In all of its glorious mystery, the universal life energy has a way of reminding us how all life is connected. ALL life. That means even our fur baby friends pick up on our emotions and thoughts and as such are connected to us. And the most mysterious of all is that these fur children need not even be ours for that connection to be experienced. Which leads me to tell you a little story about a little cat who has decided to make our place her temporary home until her mama is able to care for her again. It wasn't planned. At least not on our part. But like animals often do, they tend to pick us. Little kitty certainly did just that.
Our union began one afternoon many weeks ago. I was outside in the yard going about my business of unexciting yardwork when I heard this crying sound. I quickly realized it was a cat in some sort of distress. I determined the location: under the house. Following the sound, I walked to one of the vents and sure enough, there was this sweet little face with beautiful light green eyes looking up at me, meowing at me, making it clear she was in need of help. NOW. Realizing that she didn't appear to be injured, I knew what she wanted was simply to be out from under the house. Considering the vents on our side of the house are closed, I set off to the other side of the house to find the open vent in which she entered. By the time I got to the other side of the house, she came trotting around the corner, walked right up to me and began what is by now her very familiar meow cry.
I have a cat allergy so I'm careful in how I handle cats. I never know which ones will affect me and to what degree. I felt such an immediate bond with this little creature that I decided to risk it, so I picked her up and wondered who she belonged to. She had a collar, but no identity tags. Well fed and groomed, she was obviously not a stray. Just as I began to put together some sort of a plan to find her owner, our new neighbor opened the front door, looked at me holding this cat and said "Oh, THERE she is!"
"Ah, so she's your cat," I said.
"Well, no. We're just cat sitting for her until her own comes to get her," he said.
"Oh, ok," I said, handing him the cat.
I went back home and thought no more of it.
That is until the next day when she appeared at our patio door, crying again. So I went outside and gave her some attention. That didn't stop the meowing. So I picked her up. Nope. That was not what she wanted.
Now I'm used to dogs and dogs don't cry. At least mine doesn't.
Maybe she's hungry? I thought.
We just happened to have some canned cat food. Our home, wherever that has been, has been a place that the occasional stray or lost pet will find. As such, I keep extra cat food on hand for just such an occasion.
So I popped open a can, placed it on a plate, put it in front of her and watched this cat eat as though she hadn't eaten in days. Her crying? Completely stopped.
After she was done, she looked up at me, gave me a little meow as if to say "thank you" and took off.
Thinking that was the end of it, I went back inside.
Wrong again.
She showed up again the next day. And she was there when we went to bed later in the evening.
What does this cat think this is? I thought. The Hilton?
So I paid the neighbors a visit.
"Your cat keeps coming into our yard and she seems hungry. Are you not feeding her?"
I was told for whatever reason, little kitty likes to run out the door whenever they open it. And she is impossible to catch (something I have since discovered to be true). The end result is a cat who had been spending most of the nights outside, sometimes going all day without food.
What to do?
It was becoming obvious she liked being over at our place, despite our having a dog. (More on that relationship in a bit.) I'm not sure if she just doesn't like her new pet sitters or if it's due to their having a cat, but she seemed to pick our place at her new living quarters. I certainly didn't feel ok knowing this little creature was going all day without food plus not having a place to sleep at night. And it didn't seem as though these young boys were interested in changing their behavior. So I took it upon myself to take care of the cat until the owner returns. Or if that doesn't happen, find her a new home.
That means we had to invest in more cat food. Canned can get to be expensive, so we supplemented it with some dry kibble I bought in bulk. We then hauled out our dog kennel, put in some pillows and a cover, a blanket and some fleece I bought at the local sewing/craft store. It's sitting next to the house and given the rains are about to return, we have a protective tarp over the side to cover the slats. So now she has 2-4 meals a day (cats eating habits are different from dogs I have discovered) and a warm place to bed at night. She cries at our door sometimes to come in and we will let her, for a few minutes, until the dog has her disgusted, she will then cry to go outside. And now and then when she's sleepy, we'll pick her up and bring her inside, hold her in our laps on a blanket until we start to sneeze or feel wheezy (mr. n it turns out also has some cat allergies) then we'll place her outside in her kennel. I like to cover her up.
It's been a pain in the ass as well as a blessing. Just when I think my god she's hungry AGAIN I will look at her face, that sweet little face and watch her little paws bat at the food dish as I bring it outside and my heart melts. Completely.
She is quite vocal and has no insecurities whatsoever about telling you what she wants and does not want. For her happiness though I hope her owner returns soon for she is indeed an indoor cat who needs to be the only animal in the home.
In the interim, our dog is adjusting. She makes it known to little kitty that it is SHE that is princess. SHE that is the center of the human's lives. In short, she was here first and is not about to give up her seat on the animal throne. But thankfully, little kitty is amazingly docile. She's a true pacifist and as such, has no interest in the dog and cat battle. Therefore, there seems to be a mutual understanding between the two of them. Dog says "I will tolerate you". Kitty says "Yes you will."
Aside from the food differences, cats are also very nervous creatures. They also have amazingly short attention spans. I have to watch how I open doors and move things outside. A chair being dragged along concrete won't phase our dog. But this little cat? She'll leap straight up in the air and take off as though she's just come in contact with the world's biggest most meanest dog. And as far as her attention span, I will be crouched down, petting her and talking to her and she'll be digging it, then in a flash, she's running away from me, going after who knows what.
And her sleeping habits are also just as unpredictable. Sometimes she will be out most of the night and sleep most of the day. Other times she's full of energy during the day and is out like a light for the night. I check on her every night. Sometimes she's sleeping in her kennel. Other nights she's nowhere to be seen. Our dog? Same sleeping habits every single day, no exception.
So there you have it. Adventures in kittyland. Kitty tales, or tails as I like to refer to this experience. I know it won't last long, which is why I'm closing up this post so I can go get in some kitty laptime snuggles before bedtime. That is, if she will let me. Afterall, cats really do rule their universe. Including the homes in which they choose to live in.
10.29.2008
Write For Us! We Pay Nothing!
I run across ads quite frequently, usually from start-up publications, seeking writers to write for them for free. I found such an ad today. It's so insulting not to mention a very poor way of doing business. It's one thing to ask friends, family and those supporting you in this venture to donate time and work the first few issues until enough advertising revenue comes in. It is quite altogether different when asking complete strangers to work without any financial reward while your little project gets off the ground.
Unfortunately, this happens all too often in the creative fields. We simply do not value artistic expression in the same way we do other fields. I cannot tell you how many times I've been asked to play the piano for free. Nor can I share the number of times I have submitted my writings to publications who, for whatever reason, do not pay. Some publications love to say what a great opportunity it is to write for them. What great exposure.
Hogwash.
This giving-away-of-my-talents-for-free crap has not helped in my creative pursuits whatsoever.
Hence, I made the decision a couple of years ago that if you desire my work, you will pay me for it. And hey, I'm flexible. I'm open to payment. I'm even open to bartering to some degree.
So I am making a request to such folks who think it is acceptable or even wise to seek writers who will write for free. KNOCK IT OFF. If you cannot afford to pay those who work for you, then you need to find the time to do the work yourself. Or ask friends and family for such help until you have built your business, your publication, to the point where you can offer payment. But please, please, please stop insulting us with your false promises and silly insinuations. You may convince the newbies and the naive optimist. But you don't fool those of us who have been around the block a few times. We're wise to your tactics.
Unfortunately, this happens all too often in the creative fields. We simply do not value artistic expression in the same way we do other fields. I cannot tell you how many times I've been asked to play the piano for free. Nor can I share the number of times I have submitted my writings to publications who, for whatever reason, do not pay. Some publications love to say what a great opportunity it is to write for them. What great exposure.
Hogwash.
This giving-away-of-my-talents-for-free crap has not helped in my creative pursuits whatsoever.
Hence, I made the decision a couple of years ago that if you desire my work, you will pay me for it. And hey, I'm flexible. I'm open to payment. I'm even open to bartering to some degree.
So I am making a request to such folks who think it is acceptable or even wise to seek writers who will write for free. KNOCK IT OFF. If you cannot afford to pay those who work for you, then you need to find the time to do the work yourself. Or ask friends and family for such help until you have built your business, your publication, to the point where you can offer payment. But please, please, please stop insulting us with your false promises and silly insinuations. You may convince the newbies and the naive optimist. But you don't fool those of us who have been around the block a few times. We're wise to your tactics.
10.23.2008
Political Dribble For Thursday
It's difficult for me to take seriously this election. With the obvious corrupt two-party dominance, with the bogus polling and likelihood of more voter manipulation, how else is one to think?
Of the most comical to me is this Sarah Palin business. While I never did much like Hillary Clinton, as a woman, she is smart. She is well-read and well-spoken. And most importantly, she knows the role of the President and Vice President. Sarah Palin, it seems, doesn't know what her role would be. At least according to the Constitution. Yes, while she has said the VP presides over the Senate, she is under the illusion that the VP has influence over the Senate. She believes the VP has a special set of powers that allow her to influence policy. I'm waiting for someone to photoshop some super hero costume over one of her photos. Women of America: THIS IS NOT THE ROLE MODEL WE FEMALES NEED. You want to get excited about a woman in politics, look to Cynthia McKinney, Green Party candidate.
There are the references to Obama being a terrorist, to his being an Arab, to his being a Muslim. My questions of course are who cares if he were of Arab descent (Constitution says NOTHING about one being EUROPEAN--only one being born in the United States) or a Muslim. It's silly to me when people say "well you don't worship MY god", implying as though there are hundreds of "god's" in the cosmos. Imagine the cause for confusion: Jesus: "oh, hey, Allah, this muslim sent up a prayer and it came to me instead." (hint: maybe there's just one continous ball of energy of which we're all a part of.) And then there's this whole terrorist reference, which is tossed at ANYBODY who speaks out against the government, against the war, against whatever political/social agenda is being presented, when in reality the thinking amongst us knows real terrorism is the individual or group of individuals who seek to strip away the freedoms from others and who seek to impose their will upon others through violent, harmful means.
Sort of changes the spectrum of things when thought of in this manner, doesn't it?
I am going to vote though, if for anything to put out an energy of "regardless of what you criminals opt to do, I'm still putting out a vote of conscience anyway". Some may say it won't count, but that depends upon how you look at it. Knowing how my candidate doesn't stand a chance of being elected (largely due to the fear and apathy of our society), I still know I am making a stand for what I believe in and in that way, my vote does count. It counts to me and that is what matters most to me at the end of the day.
Of the most comical to me is this Sarah Palin business. While I never did much like Hillary Clinton, as a woman, she is smart. She is well-read and well-spoken. And most importantly, she knows the role of the President and Vice President. Sarah Palin, it seems, doesn't know what her role would be. At least according to the Constitution. Yes, while she has said the VP presides over the Senate, she is under the illusion that the VP has influence over the Senate. She believes the VP has a special set of powers that allow her to influence policy. I'm waiting for someone to photoshop some super hero costume over one of her photos. Women of America: THIS IS NOT THE ROLE MODEL WE FEMALES NEED. You want to get excited about a woman in politics, look to Cynthia McKinney, Green Party candidate.
There are the references to Obama being a terrorist, to his being an Arab, to his being a Muslim. My questions of course are who cares if he were of Arab descent (Constitution says NOTHING about one being EUROPEAN--only one being born in the United States) or a Muslim. It's silly to me when people say "well you don't worship MY god", implying as though there are hundreds of "god's" in the cosmos. Imagine the cause for confusion: Jesus: "oh, hey, Allah, this muslim sent up a prayer and it came to me instead." (hint: maybe there's just one continous ball of energy of which we're all a part of.) And then there's this whole terrorist reference, which is tossed at ANYBODY who speaks out against the government, against the war, against whatever political/social agenda is being presented, when in reality the thinking amongst us knows real terrorism is the individual or group of individuals who seek to strip away the freedoms from others and who seek to impose their will upon others through violent, harmful means.
Sort of changes the spectrum of things when thought of in this manner, doesn't it?
I am going to vote though, if for anything to put out an energy of "regardless of what you criminals opt to do, I'm still putting out a vote of conscience anyway". Some may say it won't count, but that depends upon how you look at it. Knowing how my candidate doesn't stand a chance of being elected (largely due to the fear and apathy of our society), I still know I am making a stand for what I believe in and in that way, my vote does count. It counts to me and that is what matters most to me at the end of the day.
10.21.2008
Socialism and Redistributing The Wealth: A Lot Of Ridiculous Hysteria
The more time passes, the more I observe the political scene and all of the people supporting it with a sense of bewilderment. The question I most ask of myself is: Do these people really believe or even hear their own words?
The next question: Do these people even know how to think for themselves?
Socialism. A nasty word to some. And in some ways, I can understand the outcries against. Who wants government to control capital and production? In order to do that in a way that is truly socialistic, it would have to be a fair system where ALL benefit. And are our government representatives enlightened enough to be in charge of such a system?
Hardly.
And yet, when do we ever hear or read such questions or insights? All we hear is caveman speak: "Socialism is evil!"
Perhaps in truth it isn't socialism that is "evil" but rather those who haven't been able to release or even acknowledge the need to release greed and the fear that surrounds it.
Rugged individualism rules. We're only responsible for our own asses. Every man/woman/child for him/herself. And my favorite: the self-made man.
All short-sighted, narrow viewpoints, the last being a blatant lie.
Socialism, according to some, would chip away at these illusions. And yet I ask, is that such an awful thing?
Then there's the whole "redistribution of the wealth" that's being tossed around like a hot potato. It's pointed out, but it isn't handled with any real thoughtful dialogue for any real length of time. Instead it's passed off to the next pundit long before any real consideration is given.
Redistributing the wealth can be a rather scary concept. Imagine all workers who help create wealth for an individual or group of individuals actually get to share in that wealth.
Again, I ask, is that such an awful thing?
We (well, 90% of us) are a religious folk here in America. Let me rephrase that. We claim to be a religious folk. We claim to love Jesus. We claim to worship Jesus. We claim the desire to walk the path of this man, real or myth, God or not. And yet when it comes to these two principles, isn't it obvious by now that those who claim to define wealth distribution and socialism as "evil" and also claim to be a follower of Christ are a bit hypocritical?
Didn't Jesus condemn greed? Didn't he speak out against using others for any means, including financial gain? Didn't he speak frequently on sharing? On prosperity for all?
Which is it going to be for you, Joe and Jane America? You can't have it both ways. You cannot have capitalism the way it is and rugged individualism and be a follower of Christ. You simply cannot.
It's time to make a choice. Greed or love.
The next question: Do these people even know how to think for themselves?
Socialism. A nasty word to some. And in some ways, I can understand the outcries against. Who wants government to control capital and production? In order to do that in a way that is truly socialistic, it would have to be a fair system where ALL benefit. And are our government representatives enlightened enough to be in charge of such a system?
Hardly.
And yet, when do we ever hear or read such questions or insights? All we hear is caveman speak: "Socialism is evil!"
Perhaps in truth it isn't socialism that is "evil" but rather those who haven't been able to release or even acknowledge the need to release greed and the fear that surrounds it.
Rugged individualism rules. We're only responsible for our own asses. Every man/woman/child for him/herself. And my favorite: the self-made man.
All short-sighted, narrow viewpoints, the last being a blatant lie.
Socialism, according to some, would chip away at these illusions. And yet I ask, is that such an awful thing?
Then there's the whole "redistribution of the wealth" that's being tossed around like a hot potato. It's pointed out, but it isn't handled with any real thoughtful dialogue for any real length of time. Instead it's passed off to the next pundit long before any real consideration is given.
Redistributing the wealth can be a rather scary concept. Imagine all workers who help create wealth for an individual or group of individuals actually get to share in that wealth.
Again, I ask, is that such an awful thing?
We (well, 90% of us) are a religious folk here in America. Let me rephrase that. We claim to be a religious folk. We claim to love Jesus. We claim to worship Jesus. We claim the desire to walk the path of this man, real or myth, God or not. And yet when it comes to these two principles, isn't it obvious by now that those who claim to define wealth distribution and socialism as "evil" and also claim to be a follower of Christ are a bit hypocritical?
Didn't Jesus condemn greed? Didn't he speak out against using others for any means, including financial gain? Didn't he speak frequently on sharing? On prosperity for all?
Which is it going to be for you, Joe and Jane America? You can't have it both ways. You cannot have capitalism the way it is and rugged individualism and be a follower of Christ. You simply cannot.
It's time to make a choice. Greed or love.
10.12.2008
A Bedtime Story
For you all.
From me, Nina.
Once upon a time, a beautiful angel set off to visit the earth. Never having been, she could only go by the words of other angel's who had already paid the planet a visit. While all enjoyed experiencing the textures, sounds and sights, most proclaimed they could never return. For you see, the lack of light and love was terribly missing and as such, well, made the angels feel rather sick.
This beautiful angel, while a realist, was also the proverbial optimist with a heart of pure radiant joy and kindness. When asking the other angels what they had done to inject some light and love into the planet, she was met with a sense of apathy and dismissal. There was really nothing that could be done, they said. Just pray.
Determined to prove them wrong, and knowing angelic prayer was simply not enough, she set her intention to locate herself on earth. And in the blink of an eye, she found herself in the middle of what appeared to be a large city. She looked around in awe at the crowd of people milling around her. She jumped at the sound of a horn blasting itself off to her right. She gazed skyward and was amazed at the heights of the buildings. Why, some appeared to almost reach the heavens!
Then there were the smells. Oh, the smells! What a glorious, strange concoction of smells she experienced. Heavy, sweet bitterness hit her senses hard.
After adjusting to the sensations around her, she noticed the people. Most looked, well, sad. It was almost as though most were sleep-walking. Half awake. Most surprising to her was how, in spite of the large numbers of people walking right past one another, even at times bumping into one another, not one person looked another in the eye and offered acknowledgement. There were no greetings. No smiles.
But why, she wondered. Don't these people realize what a beautiful, amazing gift it is to be alive? Don't these people realize how many beautiful, amazing people are walking right past them?
A sense of darkness overcome the angel. Looking around, desperately hoping for some ray of light to exit from one of these humans, she remembered the words of her angel friends. She began to understand why they did not desire to return. Maybe this really was how the people were. Maybe there was no hope for love to govern this species and the planet.
Threatening to get lost in this thought, she turned her thoughts to love and using her intention, asked to be shown SOME sign of love. Some ray of hope.
And just then, she looked down and saw a child looking up at her with a look of inquisitiveness.
"Are you an angel?" the child asked.
"Why yes I am," the angel responded gently, with a smile.
"I thought so," the child said, returning the smile.
Looking out at the swarm of the crowd, the angel asked why the people seemed to be ignoring one another, to be ignoring her.
"Oh well, big people don't talk to people they don't know. And, they don't believe in angels," the child responded.
"They don't?" asked the angel, rather flabbergasted.
"Nah. They believe in cars and money and jobs. Stuff like that," the child said non-chalantly.
The angel thought about that. Where she came from there is no judgment, there is no right or wrong. And yet she suddenly realized that maybe the reason people seemed to be so sullen was that instead of believing in themselves and in one another, in love, they instead believed in things.
Suddenly, the angel had an idea. Looking down at her new friend, she asked the child to help her with something. Whispering in the child's ear of her plan, the child nodded enthusiastically, agreeing to help.
Taking one side of the street, the small child began approaching people, saying hello and offering them a small card that said "always remember how amazing and beautiful you are". That was it. It wasn't a plan designed out of the intellect. It wasn't one that would win a nobel peace prize. It was simple. And yet sometimes, simpleness is the most effective teacher.
The responses varied. Some ignored the offering of the card. Some seemed not to notice either the child or the angel altogether. Most of the rest took the card, stuffing it into their pockets. I say "most of" because one person, an elderly gentleman, took the card, stopped and read it. Looking down into the eyes of the child he began to weep.
"No one has ever told me that," he said, his voice trembling, burying his eyes and nose into a hankerchief. Looking up, he suddenly saw a beautiful, well, being before him. Was this an angel? And if so why was he suddenly seeing her now?
"My, my god, are you, are you what I think you are?" he asked increduously, his voice small.
The angel smiled, took his hand and nodded.
Well, by this time, a small crowd had gathered to see what all of the commotion was about. One by one, the small child handed each of them a card, which each read. And no sooner had they read the words on the card and felt what it meant to them in their hearts, did they see the angel.
Well, you can imagine what happened next. Tears of pain flowed from every person, followed by tears of joy and then laughter. While each of them experienced it in their own way, each felt something new and alive within as a result. Suddenly people were talking with one another, laughing, some even hugging, but every single person was offering up those around them some form of acknowledgement.
Love In Action, is what the angel and her child friend decided to call it. It was an activity the angel took upon herself to deliver daily to cities and towns and villages all across the planet. There was certainly a need for such a message, as she soon discovered.
On the last day of her mission, as she silently said good-bye to the earth and all of its beautiful people, she looked around the planet and saw and sensed a lighter sensation. The bleakness had diminished, replaced by the embracing of inner love and joy, spreading out across the globe as people shared them. Oh, yes, there was still darkness. There were still people, often people of great earthly power she discovered, who refused or were not willing to embrace the light. And yet, a new movement had been created amongst the people.
For instead of believing in things, they returned to believing in themselves and in one another.
From me, Nina.
Once upon a time, a beautiful angel set off to visit the earth. Never having been, she could only go by the words of other angel's who had already paid the planet a visit. While all enjoyed experiencing the textures, sounds and sights, most proclaimed they could never return. For you see, the lack of light and love was terribly missing and as such, well, made the angels feel rather sick.
This beautiful angel, while a realist, was also the proverbial optimist with a heart of pure radiant joy and kindness. When asking the other angels what they had done to inject some light and love into the planet, she was met with a sense of apathy and dismissal. There was really nothing that could be done, they said. Just pray.
Determined to prove them wrong, and knowing angelic prayer was simply not enough, she set her intention to locate herself on earth. And in the blink of an eye, she found herself in the middle of what appeared to be a large city. She looked around in awe at the crowd of people milling around her. She jumped at the sound of a horn blasting itself off to her right. She gazed skyward and was amazed at the heights of the buildings. Why, some appeared to almost reach the heavens!
Then there were the smells. Oh, the smells! What a glorious, strange concoction of smells she experienced. Heavy, sweet bitterness hit her senses hard.
After adjusting to the sensations around her, she noticed the people. Most looked, well, sad. It was almost as though most were sleep-walking. Half awake. Most surprising to her was how, in spite of the large numbers of people walking right past one another, even at times bumping into one another, not one person looked another in the eye and offered acknowledgement. There were no greetings. No smiles.
But why, she wondered. Don't these people realize what a beautiful, amazing gift it is to be alive? Don't these people realize how many beautiful, amazing people are walking right past them?
A sense of darkness overcome the angel. Looking around, desperately hoping for some ray of light to exit from one of these humans, she remembered the words of her angel friends. She began to understand why they did not desire to return. Maybe this really was how the people were. Maybe there was no hope for love to govern this species and the planet.
Threatening to get lost in this thought, she turned her thoughts to love and using her intention, asked to be shown SOME sign of love. Some ray of hope.
And just then, she looked down and saw a child looking up at her with a look of inquisitiveness.
"Are you an angel?" the child asked.
"Why yes I am," the angel responded gently, with a smile.
"I thought so," the child said, returning the smile.
Looking out at the swarm of the crowd, the angel asked why the people seemed to be ignoring one another, to be ignoring her.
"Oh well, big people don't talk to people they don't know. And, they don't believe in angels," the child responded.
"They don't?" asked the angel, rather flabbergasted.
"Nah. They believe in cars and money and jobs. Stuff like that," the child said non-chalantly.
The angel thought about that. Where she came from there is no judgment, there is no right or wrong. And yet she suddenly realized that maybe the reason people seemed to be so sullen was that instead of believing in themselves and in one another, in love, they instead believed in things.
Suddenly, the angel had an idea. Looking down at her new friend, she asked the child to help her with something. Whispering in the child's ear of her plan, the child nodded enthusiastically, agreeing to help.
Taking one side of the street, the small child began approaching people, saying hello and offering them a small card that said "always remember how amazing and beautiful you are". That was it. It wasn't a plan designed out of the intellect. It wasn't one that would win a nobel peace prize. It was simple. And yet sometimes, simpleness is the most effective teacher.
The responses varied. Some ignored the offering of the card. Some seemed not to notice either the child or the angel altogether. Most of the rest took the card, stuffing it into their pockets. I say "most of" because one person, an elderly gentleman, took the card, stopped and read it. Looking down into the eyes of the child he began to weep.
"No one has ever told me that," he said, his voice trembling, burying his eyes and nose into a hankerchief. Looking up, he suddenly saw a beautiful, well, being before him. Was this an angel? And if so why was he suddenly seeing her now?
"My, my god, are you, are you what I think you are?" he asked increduously, his voice small.
The angel smiled, took his hand and nodded.
Well, by this time, a small crowd had gathered to see what all of the commotion was about. One by one, the small child handed each of them a card, which each read. And no sooner had they read the words on the card and felt what it meant to them in their hearts, did they see the angel.
Well, you can imagine what happened next. Tears of pain flowed from every person, followed by tears of joy and then laughter. While each of them experienced it in their own way, each felt something new and alive within as a result. Suddenly people were talking with one another, laughing, some even hugging, but every single person was offering up those around them some form of acknowledgement.
Love In Action, is what the angel and her child friend decided to call it. It was an activity the angel took upon herself to deliver daily to cities and towns and villages all across the planet. There was certainly a need for such a message, as she soon discovered.
On the last day of her mission, as she silently said good-bye to the earth and all of its beautiful people, she looked around the planet and saw and sensed a lighter sensation. The bleakness had diminished, replaced by the embracing of inner love and joy, spreading out across the globe as people shared them. Oh, yes, there was still darkness. There were still people, often people of great earthly power she discovered, who refused or were not willing to embrace the light. And yet, a new movement had been created amongst the people.
For instead of believing in things, they returned to believing in themselves and in one another.
10.05.2008
Sunday Thoughts: Ode To Corvallis
The mister picked up the Gazette Times today.
Why did you do that? I asked.
I mean, it isn't like the GT even makes any real effort to pass itself as a legitimate piece of journalism. If you want regurgitated crap with local fluff fillers, well then this is your rag.
On the front page was a brilliant piece about our beloved college students. Oh yes, it is that time of year again when 20,000 bright eyed, eager students fill our streets and our stores. When they aren't studying, they're usually filling their bodies with alcohol, seeing how loud that stereo really does go and staying up all night, their place of preference for drunken yells seemingly to be in our quiet residential streets.
According to the paper, well let me be more specific, according to our own Mayor Tomlinson, such students are quite rare. Overall, there isn't really any real problem with noise coming from our college students.
He must never have lived in a college kid-filled neighborhood.
Oh but wait, I am mistaken. He says he once did live "close to" the University. According to our politically correct Mayor, he claims the students provided a great energy and weren't any trouble. And when likely was this? Twenty years ago when the student population was half of what it is today? When instead of a neighborhood consisting of 50% students, you had perhaps 20%?
My my, how our memory eludes us as we age. If Mayor Tomlinson has that positive of a memory and is that enthusiastic about including our beloved college students in our neighborhoods, perhaps he would like to swap houses with the mister and I. Perhaps after being woken up every night for one week between the hours of 1-4am would have him singing a different tune. Doubtful though. I say doubtful because people in this community are great at putting on a happy face rather than dive into anything of REAL substance. It's easier, or so it seems, to carry signs and write letters to the editor--all using words only--than it is to show any REAL emotional truth to pressing issues.
Imagine our Mayor speaking the truth: There are noise issues with our students and we need to enforce the local laws. Let us make the message clear to the students: you are welcome to reside in this community as long as you abide by said laws. Imagine the shocks and surprised guffaws over such a thing. And also imagine the silent (or vocal) cheers of those who have lived this.
The truth spoken. Sigh. One can dream...
Also of note in this amazing hit piece of journalism was the concern expressed about Corvallis turning into an Elitist/Gated Community.
Newsflash: It already is.
Corvallis Government, Big Business and the like cater and I mean cater to the money makers in this town. Passing itself off as some progressive, enlightened community, Corvallis is simply a reflection, albeit it a smaller one, of our current society where we give a lot of lip service to ideas such as ending homelessness and poverty, dealing with drug and alcohol abuse, creating affordable housing for all, establishing health care for all and alternative, clean energy and yet continue to shake our heads in confusion as to what to do about our social ills while we go about building riverfront condos around homeless individuals and kissing the asses of the big wigs at our University and places like HP. THOSE behaviors, now that's easy to do. It is when your pockets are being lined. But being the elite and their talking puppets, even those who ARE NOT elite and are still under their illusional spell, well they don't want to share. To share money is "unamerican". They think that the term "redistributing the wealth" is a communist sin. Equality and freedom: two values we chant in our western world, two values your typical human knows nothing of. Ask a child though. They will usually offer up a more truthful definition than most adults.
Problems are easy to fix. And yet what slows this fixing down? It isn't necessarily government gridlock. It's deeper than that. It's people's emotional and mental blocks. Emotional and Mental Gridlock. That may be THE disease behind all of our current difficulties and struggles. Our chants we tell ourselves. Staunch convervatives chant the do it on your own speech. Liberals chant the buddist/new age/zen philosophy of the only one having any effect on your life is YOU. (That philosophy is like saying the only person on the highway is me. Simplistic and grossly naive.)
Yep, problems are easy to fix once we remove the chokeholds of political correctiveness AND System influences of who we are and how we SHOULD be.
For instance, when have any of you heard ANY of the System puppets talk about establishing a sliding scale fee on all goods and services?
When have any of them talked about the EMOTIONAL scars that lead people to abuse drugs and alcohol? Oh wait, I forgot. Yes, some do. And yet even after treatment, loving support followed by living wage employment is simply not offered. Although, if you happen to go through certain treatment centers that focus on Jesus Christ, well as long as you convert, you're loved. If you're rich or an elitist, well you can abuse whatever substance you want. The System doesn't care. Oh sure, now and then the System will feign concern by offering up some drunken celebrity or political or business figure as a scape goat. See, we care. We really do, the System monkey's chant.
Lie.
When have ANY of them once admitted this little truth: We could have had clean, sustainable and even affordable if not free energy over 50 years ago.
Will we ever hear these words: Housing for all? No problemo. Remove the banks. Embrace the part of love that says housing is a right. Same for health care (remove the insurance companies). How about opening up the markets so that they are TRULY free to let the small investor launch his clean, cheap energy idea?
Do not let the guises of professional titles, political parties, academic credentials and the like fool you. Do not let flowery phrases fool you, especially phrases and words used repeatedly by the System monkeys. They love doing that one. And it works. (We have a band wagon of Americans who now love Sarah Palin because she can say "John McCain is a MAVERICK.")
Underneath all of this garbage of chants is a human being who has been brainwashed since birth to crush, forget about and deny those idealistic traits of love. The result? A puppet. Nothing more, nothing less.
Until we remove the sticks the System and others, whom, through the System, have shoved up our asses, we'll continue to walk around asleep or even half awake.
It's time for the labels to be removed. The signs to be put down. The letters to the editor to cease. It's time to do the real work. It's time to remember again who we really are. And along with that, to stop the bullshit excuses, the chants, the quoting of others and the phony smiles. Metaphorically speaking, it is time to tell that little obnoxious, loud youngster that there is such a thing as courtesy and respect and while certain people (ahem) may deny this small but blatant problem staring us right in the face, I see it. And smiling at it does not make it go away.
Why did you do that? I asked.
I mean, it isn't like the GT even makes any real effort to pass itself as a legitimate piece of journalism. If you want regurgitated crap with local fluff fillers, well then this is your rag.
On the front page was a brilliant piece about our beloved college students. Oh yes, it is that time of year again when 20,000 bright eyed, eager students fill our streets and our stores. When they aren't studying, they're usually filling their bodies with alcohol, seeing how loud that stereo really does go and staying up all night, their place of preference for drunken yells seemingly to be in our quiet residential streets.
According to the paper, well let me be more specific, according to our own Mayor Tomlinson, such students are quite rare. Overall, there isn't really any real problem with noise coming from our college students.
He must never have lived in a college kid-filled neighborhood.
Oh but wait, I am mistaken. He says he once did live "close to" the University. According to our politically correct Mayor, he claims the students provided a great energy and weren't any trouble. And when likely was this? Twenty years ago when the student population was half of what it is today? When instead of a neighborhood consisting of 50% students, you had perhaps 20%?
My my, how our memory eludes us as we age. If Mayor Tomlinson has that positive of a memory and is that enthusiastic about including our beloved college students in our neighborhoods, perhaps he would like to swap houses with the mister and I. Perhaps after being woken up every night for one week between the hours of 1-4am would have him singing a different tune. Doubtful though. I say doubtful because people in this community are great at putting on a happy face rather than dive into anything of REAL substance. It's easier, or so it seems, to carry signs and write letters to the editor--all using words only--than it is to show any REAL emotional truth to pressing issues.
Imagine our Mayor speaking the truth: There are noise issues with our students and we need to enforce the local laws. Let us make the message clear to the students: you are welcome to reside in this community as long as you abide by said laws. Imagine the shocks and surprised guffaws over such a thing. And also imagine the silent (or vocal) cheers of those who have lived this.
The truth spoken. Sigh. One can dream...
Also of note in this amazing hit piece of journalism was the concern expressed about Corvallis turning into an Elitist/Gated Community.
Newsflash: It already is.
Corvallis Government, Big Business and the like cater and I mean cater to the money makers in this town. Passing itself off as some progressive, enlightened community, Corvallis is simply a reflection, albeit it a smaller one, of our current society where we give a lot of lip service to ideas such as ending homelessness and poverty, dealing with drug and alcohol abuse, creating affordable housing for all, establishing health care for all and alternative, clean energy and yet continue to shake our heads in confusion as to what to do about our social ills while we go about building riverfront condos around homeless individuals and kissing the asses of the big wigs at our University and places like HP. THOSE behaviors, now that's easy to do. It is when your pockets are being lined. But being the elite and their talking puppets, even those who ARE NOT elite and are still under their illusional spell, well they don't want to share. To share money is "unamerican". They think that the term "redistributing the wealth" is a communist sin. Equality and freedom: two values we chant in our western world, two values your typical human knows nothing of. Ask a child though. They will usually offer up a more truthful definition than most adults.
Problems are easy to fix. And yet what slows this fixing down? It isn't necessarily government gridlock. It's deeper than that. It's people's emotional and mental blocks. Emotional and Mental Gridlock. That may be THE disease behind all of our current difficulties and struggles. Our chants we tell ourselves. Staunch convervatives chant the do it on your own speech. Liberals chant the buddist/new age/zen philosophy of the only one having any effect on your life is YOU. (That philosophy is like saying the only person on the highway is me. Simplistic and grossly naive.)
Yep, problems are easy to fix once we remove the chokeholds of political correctiveness AND System influences of who we are and how we SHOULD be.
For instance, when have any of you heard ANY of the System puppets talk about establishing a sliding scale fee on all goods and services?
When have any of them talked about the EMOTIONAL scars that lead people to abuse drugs and alcohol? Oh wait, I forgot. Yes, some do. And yet even after treatment, loving support followed by living wage employment is simply not offered. Although, if you happen to go through certain treatment centers that focus on Jesus Christ, well as long as you convert, you're loved. If you're rich or an elitist, well you can abuse whatever substance you want. The System doesn't care. Oh sure, now and then the System will feign concern by offering up some drunken celebrity or political or business figure as a scape goat. See, we care. We really do, the System monkey's chant.
Lie.
When have ANY of them once admitted this little truth: We could have had clean, sustainable and even affordable if not free energy over 50 years ago.
Will we ever hear these words: Housing for all? No problemo. Remove the banks. Embrace the part of love that says housing is a right. Same for health care (remove the insurance companies). How about opening up the markets so that they are TRULY free to let the small investor launch his clean, cheap energy idea?
Do not let the guises of professional titles, political parties, academic credentials and the like fool you. Do not let flowery phrases fool you, especially phrases and words used repeatedly by the System monkeys. They love doing that one. And it works. (We have a band wagon of Americans who now love Sarah Palin because she can say "John McCain is a MAVERICK.")
Underneath all of this garbage of chants is a human being who has been brainwashed since birth to crush, forget about and deny those idealistic traits of love. The result? A puppet. Nothing more, nothing less.
Until we remove the sticks the System and others, whom, through the System, have shoved up our asses, we'll continue to walk around asleep or even half awake.
It's time for the labels to be removed. The signs to be put down. The letters to the editor to cease. It's time to do the real work. It's time to remember again who we really are. And along with that, to stop the bullshit excuses, the chants, the quoting of others and the phony smiles. Metaphorically speaking, it is time to tell that little obnoxious, loud youngster that there is such a thing as courtesy and respect and while certain people (ahem) may deny this small but blatant problem staring us right in the face, I see it. And smiling at it does not make it go away.
10.03.2008
A Brief But Insightful Explanation Of Our Monetary System In Relation To The Bailout
Kudos (once again) to Dennis Kucinich for this explanation:
Here is a very quick explanation of the $700 billion bailout within the context of the mechanics of our monetary and banking system:
The taxpayers loan money to the banks. But the taxpayers do not have the money. So we have to borrow it from the banks to give it back to the banks. But the banks do not have the money to loan to the government. So they create it into existence (through a mechanism called fractional reserve) and then loan it to us, at interest, so we can then give it back to them.
Confused?
This is the system.
This is the standard mechanism used to expand the money supply on a daily basis not a special one designed only for the "$700 billion" transaction. People will explain this to you in many different ways, but this is what it comes down to.
The banks needed Congress' approval. Of course in this topsy turvy world, it is the banks which set the terms of the money they are borrowing from the taxpayers. And what do we get for this transaction?
Long term debt enslavement of our country.
We get to pay back to the banks trillions of dollars ($700 billion with compounded interest) and the banks give us their bad debt which they cull from everywhere in the world.
Who could turn down a deal like this?
I did. [Bet you're wishin' you had voted for him in the primaries, eh?]
The globalization of the debt puts the United States in the position that in order to repay the money that we borrow from the banks (for the banks) we could be forced to accept International Monetary Fund dictates which involve cutting health, social security benefits and all other social spending in addition to reducing wages and exploiting our natural resources.
This inevitably leads to a loss of economic, social and political freedom.
Under the failed $700 billion bailout plan, Wall Street's profits are Wall Street's profits and Wall Street's losses are the taxpayers' losses. Profits are capitalized. Losses are socialized.
Here is a very quick explanation of the $700 billion bailout within the context of the mechanics of our monetary and banking system:
The taxpayers loan money to the banks. But the taxpayers do not have the money. So we have to borrow it from the banks to give it back to the banks. But the banks do not have the money to loan to the government. So they create it into existence (through a mechanism called fractional reserve) and then loan it to us, at interest, so we can then give it back to them.
Confused?
This is the system.
This is the standard mechanism used to expand the money supply on a daily basis not a special one designed only for the "$700 billion" transaction. People will explain this to you in many different ways, but this is what it comes down to.
The banks needed Congress' approval. Of course in this topsy turvy world, it is the banks which set the terms of the money they are borrowing from the taxpayers. And what do we get for this transaction?
Long term debt enslavement of our country.
We get to pay back to the banks trillions of dollars ($700 billion with compounded interest) and the banks give us their bad debt which they cull from everywhere in the world.
Who could turn down a deal like this?
I did. [Bet you're wishin' you had voted for him in the primaries, eh?]
The globalization of the debt puts the United States in the position that in order to repay the money that we borrow from the banks (for the banks) we could be forced to accept International Monetary Fund dictates which involve cutting health, social security benefits and all other social spending in addition to reducing wages and exploiting our natural resources.
This inevitably leads to a loss of economic, social and political freedom.
Under the failed $700 billion bailout plan, Wall Street's profits are Wall Street's profits and Wall Street's losses are the taxpayers' losses. Profits are capitalized. Losses are socialized.
Bailout Plan: Prosperity For The Rich, Bankruptcy For You.
And the beauty is, you and I are paying for it.
In what is probably the most deplorable, criminal acts of Congress to date, the House passed the $700 billion bailout plan. Of note, the majority of the Yes votes were Democrat whereas the Republicans made up the majority of the No votes. Hence, this simply proves the point I hammer away time and time again on this blog and on others: Both parties are simply different sides of the same coin.
Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, who voted No on both bills, spells it out for what this will mean for you and I and for the Wall Street Criminals:
“The public is being led to believe that Congress has reconsidered its position because we have before us a better bill than we had a few days ago. It is the same bill plus hundreds of new pages for hundreds of millions of tax breaks. What does this have to do with the troubles of Wall Street?
“Driven by fear we are moving quickly to pass a bill, which may produce a temporary uptick for the market, but nothing for millions of homeowners whose misfortunes are at the center of our economic woes. People do not have money to pay their mortgages. After this passes, they will still not have money to pay their mortgages. People will still lose their homes while Wall Street is bailed out.
“The central flaw of this bill is that there are NO stronger protections for homeowners and NO changes in the language to ensure that the secretary has the authority to compel mortgage servicers to modify the terms of mortgages. And there are NO stronger regulatory changes to fix the circumstances that allowed this to happen.
“We should have created a mechanism for our government to take a controlling interest in mortgage-backed securities and use our power to work out a new deal for the homeowners. We could have done this. We should have done this. But we didn't.
“Now millions of Americans will face the threat of foreclosure without any help. And the numbers will soon rise for a number of reasons. Not only because of the Alt-A, jumbo mortgages which will soon be reset at higher interest rates, but because the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is pushing up rates on adjustable mortgages and more than half of the US adjustable mortgage rates are tied to LIBOR. Homeowner defaults will grow in significant numbers. Let’s see if Congress will be as quick to help homeowners on Main Street as they were to help speculators on Wall Street.
“Now the government will have to borrow $700 billion from banks, with interest, to give banks a $700 billion bailout, and in return the taxpayers get $700 billion in toxic debt. The Senate "improved" the bailout by giving tax breaks to people in foreclosure. People in foreclosure need help paying their mortgage, they do not seek tax breaks.
“Across our Nation, foreclosures continue to devastate our communities, people are losing their jobs, and the prices of necessities are skyrocketing. This legislation, just like the one we defeated last week, will do nothing to solve the problems plaguing American families or help them to get out from underneath the oppressive debt they have been forced to take on.
“Unfortunately, there has been no discussion of the underlying debt-based economy and the role of our monetary system in facilitating the redistribution of wealth upwards.
“It is not as though we had no choice but to pass the bill before us. We could have done this differently. We could have demanded language in the legislation that would have empowered the Treasury to compel mortgage servicers to rework the terms of mortgage loans so homeowners could avoid foreclosure. We could have put regulatory structures in place to protect investors. We could have stopped the speculators.
“This bill represents an utter failure of the Democratic process. It represents the triumph of special interest over the triumph of the public interest. It represents the inability of government to defend the public interest in the face of great pressure from financial interests. We could have recognized the power of government to prime the pump of the economy to get money flowing through out society by creating jobs, health care, and major investments in green energy. What a lost opportunity! What a moment of transition away from democracy and towards domination of America by global economic interests.
“Years ago, in a Cleveland neighborhood, I saw a hand-scrawled sign above a cash register in a delicatessen. The sign said: "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash." The sign above the Speaker's rostrum reads "In God We Trust," but we are paying the cash to Wall Street.
“It is not as if we had no other choice but to pass this bill.”
In what is probably the most deplorable, criminal acts of Congress to date, the House passed the $700 billion bailout plan. Of note, the majority of the Yes votes were Democrat whereas the Republicans made up the majority of the No votes. Hence, this simply proves the point I hammer away time and time again on this blog and on others: Both parties are simply different sides of the same coin.
Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, who voted No on both bills, spells it out for what this will mean for you and I and for the Wall Street Criminals:
“The public is being led to believe that Congress has reconsidered its position because we have before us a better bill than we had a few days ago. It is the same bill plus hundreds of new pages for hundreds of millions of tax breaks. What does this have to do with the troubles of Wall Street?
“Driven by fear we are moving quickly to pass a bill, which may produce a temporary uptick for the market, but nothing for millions of homeowners whose misfortunes are at the center of our economic woes. People do not have money to pay their mortgages. After this passes, they will still not have money to pay their mortgages. People will still lose their homes while Wall Street is bailed out.
“The central flaw of this bill is that there are NO stronger protections for homeowners and NO changes in the language to ensure that the secretary has the authority to compel mortgage servicers to modify the terms of mortgages. And there are NO stronger regulatory changes to fix the circumstances that allowed this to happen.
“We should have created a mechanism for our government to take a controlling interest in mortgage-backed securities and use our power to work out a new deal for the homeowners. We could have done this. We should have done this. But we didn't.
“Now millions of Americans will face the threat of foreclosure without any help. And the numbers will soon rise for a number of reasons. Not only because of the Alt-A, jumbo mortgages which will soon be reset at higher interest rates, but because the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is pushing up rates on adjustable mortgages and more than half of the US adjustable mortgage rates are tied to LIBOR. Homeowner defaults will grow in significant numbers. Let’s see if Congress will be as quick to help homeowners on Main Street as they were to help speculators on Wall Street.
“Now the government will have to borrow $700 billion from banks, with interest, to give banks a $700 billion bailout, and in return the taxpayers get $700 billion in toxic debt. The Senate "improved" the bailout by giving tax breaks to people in foreclosure. People in foreclosure need help paying their mortgage, they do not seek tax breaks.
“Across our Nation, foreclosures continue to devastate our communities, people are losing their jobs, and the prices of necessities are skyrocketing. This legislation, just like the one we defeated last week, will do nothing to solve the problems plaguing American families or help them to get out from underneath the oppressive debt they have been forced to take on.
“Unfortunately, there has been no discussion of the underlying debt-based economy and the role of our monetary system in facilitating the redistribution of wealth upwards.
“It is not as though we had no choice but to pass the bill before us. We could have done this differently. We could have demanded language in the legislation that would have empowered the Treasury to compel mortgage servicers to rework the terms of mortgage loans so homeowners could avoid foreclosure. We could have put regulatory structures in place to protect investors. We could have stopped the speculators.
“This bill represents an utter failure of the Democratic process. It represents the triumph of special interest over the triumph of the public interest. It represents the inability of government to defend the public interest in the face of great pressure from financial interests. We could have recognized the power of government to prime the pump of the economy to get money flowing through out society by creating jobs, health care, and major investments in green energy. What a lost opportunity! What a moment of transition away from democracy and towards domination of America by global economic interests.
“Years ago, in a Cleveland neighborhood, I saw a hand-scrawled sign above a cash register in a delicatessen. The sign said: "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash." The sign above the Speaker's rostrum reads "In God We Trust," but we are paying the cash to Wall Street.
“It is not as if we had no other choice but to pass this bill.”
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