Itinerant Air-Cooled

Such a horrific and sad tragedy.

Beams from the 11th Century, beauty that somehow survived the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, two world wars, well, today was the day.

I hope that there is not some construction worker sitting on his bed in the middle of the French night just wishing that he had gotten the wet rags he needed in order to weld near wood beams, or some electrician now devastated because in the back of his mind he just knew that the wire nut did not secure as firmly as he knew it needed to be.

Such are our days. At a moment's notice, we can be divided instantly into "before the accident" and "after the accident". We then spend the rest of our idle moments on Earth wishing that we had been more mindful. I put a lot of time in each day imagining the catastrophic consequences of my every potential error. Nothing wrong with that. It is practice towards mindfulness.

Poor France, that was not just some box skyscraper.
Colin

agreed. And full disclosure - I was raised catholic, but have not been practicing in 20 years.

It was a loss of some very historical artifacts and wonderful pieces of unreplaceable art. However, faith is not about monuments built by man. Yes it was a loss. But if true followers were to donate as much money to this monument (if I heard correctly, it's about $600M) to real issues - where would humanity be today?

Yep - aside from the art part of it i would not classify it as a "Such a horrific and sad tragedy."
I think there are much worse sad horrific tragedys happening around the world every day that deserve more attention than this.

I agree with troll on the philanthropy.

zabo wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 19, 2019 5:11 am

Yep - aside from the art part of it i would not classify it as a "Such a horrific and sad tragedy."
I think there are much worse sad horrific tragedys happening around the world every day that deserve more attention than this.

I agree with troll on the philanthropy.

Well, who is to edit and prioritize but people who have been inspired to ponder the amazingness of All Of This.

What/when is the moment to address the more deserving which must be attended to? Now? Or yesterday? What is first on your list?

I am delighted that the billionaire donors were peppered with questions about how easy it was for them rustle up a billion dollars, I am delighted that one billionaire dope prattled about tax write-offs and got his head handed to him on a platter, yes of course,
but,
drink up those moments when people come together briefly, zabo. It is a moving and hopeful thing when we humans realize however briefly that we are in this together.
Colin

Amskeptic wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 20, 2019 8:11 am

those moments when people come together briefly, zabo. It is a moving and hopeful thing when we humans realize however briefly that we are in this together.
Colin

^ You are right about this, but as you said, the money is misplaced.

The happenings in Sri Lanka today are much more sad and tragic.
Love you all

Amskeptic wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 20, 2019 8:11 am

I am delighted that the billionaire donors were peppered with questions about how easy it was for them rustle up a billion dollars, I am delighted that one billionaire dope prattled about tax write-offs and got his head handed to him on a platter, yes of course,

There are several issues here. My first reaction was that we called for restoration when Notre Dame burned, but what about the three black churches that were firebombed last month? Do they also merit restoration?

But then there's the value of Notre Dame as a work of art and of cultural heritage, something that can't be understated or discounted. In that sense, those billionaire dopes fully deserve any tax write-offs they can garner, since the object of the expense is to restore a great work of art.

There have been calls for the Roman Catholic church to contribute to the restoration, even though the Church doesn't actually own the building. (France does.) But if Notre Dame means that much to Catholics, and if every Catholic contributes a just a dime to the restoration, that's $120,000,000 right there.

Finally, there's the issue of how that restoration money could be used to feed and clothe and house the needy, as Jesus would undoubtedly have wanted. That the restoration money will be returned to the economy in the form of labor to skilled artisans and suppliers of building material needs to be factored in as well. Sure, some of it might be used to make rich people richer, but it will eventually reach the needy in the form of taxes and stimulation of the economy, much of it undoubtedly the local restaurants and cafes and bars frequented by the workers at the cathedral. So there are upsides here.

One more note: I've read that replacing the oak beams won't be a problem, as there were oaks that were planted a couple hundred years ago at Versailles for the explicit use of them for that purpose. Later (Stewart Brand recounts a similar situation at Oxford University; that account can be found in his book How Buildings Learn.) The question is now whether we can improve on medieval engineers and design a roof that won't burn.

(Note: I've learned from Snopes that the Versailles trees don't exist, and that the story was "without basis in fact." But if we can trust Mr. Brand, the Oxford story is true.)

And a final thought: The New Yorker magazine's cover this week showed something that hasn't been seen in centuries: the sun illuminating the great Rose Window from behind, through the now absent roof.

Stumbled on this thread. Deep thoughts as always.

Now that this thread has been resurrected, I should point out that the many millions of dollars promised by the wealthy haven't materialized as yet, and the restoration project is limping along. It's funny how a person's devotion to sacred spaces evaporates once the spotlight turns away.

JLT wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 10, 2019 12:51 pm

Now that this thread has been resurrected, I should point out that the many millions of dollars promised by the wealthy haven't materialized as yet, and the restoration project is limping along. It's funny how a person's devotion to sacred spaces evaporates once the spotlight turns away.

This is a very true thing, JLT. I have my own "spotlight preen" that I must guard against. So does our president. We get swept up in the moment, and promise big things, but it is how we pet the dog and brush our teeth that our true character is evident. or sumpin
Colin