harmony. The New Harmony Soap Company has 4 more soap-making classes coming up; 2 in February and 2 in March. And while I am in no way intimating you might have a need for it, you might smell better too.

The end product – soap!