Blogging With Friends

When you make that leap into blogging, it is wonderful to have friends who are doing the same. One friend has tweaked his identity and morphed into a personality that intriques and delights us. His blogging is very inventive and keeps us coming back for more. Since he has much more computer expertise than I, he keeps me learning and pushing the envelope...and that is what makes life exciting no matter who you are!

Change of Mind

A lot of folks think that blogging is some mindless, useless, bothersome activity. Quite the contrary for me. I think it is a wonderful way to get thoughts in the form of words and to then read those words and ponder what they really mean. Probably a web log is much like a journal, with the added possibility that someone else might come along and leave a comment. And whether they do or don't, it is still a very productive exercise and discipline.

Sunday NIght

Sunday night is always an exciting period of waiting. On Monday morning, we usually get a fresh batch of news as a weekend away from official business winds up to a new week, with progress on all those issues we are fired up about. What is the latest with Alito? What is the war news? What are the 2008 hopefuls doing to further their chances of presidential candidacy? Come on, Monday!

Sunday NIght

Sunday night is always an exciting period of waiting. On Monday morning, we usually get a fresh batch of news as a weekend away from official business winds up to a new week, with progress on all those issues we are fired up about. What is the latest with Alito? What is the war news? What are the 2008 hopefuls doing to further their chances of presidential candidacy? Come on, Monday!

Dick Cheney

Bush doesnt seem to know what he is doing, but Cheney seems intelligent enough. However, he is very vindictive and has that sidemouth snarl with cutting obscenities. I think he will do anything to steer the Libby mess away from himself and his hard-line part in it. Always we must remember though that people are not good/bad or black/white. When I try to temper my exasperation with Cheney the only thing I can come up with is the gay daughter that he supported. That impressed me. I think he said something like...let people marry whom they want, or something to that effect. Recently I read about some white house dinner and Cheney's daughter and her 'friend' were actually seated at the table together. Wonders never cease.

A New Life

Today my brother called to say, after four grandboys, little Anne had arrived during the night fine and healthy. A new life calls to us in so many ways, so I am planning a trip to see this child as soon as I can. Like a new tendril discovered during watering on a houseplant, each new child reminds us of ongoing life and the continuation of hope, progress, and the family of man. One never becomes jaded to the excitement and joy of a new baby and one never fails to feel a deep unspoken welcome to these brand-new arrivals. May the world make room for this new girl!

The Christmas Culture

Slowly and imperceptibly, the Christmas culture has become one of rampant consumerism. The original holiday was much less frantic because buying and selling had not yet entered the picture in full force. 'Giving' was still rather voluntary and far less virulent. But now, as the line has been crossed from a babe in the manger to Santa Claus, the ads are shrill and commanding. Buy this. Fill your shopping bag up. Be Santa. Articles are devoted to how good the holiday season will be for merchants. Guilt is played upon in those who choose not to equate the price tag of the gift with their love for the person. Shame on you. How do we deal with this pressure?

How to Get a Job for Alito

All of us are waiting on the edge of our chairs to see if Alito is confirmed for the Supreme Court in the USA. It has now come up that he emphasized his opposition to abortion while trying to get a political job under Nixon. He has made the point that on the Supreme Court he would be interpreting law, but nevertheless, this new information leaves a slight distaste in the mouth such as garlic after a dinner of spaghetti.

Alito and Abortion

Today's paper headlines Alito, up for the Supreme Court, USA. The abortion issue is paramount, with a polarizing effect that continues to divide people more and more. The country, under Bush, is pushed to 'taking sides' and forced by his rhetoric to declare itself red or blue. Nuance is not advocated, nor grey areas seen.
As a woman, I certainly support the right to abortion under certain circumstances. However, I would like to see that right tied to, and undergirded by, reproductive and sexual education. Studies have shown that youngsters are literally bombarded with the images on TV that sell ads...and guess what most of them are? Yet not one scintilla of interest or effort by the abortion foes goes to education. In fact, it is frowned upon in favor of abstinence only in shrill and fearful tones. Young people should be psychologically literate of how they are being manipulated, made aware of their choices, and trusted to make decisions. Currently, it would seem that their decisions are being made by advertisers who are schooled all too brilliantly to pull our strings, or by the fear and guilt manufactured by those who are fearful and guilty.

Smiling at the Impossible

With a few published articles on the open op-ed page in Richmond, Virginia's weekly Style, I was eager to continue writing but labored at it with none of the joy I had found earlier. My job as a security officer at a large IBM site in North Carolina was perfect for thinking because it was mainly second and third shift hours, but I never had any human contact and I missed that. The only word I could summon up was 'stuck'. Everything seemed at a standstill.
Until one evening when two friends, a guy and a girl, who jogged after work together through the long endless halls of the connected buildings, waved as they passed my site. This became a habit, and eventually evolved into a chat as they took a short break from the exercise.
One night they noticed I had the Writers Market in my lap and discovered I liked to write.' Of course you should try blogging', one suggested.
And I did. Improbable events, but not impossible.

Small Change

There is some evidence from modern physics that the Universe is all of a whole, each detail cut from the same cloth. You have certainly heard that old saw about a butterfly in Bali fluttering its wings and affecting the climate in Southern California. Well, I have this sneaking conviction that each little change we make affects the entire ball of wax, and when we move toward life we are giving a gift to the All. I have an attractive friend who is extremely shy and almost social-phobic at times. Always encouraging her to expand, I was delighted to find, despite great trepidation, she is going on a business trip for her firm and staying in a wonderful hotel near a five-star restaurant. Of course I advised her to check out the lounge, have a glass of Merlot, watch the TV over the bar, and chat up the bartender because they are always talkers...and to converse with any others sitting around.
Any new behavior on her part is an advancement for the Universe!

Chronos and Kairos

Chronologically speaking, today is November 14th 2005. But in the Greek we have another word for time, kairos, meaning 'when the time is right'. Think of an apple. A farmer does not plan to pick it on August 3, but when the time is right depending on factors of weather and temperature. When is the time to move to Canada from the USA? Our country is on a downward slide and I can only think of Jews in Germany during the 1930's. When do we wake up to the full meaning of events which can seem ho-hum, business as usual, especially when we are lulled by important facts like the cellulite on the bum of Paris Hilton?

American Angst

As an American living in North Carolina, I am full of despair about my own country. How did we arrive at this low point? Consumerism has taken over the wheel and drives us dangerously into unknown territory. Recently Toyota withdrew advertising from the FX drama 'Nip/Tuck' because of graphic depictions of sex and violence on the show. A California group, Parents Television Council sponsored a letter-writing campaign to advertisers, asking them to rescind their sponsorships according to Tim Winter, PTC's executive director.
This news is revealing to any person in the USA who is concerned because it seems to offer some hints on change. First of all, people-power is still powerful, regardless of the lock of corporate interests and the 'big guys'. Second, the advertisers may be the place to apply the pressure. TV folks simply tell us we have the power to turn the TV off, which is true, but does not address the problem of widespread saturation of the exploitation of our young. What are your thoughts?