Construction on the Carmo Convent began in 1389, and the structure loomed over central Lisbon until Nov. 1, 1755, when the Great Lisbon Earthquake brought the roof down.
Rebuilding the city was such a massive task that neither replacing the Carmo roof nor clearing the ruins was a priority. Time passed, the skeleton became something of a tribute to the tragedy, which took up to 40,000 Portuguese lives. Today it holds an archeological museum and is one of the most diverting ways to spend an hour in the city. Who doesn't love a good ruin?
There was a lot of fallout from the Great Lisbon Earthquake, wiping out much of Portugal's wealth and sealing that once prosperous nation's decline, plus providing a stark horror that tamped down Enlightenment optimism — with a helping hand from Voltaire, who was inspired by the earthquake to pen his novel "Candide," poking fun at those who decide that this vale of woe is nevertheless the "best of all possible worlds."
Tuesday's mid-term election was an earthquake, though not a tragedy. I hope it is an event that will restore America's fortunes, rather than doom them. We'll see. Either way, it was a seismic shift, and the truth is, I'm still chewing on what it means. The outcome seems a clear occasion for optimism though, like Candide's Cunegonde, I nevertheless find "my heart is almost closed to hope." The results were too late to opine on for Wednesday morning — I went with a column about motherhood — and while I've begun trying to gather my thoughts, which, startled at the thunderous election results, bolted in every direction of the compass, it's going to take another day to coax them back into their pen and give them a good brushing before I can consider putting them on display.
So forgive me for buying some time with these cool photos that I took last March when my wife and I were in Lisbon.
The news is good. I think. As Candide says, ""You see that crime is sometimes punished." But the question remains: what else is it? Because good can be fleeting; here today, gone tomorrow.
The news is good. I think. As Candide says, ""You see that crime is sometimes punished." But the question remains: what else is it? Because good can be fleeting; here today, gone tomorrow.
Good night
ReplyDeleteAfter an earthquake a tsunami.
ReplyDeleteOnly when it's an undersea quake.
DeleteIt was. Southwest of Lisbon, under the ocean. Lisbon was destroyed by the 1755 earthquake, tsunami, and firestorm. The shake was a very strong one, at least an 8.0 by today's measurements. Giant waves also struck Great Britain, Ireland, the coast of North Africa, and were even reported as far away as Brazil and Greenland.
DeleteIn addition to the tens of thousands of deaths in Portugal, thousands also died in Morocco from the tsunamis there. The 1755 earthquake was a BIG one!
Best day I have had in a long, long time. Now we wait.
ReplyDeleteSaw Convo last year...magnificent.
ReplyDeletePerfect photo encouraging us to soar.
It's morning again in America!
(Sorry Ronnie, a little different this time)
Very well put, Neil.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this post very much.
thank you.
Hope tempered with humility is the best insight there is, lest we lose our balance and fall into the pits again. Seneca described hope and fear as companions; both can leave us suspended in an imagined future. There’s something to be said for Candide’s eventual turn from explaining the world to tending a small part of it.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I posted "We have a Democracy today, because we voted yesterday." I think that's the short version. The Trump years happened because we allowed them to happen. Tuesday we took responsibility for the mess and flooded the polls, while MAGA sat dumbly at home. At least that's what I think happened. Wiser minds than mine will be weighing in.
ReplyDeleteDevin Stone from the Legal Eagle YouTube channel puts up a great video on what the Dems should be doing next. Bring back the rule of law and prosecute.
ReplyDeleteThe rule of law? Isn't that a maga talking point?
DeleteIf we have learned anything during the Trump era we have some laws that don't exist that probably should.
It turns out a lot of the things that were appalled by that he's done aren't illegal. They are a violation of norms of ethical suggestions.
And even if Trump has done something that is against the law the supreme Court made it abundantly clear that the president while in office is immune to prosecution for any Acts that he engaged in during his official duties.
The only option for taking action against the president is impeachment and we've seen where that went the first two times.
The other protection we have against a tyrant like this slimy bastard is term limits for the presidency where the voters get to go and make their voices heard .
That option is clearly still available and in 2028 we want to make sure that one of that crowd doesn't follow him into the White House.
Hopefully the DNC crafts a platform where we make it abundantly clear that we're going to fix the immigration situation that we're going to make sure that African Americans are not discriminated against that we're not going to read gerrymander districts to suppress voting.
That we're going to have sane people appointed to manage health and human services and that war is not the answer. As a commenter further down this thread said let's not f*** this up
Impeachment of Trump is not the only option. His administration has embrancouraged and embraced many lawbreakers. There are state laws, international laws. Listen to Legal Eagle and other attorneys.
DeleteNon-Republicans have been making nice, turned the other cheek, worked in cooperation, etc. etc. etc. while the reasonable, moderate Republicans have capitulated their professed moral and intellectual beliefs in favor of party unity.
Clark St.
ReplyDeleteGood for folks like us! Not good for them. But they're beginning to reap what they've sowed.
ReplyDeleteGood? It seems to me this is the best possible outcome that could have occurred. Not just for us, but for all of us.
DeleteOne party no longer controls all three branches of government!
There is a tremendous amount of work ahead of us.
I hope our newly elected representatives will resist wasting energy on retribution and conflict.
This is an opportunity to demonstrate how reasonable and rational people behave.
We control Congress not with a veto-proof majority in the house nor a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. But we have our hands on some of the levers of power.
Maybe by demonstrating true patriotism we can straighten out some of this mess.
Let's start with restoring the parts of the social safety net that have been dismantled. Mend the fences with our allies.
Hopefully we will reach across the aisle and make it clear that Democrats and Republicans need to work together for the best interests of the people of this country.
All the people. No threats no retribution. A spirit of cooperation and compromise.
That's what it's going to take to right this ship not an attempt to exert power over the other side.
Once again our democratic small d guardrails have held.
Let's make the most of it
Unity is the key, it says that in our name this is the United States of America.
Reconciliation inclusion and cooperation that benefits us all.
. Let's not waste this opportunity and continue down the path of destruction that we've witnessed during this last decade.
We don't have the resources to fritter it all away
I disagree — I think we need to be rigorous and wise about fixing the structure democracy requires, regardless of which party is in charge; I.e., expanding the Supreme Court, Supreme Court term limits, eliminating the electoral college, outlawing gerrymandering, and getting big money out of politics, to name the major changes. As for unity, etc. the grift and the graft is so excessive it needs to be investigated, along with once and for all releasing the Epstein files. It’s called accountability and as Neil has described Trump with such clarity, turning a blind eye to all the corruption and unlawfulness that has occurred during Trump’s reign is irresponsible.
DeleteNeither party is "in charge" now . Simply controlling Congress won't allow Democrats to expand the supreme Court, enact term limits, take money out of politics. Be realistic
DeleteHave you read or heard anything sen elect Telarico of texas has said?
He's a moderate. I'm for moderation and gaining the white house in 28. If the Democrats prove to be out for vengeance let's remember that an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.
Let the healing of our country begin. Show the world how sane responsible people act.
I'm as far left as you can get but I understand none of the things I want are going to happen.
Pragmatic realism should be the order of the day.
FME - So no one should held legally responsible for all the illegal actions taken under this regime? Justice equals vengeance?
DeleteI was ecstatic to see the worst of the worst in the Senate get defeated.
ReplyDeleteSusan Collins, a woman who always spoke like she cared, until she voted to confirm the most vile appointees the demented & deranged lunatic could find in the sewers he chose them from!
Roger Marshall, an actual MD, except he would sue any patient that couldn't pay their bills & then add 18% interest to that bill.
And the creeps like Ken Paxton, a fraud, an actual thief, who cheated on his wife, but claimed to be a good Christian, who was impeached by his own Texas Republican Party, who went after women all over the country if they left Texas for a legal abortion.
Plus Texas's rotten governor Greg Abbott lost, as did the entire statewide ticket there.
Lindsay Graham's no nothing sister was defeated, so South Carolina will have a sane senator for the first time in decades.
There were a few painful losses, Flor-i-duh will now have a new insane governor, the sole difference between him & the old one is the new one is black & crazy, not white & crazy.
As long as we can get to January 3, without any resignations from any of the wing nuts on SCOTUS, then no crackpot judges will get confirmed for the next two years!
I definitely want to see both Hegseth & RFK Jr. impeached & removed, which is possible as even a huge number of the republicans are fed up with those two lunatics!
For the first time in a decade I'm enjoying the internet.
ReplyDeleteOhio finally awoke from a long, deep slumber. Sherrod Brown is back in the Senate, and Amy Acton won the governor's chair by eight points. It's a good day in North Missitucky.
ReplyDeleteBut not so fast. They won big in the urban counties...in the blue cities up north. Toledo, Lorain, Cleveland, and Akron. And in the cities in the rest of the state...Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Athens.
The hix in the stix said nix...and rural Ahia is still as deep red as ever. And the state legislature is still controlled by Bible-thumpers, who have made it a lot harder to buy weed...or to have an abortion...than elsewhere.
But Acton as governor has finally neutered that disgusting Ramaswamadingdong forever.
DeleteHe's through in American politics.
You now have a nice, intelligent Jewish doctor as governor.
First female governor and first Jewish governor.
DeleteAnd Ramaswampy is history. Whatta relief.
Best of all, no more disgusting campaign ads on the tube.
Does anyone think that Trump & Company will now behave?
ReplyDeleteNo, he will continue to be insane, Rubio will keep punishing Cuba, thinking it will get him the 28 nomination, RFK will continue to destroy American healthcare, Kegsbreath will continue to murder civilians 7 fire every qualified woman & black person in the military!
Deletemy main advice after a not bad night? don't fuck it up-remember, the red pond scum lost this election a tad more than team blue won it.
ReplyDeleteDon't fuck it up
ReplyDeleteI like that maybe I'll have some bumper stickers made