Magdalena Shea Scholar Adair was born June 29, 2010 at 2:35 pm in Los Angeles, Calif. She weighed 8 lbs., 12 oz at birth and was 20 inches long.

Shosho’s labor was just about 15 hours, in some ways easier than her first and in other ways harder. For various reasons, it became necessary for her to go through the final stages of delivery with no pain relief, so if her superstar nature wasn’t already apparent, it should be now.

A few words about the name:

Magdalena is the Spanish version of a Hebrew name that means, simply, someone from Magdala, an ancient village on the sea of Galilee. “Magdala” meant “tower” in Hebrew, “elegant” and “magnificent” in Aramaic. Magdala is mentioned a few times in the Talmud, but of course its most famous reference is Mary Magdalene, a powerful force within the early Christian church, revered today as a symbol of feminine strength, beauty and wisdom. She was also Jesus’ wife whose coupling founded the hidden royal bloodline that dominates global governments, high finance and drives most current events. That is, if you believe the Da Vinci Code.

We chose Magdalena because we like the name and we like how it ties together Shosho’s Mexican and Jewish heritage, paying special tribute to the “Hidden Jews” in her own bloodline.

Shea, the internet tells us, is an Anglicization of a Gaelic name meaning “admirable” or “hawk-like,” there is also the shea tree, whose seed gives us shea butter, but neither of those are why we chose it.

We derived Shea on our own from “acacia,” a type of tree spanning the globe’s temperate regions — Africa, Australia, Central America, etc. The acacia has a strong, durable wood, sometimes very prickly thorns and magical properties. It’s also a wishing tree, one with which Ben has had direct experience during his own travels.

Like her big brother, Scholar Adair is her (non-hyphenated) last name.

Magdalena gives itself to many nicknames, among them Magda and Lena. We are calling her “Maggie.”

We came back from the hospital on Wednesday evening and are looking for signs of our new normal. It’s clear to us that Gabriel loves his little sister but he gets confused about how to show that love and affection. Lucky for us (and him), his Abuelo and Nana are here showering down attention and giving him some stability and fun in a very uncertain time.

“These dogmatic ceremonies aren’t really a part of who I am,” I told him. “I wasn’t raised with any religion, so I don’t really have much of an appreciation for the ritual or the subtleties of the motions.

“It’s all,” I said, not quite believing the words coming out of my mouth, “just kind of boring.”

On the ride out to the Valley later that evening, I thought about what I’d said and just how untruthful it all was.

To be honest, I’ve always been fascinated with religions and ceremony. I’ve read everything from the mainstream texts — the Qur’an, the Bible, the Nag Hammadi, the Tao Te Ching — to the more obscure scrawlings of discredited monks, unauthorized apostles and twirling, whirling mystics. I find it all interesting, to say the least, if not inspiring.

There was a time in my life when I drove to churches hundreds of miles apart trying to find something that I still can’t place my finger on. Communion? Fellowship? A glimpse of something greater?

In my early-to-mid-30s I settled down into what I call a “joyful nihilism.” I came to accept that there’s a profound liberation in disbelief. And it can be a real trick to wrap your head around it.

With no god to answer to or anyone to hold me accountable, the only moral compass I’m left with is … me. Untether yourself completely from the enforcement mechanisms of morality — both the agents and their consequences — and you get neither bankruptcy nor ambiguity. Instead, all you’re left with is yourself. And it requires a whole lot of deliberate living to make sure that you’re fulfilling the ideals in your own head and heart.

In other words, yes, this all is for naught. Now, what?

Now that said I do have some mystical beliefs and I do think there are things tying us together as a species; I’m not one of these “science says there is no god,” guys and I recognize that there’s a lot in this life that I’ll never have access to. My “known unknowns,” to borrow a phrase, are already book-length. I can’t even imagine the volumes of “unknown unknowns” in print.

I always forget how beautiful the story of Passover is, from beginning to finish, and I always cry during the seder. This year was no different.

The ritualistic washing of hands and tasting of foods. The symbolism of the table. Importantly, the passing down over the generations.

The readings are usually what get me. Definitely true this year. I’ve transcribed a few from our hagadah below.

If only it were so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were only necessary to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?
– Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

The experience of camp life shows that man does have a choice of action. We who lived in concentration camps remember the men and women who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a human being but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
– Viktor Frankl

The ultimate measure of a human being is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Will a person risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others? In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways, will he lift some bruised and beaten brother to a higher and more noble life?
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

An old Hassidic tale goes like this: the rabbi asked his students, “How can we determine the hour of dawn, when night ends and day begins?

One of the students suggested, “When you can distinguish between a dog and a sheep from a distance?” “No,” answered the rabbi.

A second student said, “When you can distinguish between an olive tree and a grapevine?” “No,” said the rabbi. The students pleaded, “Please tell us the answer.”

“It is,” said the teacher, “when you can look into the face of any human being and there is enough light to recognize him as your brother. Until then, it is night and darkness is still with us.
– Marshall Meyer

What’s happening now, he said, is actually a structural readjustment that began in the 1990s and officially started with the 2001-2002 recession. The “Great Recession” is the end game — the torch of economic leadership for the next 20 years officially passed to China, India and Brazil.

He actually said, and I quote, “The US is Rome in 400 AD,” which is remarkably similar to what some friends and I were joking about at lunch last week.

Of course he also believes the US is still going to be a “really cool place to live” — he doesn’t see barbarians at the gates. And doesn’t factor any sustainability issues into his various calculations. He thinks the US is still going to be a very strong niche player but will lose it’s amazing clout over the next 10 years or so.

Interestingly, none of this bothered him at all.

As he put it, of course there are winners and losers; there always are. And now the winners and losers are changing. As an investor, though, there’s still lots of money to be made, just with new (and exciting) companies and nations. And more international travel.

It makes me think that people like Simon Johnson are a bit naive about how all this is going down.

Really, the economic crisis only matters if you’re still invested (mentally) in a sort of economic patriotism. But if you don’t care about the United States or the West more broadly, then the economic crisis is not a crisis at all — just a monumental shifting of the sands. Money has already rapidly changed hands. Now, the global economy is adjusting.

If you’re still holding on to notions of USA#1, then this is a HUGE problem. But if you think, for example, India is number one, then it’s an amazing opportunity.

If you don’t care about nations at all, then it’s just business.

Needless to say, I’m adjusting my 401k.

The camera is actually fairly versatile. With a little work and determination, I’ve been getting some fairly decent results.

Walking around becomes a new exercise in noticing.

Branches silhouetted against the sky.

The twisted shape of City Hall, reflected in the windows of the new LAPD headquarters — as if to say, “Yeah, we’ll follow your rules, but only our own contorted version of them.”

Shadows in the mountains …

Dragons in the plaza.

We’ve only the one thing to give.

Am I the only one who doesn’t mind the switch to standard time?

Today … the beginning of the beginning.

Tomorrow … everything started.

Never has a year seemed simultaneously so long and so short. Happy birthday, Gabriel Ash.

NY Times: Gloomy Negotiators End Bonn Climate Talks
The Guardian: UN’s climate chief warns of real risk of failure at climate change talks
United Nations: Bonn Climate Change Talks – August 2009
Reuters: INTERVIEW-Climate change fight seen costing $300 bln a year

More than 2,000 representatives met in Bonn, Germany for “informal” meetings dealing with the UN Climate Conference last week, August 10 – 14. Two more meetings are scheduled between now and December in Bangkok and Barcelona. This meeting began with trying to pair down a document that has inflated from 50-pages to 200-pages. The document is to be the successor of the Kyoto Protocol. Currently, it has about “2,000 bracketed statements highlighting areas of disagreement” according to the New York Times.

The meeting ended with representatives worrying an agreement may not be possible unless conversations accelerate according to The Guardian. In the article, Kim Castensen, head of WWF Clobal Climate Initiative, said, “”Delegates spent too much time arguing over procedures and technicalities. This is not the way to overcome mistrust between rich and poor nations.”

Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, told Reuters, “Over time, according to my own analysis, we are going to need $200 billion a year for mitigation and probably in the order of $100 billion a year for adaptation … from 2020 onwards.”

The message of urgency is getting louder as the conference in Copenhagen is getting closer.

Other Stories:

New Scientist: US To Map Carbon Sources in the Region
White House Press Release
Last week at the conclusion of the North American Leader’s Summit in Mexico, an announcement to create a “North American Carbon Atlas” was unveiled. The atlas will help find out the large carbon emitting industries and find areas for carbon capture and storage.

Slate/The Big Money: Corporations And What They Support
Corporations are supporting curbing greenhouse gas emissions but also supporting lobby groups that oppose it. What are the stakes? Why are they doing it?

Yale360: Kolbert Interviews Holdren
Elizanbeth Kolbert interviews John Holdren for Yale 360 about what the US has planned domestically and what’s in store for US interests in Copenhagen and beyond. You can also stream the full interview on the site.

Congressional Quarterly: Opposition to Climate Plan Awaits Obama
The Guardian: Oil lobby to fund campaign against Obama’s climate change strategy
A coalition of conservative groups called the Energy Citizens are kicking off rallies this week to decry cap and trade in swing states. A memo was leaked that the oil lobby group, American Petroleum Institute, will be funding the rallies.

Focus on: Council on Foreign Relations’ Crisis Guide
Council on Foreign Relations have published articles on climate change but recently they’ve also posted this interactive video site that has maximized their multi-media platform. They publish “Crisis Guides” on various subjects ranging from the economy to war. In this installment, they breakdown the climate change debate. Watch how they mix in video, slideshow, pop-up links pertaining to the story on their site during the video, and chapter breakdowns so users can pick and choose segments of interest.