Silver Lining News Round Up

For the past few weeks, I have not really been following the news in the way I usually do -- actually only using it as a sleeping aid, and avoiding bad news as much as possible.

So, here is my best attempt at some silver lining, boy do I need it right now.

These were in my draft folder...
I enjoyed this story about pro sports players speaking out in favor of gay marriage... it's about time.

The Other Side of Joe Biden

Sometimes Joe Biden surprises us ... as I noted during the convention. Some bloggers I read highlighted his speech from 9/11 -- here is a story about the speech with the text of the speech.

Here's another that requires some squinting to see the silver lining, but trust in me, and the lord, if you do that kind of thing.  It is a story about a school doing the right thing when abuse is brought to light, albeit belatedly.

Here is what I have collected in the last ten days or so... The bad news is that the LATimes has figured out how to track the mobile now ... so you might not have full access to the articles.

I found this piece contains some silver although at times tarnished ... it talks about a program for sharing housing with mentally ill folks in the community. I think it is a model worth studying and perfecting.

This piece likewise has tarnished silver -- but I think the kernel of the message to let go of anger and hate in order to find healing is timely, at least for me.

One more piece of tarnished silver ... I don't think we should try children as adults, so I am glad that this law will allow those folks to appeal their convictions -- but it is definitely some backward silver lining here.

I can't share with you the guy who got to Catalina on a jetpack ... but you can see how it might be cheering.

This story of the California Dream Act fills me with hope -- and reflects the spirit of my brother... read with pride. We can do this, as a community.

Because October is breast cancer awareness month (I've had my mammogram this year, have you?), the local paper where I am from is doing a series of articles on survivors -- both those who beat it and those who have to carry on after losing loved ones.  This piece demonstrates the changes kids go through when losing a parent. It is hitting a little too close to home right now as I worry about my niece and nephew -- but I appreciate the lemonade this family made out of some rotten lemons.

A late entry -- the MacArthur Genius Awards were announced, and Junot Diaz got one - you might remember him from one of my other silver lining round ups, if you haven't already read his stuff, go out and get some.  Another winner is someone working on helping families as well as bringing communities together in Oakland, one of my favorite places in the world.

This one suits my mood pretty perfectly -- there are lemons from which we can make lemonade, even if that lemonade means confronting issues that we usually eschew.  Here is one.  I am very proud of this young man -- instead of exhorting millions to go out and buy more guns, he is advocating the opposite.  Keep calling those politicians to the carpet.  In my experience, and that of many others, the only effective weapon against hate is love. And the root of love is peace.

This last one gives me some hope for social media.  I have to put it in its entirety because the AP links break, but I think it's worth it.  When I first started reading it, I was skeptical because I wondered how having a concert would help alleviate poverty or even bring awareness to the problem. As I continued to read, I was pleased with the thought that went in to the planning of the event with regard to really getting the word out about this serious issue.  There is some good that can be done with social media -- I just wish we wouldn't spend so much time and energy on the not so good stuff there.

Thousands attend NYC concert highlighting poverty

LOU FERRARA, Published: Sep 29, 2012

Musician Neil Young, right, performs with his band Crazy Horse including Frank Sampedro, left, and Ralph Molina, at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park on Saturday Sept. 29, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

NEW YORK (AP) - Neil Young, the Black Keys, Foo Fighters and others wowed thousands who turned out Saturday night for a free concert in Central Park to call attention to poverty worldwide.
Dubbed the Global Citizen Festival, the concert also featured K'naan, John Legend and Band of Horses, with Young's performance capping off the evening. Video of the event was streamed worldwide as about 60,000 music fans crowded the park's Great Lawn, the midtown Manhattan skyline twinkling behind them.
Legend made a surprise appearance, playing one song "Imagine" at a piano on stage, a short walk from where the song's author, John Lennon, once lived. The five-hour show was a mix of tight sets from the bands, roughly an hour each, mixed with videos and information from guest speakers about global poverty-related problems like infant mortality and polio.
"Feels good to be here," Foo Fighters lead singer Dave Grohl told the crowd during a break between hits like "Learn to Fly," ''Best of You" and "My Hero." Grohl, members of the Black Keys and others joined Young on stage for the finale, his anthem "Rockin' in the Free World."
The concert was scheduled around the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month and organizers used an innovative approach to ticket distribution so that many concert-goers were forced to learn about an array of global problems in order to get a ticket.
Anyone wanting free tickets had to register at globalcitizen.org, which then required users to watch videos or read information about poverty-related issues. Each time material was consumed, users could earn points toward a drawing for tickets. Points were also accumulated by sharing information by way of Twitter or Facebook.
"Our social media campaign has been off the charts," said Hugh Evans, CEO and co-founder of the Global Poverty Project. The approach demonstrates a new model for harnessing digital tools that might be repeated for other big events with political or social messages.
Organizers said more than 71,000 people had signed up online, resulting in more than 3.5 million page views. On average, they spent just over six minutes consuming content or sharing information. Nearly 200,000 pieces of information were shared on Facebook, and just a bit more than that on Twitter. About 170,000 people signed petitions via the site, and there were 98,000 videos viewed to completion.
Evans said the project achieved its goals, set out last year, of getting more than 100,000 people to take action related to extreme poverty while telling a new story about the challenges. To that end, the site conveys information in detailed, documentary-like accounts and uses an array of video, graphics and stories that are friendly for mobile and digital consumption.
Financially, he said, the project also achieved its yearlong goal - working with an array of organizations like the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, the Earth Institute and Rotary International - of garnering $500 million in commitments to help fight poverty.
So now what?
Evans said that he's hoping the audience, built online and at the concert, will continue efforts by tweeting President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney to halve extreme poverty by 2015, which is the key U.N. anti-poverty goal. And Evans is working on an announcement in October or November about "a major rock band" getting involved with the anti-poverty efforts.

© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.
--Howard Zinn

Last week, we buried my beautiful older brother.  He was, like all people, a complex person, but I think he was universally considered charismatic.  I don't know anyone who ever said no to him or that wasn't won over by him. 

I am struggling to put into words all the emotions that are coursing through my body and brain.  This is what I can handle right now.

At my brother's viewing, funeral mass, burial and bbq celebration of his life, there was a sea of purple shirts representing the Special Olympics of San Gabriel Valley.  They are my nieces teammates, the athletes my brother coached, their parents and families.  They were so loving and giving of their memories of my brother... he ran along side me, cheering me on, one young man shared with my sister.  Another coach told us how he encouraged one young man to get out of his wheelchair and use the walker -- with only one issue unresolved, that my brother hadn't gotten to... putting a light on the walker.

Sweetness exuded from these people, touched by my brother's generosity of spirit.  We knew, sort of, that he had taken a special interest in the group.  We mistakenly believed that it was mostly about how much this was helping his own daughter come into her own.  No, it was more than that ... it was how he had given over and over, in every way possible, to this group of people.  They love my brother -- it is so hard to use the past tense.  And they were so willing to share with us the stories of my brother's generosity, love and dedication.  I can picture Greg's huge smile, and I can hear the encouraging words he showered on them, making them feel at the same time supported and pushed to higher heights.

At the velorio, our family received another gift.  I watched as some young people walked tentatively into the mortuary during the viewing time.  A young woman and a young man -- looked around, and caught my sister-in-law's eye.  They were talking with her so I figured she must know them, but then she brought them up to me.  They told me they were Oxnard College students in the OCTV program.  They told me how he had come forward to help the students fight for the program when the district wanted to use it as the means for balancing the budget.  They told me the administration had said the program did not produce success stories... but they said, my brother was one.  And he was willing to help -- not just to fight for the program, but the students themselves.  They told me they needed to go back to school for a class and a meeting, but that they would be back for the velorio.  And, so they did... not just these two but others.  Not knowing anyone in the building, having just met my brother some of them a year ago, some of them months ago ... they went to the podium to tell those gathered how much Greg had meant to them, how much he helped them to get to know the industry, how he shared work leads, invited them on shoots, and promoted them despite the fact that this was a competitive industry.

Greg with his family this summer.

We knew my brother was generous -- that he, like my dad, would take the shirt off his back for another without a second thought.  But we really had no idea just how many lives he had touched.  Even before we got the gifts of these tributes to my brother, my little sister had decided we needed to use Greg as an example of how we can all give back ... or pay it forward.  She dreamed up this idea to create flags to distribute at the beach party.  My older sister also wanted to have a poster with a picture of Greg that people could sign.  My niece "volunteered" to draw the picture -- and she made a gorgeous rendering of his smiling face, arms crossed in his trademark gesture, and she added him leaning up against a tree.

Then, we gathered seeds, stuffed them into straws, and made flags to adorn them.  On the front side of the flag, under "Greg's Giving Garden," we put logos for my brother's favorite teams:  [Los Angeles] Raiders, LA Lakers, LA Dodgers, and the San Gabriel Valley Special Olympics.

This is what we wrote on the back of the cards: 
Greg derived great joy from helping others.  In his spirit, we invite you to get involved in your community:  volunteer at a track meet or a food bank, serve a meal at a homeless shelter… and plant these seeds as a living reminder of Greg's giving spirit.

If you doubt that small acts can transform the world, I introduce you to my brother. May he rest in peace as well as inspire some folks to also perform some small acts.

When there are no words...
know that the silences are carrying
the thoughts and prayers of all who love you.

D. Dais

separation, mourning and solace

There are moments that
hold eons of separation.
Yet parting is not but
an exhaustion of the mind.
Perhaps we have not parted.
-K. Gibran

Yesterday morning, god called my brother home.  I can't believe it still.  I guess it won't be real until I can get closer...  here are some scenes from his life...unfinished, imperfect, but full of love and generosity and wonder and humor and light.  May you rest in peace, Greg.

Siena

Just a little orienting, in case you aren't sure where Siena is...

 

It is famous for this:

and this...

 

From the outside, it looks a little like this...

It is in a good neighborhood... some call it Tuscany -- check out those names you've seen on the wine labels.

It has some famous neighbors...

People love this about it:

I think it is lovely ... but I am in love with the less sparkly parts.

This is my favorite part about Siena ... small windy roads, impossible inclined...

I want to spend enough time in the area to see this season:

I want to explore this...

I want to get to know every nook and cranny when I am there for a year to write.

Did I mention that this is my plan?  I am putting it out there in the universe.  When I finish field work, I want to have enough money to go to Siena to write for a year ... and finish my dissertation in that year.  I believe, I believe... it's crazy, but I believe!

mean, fierce or just herself

I have been struggling with how to write about this situation I lived through a couple of weeks ago (and then again more recently), and then I read this.

Too often, in my opinion, I am accused of (and treated accordingly) as being mean, too forceful, etc.  I find myself either just dealing with it or not dealing with it by allowing those judgements to live inside of me.

Several weeks ago -- actually months at this point, I ran into a woman that I know at the "community" acupuncture place.  It was my first time there and I was finishing up the treatment. It had went well, and I was seriously considering making this my regular acupuncture place.  I haven't returned there since that time ... and I realize now that there is a reason. 

I ran into this woman, let's call her Marjorie for fun.  I don't know her very well.  She attended some of the boot camps that I led last year.  We have some common points in our histories with regard to geography and profession -- but we didn't become fast friends -- though we are that faux hugging kind of acquaintance.

So, I was enjoying catching up with her when she introduced me to her significant other ... she said something about meeting me at boot camp and how we knew some people in common -- small world -- and then she said, "She's mean" about me, with a big smile on her face.

I said nothing.

I was hurt and couldn't believe that this was the characterization of me that she carried around or felt was appropriate to share with others, in front of me. 

I said nothing.  I think I smiled and found a way to get out of there... "let's stay in touch" and all...

I said nothing, but I took that characterization and the hurt (I think legitimate) that it produced in me.  I didn't fight back or counter or laugh, I just sat there.  I was not 100% physically or emotionally, so maybe it hit me harder than I realized at the time.  I see now that I attached her remarks (which I would call an attack on my person, at least my personality) to the place -- and decided not to return there.

But not going back didn't stop the pain I felt.

I grappled with it a bit ... reread Venus' piece about assuming my power ... and tried to feel proud of "mean" -- but it wasn't working.  I can own a lot of pieces to my personality that I feel are not the rosiest, but I have to tell you -- I don't think I'm mean. 

Am I willing to say how I feel? -- YES

Do I do it to hurt people or make them feel less than? -- usually not -- if I want to, I can injure with my words, so generally I am very careful.

Am I mean?  I don't think so ...

But, apparently others do ... 

Several years ago now I tried to embrace my strength of character by printing FIERCE on one side of my word of the year pendant (the other side said OPEN).  I was trying to love the fierceness that has kept me safe -- physically and emotionally -- for so long while simultaneously calling on myself to be vulnerable ... OPEN to the world.

But when that woman who barely knows me called me MEAN she opened a wound I didn't know how to heal.

I have had this piece in the draft folder since July ... it was sometime in early July that I saw that woman and read Venus' piece -- I thought it was some kind of sign.  But I didn't really have the will to put it all together.

Last week, I ran into Marjorie again ... we chatted pleasantly and she was introducing me to a woman (a friend of hers who happens to also have attended a boot camp with me) not realizing that other woman already knew me.  Again, Marjorie said something about boot camp and "she's mean."  The other woman didn't say anything about the characterization ... and I calmly looked at Marjorie and then the other woman, and I simply said, "I'm not mean."  I think I added in, "I'm disciplined..."

Somehow the tiny effort of countering the statement aloud made all the difference.  Suddenly it wasn't my character flaw that needed to be acknowledged and fixed... it was just something that I didn't agree with ... and I said it, and there it was.  Two opinions ... and I didn't have to hold the ugly one.

And so, I leave you with Jen's blog and her honesty and the tenderness it inspires in me for myself (not exclusively, but this is the hardest one for me to reach).  When in doubt, we should try to remember this, and we should feel free to gently remind others as well.

Favorite Characters, Part 3

I have been catching up on Once Upon a Time in order to get ready for the season premiere... and because, once again, I had some mindless work to do that required background noise.
I realized that Henry, the character, is the main reason I come back to this show.  I can enumerate the flaws of the show and what makes me crazy about it.

However, Henry's earnest belief in his birth mother's ability to save a world that he doesn't know or belong to hooked me.

Check it out... there is time to catch up before the season 2 premiere on the 30th...

Visualizing Peace

The only way for peace to rule is for the peaceful to speak out as these women did.  May those who perished 9/11/12 rest in peace.

Poetry Thursday, with Gibran (again)

TEARS AND LAUGHTER

Upon the bank of the nile at eventide, a hyena met a crocodile and they stopped and greeted one another.
The hyena spoke and said, "How goes the day with you, Sir?"
And the crocodile answered saying, "It goes badly with me. Sometimes in my pain and sorrow I weep, and then the creatures always say, 'They are but crocodile tears.' And this wounds me beyond all telling."
Then the hyena said, "You speak of your pain and your sorrow, but think of me also, for a moment. I gaze at the beauty of the world, its wonders and its miracles, and out of sheer joy I laugh even as the day laughs. And then the people of the jungle say, 'It is but the laughter of a hyena.'" 

-Khalil Gibran, The Wanderer

two posts in a day, two days in a row?

I have been feeling all week like I am living Mean Girls, Graduate School Edition.

I recognize that when I am not feeling 100% physically that every little slight gets magnified, so I appreciate and own the drama in that comment.  However, it is, indeed, how I have been feeling.

So, when I took the time to open this love missive from om gems just now, I realized I needed to share it with the blog (and the blog readers... whoever you are).

September 12, 2012
Your Allies on Life’s Journey
Finding Your Tribe
by Madisyn Taylor


We all desire to find our tribe, a community of those that feel comfortable to us and nurture our journey.

Part of being human is the search for an individual identity. Bound to this strong need to establish a unique persona, however, is an equally intense desire for acceptance. It is when we find our individual tribes that both are satisfied. Our tribe members are those people who accept us as we are without reservation and gladly accompany us on our journeys of evolution. Among them, we feel free to be our imperfect selves, to engage unabashedly in the activities we enjoy, and to express our vulnerabilities by relying on our tribe for support. We feel comfortable investing our time and energy in the members of our tribe, and are equally comfortable allowing them to invest their resources in our development.

The individuals who eventually become members of your unique tribe are out there in the wide world waiting for you. You are destined to find them, one by one, as you move through life. Sometimes your own efforts will put you in contact with your future tribe members. At other times, circumstances beyond your control will play a role in helping you connect with your tribe. If you look about you and discover that you are already allied with a wonderful and supportive tribe, remember that there are likely many members of your tribe you have not yet met. On the other hand, if you feel you are still living outside of your tribe, broadening your horizons can help you find your tribe members.

However your life develops after you come together with your tribe, you can be assured that its members will stand at your side. On the surface, your tribe may seem to be nothing more than a loose-knit group of friends and acquaintances to whom you ally yourself. Yet when you look deeper, you will discover that your tribe grounds you and provides you with a sense of community that ultimately fulfills many of your most basic human needs.

Silver Lining News Round Up

Sometimes, it is important to find the good in the news.  Here is my attempt...

Recasting watching reruns from slovenly spending the day on the couch -- into a powerful way to replenish our resources to tackle life.  I can't tell you how much I love this story -- even if I don't need this kind of reinforcement.

BTW--I LOVE LUCY!

This other story talks about how a (literally) back breaking job shifted one man's consciousness -- and, in some ways, changed his life.  And it features some of the most beautiful parts of the world -- the coastal mountains of southern California -- yes, I am biased.

I read the next story in the mobile version ... the desktop version features this picture (among other great ones):

It discusses how a Muslim family built a business and many friendships at a poultry store in East Los Angeles... really worth the read.  One wonders, however, how the NYTimes.com got this story and not the LATimes.com.

This story features another one of my favorite people in the world, Father Greg Boyle, revving up some teachers in my home county, if not hometown.  In the world of start of the school year "professional" development, this is the kind of "workshop" that I can get behind.  In my brain, using this kind of inspiration to get more teachers to see the possibilities is really worth the time and the money.

 More about Father Greg Boyle, his work, and his initiatives in East Los Angeles, and in his own words...

...there are some super silver linings in those links that always make my day and inspire me not to give up.

These two stories I heard one morning this week offer another glimpse of some silver.  The first is about how President Obama makes decisions.  I guess it mostly struck me because while we are listening to increasingly strident anti-Obama campaign ads, this piece offers a wholly different vantage point from which to view our president.  I am admittedly biased on this point -- I don't love everything that he has done these past four years -- but I admire the hell out of his willingness to take on many of the hard issues.

The other is a truly fascinating interview with Junot Diaz -- I love the introspectiveness and openness of this piece -- I think he startled the interviewer with his candor -- honesty, vulnerability, courage -- those are some large ingots of silver, my friends!

Okay, you might have to squint at this one to see the silver lining, but I swear it is there.  I read the headline several times before I could even bring myself to open it:  Leaders of mass-murder sites share pain, support.  Um... who are the leaders of mass-murder sites?!  I wasn't sure what that meant, and ultimately, that is what brought me to the piece.  I was struck by several things:  1) there is good in the internet -- I know this, but sometimes, I really have to be reminded.  It was wonderful to see how easy it was to send "love" notes via email to someone you don't know (actually as easy as it is to send not love mail); 2) there is power in feeling connected -- I like the paying it forwardness that the journalist reported.  Each one saw the power in "repaying" the favor by reaching out to the next one; 3) perhaps the most important part of this piece... in most cases, the person they contacted did not write back or take the writer up on any offer.  But because each of these men was reporting what it felt like also to be contacted, we know, as readers, that those who received the messages were touched and comforted.  You can send message in a bottle missives and know that someone is being comforted.  Can you feel that power?

photo from the CHP, lifted from SFGate.com

One last one that you will have to stretch to see... CHP Officer's Organs Go to 4 Recipients.  It may seem morbid, but truly this was a gift of life - given unselfishly by his family to honor the officer's wishes.  When my cousin died, almost four years ago, at 39, leaving three children of her own, the only solace I found was in the gift of life that my aunt conferred on many recipients.  My mother was the "witness" when my aunt signed the paper work, so at Christmas that year, she read us the letter from the organ donation organization.  It was a bittersweet moment to be sure ... but more sweet than bitter.  We couldn't get Michelle back, but we could now that she was breathing life into many others.  I hope in time Officer Youngstrom's family will come to see their generous gift in the same way.

Good can come from evil ... if we let it.  Be the change...

Superhero Life

One of my favorite people in the world launched her new site... you need to check it out.

here is a piece I copied from her "Meet Andrea" page:

To me, a Superhero is someone who invites her wisest, bravest, most alive self to come out and play, every day. This doesn’t mean having all the answers, being unshakably strong, or performing dramatic feats of heroism. It means being someone like you – and someone like me. Someone who is anxious and uncertain, oh, say, 50 – 80% of the time. Someone who wants to live a juicy, full, courageous life — but doesn’t always know how. Someone who understands that vulnerability just might be the greatest superpower of all.

 Andrea gives me courage and hope on a regular basis... I love to see that something new has popped up on my google reader.  It is sure to dig deep and tell me something true that I needed to hear.

She has posted to the new site some of her best blog posts ever. From these pieces you might start to understand why she is such a beacon for me ... and many others.

If that is not enough, she is giving away a ton of things next week to people who comment and sign up for the mailing list.  Do yourself a favor and get to know Andrea -- she is a superhero!

Remembrance

It is hard to let this day pass without remembering.

Today I am focusing on the good... that the two friends who worked in the towers were late for work.

It is a small piece of good.

But I am adding to it the fact that the rebuilding is nearing completion.  On some level, this is a real healing to the scar -- albeit cosmetic.

I am not sure if it will ever really heal... if there will be a time when this day is not painful especially for those who were touched in much more personal ways.

May we all send peace out to those who we consider enemies, especially those we do not know...

L'avventura in Toscana

We named our little car Lucia.  She struggled up the hill (very steeply inclined) the first day -- my mom suggesting turning off all other moving parts (radio, air conditioning) as we slid backwards, red poppies lining the road that could barely fit two small cars such as these closing in on us.  But she was a trooper as we got on and off the super autostrada -- we could never figure out just where we were to get on the right way -- as we traveled to Firenze, Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra, Pisa, and the grocery store. 

And this was her theme song (actually dedicated to the crazy couple that split up and were on the Today show while we were in Tuscany):


[Later on I dedicated it to John Edwards and his "girlfriend/baby momma" but that is another story altogether.]

When we were in Rome, we spied this calendar that featured a young, good looking priest on the cover. I told my sister it was the Hot Priests of Rome calendar. We laughed but didn't buy it. But then, she realized that it was the perfect gag gift for a friend's mother. In fact, we looked high and low for the real gift in the Vatican until she had decided on a cross from the gift store. But she wanted the calendar so she could tell our friend, I found the perfect gift for your mom at the Vatican! And then hand him the calendar. She was sure that he would be a little more than shocked, and then she would give him the cross.

She kicked herself up and down for the rest of the trip because we couldn't find it anywhere.  And this is how it ties into Tuscany - you can tell there is a dividing line between those loyal to Rome and those not ... we got the sure sign when the only town in Tuscany (that we visited) where we could find the Hot Priests of Rome calendar was Siena.  I am not critizing.  We had been looking for it.  It was just another reason to love Siena, grouchy waitress at the piazza bar notwithstanding.

I have much more on Tuscany, but I think it will come out slowly....

election season

This election season has been brutal for me ... watching and listening to the barely truthful (seemingly incessant) campaign spots grate my nerves.  But even worse, for me, was the so called First and Main series on Morning Edition.  Too many mornings I was roused from sleep listening to earnest Americans give their negative opinions about our president... except these opinions sounded like they came word for word from Fox News.  It was more than disappointing to 1) hear people unquestioningly spout less than half-truths rooted in prejudice and hate, and 2) that the so-called journalists rarely questioned the remarks. 
...
This post will necessarily be a little disjointed because I wrote it over several days ... after collecting some articles and not having the courage to write it ... and finished after I watched my president speak.  I needed this convention like I have never needed one.  I am a newshound... this is overwhelmingly clear from this blog, so I would have tuned in anyway.  But I found my way home in time to watch as much of it as possible.  And I sat, tears in eyes, most nights, talking back to the tv and wishing, for the first time in my life, that I was there -- and that is nearly ten years after I rescinded my membership in the democratic party.  So here are my thoughts, issues and musing on this election season, so far. No doubt, there will be other posts.
....
This piece about the other side of Mitt Romney was interesting and thought-provoking. However, like the author of the piece, I was not sure how it translates into what Mitt would be like as a president.  Frankly, I am less concerned about how often, in the past, he can be shown to be level-headed, generous or forward thinking.  I am worried that his performance during the primary (and now regular) election season, as the party-line towing, hardest-ass Republican there ever was, demonstrates that any backbone he had was sold to the devil for the nomination.  How can we know who will show up as president?!  I don't think we can survive more of this staunch party line votes and behavior ... not that we won't get it from the other side as well.  Just to say that, as far as I can see, it doesn't matter how human Mitt was in his previous incarnation, that is actually no predictor of his future behavior.
....
Jon Stewart facetiously named his coverage of the 2012 Republican Convention: The Road to Jeb Bush 2016.  It is hard not to see the real life aspect of this little joke, when you read pieces like this.

Please let me say that I agree with Deval Patrick when he said we need to grow a backbone... but, of course, that includes our president.  I love me some Barack Obama, but I recognize that somehow he has not been standing up for himself ... for what he believes in, for us, frankly.  And this mess about how we would "cave" in to criticism about OUR PLATFORM from Republicans is truly unconscionable.  

I was needing some bucking up after all the crazy campaign commercials, etc... so I tuned into the DNC on Tuesday (9/4) ... and then again on Wednesday (9/5) -- though it was not as all around fantastic -- there were many bright spots.  Thursday was the main event, but I wasn't sure if I'd get to watch it live because I had an appointment. I made it home in time to catch a piece of Vice President Biden ... who was looking and sounding as presidential as I have ever heard him.

If you want to be inspired, you should listen to the speech given by Michelle Obama.  She really did knock it out of the ball park.  The day after, there were those who argued hers was the best speech of the night; and others that thought that Julian Castro (and his twin brother and family) was the star.  Personally, I thought it was Deval Patrick.

Or, you could listen to Cristina Saralegui tell you why she is, at least, one Cuban American for Barack Obama.

  Elizabeth Warren was another beacon not to be missed...

and, of course, Bill Clinton preaching and teaching like only Bill can... "now listen to this, this is serious..." he admonished the crowd that was enjoying his speech so much they were annoying Bill with their laughs.  "THIS IS SERIOUS!"

Barack, proving he is MY president, said this:

"We, the People, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which only asks what's in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense."

What has been most painful about the Republicans sell of their candidates this year is that they seem to be suggesting that their followers only respond to mean-spirited, ungenerous, and spiteful rhetoric.  The country they want to lead has nothing to do with how I feel about my place in this world.  The fact that they believe that this is the only way to reach their base makes me cringe. 

I will happily admit that my president's speech accepting the honor and responsibility for four more years brought me to tears.  Mostly because he called on us not only to vote, but to see our recovery, our way forward, as our charge ... not residing in someone or some body out there -- to take the step forward and say, as citizen, I accept the challenge.  Yes, we must vote.  [I feel another post, perhaps a letter to the occupiers on the importance of voting.] But this is the least we must do.

This is getting overly long... so I will end this and post here, with hope in our better selves.

Quote Thursday...again

I wish I knew if this quote really were from Fanny Crosby.

I tried to follow up on it, but then I had a million other things to do.

Here is what I found out about Fanny.

More NM Education

Along with letting the NCLB AYP standards slip and slide, apparently the state is also rethinking what diplomas mean.  See article below.  It is most interesting to me from the perspective of where these kids will go after they get their diplomas.  The university is already talking about toughening admissions standards and isolating some of the students into an honors college ... what can kids do with a diploma that means something other than what is a standard high school diploma?

In my opinion, this is just another sign that we do not all agree on the purpose of public education.  Somehow the magical diploma makes everything alright ... regardless of what it stands for.

I was coincidentally listening to this piece recently ... when you hear the Pew guy talk about the diploma making kids eligible for college -- and then the other guy talk about how those who are going to community colleges are invariably getting stuck in "developmental" (read: remedial, he corrects himself midway through the conversation) courses.  These students generally are not making it to the golden BA diploma or even AA diploma.  They spend a lot of time getting to know just what it means to have a substandard education -- even if it has been faux gold plated with a diploma.

What we forget is that these students, by and large, are doing exactly what we ask of them only to find that their compliance leads to an empty diploma... empty of promises and surely devoid of any thing that might be of use to them in the future.

We need to seriously consider the meaning of our actions as we rush to give students (read: schools and parents) the feel good of a "diploma" or school ratings of A-F.  In the end, it is what the students LEARN and are able to take away that matters.

Here are some articles, in entirety since I can't trust the links.

State Gives Other Options For Diploma

Hailey Heinz / Journal Staff Writer, Published: Sep 1, 2012 

For the roughly 10,000 New Mexico high school seniors who didn't pass the Standards Based Assessment last year, hope is on the horizon.
The Public Education Department on Friday released the details of how students can show their knowledge and receive a high school diploma in other ways. Moreover, the PED clarified that students who fail to demonstrate competency can still receive the lottery scholarship to attend college in New Mexico.
This year's high school seniors are the first class that must get a passing score on the 11th grade SBA or prove their knowledge through other criteria in order to receive a diploma. "Passing" the SBA means achieving a certain total score in math and reading, and scoring at least "nearing proficient" in both subjects. Students must also reach a set score in the "nearing proficient" range on the science section of the test.
Required scores
If students don't pass the Student Based Assessment on the second attempt, they can earn a diploma by getting certain scores on several common college placement tests. Here are the scores they need for the ACT and SAT.
ACT
Social Sciences (reading): 21
College Algebra: 22
Biology: 24
SAT:
Reading: 450
Math: 450
Students who don't meet these standards or the other criteria outlined Friday, but who meet all other high school graduation requirements, will receive a "certificate of completion" instead of a diploma.
Policymakers in 2010 decided to scrap the state's previous high school exit exam, which the state had been using since the 1980s and which measured skills at an eighth grade level. The SBA tests 11th grade standards.
The law that authorizes the lottery scholarship says students are eligible to receive it "immediately upon completion of a high school curriculum at a public or accredited private New Mexico high school or upon receiving a graduate equivalent diploma."
PED spokesman Larry Behrens said he interprets the statute to mean students who receive a "certificate of completion" from their high schools rather than a diploma can still get the lottery scholarship.
But there may be other hurdles for students who earn a certificate instead of a diploma. The federal government's "basic eligibility criteria" for federal financial aid says students must have a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent like a GED or completion of an approved homeschool program. In other states, students who received certificates found they were not eligible for federal aid.
In their first attempt at the test last spring, 57 percent of students across the state received a passing score. The other 43 percent will have another chance to take the test during the first two weeks of October.
And if they don't pass on the second try, they have other options for receiving a diploma.
According to a PED manual released Friday afternoon, students can demonstrate their knowledge in core subjects by meeting a minimum score on one of the following tests: Advanced Placement, ACT, SAT, PSAT, AccuPlacer or International Baccalaureate.
Students can also demonstrate their skills by passing designated core subject classes, or an equivalent end of course exam. Specifically, to show math competency, students must pass Algebra II, Integrated Math 3 or an equivalent course. For reading, they must pass English 3 or an equivalent course. And in science, students must pass either chemistry or biology.

This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal

© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Given that NM is a majority minority state (the only one in the US) and UNM is the only research one Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), the numbers in the article below matter -- and are directly related to the article above, my commentary and that piece on NPR's Tell Me More... we've got to start putting all the pieces together rather than living our lives in sound bites.

This dip in enrollment is not unique to NM, however, as I read a similar article from California.

N.M. College Enrollment Dips

Astrid Galvan / Journal Staff Writer, Published: Sep 1, 2012 

[Photo not available in the version I read] University of New Mexico students at the school's main campus walk to class at lunch hour recently. Classes started Aug. 20, and enrollment has stayed steady at about 28,000. Photo Credit Roberto E. Rosales/Journal

Enrollment at some of New Mexico's colleges and universities has decreased since last year, but only slightly.
For most schools, the numbers aren't final, as students can still register late. But trends have emerged: a drop in the number of graduate students and an increase in freshman classes.
Enrollment at the University of New Mexico has stayed steady at about 28,000. It is seeing a slight increase in its freshman class, most notably among out of state freshman, which grew by 6 percent.
However, there's a 3.75 percent decrease in the number of graduate students, from 4,268 to 4,108.
Such is the case at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, where the graduate student population has dropped from 504 to 485 students, or 3.76 percent, according to spokesman Tom Guengerich.
Guengerich said that's in large part due to the school's year old policy of allowing students to graduate every month. For example, a graduate student who finishes degree requirements in September can officially graduate within the month instead of having to wait until the end of the semester. That opens up more job opportunities, Guengerich said.
"For some students that created a real problem," he said. "We've heard nothing but positive feedback from graduate students who are now getting their diploma off schedule."
An 11.3 percent increase in Tech's undergraduate population, to 1,676 students, helped offset the decrease. What's more, the university this year has its largest freshman class in the school's history with 373 first year students.
At New Mexico State, enrollment has dipped about 2 percent since last year at the school's main campus in Las Cruces, according to university data. That campus has more than 17,000 students enrolled, but there are an overall 28,000 students in the university's campuses around the state.
Central New Mexico Community College's enrollment numbers have seen gains since the Journal reported a 10 percent drop earlier this month. The gap has closed to about 2.9 percent, spokesman Brad Moore said. There are now 28,346 students in classes, which started Monday.
Perhaps the biggest changes in enrollment were within UNM, CNM and NMSU's satellite campuses.
CNM's Rio Rancho campus saw a nearly 16 percent spike, from 1,466 to 1,700. UNM's Rio Rancho location grew from 407 to 572 students. Both campuses opened in 2010.
As for New Mexico State, enrollment at its Grants branch fell 9.5 percent, and at its Carlsbad one it grew 14 percent. "Students can adjust their course schedules during the first two weeks to better balance their academic, work and family life," Bernadette Montoya, NMSU vice president of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, said in a statement.
"In addition, late registration continues through Sept. 4, so enrollment numbers will continue to fluctuate."

This article appeared on page C1 of the Albuquerque Journal

© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Gifts from the Universe

I have been struggling, since I don't feel well, all day ... I wondered, is it that mercury has secretly gone retrograde?  Did I do something to upset the blue moon?

And the universe answered with this DailyOM:

September 3, 2012
Being Your Own Voice of Reason
Meaning
by Madisyn Taylor


How we attach meaning to events in our lives has a large influence on the quality of our life.

The meaning we assign to our experiences–whether pleasant or distressing, is a very powerful factor in determining the quality of our lives. What we imagine events to mean will color the way we feel about ourselves, about the people in our lives, and about the world at large. If we want to encourage a positive outlook, well-being, and a sense of self-confidence and even trust in the universe, we can begin by assigning more peaceful, loving meanings to what we experience.

Imagine, for example, that a friend fails to show up to a lunch date. You have choices as to what you will make this experience mean for you. You could allow being “stood up” to reinforce your feelings of unworthiness, you could begin to mentally attack your friend’s character, or you could assume that something big must have happened to cause them to miss the date—then, you might open yourself up to enjoying some relaxing time alone.

If you were recently laid off and are having difficulty finding a new job, consider that you might have hidden gifts or passions that were untapped in your regular career that you are now available to explore. The universe might simply be moving you in a more fulfilling direction. If you have recently lost a loved one, gained weight, lost money, or gotten in a fight with your partner, see if you can infuse the experience with meaning that feels loving and empowering and opens a door for you to embrace life and the world a bit more.

When we begin to bring consciousness to what we are making things mean, we may be shocked at the messages we have been feeding ourselves all these years. Try taking the reigns and begin assigning a kinder meaning to the events in your life and you will likely find yourself on a much more pleasant ride.

The perils of google and the trouble with information, too much and too little....

I was listening to a discussion about ethics and it turned to how the internet had changed our lives in terms of ethics over the past ten or twenty years.  One thing the ethics guru mentioned was how over the past ten years, his answers had changed about the intrusiveness of googling someone.  He said when he was originally asked about whether it was appropriate to google someone -- say you were going on a blind date, etc., people were inclined to feel it was too intrusive. Now, he said, it would seem imprudent not to use all the resources available to get information about a prospective (fill in the blank).

I wondered as I listened to him... you could, for instance, pay for a background check on anyone in minutes over the internet.  Is that intrusive? Does it matter how the information would be used? And then I saw this article.  I am the last one, internet sleuth that I am, to tell anyone not to try to find out information.  However, using it against someone in this way seems like an overstep.  Clearly the parents were upset about not being consulted about the change in teachers.  However, what level of control should parents have over personnel in a school?  If they are in charge of deciding teacher moves, why do you need a principal?  Certainly, the parents have every right to google the teacher, to use that information to form a rational reason for being extra vigilant ... but do they have the right to ban her from a classroom?  If she had been convicted, perhaps ... but she took part in a program specifically designed to get her back into the classroom. 

Well, in other news, I have been following this story about the hanta virus in Yosemite for at least the last two weeks.  I was disturbed to see the first story ... simply saying that two people had contracted it and one person had died.  Now it turns out there were at least four and two of them have died, this year.  The problem here is not too much information, it's too little.  Turns out that there were people infected last year, and maybe the year before.  But were the people staying in these popular and apparently coveted cabins aware of the situation?  Worse than that, what did the agency in charge of these cabins do to protect the public they weren't warning?  It is a little more than ironic that it is the "luxury" cabins that create the haven for deer mice.  Poor little deer mice, they have no interest in being infected themselves, nor in infecting others, they are just making their homes in the best environment available to them. 

Rome, by all means Rome ...

Returning to this travelscape journal after several months means that this will be more impressionistic than journalistic.  At this point, I am not sure you all (whoever you are) care about the epic vacation, but I would like to finish recording my impressions.

I have still not been home, so I don't have any pictures -- beyond those you paint in your mind from my words.

One last caveat -- probably not going to be in chronological order.

The Tree Lined Avenue
Somehow, one evening, we ended up on a large tree lined avenue.  There were beautiful doors opening on to hidden gardens, gelatto shops, restaurants, houseware stores... but mostly this truly beautiful canopy of trees over a large avenue.  I couldn't get there again, I am not sure how we got there. I think we wandered there from the Vatican, but I am not sure.  My mom and sister snapped picture after picture, and I spent some time shopping for demitasse.  Then it started to get dark, and I wondered where we were, and how we would get back to our neighborhood.

The Vatican
One day, we spent in line with the million or so other people who wanted to to get into the Vatican. I recall it as even less pleasant than when my mom and I saw the huge line at the Louvre.  I must have had more stamina then ... in this line, you could "cut" to the beginning by being in an organized group.  I kid you not, we hiked to the end of the line (about four city blocks) and settled in -- hoping it wasn't going to rain.

It is always somewhat disconcerting when you have to walk several blocks to the entrance and then KEEP walking till you get to the real end of the line.  It was particularly painful to walk by the group line which was more like a trickle than the torrent of people in our line.  Then, we spent about an hour or so telling the "tour organizers" that we were not interested.  I think at one point I said to one, "why would I have walked all the way to the end if I was going to say yes to a tour?"

They were an interesting lot ... you could almost see the wheels turning as they approached a group of people in line trying to determine which language to assail them in.  The funniest was a young Irish man whose name I no longer remember, though we did remember it for a long time, who got quite irritated with us. I don't know what we said to set him off, but at one point, he told us not to pray for him because he didn't need to change anything in his life.  It was funnier in the moment ... and every time we approached a church for the rest of the trip, we would ask each other if we should pray for him -- hence the remembering of his name.

We also made friends with a Colombian man ... he was traveling alone in Italy, but seemed to want to be part of our group.  I can't remember his name either (maybe Miguel?), but my sister told me that recently he got in touch with her via email to send her some of the million pictures he took of her.

There was too much to look at in the Vatican.  Like I said, it was overwhelming like the Louvre ... not just the line.  My favorite part was the hall of busts and sarcaphogus(es?).  I was tickled to see the range of hairstyles ... nothing in the world is new, in case you were wondering.  I also enjoyed the patio with the lions.  We took pictures of all the lions we saw for my sister, and noted all the ducks, saying, "Aflac"  because a friend of ours was about to get a job with that company.  It was truly exhausting to walk through all the halls with so many people bustling around us ... and it was not peak season ... only to get to another set of halls.

I just wanted to see the Sistine Chapel - and we took all the shortcuts, but it was never ending.  By the time we actually got to the Chapel, I was so done ... I couldn't enjoy it.  I just kept noting how no one there had any idea what rules were or how they might be employed.  The Italian guards tried over and over to explain that this was a holy place, to not take pictures, to lower our voices, etc.  Instead there was incessant, loud chatter in a large room that had not one surface undecorated, but it hardly looked like a chapel... I guess I can't really blame the visitors for not seeing the sacred there.  The truth is the Vatican Museums, as they are called, do not give off any religious feeling.  I am sure that if you are an art aficionado or connoisseur you would feel some bit of ecstasy at the collection of artists and work represented -- from earliest Christian (and even pre-Christian) history through modern times.

The Train Station
We spent another half of a day arguing with the woman at the train station ticketing office -- I longed for Germany and the first class line -- we spoke in English until she wouldn't do what I asked.  Then I unleashed some Italian on her and she "Madame'd" me.  It was a common occurrence in Italy ... when you had pushed someone, anyone, past where his/her sense of respectability could handle, he/she would look at you (me) and say, "Madame" as if to say -- you, crazy bitch.  It is said with emotion that displays the ennui that has been engendered in two distinctive syllables: "Ma, DAME."  There was no need to roll your eyes or sigh after that delivery.  Well, I got Madame'd by her quite a bit.

She objected to us wanting to go to Naples for a day. Truthfully, so did I! But, it was going to be a rainy day, and I had no idea what we would do in Naples beyond eat pizza (that hardly takes all day).  So, I wanted to go all the way past the Amalfi coast on the train and then come back to Naples and stop for the damn pizza.  [By the way, I underestimated my mother and sister's ability to entertain themselves with shopping, ugh and sigh.]  The ticketing agent was beyond indignant.  She informed me that just because we had a rail pass didn't mean we could travel as much as we wanted. I had to tell her that, actually, that was exactly what it meant.

Finally, we relented and decided to just go to Naples. That restarted her objection to ONE DAY in Naples.  Then she tried to bully us into leaving at 8am ... it was a 30 minute ride to the train station from our apartment... I hardly wanted to be getting up early enough for three of us to be dressed, breakfasted and traveled 30 minutes.  She was a tough cookie and NEARLY as stubborn as me.

Her energy must have been waning because she sold us the ticket for 10am ... and a return at 5pm.  Boy was she disappointed when I told her we were also going to make the rest of our reservations that day.  Keep in mind there was a long line of people behind us, hoping to get a chance to get Madame'd by her.  Fun times...MADAME!

There is more, but this is already too long of a post without pictures.

I was right ... by the way... a short time in Rome is not enough.