Valentine from Kitka

"
"The Vine" by Kitka at Magnatune.com
http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/kitka-vine/
http://www.magnatune.com/artists/kitka


This is how you make me feel...

Stellamara: Star of the Sea

Star Of The Sea by Stellamara

Catherine Todd in New Orleans

Before the hurricane. Photo by Les Todd 2005.

Music: listen www.last.fm/music/Catherine+Todd

Bronx Zoo Unveils New Loitering-Teens Exhibit

April 22, 1998 | Issue 33•15

TheOnion.com

BRONX, NY—After months of public anticipation, the Bronx Zoo finally opened its new loitering-teens exhibit Saturday.

The just-opened exhibit.

The state-of-the-art exhibit, constructed over the past 10 months at a cost of $4.5 million, drew record crowds to the zoo this weekend. Loitering teens are indigenous to many urban and suburban areas across the U.S., but this is the first time they have been captured for display in a public zoo.

"They are fascinating," said Raymond Fehr, 51, a member of the Bronx Zoo board of directors and the man who oversaw the development of the exhibit. "The public will enjoy watching them hang out and smoke in an attractive natural setting."

The loitering-teens exhibit faithfully recreates the species' natural habitat, boasting a city-street facade that features a full-scale replica video arcade, piercing parlor and Taco Bell. A special "concrete park" area, suitable for skateboarding, has also been included to give the teens exercise.

According to Bronx Zoo director of exhibits John Gilkey, the zoo's 15 loitering-teen specimens appear to enjoy their new home and are responding well to their three daily feedings of Meximelts and Mountain Dew.

"They're really adjusting nicely," Gilkey said. "They've already started to spit, and I think that, within a couple of weeks, they'll be just about ready to start asking for spare change."

Despite the relatively smooth adjustment, one lesson zoo officials learned quickly was not to introduce older humans into the loitering teens' pen. When this happened, Gilkey said, the teens became enraged and ran around the cage screaming, "You just don't understand me, mom!"

Also of concern to zoo officials are the mating rituals of the teens, who appear to be awkward and ill-at-ease around members of the opposite sex. "We're hoping to get them to mate," Gilkey said. "But, thus far, all they seem interested in doing is shoplifting magazines and hiding from someone they call 'Johnny Law.'"

The Bronx Zoo's newest arrivals are a hit with the public. Plastic-toy replicas of the loitering teens are a best-seller at the zoo gift shop, and there is talk of opening a petting area so humans can interact with them on a limited basis.

"I like the one in the Charlotte Hornets jacket," said zoo visitor Jenny Thaler, 9. "He's got funny red dots all over his face."

If last weekend's visitor numbers continue, the loitering-teens exhibit has a chance at surpassing "Women In Our Midst" as the biggest draw in zoo history.

Plan of the Monastery of St. Gall created 819-26 A.D.

Antique manuscript and architectural plan for a monastery

http://www.stgallplan.org/en/


St. Gall Monastary Plan

* Plan Guide

Welcome

The Plan of St. Gall is the earliest preserved and most extraordinary visualization of a building complex produced in the Middle Ages. Ever since the Plan was created at the monastery of Reichenau sometime in the period 819-26 A.D., it has been preserved in the Monastic Library of St. Gall (Switzerland). Indeed, its presence there was singled out by UNESCO as a reason that the library, the repository of over 2000 late antique and medieval manuscripts, was designated a World Heritage site in 1983.

This web site, created with the financial assistance of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation by scholars at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Virginia, presents the plan, its origins, components, and notations, as well as four centuries of scholarship on the plan within the context of ninth-century material culture.


Church of the Plan

Drawn and annotated on five pieces of parchment sewn together, the St. Gall Plan is 112 cm x 77.5 cm and includes the ground plans of some forty structures as well as gardens, fences, walls, a road, and an orchard. The buildings are clearly identified by 333 inscriptions. Of course, primary among the buildings is a church (pictured above) with its scriptorium, sacristy, lodgings for visiting monks, and reception rooms. There is also a monastic dormitory, privy, laundry, refectory, kitchen, bake and brew house, guest house, abbot's residence, and an infirmary. Finally, there are numerous buildings associated with the specialized economic operations of a complex community of over 110 monks and some 150 servants and workers.

Why the Plan was created, and who is responsible for its design remain the great, unsolved enigmas of Plan scholarship. What is clear from one of the inscriptions on the Plan itself is that it was designed for Gozbert, the abbot of St. Gall (816-837 A.D.) and the person responsible for building the monastery's great Carolingian church in the 830s. But the built structure does not entirely reflect the design of the church on the Plan; and the monastery complex foreseen by the Plan could not, in any case, have been fit onto the actual terrain of St. Gall. These facts have caused scholars to see the Plan less as a blueprint commissioned by Gozbert for St. Gall than as a generic solution developed by Carolingian monastic authorities for the ideal, or typical monastery that could be built anywhere in Europe. When and why they would have done so has been the focus of Plan research during the last fifty years.

While our inability to pinpoint the Plan's author and his motivation is frustrating, the conclusion that the Plan was not created for a specific time and place paradoxically makes it more valuable: the Plan might be fairly characterized as a two-dimensional meditation on the ideal early medieval monastic community, an "objective correlative" of the Rule of St. Benedict, created at a time when monasticism was one of the dominant forms of political, economic, and cultural power in Europe.


... (more) http://www.stgallplan.org/en/

--
Catherine Todd
3007 Bent Tree Dr. Oxford NC 27565
H 919.693.0853 U.S. cell 919.605.0727
Blog: http://catherinetodd.blogspot.com/
Music: http://www.last.fm/music/Catherine+Todd
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/catherinetodd/sets/

Panajachel, Lake Atitlan
Guatemala cell (dial 011 from the U.S.):
(502) 5013.6300
Travel: http://lakeatitlan.blogspot.com/
Architecture: http://catherinetoddarchitecture.blogspot.com/

For 2009:

"The winds of grace blow all the time. All we need do is set our sails."
~ Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ~ Gospel of Ramakrishna

Peace and justice are goals for man.
~ Mahatma Gandhi

John 16:33. "In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, for I have overcome the world"

Sr. Elizabeth

Sr. Elizabeth, originally uploaded by m elizabeth krone.

Sr. Elizabeth wrote: "It looks like I am selecting the organ stops here."


Katie wrote: "This reminds me of a Botticelli painting, or a Vermeer. I really love this painting (photo) with it's composition of line and light and music, momentarily at rest. Peace at it's finest in these very small increments that never seem to last, but last forever in the memory of our mind."

Catherine (Katie) at the Piano

Catherine (Katie) at the Piano, originally uploaded by m elizabeth krone.

Sister Elizabeth wrote: "In addition to having a digital organ, we also have a digital piano.
When Katie discovered its amazing sounds, all the music pent up in her filled the magnificent sacred space, and our hearts were overjoyed. "

Les and SME smiling for Katie with Camera

Les and SME smiling for Katie with Camera, originally uploaded by m elizabeth krone.

Photos from our vist with Sister Elizabeth, at the Benedictine Monastery in Tucson AZ, April 2009:

From Sister Elizabeth: "We wish that all of you who are viewing this could have been with us that wonderful day in late April 2009. This is next best!"

From Katie: "This is probably one of my most favorite shots of the whole group, outside of the gorgeous architecture in the Sanctuary. Les and Sr. Elizabeth, two of my most favorite people in the whole wide world! What a wonderful visit and day that was in the "Golden Chapel." Even the color came out just perfect that day. I'm going to put this photo on my blog."

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Tuesday, Nov. 10

The habit of being happy enables one to be freed, or largely freed, from domination of outside conditions.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Horoscope for week of Nov 10, 2009

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): "Awesome" has become a commonplace
word that is used to express gladness about small triumphs and simple
pleasures. Today, for instance, a woman at the local cafe uttered a sweet
"Awesome!" when someone pointed out to her where she could find an
electrical outlet to plug in her laptop. Back in the old days, however,
"awesome" was a portentous term invoked only rarely. "Awe" referred to
an overwhelming feeling of wonder, reverence, admiration, inspiration, or
even agitation in the face of a sublime or numinous experience. In the
coming week, Aquarius, I expect you will experience more than your usual
quota of both kinds of awesome.


CANCER (June 21-July 22): This will be a smooth, easy, and graceful week
for you -- if, that is, you get yourself out of the way and allow the
universe to do its job. Can you do that? It doesn't mean you should be
passive or blank. On the contrary, in order for the cosmos to perform its
magic, you should be on the lookout for what captivates your imagination
and be primed to jump when life says "jump!" Be both relaxed and alert;
receptive and excitable; surrendered to the truth and in intimate contact
with your primal power. Then the song will sing itself. The dream will
interpret itself. The beauty will reveal itself.


LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Have you heard about the new sport of chess
boxing? Two competitors play chess for four minutes, then put on boxing
gloves and try to punch each other for three minutes; they continue this
rhythm for up to 11 rounds. I suspect you'll soon be asked to meet a
similar challenge, going back and forth between two contrasting modes. If
you treat this challenge as a fun game rather than a crazy-making
exertion, you'll do fine.



FreeWillAstrology.com

Gothic Architecture & a Virtual Cathedral

Book: The Construction of Gothic Cathedrals: A Study of Medieval Vault Erection (Paperback)
~ John Fitchen
John Fitchen (Author)
› Visit Amazon's John Fitchen Page
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(Author) "THE PRIMARY STRUCTURAL PROBLEM IN BUILDING IS THAT OF spanning space..." (more)
Key Phrases: clerestory piers, web coursing, cerce device, French Gothic, Middle Ages, Pont du Gard (more...)
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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blog.metmuseum.org/penandparchment/2009/07/21/the-secrets-of-architectural-drawings/
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Exhibition Themes
o Introduction
o Early Drawing and the Written Word
o The Achievement of Anglo-Saxon Draftsmen
o Drawing and the Learned Tradition
o Drawings and the Artistic Process
o Exploring the Graphic Aesthetic: Draftsmanship in the Later Middle Ages
o Exhibition Images
*
Curatorial Comments
o Exhibition Now Closed
o Beginnings and Endings
o The Scribe as Draftsman
o How Many Museum Employees Does It Take…
o All That Glitters
o “Pen and Parchment” featured on WNYC
o The Secrets of Architectural Drawings
o Medieval Inks
o From Animal to Art: The Story of Parchment
o Elegant Geometry
o Matthew Paris, Master Draftsman
o Mapping the World
o Writing History
o A Medieval Library
o Join the Discussion
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o Exhibition Catalogue
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o Related Events
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« Medieval Inks
“Pen and Parchment” featured on WNYC »
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Secrets of Architectural Drawings

Façade of Strasbourg Cathedral (“Plan A1”)
Above: Façade of Strasbourg Cathedral (“Plan A1”), Strasbourg, France, 1260s, 33 7/8 x 23 1/4 in. (86 x 59 cm), Musée de l’Oeuvre Notre-Dame, Strasbourg, Inv. no. 2.

The so-called Strasbourg Plan A1, seen above, offers an exquisite example of medieval architectural drawings, which are rarely accessible to anyone, including scholars and researchers. It is one of the earliest surviving graphic documents of a monumental structure, authored by an anonymous artist. Although we do not know his name, the artist left us with enough information, in pen and ink, to express his vision for the design of the west façade of Strasbourg cathedral.

It was more than pen and ink that I wished to find when I approached the framed drawing for the first time. It was leaning against the wall, silently, waiting to be hanged. I knelt down and started looking for prick holes—yes, prick holes—those barely discernible marks left by the sharp point of a compass. Prick holes serve two important functions. In an original drawing, they reveal the invisible geometric forms underlying the design: circles, say for a rose window; or arcs, two of which combine to form a pointed arch for a window or doorway. Prick holes penetrating through the entire thickness of the parchment may suggest that at some point the drawing was used as a master for copying, when the sharp point of the compass or a similar instrument needs to reach the parchment below. Key details of the original drawing—for example the apex of a pointed arch, the cusps of a tracery window, or the outline of a doorway—would be pricked through. A précis, or essential summary, of the design would then be transferred onto a sheet of fresh parchment directly underneath, visible with the marks (prick holes) made by the sharp point. These marks would then serve as guides for the artist to complete the copying process. Medieval Xeroxing, one might say. ...(more)



---

Ad Quadratum: The Practical Application of Geometry in Medieval Architecture (Avista Studies in the History of Medieval Science, Technology and Art) (Hardcover)
~ Nancy Wu (Editor)

Amazon Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Practical geometry and how it might have been applied in the design of medieval architecture is the subject of this book. The 11 papers by the international team of contributors, together with the introduction by Eric Fernie, present an up-to-date look at the latest scholarship, covering an area from Carolingian Germany and Romanesque Italy to Crusader Cyprus and Gothic France. The applications of geometry and metrology are illustrated with figures largely generated by computer-assisted design (CAD) programs, using new technology to overcome the limitations of earlier analysis of plans. These papers aim to present the current state of thinking on the uses of geometry in medieval architecture. The volume should prove useful to historians of art, history and science of the Middle Ages.
----

See more at:

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The Virtual Gothic Cathedral
T h e V i r t u a l o t h i c C a t h e d r a l

Lend a hand as we spotlight the stone, glass and wood crafts -
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WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Sunday, Nov. 8


The whole of the holy life is good friends.

The Buddha
to his cousin Ananda

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Thursday, Nov. 5


The same pain that can blemish our personality can act as a creative force, burnishing it into an object of delight.

Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
Alchemical Wisdom


Is this why I am "so creative?"

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Wednesday, Nov. 4

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

Meister Eckhart

Jealousy, Addictions

To cure jealousy is to see it for what it is, a dissatisfaction with self.

Joan Didion




When you look in the mirror and hate what you see,
you need addictions to survive.

Don Miguel Ruiz

Horoscope for Nov 4, 2009

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I would love it if you could find a sword that
could cut itself. Or a fire that could burn itself. Or some water you could
wash. But even if you can conjure the magic to attract an experience that
simply resembles one of those marvelous paradoxes, it would set in
motion a series of epiphanies that would liberate you from an inferior paradox -- a confusing absurdity that is not worthy of you and that has been draining your life force.


FreeWillAstrology.com


Definition of epiphany:

1. Epiphany
a. A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.
b. January 6, on which this feast is traditionally observed.
2. A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.
3.
a. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.
b. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization: "I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself" (Frank Maier).

---

Main Entry: epiph·a·ny
Pronunciation: \i-ˈpi-fə-nē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural epiph·a·nies
Etymology: Middle English epiphanie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin epiphania, from Late Greek, plural, probably alteration of Greek epiphaneia appearance, manifestation, from epiphainein to manifest, from epi- + phainein to show — more at fancy
Date: 14th century

1 capitalized : January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ
2 : an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being
3 a (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure b : a revealing scene or moment


---What the heck does "inferior paradox" mean?

See: http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:BBi0cD-ClioJ:www.mbydesign.com/mbydesign/Library/Chap-02.pdf+definition+%22+inferior+paradox%22&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Tuesday, Nov. 3


Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.

Louisa May Alcott

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Monday, Nov. 2


A harmonized mind produces harmony in this world of seeming discord.

~ Paramahansa Yogananda



If only this were true. I will try.

Ron Bishop ~ TV western & drama writer

Posted by Branfred
member since: Jun 15, 2005

The late Ron Bishop is one of my very favorite TV drama writers. He wrote most often for episodic TV, extensively in the Westerns heyday, and contributed many of the best scripts for Gunsmoke. ...Continue »

Within the structural constraints of the one-hour episodic format and the dramatic conventions of the "Western" genre Bishop still managed to be a standout. He created very distinctive characters whose underlying complexity was progressively revealed in novel plots with tight structure and provocative themes that went well beyond the rather formulaic, mechanical mediocrity that met the "it's good enough for TV" standard that was (and still is) all too common.

I give especially high marks to Mr. Bishop as a writer of dialogue. In both casual conversation and confrontational exchanges his characters generally have an authentic voice of their own. Their words, sentence constructions, and turns of phrase are always colorful, often very uniquely couched, and seem to be resonant with what we might imagine the idioms of that era and place.

What is so nice about this particular strength of Ron Bishop's writing is not some show-off-ish, look-at-me-write self indulgence of the writer. To the contrary, Bishop's talent for creating great characters, interesting plots and really tasty dialogue provided some of the period's best and mostly underrated, underused actors with opportunities to show what they could do -- just how good they could be if given the chance to carry some weight.

To see what I am talking about, check out any of the following when their series is available in syndication. In Kung Fu's "The Soul Is The Warrior", for example, the inimitable John Doucette really steps up and hits one out of the park, displaying an ability to project gravitas and nuance that most who are only familiar with his more usual second-string roles as a "heavy" would hardly expect of him. Even the lesser characters in this episode are sharply defined and given some good lines and scenes.

Don't miss 'em episodes of Gunsmoke abound. "A Hat" features Chill Wills and Gene Evans in standout performances. "A Town In Chains" with Ramon Bieri and Lance LeGault(among several others)is just a sweet piece of work all round. Ditto for "Whelan's Men," "Mannon", "Matt's Love Story", and "Slocum". These illustrate Bishop's obviously high standards for himself as a writer and his consistent ability to deliver at that high level.

Unfortunately, I was not a regular viewer of the shows that Bishop wrote for in his most productive years as a TV writer. Much of his other work, beyond the Gunsmoke years and the Kung Fu episode, are not something I can reference with any familiarity. However, I will still say with some considerable degree of confidence that those other shows bear watching if you like good writing with a distinctive voice and style.

I have done some Internet searching for references to Ron Bishop and would recommend you fire up your favorite search engine to find out a little more about his background, career, accomplishments and peer recognition.

Although detailed information is sadly rather scant, I'll note that he was the recipient of several awards as a "Western" writer. Perhaps even more telling is that he was given a special recognition in the credits for one of the Gunsmoke movie credits. My guess, knowing of James Arness' personal involvement and keen interest in the production side of the venerable Gunsmoke series, is that Arness knew just how lucky he was to have a talent and a sensibility like Ron Bishop providing above-and-beyond-the-herd, top notch material for so many episodes. Likewise, for all those actors who Mr. Bishop's work meant a chance to exhibit their own talents to best effect, I am sure Ron Bishop was a man that they often thought of with great fondness and appreciation.

I never met the guy. He was probably already gone before I even knew his name or saw much of his creative output. Still, I'm glad I finally took this opportunity to give the man a little of his due.

Well done, Ron. Well done...

[submitted by RDR under the "borrowed" logon of Branfred Level 9. Thanks BL9]

---

See more at:

Ron Bishop Recent Role: on How the West Was Won

Show Summary: The Slavers, Aired: 04/23/79

Zeb Macahan was a rugged mountain man who had spent ten years in the Dakota Territory before returning to Virginia where his brother's family was getting ready to make the long trip west. Just as they started their journey, the Civil War began.

Zeb's brother Timothy returned east and his wife Kate was... more

---

Imdb.com: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0084183/bio

Biography for
Ron Bishop (I) More at IMDbPro »
advertisement
Date of Birth
21 July 1921, Ohio, USA

Date of Death
30 January 1988, Los Angeles, California, USA

Birth Name
Ronald Arthur Bishop

Mini Biography

While he wrote scripts for several television series, Ron Bishop is best remembered as one of the most important writers during the second decade of "Gunsmoke." Series star James Arness has long referred to Bishop as one of the best writers on that series. The characters created by Bishop spoke authentically to the time period portrayed in the series, and he created some of the most memorable villains seen during the twenty year run of the program. Friends and co- workers described him as an outdoors-man who lived by a strong code of conduct, a conduct often reflected in his scripts. Bishop died in 1988 following a stroke.
IMDb Mini Biography By: rtvf

Trivia

In 1989, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Wyoming hosted The Great TV Westerns: a film program in memory of Ron Bishop. http://rmoa.unm.edu

Gunsmoke, "A Hat" (1967) ~ "Five Days"

"Gunsmoke" A Hat (1967)
16 October 1967 (Season 13, Episode 6)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0593970/?c=1



This episode contains some of the most beautiful poetry and moving philosophy I have ever heard in a TV episode of any kind, written by Ron Bishop. Bishop wrote a number of episodes for Gunsmoke and other similar shows. The character of Sorils, gunfighter, hunter, trapper, crude and stubborn man, describes a “Divine Experience” up in the mountains that took place over five days.

The philosophy of Gunsmoke and Ron Bishop comes through continuously, even given the "owning" philosophy of men towards women in those days. This episode has moved me like no other. I wish I could meet the writer, Ron Bishop, and thank him for imparting such a beautiful piece of wisdom and life to us all in a simple hour-long TV show. This episode is like reading a prayer book, over and over again, in five small lines. This episode shows that all men, and women, have something they hold dear in their hearts. Something. Some days. Even if it is just five small days.


Story line: Clint Sorils (Gene Evans), a gunfighter, has been shot over a stray bullet through his hat, is lying in bed with little hope of recovery. Some of the townspeople don't want him in town and send an emissary, Mr. Brewer, to tell Matt Dillon that they don't want him in town. Here is some of the dialogue (paraphrased in part):

Brewer: "Clint Sorils is a gunfighter."

Dillon: "That's probably what he will be remembered for. A lot of people probably forget that it was him and men like him that opened up this country, hunting, trapping."

But Sorils took a gun and killed a man.

In self-defense, yes...

Why jeopardize the health of a town for a crude mountain of filth like
that?

Mr. Brewer, he has the legal right to be here. ...

Very simple Mr. Brewer. Just tell them he stays. In the first place, he can't be moved. We don't even know if he's going to live. In the second place, on the outside he may be a mountain of filth, inside he's a man."

Later, in the company of Miss Kitty, Sorils begins to recall his beloved squaw Amy and the finer times in his life, as a religious experience. He begins to recite a story of "five days of silence" in the mountains, with "no need" to talk, and sheep whose feet are "like prayer books" and the great happiness he felt at the time.


"Five days. I recall five days when no one talked. No need. Mountains pushing God higher. Elk. Moose low to the willow. Mountain sheep climbing and looking back, as if they had prayer books on their feet. (Hesh maomi) Don't lie. Don't quit. (wheezes) Amy. Amy. (I know you?) You couldn't die. But the hardest piece of day mo. Not you Amy. Oh Amy.

Remember our first Spring? And that meadow we has? Furs all around and that meadow. And the snows just gone now. And us lying there and all the time close swallows and even a sky fox. A girl don't need no more than that, does she? And there was a time I shot the supper grouse. The hen had chicks. I didn't know. Chicks. I always liked young-uns. Always... liked 'em. We never had no young-uns Amy. Why? A woman always will have them.

Amy. Oh Amy. You're the best squaw a man ever owned."


more at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0593970/?c=1

Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror

This book had both positive and negative aspects to the reviews; I'm going to read it right away. One positive part below, with excellent book list. CT



Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror
4.6 out of 5 stars

Amazon review:

[after noting the limitations of this book]... the book really is fine, and I learned from reading it. But if a person is interested in *childhood* trauma, there are books that I think should be read first. These include the following:

Books by Alice Miller, including:
• Drama of the Gifted Child [Read the original version, which has a preface called "Vantage Point 1990," not the one rewritten during the 90's] followed by
• Banished Knowledg by Alice Millere,
•Making Sense of Suffering by Konrad Stettbacher,
•Too Scared to Cry by Lenore Terr,
•Soul Murder by Morton Schatzman (not the better-known book of the same title by Leonard Schengold); Schatzman's book is out of print but available from public libraries,
•Betrayal Trauma by Jennifer Freyd, and for those looking for simpler but theoretically solid and practical works,
•Toxic Parents by Susan Forward and
•Reclaiming Your Life by Jean Jenson.

(more)

Thou shall not bear false witness

Wiccans? Do you believe you can cast an evil spell on someone?
I ask because a Wiccan here threatened to do that to me a long time ago. I was wondering if the majority believe it's possible and is that part of your belief system?

* 2 years ago

catherine yronwode by catherine yronwode

Member since:
November 02, 2007

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

The Wiccan Rede enjoins members of Wiccan religion to "harm none". The teachings of Jesus in which he told his followers to "turn the other cheek" enjoin members of the Christian religion not to hurt others, even when provoked. The Ten Commandments enjoin members of the Jewish religion not to covet, steal, kill, or bear false witness. But, of course, members of all three of those religions have been known to break those and other rules of their religions. I have seen Jews eat pork and steal and join the military and kill people. I have seen Christians rape, steal, set buildings on fire, and torture and kill little babies. I have seen Wiccans fling evil spells and join the military, where they proceed to kill men, women, and children, just like their Christian and Jewish fellow-soldiers do. No religion is exempt from abandonment of its principles, even by its own clergy, as we have all learned from reading about the pederast priests of the Catholic Church. And, lest you think i am singling out Christians, let me tell you that there are the Hindu priest pederasts, Yoga teacher pederasts, Buddhist priest pederasts, and Wicca pederasts. You can google them. They exist. The point is this: Wicca is no better than the goodness of its adherents, and no purer than the purity of its congregations and its clergy. So, yes, a "real" Wiccan can cast an evil spell. They shouldn't -- but they can, and some no doubt have done so, even more than once.

* 2 years ago

Asker's Rating:
5 out of 5
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Thank you.

Leonard Cohen HALLELUJAH sung by Kate Voegele

Hallelujah - sung by Kate Voegele

Leonard Cohen HALLELUJAH lyrics

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Now maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
And it's not complaint you hear tonight
And it's not some pilgrim who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Camino di Santiago 031

Camino di Santiago 031, originally uploaded by alessandro pucci.

I want to be HERE.

Relatividad de la distancia / Distance relativity

Relatividad de la distancia / Distance relativity, originally uploaded by victor_nuno.

No es por la relatividad del tiempo por lo que se empieza, sino de la distancia. No se mide en metros, o en km. Sino en minutos, horas, días. Las distancias desaparecen, dejando lugar a la medida del tiempo, ... la medida de la vida.

It isn't time relativity by what one starts, but distance relativity. One doesn't measure in meters, or in km. but in minutes, hours, days. Distances disappear, leaving place for the measure of time, ... the measure of life.

From Victor Nuno, posted on Flickr.com

100 years of solitude / 100 años de soledad

100 years of solitude / 100 años de soledad, originally uploaded by victor_nuno.

100 years of solitude / 100 años de soledad by victor_nuno

So many moments in life, ... when we must make difficult decisions. So many moments of solitude. These decisions define us and our own life. And after, after the storm, when all things come to a calm, ... we look, and it is ourselves what prevail. It is ourselves who have made another step. Into our souls.

Dedicated to all those who are in such a moment.

Tantos momentos en la vida, ... en los que tenemos decisiones difíciles. Tantos momentos de soledad. Estas decisiones nos definen a nosotros y a nuestra vida. Y después, después de la tormenta, cuando todo vuelve a la calma, ... miramos, y somos nosotros que permanecemos. Somos nosotros que hemos dado otro paso más. Hacia nuestra alma.

Dedicado a todas aquellas personas que estén en un momento así.


From Victor Nuno, on flickr.com

Two Kings

John Kilgore & Jon Diaz, NYC


www.johnkilgore.com/Sessions

Castle of Fair Welcome

Loggia


marymagdalen.blogspot.com/2009/08/scotney-castle-with-fr-mildew.html


http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/5753453.jpg
Hunedoara - Hunyadi's castle - loggia


San Angelo www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Western_Europe/Italy/San%20Angelo/index.htm

Psalm Concerning the Castle ~ by Denise Levertov

Let me be at the place of the castle.
Let the castle be within me.
Let it rise foursquare from the moat's ring.
Let the moat's waters reflect green plumage of ducks, let
the shells of swimming turtles break the surface or be
seen through the rippling depths.
Let horsemen be stationed at the rim of it, and a dog,
always alert on the brink of sleep.
Let the space under the first storey be dark, let the water
lap the stone posts, and vivid green slime glimmer upon
them; let a boat be kept there.
Let the caryatids of the second storey be bears upheld on
beams that are dragons.
On the parapet of the central room, let there be four
archers, looking off to the four horizons. Within, let
the prince be at home, let him sit in deep thought, at
peace, all the windows open to the loggias.
Let the young queen sit above, in the cool air, her child in
her arms; let her look with joy at the great circle, the
pilgrim shadows, the work of the sun and the play of
the wind. Let her walk to and fro. Let the columns uphold
the roof, let the storeys uphold the columns, let there
be dark space below the lowest floor, let the castle rise
foursquare out of the moat, let the moat be a ring and
the water deep, let the guardians guard it, let there be
wide lands around it, let that country where it stands be
within me, let me be where it is.

Denise Levertov

The Lion-Hearted King

www.amazon.com/Music-Lion-Hearted-Gothic-Voices



Figure 9:
Third Crusade. Surrender of Acre to Philip Augustus and Richard the Lion-Hearted, king of England (BNF, FR 2813) fol. 238v
Grandes Chroniques de France, Paris, 14th Century.
www.greydragon.org/library/tentpics/index.html



www.greydragon.org/library/tentpics/figure10.jpg


www.amazon.com/Castle of Fair Welcome

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Thursday, Oct. 29


You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.

Sarah Ban Breathnach
Simple Abundance



Dear God, help me over this anger in my life.
ANGER vs. LOVE & FORGIVENESS.

where, how, when?

Horoscope week of Oct 27,2009

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When I did a performance in Santa Fe a few
years ago, a woman in the audience came up to me after the show and
made a sardonic proposal: Would I like to join her twelve-step program for
writers who are overly fond of vivid adjectives and adverbs? With all the
uppity mock politeness I could summon, I told her that I was
preposterously happy with my scintillating addiction to brazen language,
and didn't regard it as a raggedy problem that needed invasive correcting.
Now I'm advising you to be like me and follow your heart when it tells you
to be bigger, bolder, and brasher than ever before. Right now, shiny
intensity is your sacred duty! Halloween costume suggestion: the sun.


FreeWillAstrology.com

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Tuesday, Oct. 27


Take more time, cover less ground.

Thomas Merton
Dancing In The Waters of Life

Horoscope: OCTOBER 21, 2009

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

The members of the congregation at St. Peter-at-Gowts Church in Lincoln, England had a minor crisis a few years ago. For years, they had prayed to a very old stone sculpture they assumed was a likeness of the Virgin Mary. Then a nosy archaeologist came poking around and informed them that the figure was actually Arimanius, the god of the underworld in the ancient Mithraic religion. I encourage you to make sure you're not under a comparable misimpression, Aquarius. This is an excellent time, astrologically speaking, for you to seek the help of higher powers, but it's crucial that you direct your invocations to the right source.


CANCER (June 21-July 22):

In the film Postcards from the Edge the character played by Meryl Streep made a monumental declaration: "Instant gratification takes too long." I know exactly what she meant. Sometimes I wish I could have what I want before I have to endure even a moment of frustrated longing. I bring this up, my fellow Cancerian, because in the coming week we may get our yearnings satisfied before we fully express them. Of course, there could be a downside to this situation: Since the magic will be materializing so quickly, you'd better be very sure you really want what you even start to wish for.


LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

It's an excellent time to see if you can remove some of the neurotic twitches from your erotic itches. For example, you could use all your ingenuity to talk yourself out of the silly guilt you feel for having a certain idiosyncratic desire -- a desire that, if acted out, would hurt no one, and that is therefore, by definition, healthy. Here's another possibility: You could invoke the full powers of your imagination as you free yourself from things that prevent you from experiencing maximum pleasure, like old wounds, simmering anger, rank egotism, and limiting beliefs.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FreeWillAstrology.com

Resolution?

How does one make peace, when everything changed and you didn't even know it?

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Monday, Oct. 26


If you look at every human being as a Divine mirror, you will know yourself and understand life.


Sherif Baba


???

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Monday, Oct. 19


Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgment. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil.


St. Seraphim of Sarov

Valley of Regret

Valley of Regret, originally uploaded by Leah Johnston.

Illustrates my words:

You came to me this evening
In the shadow of a kiss
I thought that I had lost you
To the early morning mist
You took a humble helping
While I took all I could get
You took my heart and hid it
In the valley of regret

I trembled in your branches
Like a newly opened leaf
I was a shipwrecked sailor
That was waiting for relief
Who paid a pretty penny to
The ocean in your debt
And took his final breathe inside
The valley of regret ...

(poem continues at flickr.com/photos/leahjohnston/3726574420)

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Wednesday, Oct. 21


All beauty of this world is wet with the dew of tears.

Theodor Haecker



Note: is this why I am surrounded by great beauty, all the time?

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Friday, Oct. 23


The trees, the flowers, the plants grow in silence. The stars, the sun, the moon move in silence. Silence gives us a new perspective.


Blessed Mother Teresa

Horoscope for Oct 21, 2009

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The members of the congregation at St.
Peter-at-Gowts Church in Lincoln, England had a minor crisis a few years
ago. For years, they had prayed to a very old stone sculpture they
assumed was a likeness of the Virgin Mary. Then a nosy archaeologist
came poking around and informed them that the figure was actually
Arimanius, the god of the underworld in the ancient Mithraic religion. I
encourage you to make sure you're not under a comparable
misimpression, Aquarius. This is an excellent time, astrologically speaking,
for you to seek the help of higher powers, but it's crucial that you direct
your invocations to the right source.

FreeWillAstrology.com

Elie Wiesel: The Witness

Blog by Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament

Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Elie Wiesel: The Witness


When Ken Brown at C. Orthodoxy challenged bibliobloggers to list five books or authors that made a difference in their understanding of the Bible, I submitted my five authors and John Anderson at Hesed we 'emet submitted his.

In a comment on my post, John commented that one book that we had in common, Terence Fretheim’s The Suffering of God, had become an influential book in his understanding of God. In response, I told John that of the five books he had selected, I was not familiar with two of them.

One of the books that John listed was Elie Wiesel, Night (New York: Hill and Wang, 2006). When John became aware that I had never read Wiesel’s book, John urged me to read the book and comment on it. So, I added Wiesel’s book to my crowded list of summer readings and Night was placed on the top of the list. I am glad I decided to read this amazing book.

Night is Elie Wiesel’s story of his experience in the Nazi concentration camps and how he survived the ordeal that took the life of his father, mother, and his sister. This book details the terrifying evil that he and countless other Jews faced at the hands of the Nazis.

The title of the book refers to the time Eli Wiesel entered the Kingdom of Night. That night was Wiesel’s first night in the concentration camp, the night “that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed” (p. 34).

In the preface to this new translation of the book, a book that was originally published in French in 1958, Wiesel declares he wrote the book not “to leave behind a legacy of words, of memories,” but to speak as a witness lest people forget the great tragedy that decimated the Jewish people. Wiesel wrote:

“For the survivor who chooses to testify, it is clear: his duty is to be witness for the dead and for the living” (p. xv).

I was captivated by Wiesel’s story of survival. To read this book is to enter the suffering, the pain, and the agony of those who struggled to find the meaning of incomprehensible evil and to understand the tenacity of one man who chose to live in the face of a certain death.

Those who suffered under the ruthlessness of their oppressors often asked: “Where is God?”
One time when a child was hanging from the gallows, someone groaned: “For God’s sake, where is God?” Wiesel wrote: “And from within me, I heard a voice answer: ‘Where He is? This is where–hanging here from this gallows’” (p. 65). ... (more)

Elie Wiesel & the Kingdom of Night

I have been betrayed. Can I be more like Elie? I am still living my own "holocaust denial" from those that were there and participated. The hatred emanating from these individuals is horrific to see, and is *almost* as devastating as the real deal. If Wiesel can come to spiritual wisdom and peace with his all-too-real experience of the horrors of evil and the true horrors of war, then surely so can I. I hope and pray. God, please show me the way.

Spiritual Perspectives
Kingdom of the Night

By Kathy Coleman
Special to The Independent
March 18, 2006



"... In accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, Elie Wiesel said, "As one who has emerged from the Kingdom of Night, I say violence is not the answer. Terrorism is the most dangerous of answers."

This man, who has looked evil in the eye, this man, who states that he is part of a traumatized generation, responds by giving his life to others, letting them know that they do not stand alone. 'Every moment is a moment of grace," he said, "every hour an offering. Not to share them would mean to betray them.'"

Wiki: Ways in which a biographical article can be harmful to the subject

Wiki: Ways in which a biographical article can be harmful to the subject
Talking about someone while they are alive is "creating a biography" about a living person (BLP = Biography of Living Person). Harming others through unverifiable, untrue, hostile, threatening attacks can be defamation, slander and / or libel, depending upon how it's broadcast (published).

Here's what Wiki has to say (see more on their site):

Wikipedia: Biographies of living persons (BLP)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Biographies_of_living_persons

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Friday, Oct. 16


At first dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then inevitable.


Christopher Reeve

"Iran and Israel, or a Shiite among the Sunnis" [Heise Column

Gmail Catherine S. Todd
"Iran and Israel, or a Shiite among the Sunnis" [Re: FW: Heise Column

Catherine S. Todd Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 1:11 AM
To: drjohnwm

What an excellent article, and it gives so much hope to what appears to be a long-term, on-going and hopeless situation. Would that I could accomplish the same thing here on the island I've been living on, surrounded on all sides as a Shiite among the Sunnis. President Obama, I need you now! If he can't be here to save me, at least perhaps I can learn from watching and listening and learning somehow. Can we practice diplomacy when we've been at war for so long? Will diplomacy really eradicate long-standing and life-long hatreds based on things no one even remembers or knows "why" anymore? Just that they "are so angry" and "hate" the other side and "that's the way it is..." because for some reason some people need a feud to feed their fire. Fear and Anger seem to rule this world of ours and until I read an article such as this one, I forget that perhaps there can be another way. At least an attempt at "diplomacy instead of war" that is worth making. At least once or more, perhaps.

Thanks for sending this, Uncle Johnny. It sure puts personal conflicts in perspective, doesn't it? I am so glad that Obama won and we all gave our best effort - which worked this time - to get him there! Now to see what happens next. Personally I have given up, given what I've seen of some of human nature and that which we call "humanity" where love or truth or facts seem to be meaningless, but with someone like Obama, the light continues to shine. Shine On, bright star, shine on!

CT



On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 8:23 PM, drjohnwm wrote:

Dear Friends and Family,

A well thought out arguerment for diplomacy vs war.

John

Paul's column for tomorrow's Lebanon Daily News



10-15-09 Iran and Israel



In starting direct talks with the Iranians, Pres. Obama has taken a first step to embrace diplomacy rather than confrontation in the Middle East.



When Iran complied with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and announced that it was building a second uranium enrichment plant, Western governments and media expressed deep concern. This impelled the New York Times to call the area that stretches from Iraq to Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan the "axis of anxiety."



That notable newspaper then reported the ensuing buildup to confrontation in tabloid language: "In a day of high drama at an economic summit meeting, American, British and French officials declassified some of their most closely held intelligence and scrambled to describe a multiyear Iranian effort, tracked by spies on the ground and satellites above, to build a secret uranium enrichment plant deep inside a mountain."



Running up to this, Iran has been painted as a dangerous, rogue state, akin to Saddam Hussein's Iraq, where weapons of mass structure were being pursued to wipe Israel off the face of the earth and interrupt the flow of Middle East oil to Western economies.



In keeping with this anxious scenario, the Western powers have been proposing ever harsher even crippling sanctions to isolate Iran diplomatically and economically. Israel continually threatened an immediate air strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.



President Obama has now hopefully put this behind us and set a course to engage the Iranians diplomatically.



On October 1 the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany sat down for their first meeting with the Iranians and all the tension just fizzled. The disappointed press had to report that Iran agreed to everything asked of them in regard to uranium enrichment and then some. They agreed to on-the-ground inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency within two weeks.



Yet, it is not all that clear what American goals in Iran are. It often appears the US is following the Israeli geopolitical agenda: deny the bomb to any Islamic country by whatever means the Israelis find most effective and keep the United States engaged in the region to deny leadership to any emerging power, particularly Iran.



The Israeli fear of Iran seems strange. Iran has signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Its supreme religious leader has stated they have a "no first strike" policy and that nuclear weapons are contrary to Islamic law. The International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have been, and will be more, active in Iran.



At the same time, Israel has already used a preemptive strike against Iraq and everyone agrees that Israel already has around 100 nuclear weapons that it has never acknowledged. Israel has not signed the non-proliferation treaty and no outsiders have ever inspected any Israeli nuclear sites.



It may come as a surprise to many but Israel and Iran are natural allies. Both of these ancient peoples, the only regional survivors from biblical times, have more in common than they have a basis for war.



Admittedly, Israel is a small nation surrounded by mostly hostile Arabs with whom they have fought a series of wars. If the surrounding Arab states, and Iran, cared anything about the Palestinians, the professed center of concern, they would have just absorbed that relatively small number of people decades ago. The Arabs use the Palestinian issue to harass the Israelis who, too often, take the bait.



Iran also has reason to feel embattled. It is Persian in a sea of Arabs. It is Shiite among the Sunnis. It is an Islamic Republic in a Christian secular world. It also has, because of its size, location and independent cultural existence, a natural regional leadership role.



Iran has in fact dominated the area off and on for the past three or four millennia. It is not possible to deny Iran a leadership role however much we, the Israelis or the Saudi's might want to.



The Israeli fear of an Iranian nuclear weapon is paranoia. The Iranians are far too smart to attack Israel with a nuclear weapon when the US would immediately and with international approval obliterate Iran.



The American task in this "axis of instability" is, as often stated, to create stable political regimes and prosperous economies. To do this, we have to first convince the Iranians that they do not need a nuclear device to prevent a US attack.



We also have to ensure a shared leadership where the Israelis have a constructive part to play and where the Saudis can represent the Arabs and the Iranians can represent the Turks and other non-Arabs.



We also have to ensure that their leadership is not military but economic and cultural. That means that we have to find a nation-building institution other than our military.



This is our long-term diplomatic task and Obama in his mediator and conciliator role has begun it well.










--
Paul A. Heise, PhD
Emeritus Professor of Economics
Lebanon Valley College
717 964-2019
paul.heise@gmail.com
paulheise.blogspot.com
"Terror is the price we pay for empire. Moral decay is the price we pay for religious repression."


--
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
-- Ben Franklin


------ End of Forwarded Message




--
Catherine Todd
3007 Bent Tree Dr. Oxford NC 27565
H 919.693.0853 U.S. cell 919.605.0727
Blog: http://catherinetodd.blogspot.com/
Music: http://www.last.fm/music/Catherine+Todd
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/catherinetodd/sets/

Panajachel, Lake Atitlan
Guatemala cell (dial 011 from the U.S.):
(502) 5013.6300
Travel: http://lakeatitlan.blogspot.com/
Architecture: http://catherinetoddarchitecture.blogspot.com/

For 2009:

"The winds of grace blow all the time. All we need do is set our sails."
~ Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ~ Gospel of Ramakrishna

Peace and justice are goals for man.
~ Mahatma Gandhi

John 16:33. "In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, for I have overcome the world"

Family Attacks

More about family attacks:


Archive for Thursday, September 3, 2009
Woman testifies she was attacked by family members
Ex-husband encouraged attack on woman, she says



By Janet Reid

September 3, 2009, 6:17 p.m. Updated September 3, 2009, 11:21 p.m.

A Lawrence mother took the stand Thursday in Douglas County District Court, describing a harrowing fight for her life after waking up to her 15-year-old son brutally attacking her with a baseball bat.

“It was horror,” the woman testified about the events on the night of June 15 and the early morning hours of June 16. “I had feared that I would be attacked in this manner. I knew that if his dad was with him I couldn’t fight them both.

The victim was the first witness to take the stand during a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon for her ex-husband, Arthur Davis III.

Davis is facing charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and contributing to a child’s misconduct in connection with the incident. The couple’s 15-year-old son is also charged with attempted first-degree murder and their 12-year-old daughter faces conspiracy charges for her alleged role in the attack.” ...(more)

Archive for Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Charges filed against father, son in attempted murder case...

"... Meanwhile, prosecutors told the judge that evidence will show the father was the ring leader. "He manipulated and involved at least one of his children to take part in this crime,” Melton said."

Update: Lawrence man accused, with son, of trying to kill ex-wife pleads not guilty

Be sure to read comments: "He'll get what's coming to him."

LOL. The guilty never win, in the end. NEVER. The truth ALWAYS comes out!

---

More people need to start showing the REALITIES of what some families are like! WWIII and all. Bravo for this woman who testified and stood up for herself. And for all the rest to come. Defamation is an attack upon one's character and is the attempted murder of someone's reputation. Defamation is also against the law, like it or not, you haters out there. So who has been the ringleader this time? Let's find out.

Mackenzie Phillips: 'I understand this is a difficult thing'

How many self-righteous judgmental b*&&^%# out there need to read this and ACT like Christians, instead of just giving lip-service to faith, hope, love and charity? Some family members are the biggest hypocrites and liars around. I applaud Mackenzie Phillips for coming forward. More people need to and family members, including sisters and mothers, need to stop slinging arrows at them for telling the truth. Take heart, survivors, and DON'T GIVE UP no matter what your family might be trying to do. You've survived the worst and they really can't do anything about it or take your success away, no matter how hard they try. They can't do anything if you PUT IT IN GOD'S HANDS. Amen. Show me the way.

* * * *

Mackenzie Phillips: 'I understand this is a difficult thing'
By Breeanna Hare

(CNN) -- The reaction to Mackenzie Phillips' detailed account of her sexual relationship with her father, John Phillips, has been explosive, and some of the strongest statements have come from her family.

Chynna Phillips said she doesn't think anyone could make up having a consensual incestuous relationship.

But as the former actress and musician talked with Oprah Winfrey for the second time this week -- this time about the firestorm that erupted from her hour-long interview Wednesday -- she said she doesn't regret writing her memoir, "High on Arrival."

"I understand this is a difficult thing for my family," Phillips told Winfrey via satellite Friday, "but nobody's talking about this, and if I've started a national dialogue, then I'm forever grateful."

Phillips said she has gotten letters and Facebook messages from incest survivors, thanking her for coming forward.

"It's been heartening and heartbreaking at the same time," she said.

John Phillips died in 2001.

Two of his former wives, however, have vehemently denied Mackenzie Phillips' accusations.

In an statement to CNN, Michelle Phillips, an original Mamas & Papas bandmate who divorced John in 1970, called the situation "very hurtful."

"Mackenzie's drug addiction for 35 years has been the result of many unpleasant experiences," Michelle Phillips said. "Whether her relationship with her father is delusional or not, it is an unfortunate circumstance and very hurtful for our entire family."

She spoke more strongly to The Hollywood Reporter's Roger Friedman, telling him, "Mackenzie has a lot of mental illness. She's had a needle stuck up her arm for 35 years. ... She did 'Celebrity Rehab,' and now she writes a book. The whole thing is timed."

Genevieve Waite, who married John Phillips in 1972, told Winfrey in a statement that "John was a good man who had a lot of problems, [but] he was incapable, no matter how drunk or drugged he was, to have sexual relations with his own child."

The fallout from Phillips' decision to reveal her family's secrets has been heartbreaking for her sister Bijou as well.
Don't Miss

* Drugs overshadowed actress' promising career
* John Phillips had checkered, sometimes sordid, life
* Mackenzie Phillips: Dad wanted me to be his wife

Bijou Phillips supplied a statement to Winfrey stating that Mackenzie told her about the incestuous relationship with their father when Bijou was 13 but later denied it.

"This news was confusing and also scary, because I'd lived alone with him since I was 3," she said. "[John Phillips] was Mr. Mom, loving and encouraging; the man who raised me would never be capable of such things."

She also questioned why Mackenzie would leave her alone with their father if he'd molested the elder sister.

Still, Bijou Phillips showed signs of measured support.

"I understand Mackenzie's need to come clean, but it hurts because the man in question isn't here to defend himself," she said. "I hope she can come to terms with this and find peace."

Mackenzie Phillips told Winfrey that her family's disbelief and anger saddened her, especially since she and Bijou Phillips have been very close. Phillips recalled the way Bijou immediately came to her aid when she was arrested last year for cocaine and heroin possession.

"I love my baby sister, and I miss having contact with her," Mackenzie said.

"By the time Bijou was living with my father, I felt she was safe. I did take her out of there if I felt like she wasn't being watched properly," she said in her defense.

But she added that Michelle Phillips' statements weren't as surprising.

"When Michelle found out I was writing this book, she vowed to do everything to discredit me," Mackenzie told Winfrey. "She's having a textbook reaction, trying to sweep it under the rug. It seems so unkind and ungenerous to lash out in this way; I don't have a history of mental illness. I have a history of drug addiction."

Chynna Phillips, who also sat down with Winfrey on Friday, said she believes that her mother, Michelle, made those statements out of anger and that she does still love Mackenzie, even if she doesn't admit it.

"I think the most devastating thing is when people are in denial and don't want things on a public platform, it's not something everyone wants to share with the world," Chynna Phillips said. "It's not something my mom wants plastered all over the papers."

Chynna told Winfrey that she'd known about her sister's history with her father for about 12 years and believes that no one would go out of their way to admit having a consensual incestuous relationship.

She's also not the only one who thinks Mackenzie is telling the truth.

Jessica Woods, the daughter of former Mamas & Papas band member Denny Doherty, also wrote in to Winfrey and said her father knew about everything.

"I just watched your show," Woods wrote, "and everything she said is true. My dad told me the awful truth, and he was horrified at what John had done."

Chynna, who grew up with her mother, said that although she didn't spend a lot of time with John Phillips, the memories she had of him were positive, in spite of the heavy drug use she witnessed.

"He was a very charismatic man," she said. "He was a very talented man and a very loving man in many ways."

Now one half of the Christian music duo Chynna and Vaughan, Chynna said that her relationship with Mackenzie has grown over the past six months and that she's proud of her half-sister for having the courage to talk about her past.
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"The thing is, who among us haven't done something that we're highly ashamed of in our lives?" she said to Winfrey. "Who are we to cast the first stone? In my faith, as a Christian, God told me I need to forgive. Am I happy that she put me in this position? No, I'm not. But I have to forgive. It's 13 years later, and I still haven't digested this information."

Chynna added that she hopes her sister will take her experiences and use them to help others, offering one piece of advice: "Get the Lord on board, because you'll need it."

Brooklyn, are you out there?

If so, leave me a note! Let me know who you are. Yours, CT

Horoscope for Oct 14, 2009

Total Commitment


AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Writing in *The New Yorker,* Adam Gopnik
named two characters from literature that well-educated people tend to
identify with. "Men choose Hamlet because every man sees himself as a
disinherited monarch," he said, while "women choose Alice [in
Wonderland] because every woman sees herself as the only reasonable
creature among crazy people who think that they are disinherited
monarchs." That's a funny thought in light of your current omens,
Aquarius, which suggest that you're a reasonable creature who clearly
sees how much you're like a disinherited monarch. The omens go on to
say that there's a good chance you will have excellent intuition about
what to do in order to at least partially restore yourself to power.


FreeWillAstrology.com


*

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This oracle is coming to you live from your repressed memory of paradise, reminding you that all of creation loves you very much.

Even now, secret allies are cooking up mysteries that will excite you and incite you for years to come.

Even now, the earth and sun are collaborating to make sure you have all you need to make your next move.

But here's the loaded question: Are you willing to start loving life back with an equal intensity? The adoration it offers you has not exactly been unrequited, but there is room for you to be more demonstrative.

Half of the art of pronoia is about being improvisationally receptive to life's elaborate scheme to shower you with blessings. The other half is about learning to be a co-conspirator who assists life in doling out blessings—to help everyone else get exactly what they need, exactly when they need it.

Visualize yourself being able to recognize the raw truth about the people you care about, seeing how they already embody the beauty their souls' codes have promised as well as how they still fall short of embodying that beauty. Imagine yourself being able to make them feel appreciated even as you inspire them to risk changes that will activate more of their souls' codes.
*
The preceding oracle comes from the revised and expanded edition of my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings. You can order it at Amazon.

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Tuesday, Oct. 13


Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.

Rachel Carson



Rachel Carson, author of "Silent Spring"

Esaep's Fable... The Camel's Nose

"Give them an inch; they'll take a mile"

The Camel's Nose

"Now, let me digress to an old story—an Esaep's Fable: Once upon a time there was an Arab who wanted to cross a wide desert. So he fed and watered his camel well, and got all necessary supplies, and started out. The very first afternoon, a sandstorm began to blow. The Arab got off his Camel and pitched his tent and climbed in, to wait out the storm.

After a while, the Camel said, "Master, pray let me put my nose under your tent, for the sand is blowing in my nose. If I suffocate, I cannot carry you across the desert." So the Arab let the camel put his nose under the tent.

Shortly thereafter, the Camel said, "Pray, Master, let me put my eyes under your tent, because the sand is blowing in my eyes, and if I go blind, I cannot carry you across the desert." So the Arab let the Camel put his eyes under the tent. THEN after a suitable delay, the Camel asked, "Pray, let me put my ears under your tent, as the sand is blowing my ears."—etc. This was shortly followed by, "The sand is blowing on the cut on my shoulder, Pray let me put my Shoulder under your tent." And shortly the Camel pushed the Arab out of his own tent.

And THAT is the Fable of the Arab and the Camel. In other words, a Camel is anybody who can push you out of your own tent, by asking for just a little more...."


Found this story by Bob Pease | ED Online ID #6107 | December 1, 1997, at electronicdesign.com/Articles/ArticleID/6107/6107.html.

More: Camel Story Tales, Folklore & Legends.
Camel Fables & Wise Tales: ◊ Why The Camel Rolls In Ash Fable. ◊ How The Camel Got His Hump Mongolian Folktales. ◊ The Camel's Nose In The Tent Fable ...
www.camelphotos.com/camel_tales.html

Camel's nose - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The camel's nose is a metaphor for a situation where permitting some small undesirable situation will allow gradual and unavoidable worsening.

According to Geoffrey Nunberg, the image entered the English language in the middle of the 19th century.[2] An early example is a fable printed in 1858 in which an Arab miller allows a camel to stick its nose into his bedroom, then other parts of its body, until the camel is entirely inside and refuses to leave.[3] Lydia Sigourney wrote another version, a widely reprinted poem for children, in which the camel enters a shop because the workman does not forbid it at any stage.[4]

The 1858 example above says, "The Arabs repeat a fable," and Sigourney says in a footnote, "To illustrate the danger of the first approach of evil habit, the Arabs have a proverb, "Beware of the camel's nose". However, Nunberg could not find an Arab source for the saying and suspected it was a Victorian invention.[2]

An early citation with a tent is "The camel in the Arabian tale begged and received permission to insert his nose into the desert tent."[5] By 1878, the expression was familiar enough that part of the story could be left unstated. "It is the humble petition of the camel, who only asks that he may put his nose into the traveler's tent. It is so pitiful, so modest, that we must needs relent and grant it."[6]

In a 1915 book of fables by Horace Scudder, the story, titled The Arab and His Camel, ends with the moral: "It is a wise rule to resist the beginnings of evil."[7]

There are a number of other metaphors and expressions which refer to small changes leading to chains of events with undesirable or unexpected consequences, differing in nuances.

* Foot in the door - a persuasion technique
* Slippery slope - an argument, sometimes fallacious
* "The thin end of the wedge"'
* Domino effect
* For Want of a Nail (proverb) - the claim that large consequences may follow from inattention to small details
* Boiling frog
* "Give them an inch; they'll take a mile"[8] The original saying goes "Give them an inch, and they'll take an ell".
* In Chinese culture, the "inch-mile" saying corresponds to the expression 得陇望蜀 (De Long Wang Shu), which is a quotation from the Book of Later Han about a Chinese general who took over Long (now Gansu) only to pursue further southwards into Shu (now Sichuan).[9]

For comparison, positive consequences may start from small acts, and there is a similar set of sayings like Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching:[citation needed] "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" (or "A journey of a thousand li begins with a single step").

Relating this sentiment in idiom to scientific observation, the notion that large-scale phenomena may be affected by tiny initial incidents is the essence of chaos theory. However, in all the examples above, the result of the tiny initial incident is supposed to be predictable, unlike in chaos theory.

---

Note: Seems to be what is happening to me right now! Time to find my OWN tent with no camels nearby, and get the camels that are IN my tent out right away. Will do. Over and Out.

Another herd of camels I have to deal with: I stayed away and avoided confrontation with too many people for far too long, as I didn't know what else to do, and I didn't want my son to be hurt by these individuals. But all that happened is that "lies left unchallenged became the truth" and now everyone is hurt, including me and my son. "Trying to keep the peace" just let the evil continue unabated, growing stronger and stronger until it was all-encompassing. Even to the extent of spreading to a church! So now I put it in God's Hands and ask that God help me be strong in the face of such horrifying attacks. But the attacks will end one day and everyone will be called to judgment. And to court. Amen.

Go Gitcha Momma

A redneck family from the hills of Arkansas was visiting the city and they were in a mall for the first time in their lives.

The father and son were strolling around while the wife shopped. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move a part and then slide back together again.

The boy asked, 'Paw, what's at?' The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, Son, I dunno. I ain't never seen anything like that in my entire life, I ain't got no idea. While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a homely large old lady in a wheel chair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the small circular number above the walls light up sequentially.

They continued to watch until it reached the last number and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order. Then the walls opened up again and a gorgeous, voluptuous 24 year-old blonde woman stepped out.

The father, not taking his eyes off the young woman, said quietly to his son, Boy................. go gitcha momma.




Thanks to Sue Pearson for sending this one. I'd like a ride in that elevator, myself!

Maldives - meet the shore

meet the shore, originally uploaded by m o d e.

---

Maldives - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Maldives then came under the influence of the Portuguese (1558) and the Dutch (1654) seaborne empires. In 1887 it became a British protectorate. ...
Etymology of "Maldives" - Geography - History - Politics
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives

Republic of Maldives

The Maldives or Maldive Islands, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island country consisting of a group of atolls stretching south of India's Lakshadweep islands between Minicoy Island and the Chagos Archipelago, and about seven hundred kilometres (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka in the Laccadive Sea of Indian Ocean. The twenty-six atolls of Maldives encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, of which two hundred islands are inhabited.[5]

The original inhabitants were Buddhist, probably since Ashoka's period, in the 3rd century BC. Islam was introduced in 1153 and has remained dominant since. During the period of European exploration and colonialism, the Maldives came under the influence of the Portuguese (1558) and then the Dutch (1654) seaborne empires. In 1887 the islands became a British protectorate, then obtained independence from Britain (originally under the name "Maldive Islands") in 1965. Three years later the reigning Islamic Sultanate was replaced by a quasi-Islamic presidential Republic; in 2008, submission to the Islamic faith became a legal requirement for citizens.

The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of both population and area; it is the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the lowest country on the planet. [6] It is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in).[7] ... (more)

Maldives - time for a tour

time for a tour, originally uploaded by m o d e.

I want to be Here.
I will be HERE!

Actually, after reading more about the Maldives, I don't think I want to be THERE, but I will certainly enjoy looking at the photos!

Pima County Courthouse

Pima County Courthouse, originally uploaded by catherinetodd2.

My photo was included in the Tuscon Guide, Sights & Attractions - El Presidio:

"This courthouse, designed in 1928 [by the late, great Roy Place] in Spanish Colonial style, is a beautiful architectural homage to Tucson's Spanish-Mexican past. ... (more)

How exciting for an amateur like me... and what a wonderful experience walking through these hallowed walls. Plus, justice was served! Turned out to be a perfect trip in all ways! See more at the Tuscon Guide, El Presidio

Reviewing old posts

Anniversary: It's been almost two years since a most devastating rift took place, yet things finally DO change. Will wonders never cease? Past hurts and past anger and negative thinking has finally begun to abate, as "detaching with love," prayer and meditation, and keeping one's distance really does work.

It's still sad when nothing changes on the "other" side, but knowing that things CAN change "inside" makes all the difference in the world. Some problems have no solution or resolution in "this world," but we can always hope and continue to pray there will be resolution in the next. So we can set torment and sadness aside NOW in this life.

I can't control what and how other people feel (and continue to feel) but I CAN control how I feel inside, and how I can think about them. Forgiving them and keeping my distance to protect myself does work in the end. It doesn't solve the problem, nor does it really completely "heal the wound," but at least a scar is able to form and the bleeding stops. That counts for a lot. Plus my heart and mind will be open to reconciliation at a later date, if that time ever does come. At least this is what I work on every single day.

It's been a long time, but time has (somewhat) healed some wounds, as long as there has been no more re-injury. That unfortunately seem to continue to mean "no contact." Why, I'll never know, but again, I can't and don't control what other people think, say and do. All I can control is myself (and that's a full-time job in itself). Perhaps and I hope that one day this will all change and resolution and reconciliation will be possible. Until then, I will try to wait patiently for more positive days to come. And if they don't, so be it, I will still try to ask for the best for these individuals and ask God to keep them in His/Her care.

Some of the misinformed people are still at it (their same-old negativity that seems to have taken on a "life of it's own") but it doesn't do anyone any good and I will have to learn to live with it and ignore it. If Obama can lead the country, and Gandhi could do the same, and Martin Luther King could all stand tall in the face of words and bullets and swords, then surely I can learn to ignore the hurtful words of a few people, no matter how much I might care about them. What I am going through is nothing compared to what saints and heroes have endured, and I have such a long way to go. But I will keep to the path as much as I am able and I ask God to give me the strength to do so. How many lifetimes does it take to become a saint?

So I wish them well and I bid them adieu. Justice will be served, if it isn't being served already. I put these problems in God's Hands, and ask God to heal all wounds. What more can any of us do?

I will rest in God's peace and I will follow the path of Peace, even as I ask for justice in this world. I was raised in endless war, but it is now time to put down the sword and let those negative influences go. I will NOT "fight to the death" although I will ask for the truth to come out. It's hard to be hated by those that you love, or once loved, or wished for love, but there is nothing that one person can do about it. It takes two (or more) and until then, I offer these troubles to God and ask that I rise above it all. RISE ABOVE the earthly cares of the world. Focus on the spiritual life we all are leading, the true life that the world ultimately holds dear.

God help me find a way. Show me The Way. Forgive them all.

This story is told musically at:

www.last.fm/music/Catherine+Todd/_/Show+Me+the+Way

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Tuesday, Oct. 6



Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.


Sarah Ban Breathnach

Ballerina Angels

Source: ? Who took this lovely picture, so perfectly composed?

I wanted to be her... I was her (for a little while). God bless large and small favors, and Mrs. Thomas, my classical ballet teacher from the Royal Academy in London, who moved to Half Moon Bay! What luck, and what a wonderful woman she was.

She taught me how graceful and beautiful I could be, when no one else did. She cared, when no one else did. And then, so did I.

She surely changed my life for the better. I have had so many come into my life to make up for what I lacked. I must be grateful for that and thank the angels above and below for this great gift of perfection, made from many hands.

I was 28 years old when I got my toe shoes, and my son was little and played on the floor the whole time I was in class. When I began I was a "late bloomer" to put it mildly: the other 11 year old girls in my class and those who were waiting for the next class played with him the whole time. They all adored him. Does he remember any of this? I was so poor at that time, going to school and working and paying child care, that Mrs. Thomas let me attend classes three days a week for cleaning the studio twice a month. I was so grateful for this. When it was raining, she would give both of us a ride home with my bicycle and baby seat in the trunk of her car, and Robb and me in the front. What would I have done without her? How different my life would have been without finding out that beauty and grace can go hand-in-hand with ostracism and rejection at the same time. Thank God times are different now. Different for most people, anyhow.

Ballerina Angels, come to me. I want to share you with the world.


Ballerina
jordoanderson.wordpress.com

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Friday, Oct. 9


Trouble creates a capacity to handle it... meet it as a friend, for you'll see a lot of it and had better be on speaking terms with it.


Oliver Wendell Holmes


Ain't it the truth? Good advice if I can only take it.

"Winds of Grace"

Source: lakesidecenter.org/Sailboats.jpg

How far we've come and how far I've went since I started this blog in 2005, and posted this entry called "Winds of Grace" in 2009. I still feel the same way, and hopefully am "learning to sail my ship." Soon enough it will be 2010, and progress has finally been made. I never thought this was possible, but it was and it is. Will miracles never cease! Would that progress and peace be finally achieved, within AND without. Family problems resolved as well. That is my wish and my prayer.

Over the Rhine (OTR)

Note: One of the most beautiful pieces of writing I've read in a long time. Don't miss their concerts and CD's. Moving, sensitive and real.


October Update Letter from Over the Rhine

Announcement list for the band Over The Rhine Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 4:23 PM
To: OTRannounce@overtherhine.com

Hello extended musical family,

How in the world are you?

(You might want to pour a glass or mug of something good, sit back and get comfortable.)

It’s October in Ohio. Our little piece of slow curving earth is changing right in front of our eyes everyday. Color is slipping into the faces of the trees. The nights are chilly. I slip on a wool sweater and a cap now when I walk the after dark paths.

The orchards are selling their new apples. I picked up a bag of jonathans recently – an excellent eating apple for late afternoons. A lot of folks have been talking about the honey crisps. I look for an apple not too sweet that pops and snaps when you sink your teeth into it and break off a bite.

Karin and I celebrated our wedding anniversary yesterday – a clear, crisp fall day much like the day that found us 13 years ago in Eden Park in Cincinnati surrounded by family and friends.

It’s good to be in love.

And we’re just back from Canada. Our niece Maria was married on Saturday, the first Detweiler grandchild to tie the knot.

She and her husband wrote part of their own vows and what struck me was how they promised each other that they would do everything they could to help the other meet their full potential. It was as if they believed the other had the raw materials to be truly great, and they each were owning a responsibi
lity, a duty to help their partner get there, even if they didn’t fully understand yet what that looked like.

I don’t think I had ever quite heard this at a wedding ceremony. Maybe it’s something the younger generation gets. I like it.

When we arrived back at the farm, we were sad to hear that the father of Kenny Hutson (the multi-instrumentalist that’s been touring with us for a good while) passed away Sunday evening. We think of all the late night stories that Kenny has told us about growing up hunting and fishing in Georgia and playing bluegrass with his father. Apparently when Kenny’s Dad was at a music festival years ago getting ready to walk on stage, Bill Monroe leaned in and gave him the following instructions:

Y’all just rare back
And let it go
Like you ain’t got
A care in the world.

Our thoughts are with Kenny and his family.

We are at the stage of life where we are watching the young begin their fresh chapters, as our parents and their friends begin now one by one to speak their last few lines and step off stage.

Living out here on our little farm in Southern Ohio for almost five years now, we feel the deep rhythm of the seasons like never before. The full moon rises in a different place every month as it circles the house. Different wild flowers bloom at different times – the asters being one of the v
ery last of summer to splash their colors around the farm. The hummingbirds vanish before the first hint of frost. The September sky opens up, the clouds get bigger and whiter. It all begins to feel familiar as it cycles over and over.

I ran across this from my journal earlier this year:

March 17, 2009:

“Now it feels like Spring is nosing around. The maple trees have their red buds. The finches have hints of gold seeping into their soft bodies. The yard is greening. The weatherman says 70 degrees today. Hooray.

Some overachieving midwestern robin is already well on her way to every robin’s dream: building the world’s most sturdy nest. She arranges her grasses, stuffs her family’s mattress.

Twenty years ago this month, without knowing what we were doing, we began making tentative new recordings in a basement garage. All we had was a dream and more heartache than we knew what to do with. We have left behind a trail of deeply flawed recordings, hopefully as deeply flawed as our own humanity/hearts, and in that sense, honest. We wanted the music to make us look better than we actually were. I suppose we succeeded somewhat, but mostly failed to pull the wool over the eyes of the world.

There is a lot of aspiration in the music. We wrote what we longed for. We wrote a lot with our eyes closed (more about the world inside than the world outside?). We aim
ed impossibly high and prayed that when we fell inevitably short, it would still somehow be good.

We tried to write songs that would stick to the listener’s skin. We tried to write songs that someone might want to listen to on their next to last day on earth. Isn’t that, after all, pretty much everyday? We tried to write songs that were relevant to the moments in life most pregnant with significance and possibility.

We tried.

What excites me more than the first twenty years is the next twenty. A yet-to-be-written-book. It feels like spring.

Someone said, In your twenties and thirties you learn. In your forties and fifties you earn.

I like that.

Hopefully, I’m less torn up inwardly now. Less conflicted. (Some might argue this is a liability for a writer. I don’t think so.)

It’ll be good to see how it all shakes out. New terrain. Choose your cliché.”

**

Yes, the next 20 years. It’s no longer springtime and yet we know seasons bursting with creativity will come round again in their time. It’s gray and wet outside today but new songs are starting to land. We have a few finished that are beginning to point the way forward for the many songs that are unfinished. We’ll see where it goes. We hope you can come along. We hope you sink your teeth into the not too sweet songs and feel the pop and snap as you
break off a bite.

And we know this: when the nights begin to get colder, we come looking for you.

It’s October. If we squint our eyes we can see all the way to the end of the year.

Hope to see you,

Linford and Karin

more thoughts, writing and concert schedule at overtherhine.com

PS Please feel more than free to share this letter with family and friends. Forward it, chop it up and TWEET it, FACEBOOK it, MYSPACE it, blog it, podcast it in a posh accent, print it out and let the Weimaraner chew it up like ill-fated homework, crumple it, strike an Ohio bluetip match and light an outdoor fall fire, nail a copy to the sugar maple and let the sap bleed the lines to syrup, place a copy for good luck in each newly raked pile of leaves, line the wooden crates with its pages and then fill them with sweet potatoes which must cure for 10 days at approximately 85 degrees Farenheit before eating, and finally, our favorite, place a crisp copy (printed on Mohawk Superfine) on the floor of the Victorian bird cage and let the white doves crap all night long.

WORD FOR THE DAY

www.gratefulness.org
WORD FOR THE DAY
Monday, Oct. 5

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.

John Wesley

Horoscope for week of Oct 7, 2009

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Let's imagine that an independent
filmmaker has been following you around, gathering footage for a movie
based on the story of your life. This week he or she