Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts,
Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says: "Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace. ...
Written in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe -- one of the founders of Mother's Day -- as a call to mothers to oppose war and promote the causes of peace and justice.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Mother's Day Proclamation
Friday, May 9, 2008
Tiny prophets
If we listen closely, there's a small voice in the wilderness, calling out to us, warning of a coming transformation.
No, it's not John the Baptist. It's America's honey bee, dying by the millions, prophesying the demise of the country's fruit and vegetable supplies. More than a hundred crops rely on bee pollination for survival, yet bees are dying off by the millions -- 90% of the feral bee population has died -- due to a mysterious condition called Colony Collapse Disorder. No doubt it is due to man's interference with delicate natural goings-on, and his extreme disrespect for the Earth herself. The health of the planet is being sacrificed on the the altar of corporate ignorance and greed.
A really amazing documentary called Vanishing of the Bees is in the works. Check out the trailer here. Seriously, check it out.
If this war and those to follow, global warming, environmental toxins, inaccessible health care, the credit collapse, the burning of the Constitution, the destruction of community, apocalyptic Christian Zionism, the lies and deceptions and ugliness and hate and greed of this current administration, and the next, aren't enough to cause self-examination and a commitment to change, this may very well be the thing that gets our attention.
Albert Einstein said if honey bees become extinct, human society will follow in four years.
Pre-e-e-pare ye the way of desolation and death. . . .
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Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Love Song
How can I keep my soul in me, so that it doesn't touch
your soul?
How can I raise it high enough, past you, to other things?
I would like to shelter it, among remote lost objects,
in some dark and silent place that doesn't resonate
when your depths resound.
Yet everything that touches us, me and you,
takes us together like a violin's bow,
which draws one voice out of two separate strings.
Upon what instrument are we two spanned?
And what musician holds us in his hand?
Oh sweetest song.
~Rainer Maria Rilke
Monday, May 5, 2008
Government rapists
One of my favorite jump starts to the day is a breakfast of cottage cheese, fresh fruit and almonds. It's is a simple meal, easy to prepare, and represents a near-perfect combination of protein, carbohydrate and healthy fat. It's the almonds that provide the magic. In addition to a low glycemic index, which curtails a heavy duty insulin response, almond intake protects proteins from oxidative damage while delivering vitamin E and other antioxidants, magnesium, calcium, folic acid, protein, fiber and living enzymes.
The USA has a near lock on almond production. 70% of the world's almonds come from California. I can only thank goodness that raw almonds are readily available in our bountiful land, even at most corporate grocery stores.
Oh, but wait. The FDA recently decided that all California almonds must be either irradiated or chemically pasteurized prior to sale. Not so for almonds exported to other countries. No. This particular punishment is reserved especially for the American people.
What this means is that our pristine, nutritious and beautiful almonds are subjected to gross degradation by FDA rapists. Irradiation exposes food products to extremely high levels of radiation that kill bacteria, parasites and fungi. Never mind that animal studies have shown that irradiation may promote chromosomal damage and cancer. And never mind that toxic radiation demolishes the nutritional value of food.
Chemical pasteurization is even more dangerous. The technique used is called propylene oxide fumigation, which makes use of a chemical compound that the EPA has classified as a probable human carcinogen. Here's another interesting note: Propylene oxide was once used in racing fuel, but in 1993 the National Hot Rod Association banned its use because of cancer concerns. Yet this poison is used to pasteurize almonds and other foods – EPA and FDA approved. Oh yeah, baaaaby, just gimme the purple stamp!
One comforting tidbit, we needn't worry our purty heads over this because it's all being done without our knowledge or approval. Ya'll know that ignorance is bliss. The FDA -- that trusty public servant -- has allowed almond growers to pretend that it's business as usual. California almond growers may still label their almonds "natural" and "raw" even though they've been corrupted by irradiation and chemical pasteurization.
The FDA is tired of being held accountable by the vocal few. They are more than willing and able to fly under the radar. And, obviously, California almond growers are happy to fly with them. One of them should stand tall and expose the FDA for the abusive piece of shit that it is. If they'd take that leap of faith, I'd buy their almonds -- though they be unfit for consumption -- until the poor drugged fallen cows come home!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
The Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest
When Devon and I realized that the contest deadline was upon us, she grabbed a pen and pad and ran off to write her poem. "The theme is music!" I yelled after her. Ten minutes later she handed me her finished product.
"Devon, come on. Don't you think you should spend a little more time on it?"
"Nope," she said, wearing her best how dare you question the artist? face.
We submitted it. And she won!
Music is My Heartbeat
by Devon 
when I hear the beat
I get to my feet
'cause I just can't stop
the urge to hop
I got rhythm deep down inside
this is somethin' that I just can't hide
twistin' and turnin' on the dance floor
got to keep movin', I need more
music moves my soul
like jello in a bowl
music moves my spirit
everyone can hear it
my feet are skippin', barely touchin' the ground
my jivey jumps bring people around
they gather together to see my moves
they're all watchin' to see my grooves
music makes me feel so free
for music is a part of me
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Sock hop night!
I just started playing around with Photoshop and, as you can see, I need a tutorial!
Still, it's pretty awesome.
I am going to get really really good at it. I am.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
My sister and Rush!
My sister, Suzy, and her hubby have been Rush fans for as long as I can remember. Not just kinda sorta fans, but like MAJOR MAJOR fly-to-wherever-they-are-playing fans. Even name-your-firstborn-son-Geddy fans.
Here is the pièce de résistance (well, maybe not) of their years of loyal fanship: a picture of them with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson in Albuquerque. Woot, woot!
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