UNIONS: "The recent labor protests (and counter-protests) in Wisconsin are part of a long tradition of politicians letting public unions take the heat for government fiscal woes."..(Fortune Magazine 2-28-11) This is a thought-provoking article that may change your mind about your position (if you have one) on unions."Are public unions our convenient economic scapegoats?"
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WAR: “Any future defense secretary,” Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told an audience of West Point cadets Friday, “who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should have his head examined.” February 26, 2011
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RAILROADS/ENVIRONMENT/ECONOMY: "Mr. Buffett attributed much of the year’s success to his acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad, calling it the highlight of 2010. The $26 billion deal, he said, has increased his company’s earnings power by more than 30 percent. But Mr. Buffett also trumpeted the benefits of rail travel beyond profits." “Railroads have major cost and environmental advantages over trucking, their main competitor,” said Mr. Buffett. “Our country gains because of reduced greenhouse emissions and a much smaller need for imported oil. When traffic travels by rail, society benefits.”.. (New York Times February 26, 2011)
(Hill Country Flyer)
More folks in business and government should listen to Warren Buffett. I never really understood the loss of so many American railroads. (Shades of Ayn Rand!) I'm glad to hear his position on rail transportation in these times of rising oil prices as well as the impact on the environment if we continue trucking -- if that is even an option in the future with gasoline prices going up, up, up. I loved the few cross-country trips I took on railroads as a child. I really wish we had more rail transportation from outlying towns into big cities in Texas. There is a steam engine train that makes weekend trips to Burnet from Cedar Park, a suburb of Austin. As we have fewer and fewer tourist sites for visitors to see, I wonder if most will continue to ride the train just for the sake of saying they rode a train!
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American Goldfinches
EARLY BIRDS: I have been mesmerized by the number of beautiful birds the past week. This is the first time I have seen cedar wax wings, and the first time I have put out a thistle sock for the goldfinches since moving to Burnet. The cedar wax wings have shown up in a flock, and decided to stick around when they found the abundance of hackberries in the trees surrounding my backyard. And of course, the water is plentiful as well. Times like these I wish I had a really good telephoto lens. The zoom feature on my camera doesn't do justice to these lovely creatures when I have to shoot through a glass window. I spend way too much time looking out the windows and watching these and the tiny American goldfinches that often fight over the thistle sock I provide for them. I cannot think of any more soothing activity than watching the birds from my window. Take time to look at nature,
and wonder at the beauty of our world.
Cedar Wax Wings
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On this note I will close. I plan a trip to my 92-year-old dad's home tomorrow. I'm hoping to hear more of his stories of his youth. In recent years he never ceases to surprise me with things I never heard him speak of before. I will share them in the future.
Love, peace, and healing to the world and all my loved ones who are dealing with health challenges, Marilyn
We students of metaphysics are well aware that when we envision (or pray for) the "perfect" anything, we often are shocked by just the opposite showing up in our lives. In order for anything to achieve perfection, the imperfections must first surface and be dealt with. If we affirm more perfect health, in order for that to be achieved, anything in our body that is the antithesis of that perfect health will arise with alarming frequency at times. A sudden heart attack can be and often is a life saving event. It causes us to reflect upon our lifestyle and the means necessary to change it in order to be in perfect health. The same with the discovery of a malignant tumor. It must be discovered to be cut out and/or treated. If you long for a better job or more compensation from your current position, don't be surprised at sudden layoffs at your place of employment -- or even your being fired. This can and will lead you to seek better employment. We sometimes need to be shocked into doing the necessary and often painful things to bring about positive change in our lives. However, as the old saying goes, if we keep on doing the same old things, we will keep on getting the same old results! Change is a must.
So it seems to be happening in our world today. There are many of us longing for, praying for, and even working towards world peace. The video above is so remarkable, showing many children who are being raised with the knowledge that they can change the world and bring about peace. And that it is up to each and everyone of us. The song and its lyrics are very moving. Such powerful, positive words as well as the images they portray. Although these children are Buddhist, their message is for the youth of all the world. This was filmed on December 11, 2010. The first uprising against the oppressive regimes in the Mideast began in Tunisia on December 17, 2010, and ending with the ouster of their leader on January 14, 2011. Perhaps one of these children was the number that helped to reach a critical mass in world consciousness. One of them may indeed have been our "hundredth monkey".
Granted, the intervening protests and revolutions are still a far cry from Peace on Earth, but these are the beginnings of positive change. The world is awakening. There is enough of everything on this planet that no one should be subjected to the cruelties of poverty, hunger, unemployment, lack of medical care, and most importantly, loss of freedom. Too much of these exist today. It is particularly shameful to see this in such oil-rich countries as the ones undergoing protests and uprisings now. When the leaders are obscenely wealthy, and their people suffer so much lack, it is time for the world to speak out. Speak out and back the revolutionaries seeking the positive changes in their countries. These despotic leaders must be lanced, cut out like cancers from their positions that they have held too long.
We may not see results we wish right away, and it may not end with the countries in the Mideast, but we know in our hearts that we are witnessing the beginning of a "New Earth".
From Wikipedia: "The hundredth monkey effect is a supposed phenomenon in which a learned behavior spreads instantaneously from one group of monkeys to all related monkeys once a critical number is reached. By generalization it means the instantaneous, paranormal spreading of an idea or ability to the remainder of a population once a certain portion of that population has heard of the new idea or learned the new ability. The story behind this supposed phenomenon originated with Lawrence Blair and Lyall Watson in the mid-to-late 1970s, who claimed that it was the observation of Japanese scientists... They state that unidentified scientists were conducting a study of macaques monkeys on the Japanese island of Koshima in 1952. These scientists purportedly observed that some of these monkeys learned to wash sweet potatoes, and gradually this new behavior spread through the younger generation of monkeys—in the usual fashion, through observation and repetition. Watson then claimed that the researchers observed that once a critical number of monkeys was reached—the so-called hundredth monkey—this previously learned behavior instantly spread across the water to monkeys on nearby islands."
My intention is not to compare the oppressed people of Mideastern countries currently protesting for democracy, to monkeys. I am using this supposed phenomenon to suggest that those people reached a critical number in consciousness (critical mass) that desired and, therefore, were willing to protest and even die for a democratic existence.
Algeria, Yemen, Bahrain, Iran, and now Libya. One by one the Mideastern countries are following the recent Egyptian example by protesting the authoritarian regimes denying ~ or severely restricting ~ equality and their freedom. I am not surprised that this is happening; but I am surprised it is happening now ~ and so quickly. Low wages and high unemployment of the nations' young people, while those in power rake in billions of the countries' money, are among the biggest complaints. (I read that one of the Arabic nations gave a large amount of money to each of its citizens to help prevent their joining the uprisings. I wish I could find the news article, but so far I can't ~ and I can't remember which country.) Economic and political conditions have always been this bad or worse in these Mideastern countries, but never have they been so visible to so many of its citizens. Modern technology has made the inequities obvious to anyone with a TV set or a computer. The state may control the television and newspaper contents, but it is more difficult to keep the Internet silenced. Although many realize they may face death for joining in the anti-government protests, as our own forefathers believed, they believe the risk is worth it. I also think that knowing that the world is watching gives them more courage. That makes it even more surprising that the CBS reporter Lara Logan was so brutally attacked. The Egyptian women who came to her rescue were very brave indeed. The attackers might have been government supporters trying to limit reporters access to the protests .
We are witnesses to historical events taking place around the world. Life will be forever changed in many countries. That's not to say it will be better for those citizens in the short term, but in the long term, none will be satisfied with the way things were. How shameful that Mubarak absconded with billions of dollars of his country's money when there is so much need and poverty in existence there. What on earth can he possibly spend that much money on? He's certainly not in the ranks of the U.S. philanthropists such as Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. And at 80 years of age, in failing health, how can he enjoy such wealth obtained by corruption and at the expense of his people? Some people have no conscience.
This morning I read where the security forces of Bahrain attacked camped protesters during the night, killing at least three and wounding 200. Perhaps they thought it would be more difficult for the media to document such brutality on film at night. Bahrain is such an important U.S. ally, especially with our Navy base located there. How do we condemn such treatment of their people without jeopardizing our relationship? This afternoon there is news online that dozens of protesters have been killed in Libya by the military.
The thugs running Iran will be the next big news item. They are antagonizing Israel by purportedly planning to send warships into the Suez Canal. Is this just a diversion to keep the world from focusing on the unrest of their citizens? Wow! So many rebellious situations going on at one time around the world. It has to be extremely difficult for the leaders of the Western allies to decide how to respond.. and when. The West is so dependent on the oil and natural gas produced by the Arabic nations. Are we watching the beginnings of another World War? The people deserve to be free and to live in a democratic society. Most of them wish to protest peacefully.
I will continue to hold thoughts of "peace on earth" in my mind, and pray that more lives are not lost in their quest for a better way of life. I also pray that we don't see a militant Islamic takeover in some of these countries as we saw in Iran in 1979, when the Ayatollah Khomeini became the country's leader after the revolution that overthrew the government and ousted the Shah of Iran. More refugees for Al Qaeda are not needed!
Join me in imaging for peaceful resolutions to these uprisings.. so the Hundredth Monkey consciousness can keep on moving throughout the world until we truly do have peace on earth!
The beat does go on, and I am thanking God for that. The beat I speak of is the heartbeat of my Number One son and oldest child, Craig. Unfortunately, one of the things he inherited from both his dad and me was the predisposition for a heart attack. Friday, Craig suffered a heart attack at his home in Dallas. After driving himself to the ER, and the surgery to implant two stents in the right coronary artery, he is finally out of ICU. When I spoke with him around 5 o'clock Saturday, he was not only feeling better (the artery had been 85% blocked) but also feeling bored! I think that was a good sign. The doctors say he may be able to go home on Monday. In the meantime, he is anxious for his roommate to bring him his laptop. Nothing conquers boredom like surfing the net -- and of course checking in with Facebook. I'm sure he will write about how he thought he was only suffering from acid reflux, and how he even postponed talking to his doctor for several hours. Hopefully, this might save the life of at least one of his friends. The baby boomers are now at that age where their years of imagined invincibility are waning. All the cheeseburgers, booze, and smoking are starting to take a toll on many of their lives. My 6'2" baby boy is safe for now. Next come the changes necessary in his lifestyle so he will be around and able to care for his aging Mom in the years to come! I love you, Number One son!
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How fitting that tomorrow is Valentine's Day. The day our hearts beat with love for family, lovers, and close friends. The day we celebrate with hearts of all kinds.. cards with shiny foil hearts trimmed with lace, heart-shaped boxes filled with luscious chocolates, and pretty jewelry with sparkling hearts. Since ancient times the heart has been thought of as the seat of the soul. Philosophers long ago thought of it as the seat of reason and emotion. And of course in modern times the heart has represented romantic love. Thus, our love songs are filled with "hearts".. Running through my mental repertoire of songs -- and a quick Google search -- I found that there seem to be more songs about hurting hearts than happy hearts. There are many about broken hearts, cold, hard, lonely, and hungry hearts. And even "achy, breaky hearts"! Is it any wonder there are so many heart attacks associated with sad times, breakups, and losses? How many times do we say, "my heart hurts for her", or "it just breaks my heart to hear that", or even "my heart goes out to you". Let me tell you, your HEART is listening! We would all do well to watch our words carefully when we are speaking from or about the heart and our emotions. And as for those "love" songs.. concentrate on Young at Heart or Put a Little Love in Your Heart, and try not to wallow in your sorrow by listening to the achy, breaky ones for hours on end! Your heart will love you for it.
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One cannot help but be made aware of all the excitement surrounding the resignation of the Egyptian President Mubarak. There is a young Indian university student from New Delhi that writes a very interesting blog that I check in on from time to time. He is about the same age as my two oldest grandchildren. It is an eye opener to read what young people in other countries have to say about world current events, as well as what's happening in their own country. Today he wrote an open letter to Sonia Gandhi, president of the Indian National Congress -- one of India's major political parties, and the party in power today. He was highly critical of the corruption in her party, outlining in detail his grievances and reasons why he would not vote for her or her party in the next election. He went on to say the following: "Or look at the positive side, I may not be needed to vote in 2014 as your government can topple before it completes the present term! Or better, the citizens can rise in an Egyptian style uprising to demand an ouster of this government! I am telling you, these are exciting times we are living in."
This is from India. A country with a democratic form of government and a constitution that allows freedom of speech! In scanning the Internetnews sites I noted that Algeria has tried their own form of revolt in the past day or two.. and as I write this there are clashes in Yemen between protesters and government supporters. The wave of freedom and peace seekers is rolling now. The Mideast is sure to be on guard, and hopefully looking to their own governing powers to see where change is needed.
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Today the temperature is going to be in the 70s here in the Hill Country of Texas. Yesterday, as ice in the birdbaths melted, and the sun was shining brightly I had scores of birds in my back yard. Some who haven't been around for a while. There were at least two dozen or more Robins in my yard and my neighbors' yards. They were fighting over the water, and chasing one another through the trees. The squirrels thought that looked like fun, so they joined in as well. I've taken some pictures, and plan to go to the park this afternoon as I heard there are some new ducklings that have hatched out recently. I will photograph them as well if I can see them. It's also time to be making a trip to the Eagles' nest near Lake Buchanan. Ahhhh, harbingers of spring! It's wonderful to feel warm weather and watch all the wildlife enthusiastically embracing it! It's supposed to be in the 70s all this next week. I hope spring is approaching wherever you live as well.
Anyone watching or reading the news knows of the historic event taking place in Egypt today. Mubarak has resigned! The people of Egypt made their will known over the past 18 days. Huge crowds of (for the most part) peaceful demonstrators were pictured demanding the resignation of their president, and most echoing their desire for a democracy in their country. I was so proud to see that the leaders in this uprising were mostly the young people. I have long believed the hope of our world lies in the generations coming of age the past 20 years or so. These young people were more than likely emboldened by the Tunisian uprising in January. May the Egyptian people be blessed in their new-found freedom, and may the military who is taking command of running the country be benevolent in their leadership. We have all heard the horror stories about the tortures the secret service in that country has been guilty of. The people have made their voices heard around the world. And the world will be watching and listening.
It doesn't take 24-hour news coverage for the average person to pick up on the changes taking place around the world. There are people working toward these changes in ways that don't make headlines. One such group that I am so fond of is the Playing For Change group of musicians from around the world. I thought today's news was the perfect time to play their newest video. Mark Johnson, founder of Playing For Change, says the following:
"The act of playing music with people of different cultures, religions, economics and politics is a powerful statement. It shows that we can find ways of working together and sharing our experiences with one another in a positive way. Music has the power to break down the walls between cultures, to raise the level of human understanding."
We can all "play for change" in our own way whenever we stand up against injustice in any form. Maybe we cannot sing out for it, but we most certainly can speak out! Here's to all the brave young people of the world who are working for change. Where will they speak out next?
"This is for the Ray Robertses, Bubbas and other conservatives who label liberals as socialists, communists and 'libtards.'
A relative approached me, a strange look on his face, and told me that my sister and I were wanted at the back door. My mother was born in Detroit, Texas. She worked in other cities but always considered Detroit her home. When she died in the mid-1950s, we held her funeral there with the viewing in her family home.
This was in the mid-1950s, in a very segregated community.
We approached our back door, and an elderly black man said, 'Miss Polly, Mister Johnny, the colored folk would like to say goodbye to Miss Mell.'
My sister and I of course agreed, and 25 or 30 of Detroit’s darker-skinned residents in their Sunday best walked in a single line past Mama’s coffin. I saw tears in some eyes, smiles on some lips and heard a muttered, 'Thank you.'
Each in their own way said goodbye to Miss Mell, and was quickly gone.
I never knew what acts of kindness occurred that inspired that tribute to my mother; she had never told me or my sister about them.
In later years, one black lady did tell me that Mama was the kindest person she had ever known and let it go at that.
Not only am I proud of Mama, but I am also proud that all her life she was both a liberal and a caring human being."
John Nance Garner, V
Denton, Texas
The above piece was written by my good friend, Jack. As I've told you before, Jack is named after a great-uncle, John Nance Garner, IV, who was the first vice-president of FDR. Jack loves to write letters to the Editor of the Denton Record-Chronicle, which has a huge conservative following. He writes BIG. If the folks he writes to were to hear him, he sounds BIG as well. A popular actor with the Denton Community Theater, Jack has a voice that projects from here to everywhere! I miss our friendly banter on current issues, but I get a big kick out of reading his Letters to the Editor online. This one was published yesterday, February 8, 2011.
I remember one of the first acts of friendship Jack and I shared. On an ancient electric typewriter, and by listening to a tape on a small tape recorder, I typed a play Jack had written called "If Elephants Could Fly". It was a humorous take on his feelings at the time that life had been dumping on him. What ever happened to that script, Jack?
Most of you who have ever done a Google Search for a particular image know that when you choose an image oftentimes you are directed to a site where it originated or is being used. Usually I try to use my own photographs, but often I need a particular image that I don't have to illustrate a point or a story. Then I search. I first look at photos on the public domain site, but I have to admit I use quite a few that are not there, hoping that I am not stepping on someone's toes or infringing on a copyright. (I got an angry email one time from a lady who was incensed that I used a photo of her pet poodle to illustrate a friend's story of her poodle.) One such image I used a few months back to illustrate Ringo Starr's 70th birthday. (Oh, no! The Beatles are getting old!) At the end of the post, I imported a peace sign that I got off the Internet. It had the neck of a guitar as part of the sign within the circle, with Peace spelled out on one side and Love on the other. I wish I had credited the artist who created it.
(Picasso)
Apparently, the image attracted many others who also were searching for a peace sign. Google's Blogspot has a terrific feature that allows bloggers to see which countries around the world have viewed your blog. That doesn't necessarily mean those viewers have actually read your blog, but they have at least visited it. Besides the number of views and the countries viewing it, there is also a list of referring sites. From this I have learned that my most popular blog post in terms of times viewed was found by people searching the Internet for a peace sign, and they liked the one I used as well. So much for my inflated ego that I had written a great blog post!
It took some time for me to correlate the number of views of that blog post with the events taking place around the world. Not so oddly, a few of the countries were actually headlining the news at the same time some of their people were seeking peace in the form of an image they could use. Tunisia and Egypt come to mind. The uprisings of the common people demanding democracy and a just government seem to be increasing, and happening within shorter periods of time. People are willing to take to the streets and even die for their freedom. Some things never change, do they?
I wonder how they plan to use the Peace Sign image. Some countries, such as China, have rigid controls over Internet usage. Imagine the riot-torn countries, as well as the United Arab Emirate, Kuwait, Slovenia, Russia, Ukraine, and even some South American visitors -- all seeking peace in the form of an image.
I wish we could plaster the world with huge images of the peace sign, doves carrying olive branches, holy books, clasped hands, and any other images that are recognized throughout the world as signs of peace. If everywhere we looked we saw signs of love and peace and freedom and harmony that imprinted on our brain and consciousness, before long we would be seeing more and more countries longing for and implementing positive changes.
"What we hold in our thoughts, we create in our world". More people need to seek peace -- even if in the beginning it is only an image. After all, that is what we all wish for, isn't it? Peace on earth.
Until next time..
While Travis may not do that (dance a little jig), his Grandmommy is happy to do it for him. After 12 days in the hospital and the ruptured appendix surgery, he came home last Monday. What a happy little boy.. and what a happy family to have him home at last. He still has a couple of weeks' recovery time, and heavy duty antibiotics to fight all the pockets of infection in his frail little body, but with the spirit of a giant warrior, and the loving help of his mommy and daddy, and of course, with all the prayer support he had and continues to have, this kid will persevere.
Travis in CT Tunnel
After enduring more severe pain after removal of the ruptured appendix, he was enthralled by his "trip" through the tunnel of a CT scan. He said he felt like an astronaut going into a space shuttle. The scan, which was also reviewed by his Uncle Branch in Amarillo, revealed an abscess that turned out to be two connected abscesses that required another surgery to implant a drain. The abscesses also put pressure on his lungs, making it difficult to breathe without oxygen. More painful procedures. The drain had to be flushed every 8 hours. The nurses let Travis be in charge of the plunger that created the flush. I know that aided in preventing him from feeling totally helpless.
Doctor Travis
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Day 11
Day 12: The PICC and drain lines came out, and Travis was given his freedom! Grandmommy was at his home in Austin when he arrived home along with scores of cards, balloons, and gifts from all the people who know and love this little guy so much. He has been home almost a week, and taking it easy until he gets all his energy back. And a few pounds put back on that frail little body. Friends of his mom and dad, his neighbors, and even mothers of his baseball team members have been bringing dinner to the family every night for nearly two weeks now, so Travis's mom can devote most of her time to taking care of him and playing games with him and little sister Kelly. Grandmommy taught him how to play 5-card draw poker, and he now beats his mom at that!
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Kelly
Like most of this part of the country, Austin had some frigid weather this past week... even a snowfall that delighted the children in Travis and Kelly's neighborhood. Not quite enough snow for snow people, but the steep hill in front of their home was great for sledding. As most folks in this part of Texas never own a real sled, Daddy came up with a makeshift sled for our Miss Kelly. She was such a precious snow bunny, and even made a snow angel for all to see.
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As Travis's grandmother, I would like to give a most heartfelt and special "thank you" to all of you who have so kindly sent your thoughts and prayers for his recovery. It meant so much to me, and of course, to his mom and dad. But, most of all, I know it contributed to his being able to withstand so much pain with courage and stamina beyond his years. God was definitely with him. And so were more than a few guardian angels.
