Happy Birthday, Blog!

In honor of this blog's birthday, here's a beautiful image I found, which is the cover to a book called, Le géant de la grande forêt. 

The book looks awesome!  

My intention for the coming year, maybe after Easter, is to try to do some more writing here.  Maybe focus on some responses to the Lectionary readings each week.  That's ambitious, I know. 

Thanks for reading!

News Round Up November, 2012

Wow, I haven't done a news round up - or blogged - in a wicked long time either!  Hi! 

Now that the election is out of the way, it's the time of year I start to get reflective.  First there's Remembrance Day (St Martin's Day). Then Thanksgiving, and then Advent.  I like thinking of it as Remembrance Day, and poppies, and working for no more war.  Here in the United States it's called Veterans' Day, and we remember them.  The focus is different, but important too.  A friend posted this list of 20 ways to reach out to veterans, which I like, especially after being reminded of the ongoing war in Afghanistan. 

I have been a big supporter of Pussy Riot since they were arrested for their "Punk Prayer."  I did not know what that prayer actually said, but now I do, thanks again to The Atlantic.   Very interesting and compelling.  I'm not sure how many Westerners really understand Russia's history.  I'm not going to say that I get it, but having the words translated and clarified for me, gives me a little bit more insight. I pray for those women in the labor camps, and for their country.   

And finally, Occupy.  I knew that the movement would re-invigorate itself and morph into something else that will help people.  I love this new idea of a Debt Jubilee.  I love that the idea is coming in time for Advent and Christmas.  I love that it is people helping people, and offering RELIEF from something as soul-crushing as debt.  Pure Genius.  I hope the idea takes off and magnifies and fundamentally changes the way that this country "works." 

Enjoy the autumn, and the calm, peaceful, dark season. 

I just got the link for this beautiful audio essay/interview with my beekeeper. It takes 15 minutes or so to listen to the whole thing, which I encourage you to do.



It's about beekeeping and mysticism and "hearing God" as much as we humans are able to understand all that. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Advent Mushrooms

The other morning, at breakfast, the girls opened their Advent calendars and found a mushroom-shaped chocolate. La Segunda said, "that's so weird, why a mushroom?!" I agreed, it WAS weird. And La Prima said, "There's always a mushroom on an Advent calendar. I thought about it, and she was right, I remember seeing mushrooms on Advent calendars, as long as I can remember. They are the red ones, with white spots, big caps. I told the girls I would do some internet research and see what I could find.

I asked the question on my FB, and lo and behold, I got a link from a friend to this clip:


And then, I realized, this, as with most spiritual/religious traditions that is bizarre on the surface, really does makes sense. So, sit back, have some fruitcake, and enjoy the clip. This experience will remind me that when there is a strange coincidence, ask some questions!

Adirondacks 1 video

We saw this scene first, walking over a small bridge at the start of our hike. The source of this water is the beaver pond from the other post.

Adirondacks 2 hike video

This is the beaver pond we came to after a beautiful hike in the Adirondacks.

From our Brief Trip to Hickory Run State Park

So beautiful:



It's like something out of LotR. We are almost done with our second marathon viewing of the movies.

Great Vacation!

We drove over 3,500 miles, but somehow I feel refreshed! [Josiah DID do all the driving.] There's still lots to do this summer.

Enjoy!

My Vacation

So, I just got back from an awesome vacation (for me) while Josiah was working in Goldsboro, NC. We stopped at Chincoteague, VA on our way down to North Carolina. And while J. was training in Goldsboro, the girls and I went to New Bern, NC. It was a fantastic time! Here are the highlights:

* We ate fantastic Barbeque at McCalls in Goldsboro, NC. To my tastebuds, the best ever. Here is video of both the salad and entree buffet:



And then there was the dessert buffet. This place had the best banana pudding I've ever had. Complete with meringue topping.

* I saw an amazingly beautiful moth. The kind I only thought were owned by frustrated Victorians, a la "Angels and Insects". This thing was gorgeous!


* The girls and I drank Pepsi at the counter of the pharmacy where it was created in New Bern, NC.

* I met Liev Schreiber's mom and gushed about what a great (and hot!) actor I think he is. My brush with fame!

* And we saw an Indigo Bunting.

It was just an awesome time.

Weekly Blog Round-Up

Check out this Peek-A-Boo Jesus via "Religious Imagery" blog. Love it! "Religious Imagery" does a great job finding graffiti-like religious art. I still haven't figured out if the blog author is the artist, but either way, it's fun, "found" art. Keep it up!

Italians walking their children to school, via NYT. I think we could make this into a movement here too. While we were walking to school the other day, we witnessed, through a bus window, an unfortunate child getting beaten about the head by another child. The other kids on the bus were laughing about it. La Prima and I discussed how it would feel to be the beaten child, and I described my own dire bus experiences. She still thinks riding the bus is cool, but now, maybe that feeling is tempered...?

* More beautiful poster art from Bryant Terry and Favianna Rodriguez.

* I still love this blog! from the NYT

* Honors for Indigenous Activists for saving Sacred Places! from: Censored News.

* Got to check out the PBS show - I love frogs! So cute! Via TreeHugger.

Philly's Wild Kingdom

Filmed by Josiah, on location.

Weekly Blog Round-Up

Talking about sex from the conservative christian point of view. Not mine, but I share a lot of her goals! Found on BlogHer.

It WOULD have to be a Welshman who is an agricultural saboteur! Sheesh! from bldgblog

Art-o-matic via TreeHugger

Apparently, it's not just me. "Even The Rich are Taking Home-Made Sandwiches for Office Lunches." On TreeHugger

Cool! From Pruned - an anonymous hugging wall!

Mexico Cooks wooden boxes photo.

From Idle Speculations the Presentation in the Temple is a feast day that also happens on/near February 2nd. Terry has some examples of religious art depicting the presentation. See, I love these ancient churches in Turkey.

World Wetlands Day on Pruned. Here are their top 8? reasons to support wetlands:

1) Wetlands are "the kidneys of the landscape," able to filter out pollutants from, for instance, agricultural runoffs and urban effluents.

2) Because of their bioremediating properties, wetlands can be a cheap alternative to municipal waste water treatment.

3) During particularly heavy storm events, they act as temporary water storage tanks. They then release the excess water slowly rather than in a deluge, lowering flood heights and minimizing the damage of valuable property downstream.

4) Wetlands also store carbon within their live and preserved (peat) plant biomass instead of releasing it to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Therefore, wetlands world-wide help to moderate global climate change.

5) Along the coast, they are good at mitigating the effects of hurricane storm surges, tsunamis, and the less energetic but no less destructive normal ebb and flow of ocean waves.

6) Wetlands help to replenish aquifers that so many people depend on.

7) They are "biological supermarkets," producing annual commercial harvests of fish and shellfish that sometimes amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. Indeed, many people rely on wetlands for their livelihood.

8) As eco-attractions, they inject a sizable amount of tourist income to the local economy.

Wetlands, in other words, provide so many beneficial services for people that they are very much deserving of a sacrificial virgin. Or two.

Marisa Tomei on Fug - but in the "well played" column. I think she looks fantastic. Are those Bjorn Weckstrom pieces she's wearing? I totally love the Fug Report, which is where I found this photo.

It would be nice if Republicans got it, and would stop being the "party of No" but they won't. via NYT.

Google Oceans. Sounds pretty cool! Via BBC

From a friend on Facebook, this discussion of school lunches just reflects my own views so closely. This was written by President Obama's new chef, on his blog: Hull House Kitchen.

Interesting point - that we humans are not really thinking about our "place" within the world-wide ecosystem. And we may end up paying a dear price for that ignorance. Trust TreeHugger to shine a light on this issue. Upshot: it will take a multi-disciplinary course of action.

From BlogHer, here's a v. interesting look at Saints' lives from the viewpoint of someone who was raised Catholic and remembers the "Saints Days" and how exotic the names and stories sounded. She asks us:

"Saints were exotic, mysterious, and did magical things.

It got me thinking -- if I could name five women to Sainthood (spiritual sainthood) what measuring stick would I use and who would be my first five saints?

I guess I would choose woman who lived exemplary lives, role models, grounded and inspiring women. I would choose women who helped me move along spiritually in some way, even if we had never met.

Here is my list -- at least the one I have in my soul tonight. They are in no particular order. Now who is on your list? And why?"

They aren't all women, but nonetheless, my votes for saints.:

Ladybird, a dear friend who has taught me so much about life and its peaks and valleys.
Hiphopopotamus and Rhymenocerous, another dear friend, who has taught me about spirituality and light. She has the sunniest disposition I know.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health
Lawrence Marshall, The Northwestern Law prof. who researched convictions and led to IL Gov. Ryan putting a moratorium on all death row convictions.

There are more, but they aren't coming to mind just yet. Pass it on....

Weekly Blog Round-Up

RELIGIOUS ART (sort of):

• Busty Virgin Mary - via Iconia. thanks, Menachem! See my earlier post about Religion & Sex for another blend of images.
  

POLITICS:

• This makes me happy - a v. blue country from Gallup Polls via NYT.
• Hillary is taking on Human Trafficking, and I say, rock on, sister. I haven't agreed with much Hillary has said over the past year, but this? I can 100% get behind her on this. From Emerging Pensées.
• More about Lilly Ledbetter and equal pay! from NYT, and here, at Jezebel - WITH PHOTO!
• When was the last time I agreed whole-heartedly with something an Editorial Board of a newspaper wrote, especially the NYT. But, these are amazing times!
• These people are jerks! via Huff Po
• Al Arabiya Interview w/President Obama

But ultimately, people are going to judge me not by my words but by my actions and my administration's actions. And I think that what you will see over the next several years is that I'm not going to agree with everything that some Muslim leader may say, or what's on a television station in the Arab world -- but I think that what you'll see is somebody who is listening, who is respectful, and who is trying to promote the interests not just of the United States, but also ordinary people who right now are suffering from poverty and a lack of opportunity. I want to make sure that I'm speaking to them, as well.
This snippet found Justin Webb's BBC Blog but full text on Politco

GREEN:

• Green Patriot Posters. The contest is announced here at Huff Po.
• From Pruned: Fascinating article on desert xeriscaping to form a green belt across the desert in Western China.
• Harder to hate Walmart - they've built the largest Solar Array in Latin America - via TreeHugger.
• Obama's all for Oil Independence! From the BBC.
• I ask myself this question a lot - "What ever Happened to Jimmy Carter's Solar Panels?" via TreeHugger
• Even more on the Eeeewwww: from BLDGBLOG, but previously in the news lots of places.
• From AmericaBlog - And NOW we find out that high fructose corn syrup has Mercury in it too! A pox on ALL their houses. Can we PLEASE get the FDA back on track. dag!
• Obama is awesome for the greens (as in, those who support green initiatives, not "the Greens" who supported the Terrible Nader). I felt so let down after Clinton. He just signed a bunch of executive orders at the end of his presidency, and really didn't give a rat's @$$ about the environment - even with Al Goregeous on board. A travesty. Well, hopefully this isn't too little, too late. From TreeHugger.

STUFF I LIKE:

• Up Helly Aa photos - from the BBC.
• Whither Joaquin? via gawker
• Even though we had a snow day this week, Spring will be here soon, and so will soccer season. I don't know when La Segunda will start, but probably next fall, so I will heed this sports advice from BlogHer.
• "The Case Against Candy Land" from Boing Boing. OMG - he's RIGHT! no wonder I am bored to tears playing Candy Land. Maybe it's NOT that I'm a bad mom, bored playing "classic board games" with my daughter. No, it's THE GAME we're playing.
• I just love Gawker. This time, re: "Iggy Pop, Insurance Stooge."
• Plus, google maps now shows VP's house. Talk about "Lord of the Underworld's lair."! also from Gawker.
• East German time capsule. This is so cool! via BBC
• Creepy! Wired, via AmericaBlog.
• A stroll down memory lane - 1992 on Jezebel -

In the interview accompanying these shots of Marky Mark, he uses the word "dope" over and over again. "I think of myself as a very flavorsome rapper. I'm versatile and that's what I think makes my style so dope," he says. "I did a dope rap on voting for MTV. I just started getting hip on voting." Winter 1992.

And finally, Lakshmi turned me on to this blog last week "Career Hope and Advice for Everyone Starting Over", and I love it. This is the kind of stuff I talk about with Ladybird a lot. And Angie and I just had a marathon convo about these same ideas - so maybe we're all on the same wavelength or something. I have recently found some contentment at work, but it's been a struggle. [Perhaps someday I will share the saga of my volunteer post I had to quit this fall out of frustration. People can be tough.]

I will leave you with this (long) quotation from her latest post, "Are Your Friends and Family Inspiring You? Or Retiring You?"

I don't know who said it, but you've probably also heard the truism that "we see things not as they are but as we are." (Somebody please write in and tell me who said it!) And that is consistent with what Deutschman was saying about "frames." We see and believe things according to elements we already believe to be legitimate truths in life.

So. If you think all workplaces are Dickensian workhouses, that's probably all you're going to find, because you don't have the faith, vision, or expectation of finding anything better for yourself. And if you are surrounded by friends who firmly believe the same, you're at a huge disadvantage even if you do aspire for better for yourself. You're going to be constantly surrounded by debilitating messages that your dreams for something better are pointless. So, from their perspective, you might as well take what you get and suck it up. That's reality, sweetie. Deal with it. Really? I beg to differ.

It's not just friends telling you discouraging things about the world. It could be family members telling you discouraging things about yourself. This is especially common in families with neglectful, abusive, substance-abusing parents. Children of these households very commonly take on unconsciously assigned roles like the Scapegoat, the Troublemaker, the Over-Achiever, the Good One. If that's the case with you, and you're trying to thrive in a world of your own making, hoping for a better life in a healthier world, you could be upsetting the rest of the family. You're breaking the rules, getting a little "full of yourself," or "too big for your britches." And someone is going to want to remind you – often forcefully – that it's futile to aspire for anything better. And heaven help you if you actually reach for a way to love yourself.

The Bush Environmental Legacy, in Graphic Detail...

Cool graphic. Not cool topic.

However, my folks over at Blogfish, say that Bush has conserved more of the worlds Oceans than anyone. Well, so there's ONE positive thing that came out of that bunch of crooks.

But more in keeping with my impression of this Administration's Environmental record, is the disgusting Coal Ash Disaster. TreeHugger has more info. I gotta say this spill is just creepy. What is even creepier is that I don't hear any outrage..... Yuck.

Weekly Blog Round-Up - Part I

Photo of San Lazaro celebrants in Cuba, from the BBC.

Here is a fascinating discussion of Richard Ciznik (I'd never heard of him before) who is an Evangelical preacher who might be a great addition to the Obama administration, according to Framing Science, where I found the piece. Very, very interesting comments about the future generation of Evangelical voters, and what it means for us on the left who are also Christian. According to Mike Clawson at Emerging Pensees, Ciznik may be picked up by another org sooner rather than later anyways. Wild. I never knew of the intrigue! Oh the Drahms!

The rock pools of Oz are detailed in a lengthy, in-depth discussion of the rock pools of Australia, as opposed to, say, Madeira on Pruned.

A good discussion of moral ambiguity (and finagling) at work. From BlogHer.

Mercury photo at BAB best photos of 2008.

Baby steps... baby steps - Blackwater out of Iraq!

As part of my very-occasional series on God in Advertising and the implications for Religious Art (see here and here) - Gawker delivers. Here's the ad campaign at Collegiate Church.

Why Bush Will Walk - at UnCensored. This same thought came to me as I read all about the Middle Ages. I think it was Clovis I who reminded me of Bush II.

One "Carbon Neutral" day...?

I had a facial last night so I could talk with La Prima about her problems with some of her friends. "They're telling secrets." I forgot it starts this early!

Ask Obama to make Breastfeeding a priority. Posted on BlogHer

Aerophant's "a river remembered" post reminds me of my time playing in the stream with Ladybird. It was in her grandfather's pasture. We had the greatest adventures! and another little gem from Aerophant.


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Weekly Blog Round-Up

Apparently, this is the correct video of Angie and Neil at the Flaming Lips' Halloween Parade of a 1,000 flaming skeletons. Look at the 17 seconds marker for Angie and Neil turning around to look. I guess there was awesome music coming from behind them.

Obama on food policy from Boing Boing.

Finnish landscape from Villipiha.

"One Nation, Under Cupcakes" good job Philly!

An overheard dream about Abe Lincoln from Heading East.

Michelle O. in the fab red dress from Huff Po.

Hipsters no more? because of Obama? A treatise on the hipster scene and why to not diss those who work(ed) for Obama, from Gawker. Original source here.

Rebooting computing from Kimberly Blessing. I'm so into usability. Could be interesting to go, but not sure I'm hands-on enough. My cuz is though.

Spooky Polish forest. I'd love to check out this part of the world, in nice weather. Thanks to Vrbovan Blog for the image.

Obama family's secret service names - love them! From Huff Po.

Bush snubbed. wow. it's sorta hard to watch, and realize how much the rest of the world disliked this guy.


And finally, the Dot Earth readers' "10 Earthly Ideas on a Budget" - suggestions for Obama to consider for a greener US. Excellent. I especially love # 10, the idea of a Victory Garden at the White House. Aparently, Eleanor Roosevelt planted one, back in the day.

Back into the Tour

I'm back from vacation. We went camping and hiking and swimming and cherry-picking. Just fantastic.

We left on the day of the Euro Cup final (still don't know who won!) [OK! now I do!] and came back to the beginning of the Tour de France. Last night Versus showed the end of Stage 3 pulling into Nantes, which was exciting. I stayed up to watch the end! P.S. Bob Roll is awesome.

This photo (from the BBC) reminds me of the scene in Amelie when she finds the boy's secret box of stuff and there's a flash back to him playing with a little set of riders just like this one. It must be v. popular in France. I wish I could be there. The images from Brittany were amazing - rain and all!

Nice to be back blogging.

Moon Image

wow.

Thanks to the Bad Astronomy guy for the link.

Great Proustian (?) Green Idea

I'm basically going to cut & paste a whole bunch of Blogfish's post on the genesis of one's environmentalism and Proust. But really, you should go over there yourself and check it out. Great ideas abound!

Conservation, sensuality, and Proust

What was your first taste of conservation? Love of nature? My guess is that your senses were involved before your brain.

Maybe you saw something fantastic, or had a blissful time soaking up nature in a beautiful place.

Then what happened? You saw a threat and got worried or even angry about harm to nature?

If you're like me, you fell in love with nature first, and only later had your brain awakened to threats and the need for conservation action. You started with a loving connection to nature, and only later got all thinky and brain-centered about saving things.

This is well-said by Justin Van Kleeck over at sustainablog, where he writes

environmentalism is mostly about the amazing power and glory of nature. Indeed, environmentalism means luxuriating in the abundance of beauty lying just beyond your door. It is like a life lived within a Proust novel: every thing, every moment, is just dripping with sensuality.


I think there's a better solution, and it's found in Justin's "living community" that's "green with a heart." Rather than telling people to "grow up," we should invite them to feel connected and live their lives with a consciousness and a celebration of the connections between people and nature. That's the way to explode the myth that environmentalism is costly, gloomy, and smug.

Cruz de la Pasion de Cristo

I saw this on Mexico Cooks and had to share. It's just the kind of symbolism that excites me.

The cruz de la pasión de Cristo is made entirely of symbols of the Crucifixion. In the photo above (click on it to enlarge it), you can see:

* the dove at the top of the cross, which represents peace and the Holy Spirit
* pliers, used to remove the nails from Christ's hands and feet after his death
* the moon, representing the darkness that fell as Christ died
* the sun, representing the passage of the day and its events
* the rooster, which crowed after Peter denied Christ for the third time
* the crown, representing divine light
* the ladder, used to lower Christ's body from the cross
* the butterfly, representing both Eve and the hope of the Resurrection
* the snake, symbol of evil and seduction
* the heart, symbol of Christ's love, pity, and virtue
* the spear used to pierce Christ's body
* palm fronds, remembering Palm Sunday
* the scales of justice, representing the Last Judgment

In other pictorial splendor, we have the work of Daniel Dociu, as seen on bldgblog. Wow. Mind-blowingly amazing art. Right? Brings the plight of our oceans and rivers into pretty clear focus. Speaking of which, last week, American Rivers, launched their America's Most Endangered Rivers campaign. You can send an e-card and enter to win an ipod. Or other fabulous prizes. Doesn't this image on the right just hit home though? You can see more of this Daniel Dociu's fabulous work at bldgblog.