Greetings From A Really Intelligent Woman

I have been on bed rest over the past few days and this picture captures how I feel right about now - the message always makes me smile so I thought I would share it with you.

peacesojourner

'One Nation Working Together' gathering in D.C.

Here is the "One Nation Working Together" gathering of many thousands of activists showing support for Democrats at

Washington D.C. Rally.

More than 400 organizations - labor organizations, anti-war groups, the NAACP, faith based, environmental and gay rights groups were present. People of every race, culture and ethnic background presented a solid united front.

The crowd led cheers of "Ever Forward, Never Backwards."

Yes, they were there - did your local newspaper give the event much publicity? The Buffalo News had a small article on page 8.

The main article on the front page was about a locally grown

1,070 lb pumpkin.

The main thing the marchers would like to have you remember is "please go to the polls in November and let the politicians know what you want."

A big thank-you to all who took the time and the effort to go to the Nation's Capital to express your opinions and to stand up for those of us who were not able to make the journey.

peacesojourner

photo by Associated Press

10-2-10 - One Nation Working Together

Last night dozens of buses filled with people left Buffalo, New York for the destination of Washington D.C. The trains are full, the charter buses are full and people are also travelling by air, cars and vans to join the ‘One Nation Working Together’ – this is a historic March on Washington scheduled for today 10.2.10.

Many groups have joined together - the NAACP will lead a broad coalition to bring America together and put America back to work. They are being joined by the Anti-War Groups ‘United for Peace and Justice’ and many of the Unions. Organizations - both national and local groups - are signing on. New organizing committees in cities big and small are coming together.

10.2.10 is just the beginning. The next step comes in November.

Are you registered to vote yet? Are your friends and family?

This will be one of the largest coalitions of progressive organizations in our lifetime and they will come together to demand a people's agenda from Washington DC.

It is a gathering of those deeply affected by our struggling economy: Youth (College and Non College), Women, the Faith Community, Working Class Citizens, Unionized Workers, and the Immigrant Population.

Organized labor and civil rights groups are looking to energize supporters at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where a month ago tea party activists gathered to hear conservative commentator Glenn Beck.

More than 400 organizations, ranging from labor unions to faith, environmental and gay rights groups, it is expected that tens of thousands of people will participate in the "One Nation Working Together" rally.

Here are some of the demands:

• Jobs, Peace, Justice!

• Bring Our Troops and War Dollars Home!

• Funds Jobs, Not War!

• End War, Rebuild America!

• End the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Now! - Bring Our War Money Home!

The work as a movement goes beyond turning out large numbers of people for an historic event. This is an opportunity to help millions of people understand how the struggle to end the wars and occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq is directly tied to the urgent need to re-direct this nation's economic and social priorities. We can bring our clear call for cuts in military spending into the efforts to fund the needs of all of our communities, including creating millions of new, green jobs.

Since its inception, the NAACP has been committed to bringing the fundamental right to vote to every member of the black community. And despite huge strides in voter turnout during the Presidential election, only 69% of African Americans are currently registered to vote, compared to 75% of non-Hispanic whites.

The goal is to register every last voter, to verify every last voter, to mobilize every last voter, and to protect the rights of every last voter because in close elections, every vote counts.

We must stay strong and focused. In the last speech Dr. King gave he said, "Nothing would be more tragic than for us to turn back now." We have come too far to turn back. Join us in Washington, DC on 10.2.10 and, most importantly, register to vote.

*****

I am not able to attend because I currently have acute bronchitis and have to stay home but I am with the marchers in spirit.

I urge all of you to consider the reasons for the gathering and try to make some changes in your own community.

This march is not about liberals or conservatives, white or black. It is about everyone in pursuit of a better country for all.

ONE NATION WORKING TOGETHER -

REMEMBER TO VOTE

Oranges and Lemons Rhyme and Art

Weight Watcher

Can you come out to play?

I'll be glad when my due date gets here in two weeks!

Come here so I can give you a squeeze.

Oranges and lemons: lyrics

"Oranges and lemons" say the bells of St. Clement's

"You owe me five farthings" say the bells of St. Martin's

"When will you pay me?" say the bells of Old Bailey

"When I grow rich" say the bells of Shoreditch

"When will that be?" say the bells of Stepney

"I do not know" say the great bells of Bow

"Here comes a candle to light you to bed

Here comes a chopper to chop off your head

Chip chop chip chop - the last man's dead."

*****

The history and origins of the lyrics - sinister!
The words and lyrics have been much loved by generations of British children. The place names relate to some of the many churches of London and the tune that accompanies the lyrics emulates the sound of the ringing of the specific church bells. The words of the nursery rhyme are chanted by children as they play the game of 'Oranges and lemons' the end of which culminates in a child being caught between the joined arms of two others, emulating the act of chopping off their head! The reason for the last three lines of lyrics are easily explained. The 'Great Bells of Bow' were used to time the executions at Newgate prison, which for many years were done by means of beheading. The unfortunate victim would await execution on 'Death Row' and was informed by the warder, the night before the execution ' here comes the candle to light you to bed' of their imminent fate and to make their peace with God! The executions commenced when the bells started chiming at nine o'clock in the morning. When the bells stopped chiming then the executions would be finished until the following day!

Oranges and lemons rhyme: origins and history

September - The Harvest Moon

September - Harvest Moon

This full moon's name is attributed to Native Americans because it marked when corn was supposed to be harvested.

September brings us the Harvest Moon, also sometimes referred to as the Wine Moon, Full Corn Moon or the Singing Moon. This is the time of year when the last of the crops are being gathered from the fields and stored for the winter. There's a chill in the air, and the earth is slowly beginning its move towards dormancy as the sun pulls away from us.

There are a whole set of traditional names for the various full moons throughout the year. The most famous of these "named" full moons is the Harvest moon. The Harvest moon is defined as the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox.

This year the fall equinox occurred last night on Sept. 22.

September is a month of hearth and home. Spend some time preparing your environment for the upcoming chilly months. Use this time to clear out clutter - both physical and emotional - before you have to spend the long winter days inside.

As the September Moon rises after sunset, this provides extra minutes of light each evening for farmers to work longer hours harvest their crops.

The full moon is particularly appealing at this time of year when it rises just around sunset and hovers low in the southern sky most of the night.

So, once again, eyes up this evening and enjoy this beautiful moon.

photo by peacesojourner

Rupert - Nature's Little Miracle

This tiny deer was delivered by Caesarean section at a wildlife hospital after a car killed his mother. Little Rupert, who is so small he can fit in an adults hand, was born after vets failed in their battle to save his mother.

At just six inches tall and weighing just over a pound, he was in an incubator in the intensive care unit at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Buckinghamshire, England.

Rupert's mother had very severe injuries and the vets delivered him and got him breathing, and then he went into an incubator on oxygen. He was fed by a tube.

Tucked up: Rupert in an incubator.

Rupert pulls a striking pose for the camera.

Asleep: Rupert takes 40 winks.

Staff members are optimistic that Rupert, five days old in these photos, will make a full recovery.

"Deer are very, very tricky, but this one has spirit. He's an extremely feisty little guy."

photos by Jeff Moore

*****

Yet another miracle from Mother Nature.

Sunday Reflection - On the Loss of a Child

Just four months ago I wrote about an eight-year-old boy, Tumaini, who was hit and killed by a car and how his death pulled the community together.

This week, shortly after noon on Wednesday, in front of dozens of shoppers, witnesses say a driver struck and killed eight-year-old Richard Alexander Colon, after hitting him twice and then the driver tried to take off.

On the first day of every month, Antonio Colon took his two grandsons on a "field trip". The outing was not extravagant, just lunch at McDonald's where the family could enjoy each others company. Richard was holding his grandfather's hand when, for unknown reasons, the motorist accelerated in reverse, and the out of control car hit the young boy.

A witness stated "There was a lot of blood, a lot of blood.'

The family said that he looked forward to was the monthly get-together with his grandfather. They called it their field trip. The grandfather had gone over to Tops with Richie to pick up a few things and then get his brother Victor, and they were going to go to McDonald's for lunch. It was their time for bonding.

A memorial outside the store, overflowing with flowers has attracted a steady flow of neighborhood residents who came to the scene to pay their respects.

In the supermarket, which is just one block from my home, workers were accepting donations to assist the Colon family with funeral expenses, as were workers at the M&T Bank branch there. Teachers at Frank A. Sedita Academy also were taking up a collection to help the family.

I drove past the funeral home when the wake was being held. There were hundreds of people in the parking lot and I felt glad to know that Buffalo is the kind of city where people come together in times of tragedy. Everyone wants to help in some kind of way.

In addition to his father and 12-year-old brother Victor II, Richard is survived by his mother, Yeli Colon, and another brother, Jose Cruz Jackson, 18

*****

There's nothing quite so agonizing as the death of a child. It is ironic that every day of the week, many of us walk out our door and never look back, figuring everything is forever, including our children. Often we are too busy to realize that the most precious things we have also can be the most fleeting.

I have had the experience of losing more than one child and was often filled with questions.

I can tell you that the memories never go away but somehow the pain does reduce itself to a dull ache in the deepest corners of the heart. They are still there in our memories, imprinted alive and fresh with us forever. Their memories are as fresh as the dew, as warm as the first ray of sunlight and as calm as the peacefulness of a cold winter night.

Bible quotes have always been a source of strength and guiding light for me. In times of despair and sorrow, we can turn towards it for peace, wisdom, endurance and courage to face the truth. I personally have found the following passages from the Bible to be of some comfort.

*****

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." ~ John 14:1-4

Jesus said "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them." ~ Mark 10:13-16

Ecclesiastes 3:2, a time to be born and a time to die.

Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

*****

I pray for Richard’s family, and I give a prayer of gratitude for my own life and my family for all of the gifts that we are given unconditionally by a power higher than us.

I also pray for the driver of the car and his family that they will somehow find peace of mind. He states that he experienced a medical problem at the time of the accident.

I share this with you as a reminder that most of us really have very little to complain about and we sometimes forget to take note of the goodness in our lives. The next time that you are feeling low in spirits try counting your blessings.

peacesojourner

Message from above.................

Messages from above are all around us if we just keep our

eyes open to see them :-)

Sunday Reflection - Out of the Ashes Comes Hope

Early on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 A fire destroyed the predominately African-American Macedonia Church of God in Christ in Springfield, MA

The $2.5 million church was under construction - the church was razed by arsonists hours after President Barack Obama was elected the nation’s first black leader on Nov. 4, 2008

Fire Photos by Dennis Leger

33 volunteers from a church and a synagogue in California traveled to Springfield last week at their own expense to help the regular construction crew rebuild.

“It’s bittersweet. We wish we were doing it just to help build and not to rebuild,” said a member of the Arson Rebuild Work Team of Santa Barbara. The California group is the third team of volunteers that has come to the city this month, including one other from the West Coast and another from Chicago.

Volunteers from religious groups in California re-build Springfield church destroyed by fire.

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The Republican

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The Republican

Judi Koper and her daughter Hannah, both with Temple B'Nai B'rith of Santa Barbara Calif, volunteered Thursday to help rebuild. They have traveled throughout the deep South, helping to rebuild churches torched in the name of racism.

“This is our first venture up North,” she said, wiping sweat from her brow after hours of frame work at the nearly completed church.

The church was burned to the ground in a spectacular blaze set by three city men who lived nearby, according to federal and state investigators who probed the fire. Two defendants – 23 and 22 -have pleaded guilty to arson in federal court and are awaiting sentencing. A third defendant, 25, is poised for trial in the fall.

The men admitted harboring a hatred for blacks and Hispanics, and that they set fire to the church to denounce Obama’s election. They told investigators they crept through the woods in the middle of the night, climbed through a window and doused the church with gasoline, then set it ablaze.

A volunteer from the Congregation B’nai B’rith, also in Santa Barbara, said the effort is as much about the message as the bricks and mortar.

“We’re here trying to right what three hateful people did,” she said. “To show people that we will not allow injustice and hate to stand.”

For Bishop Bryant Robinson Jr., leader of the predominantly black Macedonia church, it seems that from the ashes has come a small miracle of human spirit.

*****

Lamentations 3:21 - 24

Hope returns when I remember this one thing: the Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have , and so in him I put my hope.

*****

With so many senseless acts of violence and hatred happening in the world every day I choose to concentrate on the love demonstrated by those who continue to reach out to others, as in the words of the volunteer - “To show people that we will not allow injustice and hate to stand.”

peacesojourner

based on an article in the Springfield Republican Newspaper

Total # of U. S. Troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan - 5, 643

This is a typical day for the troops in Afghanistan

U.S. Military Casualties in Iraq

Since war began (3/19/03): 4,414

Total Wounded: Over 100,000

U.S. Wounded

320,000 Vets Have Brain Injuries

War Veterans’ Concussions Are Often Overlooked

18 Vet Suicides Per Day?

Other Coalition Troops - Iraq 318

US Military Deaths - Afghanistan 1,229

Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan 770

Contractor Employee Deaths - Iraq 1,457

Journalists - Iraq 338

Academics Killed - Iraq 437

Sources: DoD, MNF, and iCasualties.org

TOTAL: 5,643

Support the troops - bring them home!

Happy News - Oscar Gets New Legs

Oscar gets new legs

The bottom half of Oscar's back legs were sliced off by a combine harvester nine months ago. That would be a death sentence for most pets, but breakthrough surgery has given him a shot at another of his proverbial nine lives.

When Oscar was first found after the accident, he was very weak and had lost a lot of blood. Oscar's owners, Kate Allen and Mike Nolan, were told to expect the worst.

Veterinarian Peter Haworth covered Oscar's wounds and got him comfortable by administering cat painkillers, but there was little else he could do. Cats are able to have a comfortable life on three legs, but not with just two.

Allen and Nolan got in contact with another veterinary surgeon, Noel Fitzpatrick, to seek further treatment at his state-of-the-art practice.

"It was very much a three way communication time, a lot of e-mails, pictures and x-rays flying around and Noel pretty quickly decided Oscar was a good patient," said Nolan.

In the three hour operation, Oscar had metal holes drilled into what remained of his legs so that special implants – known as ITAPs - could be attached. The skin accepted the metal legs and started new growth around the legs.

This groundbreaking operation will eventually pave the way for the procedure to be replicated on humans.

As for Oscar, he has successfully adapted to his new legs, much to the relief of his owners, although for now, he will have to remain a house-cat because his limbs aren't suitable for outdoor activity.

The prosthetic legs were developed by a team from University College London, England, led by Professor Gordon Blunn.

The Itap technology has already been used to create a prosthetic limb for a woman who lost her arm in the July 2005 London bombings.

Elena Kagan Joins Supreme Court - “That’s really progress.”

Elena Kagan Joins Supreme Court After 63-37 Vote in Senate

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Elena Kagan to a seat on the Supreme Court. Ms. Kagan, who will be sworn in Saturday as the newest member of the court, was approved by a vote of 63 to 37.

President Obama said he expected that Ms. Kagan would be a strong addition to the court because she “understands that the law isn’t just an abstraction or an intellectual exercise.” “She knows that the Supreme Court’s decisions shape not just the character of our democracy, but the circumstances of our daily lives,” the president said.

Ms. Kagan, the former dean of the Harvard Law School, a legal adviser in the Clinton administration and solicitor general in the Obama White House, becomes the fourth woman to serve on the court. She will join two other women currently serving, including Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg . She succeeds Justice John Paul Stevens , the leader of the court’s liberal bloc, who is retiring. Democrats described the new justice as a brilliant legal scholar who would broaden the outlook of the court.

“When it opens this fall, three women — a full third of the bench — will preside together for the first time,” Senator Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat and majority leader, said. “That’s really progress.”

Congratulations!

A Little Humor - Sharing the Covers

I think that those who live in colder climates can probably relate to this

solution of how to share the covers :-)

If you look closely you can see the very accurate measurements on the sheets.

Hopefully not for newlyweds :-)

:-) :-) :-)

If It Is Thursday It's Going Green - The Pacific Garbage Patch

The Pacific Garbage Patch can be found floating about 1,000 miles off the Californian coast -- this swirling mass of plastic bags and garbage has grown to be twice the size of Texas.

When it comes to the environment, California is a trendsetter. The Pacific Garbage Patch is the responsibility of us all, but we need California to put the country on the right track towards eliminating plastic waste.

Although California prides itself on its environmental initiatives, there's no way The Golden State can deserve its title as the greenest state until it addresses its plastic bag problem.

At 19 billion plastic bags a year, California is currently the biggest consumer of single-use plastic bags.

Despite this, California is poised to become the first state to ban plastic bags. The California State Assembly passed a bill (AB 1998) to ban single-use plastic shopping bags on June 2, and the bill will go to the Senate mid August. Urge Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California State Senate to support a ban on single-use grocery bags.

Plastic does not go away - it just accumulates

What can you do? Remember to take reusable cloth bags when you go to the store – decline the plastic bag that is offered to you and take a few minutes to let the manager of the store know why you do not wish to continue using plastic.

All these wasted bags end up in landfills -- at best. Often the bags find their way into communities and natural areas, including the ocean.

A bitter reminder - 100,000 marine mammals die trash-related deaths each year and humans are to blame for ocean debris.

What more evidence do we need to understand that the use of plastic bags and bottles, etc., is harmful to humans, wildlife, and the environment?

I urge you to reduce your use of these items.

It is just a small action on your part.

"Together we can make a difference."

peacesojourner

Can We Talk? - Follow the Headlines.........

Two U.S. service members were abducted last Friday, July 24, 2010, in Afghanistan's Logar province.

The Taliban says it killed one American during a firefight and is holding the other, Petty Officer Third Class Jarod Newlove, 25, of Renton, Washington, who is listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown by the Pentagon.

Petty Officer Second Class Justin McNeley was found dead on Sunday.

“The Newlove family and Navy appreciate as much privacy as possible during this difficult time which we all sincerely hope has a positive outcome."

There were no immediate demands from the Taliban for the return of the Americans because the group was still deliberating what its demands would be.

A U.S. military official confirmed that a $20,000 reward was being offered for information leading to the return of the two sailors. Posters were being distributed in the region.

*****

On July 25, whistle-blower website WikiLeaks released thousands of secret military records from the battlefront in Afghanistan – they posted more than 90,000 classified military accounts of the war in Afghanistan. The website's founder, Julian Assange, had shared the documents with several newspapers weeks before publishing them, on the agreement that they not report any of the information until after it appeared on WikiLeaks. The papers consist primarily of secret reports from troops in the field covering local intelligence and recounting clashes — including a number of missives detailing civilian casualties often at the hands of coalition forces.

*****

The "leak" comes precisely during the week that Congress was voting on another increase in funds for the war. This past Tuesday, July 27 a $59 billion bill providing funds for the war in Afghanistan cleared Congress. In the House, 102 Democrats opposed the measure while 148 Democrats supported it.

Members of Congress received many calls from the public against the additional funding for the war - the Administration had not been able to get the quick vote on the war funding they requested but it went through anyway.

*****

Can we talk?

I notice that news emphasis is put on the two sailors who went missing – one killed and one held captive - I have compassion for them and their families but I also notice that not one word was mentioned about the 5,610 U.S Military personnel who have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Thousands more have returned home with injuries that will change them and their families for the rest of their lives.

Current US Military Deaths - Afghanistan 1,207

Other Military Deaths – Afghanistan 761

Bottom line: your government just voted for an additional $59 billion to support the war – how do you feel about that? If you do not support it call 888-493-5443 now.

Tell your Congressperson that the WikiLeaks' documents confirm that this war is immoral and unwinnable and that you oppose the recent vote of $59 billion to support the war effort.

SPEAK UP PEOPLE - PLEASE!

peacesojourner