❧❧❧ Whatever you can do or dream, you can BEGIN IT. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Goethe ❧❧❧
❧❧❧ You were born whole, not broken. Sandra Hammel ❧❧❧
Rational thought has nothing to do with an opinion that doesn't require rational thinking. White sheets, burning crosses and lynching people was a sign of racism's intimidation in the past. In the present, racism isn't wearing sheets. There is a type of Freedom of Speech that is hate-filled speech that incites behavior that Jesus Christ would not approve of. In the political climate today, many who claim to be followers of Jesus, are behaving in ways that say with behavior that the compassion of Jesus has nothing to do with their personal speech, actions, their political views. I know how people think on the other side of my political views, because I was raised in that "other side". In my opinion, the reason Ohio's John Boehner and Indiana's Mike Pence state that they will not compromise in any way with the Democrats and specifically President Obama is because they have constituents who have given the green light to do so. There are people who are not solely upset that we have a bi-racial president or commonly believed to be our first black president, but that if he is perceived to have success for the American people that there will be another president one day that isn’t white. And that thought is unbearable to some of our citizens in the USA. Vote. Know your candidates' views. Integrity trumps experience. Both is rare and needed.
Fact: Taxes have gone down since President Obama has become President.
By the way, just because a person says they care about God and/or Jesus Christ, doesn't mean it is true. Just because someone says that they are a Christian doesn't prove a thing. But acting and speaking with love and compassion does prove the principles, values, convictions that someone lives their life by.
........................................................ My vote for Rhode Island Governor will be cast for once Republican, now Independent Lincoln Chafee.
US RI Representative David Cicilline
Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts
Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis
Attorney General Peter Kilmartin
Treasurer Gina Raimondo
Senator in RI District 11 Charles Levesque
Representative in RI District 72 Amy Rice
For Portsmouth School Committee (4) David Croston, Andrew Kelly, Marjorie Levesque, John McDaid
For Portsmouth Town Council (7) Dennis, Canario, Terri-Denise Cortvriend, Leonard Barry Katzman, James Seveney, and not so firmly for Michael Buddemeyer, Jeffrey Lewis, Al Honnen
IF YOU AREN'T SCARED RE ELECTION NOV 2, 2010, YOU ARE EITHER NOT PAYING ATTENTION OR YOU APPROVE OF INCITING VIOLENCE AS A WAY OF LIFE
DEMOCRATS NEED TO VOTE OR BE READY TO LIVE IN A STATE OF ENCOURAGED ANARCHY
I am "unaffiliated" - that is what a Rhode Island voter is that isn't registered as a Republican or Democrat. However, I vote a Democrat most of the time. My only exception this year, is that I am voting for a Governor candidate who was a Republican, and he is now running as an "Independent".
The encouragement ~ by TV and radio personalities, politicians and candidates who want to be our representatives ~ to kill other U.S. citizens, if you don't agree with them, has gone on unchecked by many, if not most of our politicians and leaders. Those who are going to vote for the insanity to go on either agree with the behavior or don't care about civil behavior.
There she was, thrown to the pavement by a Republican in a checkered shirt. Another Republican thrusts his foot in between her legs and presses down with all his weight to pin her to the curb. Then a Republican leader comes over and viciously stomps on her head with his foot. You hear her glasses crunch under the pressure. Holding her head down with his foot, he applies more force so she can't move. Her skull and brain are now suffering a concussion.
The young woman’s name is Lauren Valle, but she is really all of us. For come this Tuesday, the right wing -- and the wealthy who back them -- plan to take their collective boot and bring it down hard on not just the head of Barack Obama but on the heads of everyone they simply don't like.
Teachers union? The boot!
Muslim-looking people? The boot!
Thinking of retiring soon? The boot!
Living in a house you can no longer afford? The boot!
Doing a bit better with your minimum wage? The boot!
Stem cell research, the bullet train, reversing global warming? Ha! The boot for all of you!
What? You like your kids being covered by your health plan ‘til they're 26? The boot for them and the boot for you!
In love with someone of your own gender? A double boot up the ass for every single one of you sick SOBs!
Hoping there's a few jobs left here in the U.S. when you graduate? How 'bout just a nice boot to your head instead?
And most importantly, the last boot is saved for the black man who probably wasn't born here, definitely isn't a Christian and possibly might be the Antichrist sent here to oversee the destruction of our very way of life. A boot to your head, Obama-devil!
Yes, one big boot is poised to stomp out whatever hopey-changey thing we might have had two years ago and secure this country in the hands of the oligarchs and the culture police.
And if they win on Tuesday, they plan to show no mercy. They will not speak of bipartisanship or olive branches or tolerate any filibuster threats. They will come in and do the job with a mandate they'll perceive the electorate will have given them. They will not fart around for two years like the Democrats did. They will not "search for compromise" or "find middle ground." They will not meet you halfway on the playing field. They know that touchdowns aren't scored at the 50-yard line. Unlike our guys, they're not stupid or spineless.
Make no mistake about it, my friends. A perfect storm has gathered of racists, homophobes, corporatists and born agains and they are on fire. Two years of a black man who secretly holds socialist beliefs being the boss of them is more than they can stomach. They've been sick to death since the night of 11/04/08 and they are ready to purge. They won't need a rope and tree this time to effect the change they seek (why bother when a nice shoe on another's skull will do just fine, thank you).
They simply need to get their base to the polls (done), convince enough people Obama is responsible for the fact they don't have a job or a secure home (done), and then hope enough of us Obama-voters are so frustrated, disappointed and downright mad at the Dems (done) that we'll either stay home Tuesday or, if we vote, we won't be carpooling with 10 others to the polls.
Done? Or not?
These Republicans mean business. Their boots are all shined and ready. But they've got one huge problem:
Too bad the majority party has done precious little to bring about the change for which the majority voted. Yes, change takes time. But try telling that to someone who hasn't worked in two years. Or who hears the knock of the foreclosure sheriff at the door. The booted-up minority knows how to make hay in a situation like this. All they need is us, the disappointed, dismayed, disgusted us.
What say you? Stay home and punish the weak-kneed, sell-out Democrats? Or spend every free moment you have between now and Tuesday trying to protect what little progress has been made so we can live to fight another day (even if it is with “allies” like a Democratic Party that will more than likely still not get the message of what they need to do -- and has, in fact, spent much of the past two years giving progressives the boot)? Perhaps our job, post-election, is to provide a gentle but swift boot in the bee-hind of the party whose mascot is an ass.
Right now, we've got 112 hours. Seems like enough.
............................................................ Sharron Angle - The US Senate candidate leading in Nevada, where prostitution is legal, a place to go for quickie divorce, and where the economy is dependent upon essentially casinos and gambling.
It isn't that having a President who isn't considered "white" bothers some people to the point of being uncivilized, assaulting people and encouragement of anarchy and sedition, it is that they are afraid if our biracial President is successful or perceived as successful, there may be another "black" President. And these people cannot bear that thought.
This is the most crazy-making election season I can remember in my life time.
I believe that Nazi signs about our President, irrational dislike for President Obama, irresponsible behavior by John Boehner, bullying antics, the stirring up of hate by Sarah Palin, Glen Beck and on and on ~ are rooted in overt and covert racism.
For example Where was all this outrage about our out-of-control budget, when George W Bush was running our national debt off a cliff? The silence from the political right about the hole the USA government was operating in during President GW Bush's two terms was blatant.
And since President Obama was elected, the racists have become emboldened and now we are on the edge of having the crazed bigots represent us in our House of Representatives and Senate.
When the one of the Dixie Chicks said that she wasn't proud of then President GW Bush, there was outrage on Fox TV about speaking this way about a sitting President. Rationally, one could ask why it is okay to degrade the current sitting President. Fox TV is leading the way in the degrading of President Obama.
It isn't enough to vote. We need to be fully aware of who we are voting for. And we need to hold them accountable and most don't take the time to do that. It is like another job to do so.
I feel many vote for people they don't know anything about. And many vote their prejudices, their narrow-mindedness. So if more of those who are guided by their prejudices and narrow-mindedness vote than those who aren't guided by prejudices and narrow-mindedness, we will have some rough times ahead. Rough times that we have no idea how bad it will be.
Click the post title for Not Ready to Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks
........................................................... Uploaded by MusicFog
Sometimes, I don't want to stop the stuff that has to get done to listen to or watch something I have on while doing the chores. But. But, at times, I am compelled to stop anyway. That happened today. I haven't listened toPrairie Home Companion on the radio for a long time. But for some reason I had it on today and at the same time not only doing the wash, but recording a couple of on demand shows on TV....one The Promise ~ The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town ~ Bruce Springsteen .................................................
and on Starz cable TV The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (on demand until November 16, 2010) is a part of the Early Premieres along with Legion. Trailer of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
The song that I was compelled to stop for was Sara Watkins singing her own song Where Will You Be? .................................................
................................................. Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor Singer, songwriter Sara Watkins - Where Will You Be? Embed of October 23, 2010's Prairie Home Companion radio show. The song is at 75:43 to 79:00....I had to hunt for it, because the list is wrong at the site as to where the song is located in the show. The song is for sale at itunes, but from what I can tell from the tiny sample at itunes the live version on this radio show is much better.
And...
I used to really enjoy the TV series, Brothers and Sisters. The writing leaves a lot to be desired last year and this. But Saturday night on the CW channel, the old shows are on and one of my two favorite episodes was on October 23, 2010 - For The Children.
These videos of the Rachel Maddow Show express how I've been feeling...about what's been going on. You can dress up a bigot, a racist to look harmless, a bigot, a racist can be clueless that he or she is a bigot and saying behavior is something other than what it truly is and pretending that an opinion has integrity when itisbigotry and racism charading around as something that is acceptable ~ and it still is a bigot and bigotry, a racist and racism.
......................................................... Uploaded by NotAfraid2Tim1
History of the USA ~ Forced Removal of Native American Indigenous Children to Boarding Schools - denying them of their own language, family life, customs and practices of belief ......................................................... ......................................................... Uploaded by Richheape
richheapeFilms, Inc. was founded in 1994 to inform, educate and encourage awareness of Native Peoples, and to preserve the history and culture of the American Indian. Headquartered in Dallas, Rich-Heape Films specializes in film, video, high definition and multimedia production from initial concept to final product. Our Spirits Don't Speak English ~ Boarding School is a Native American perspective on Indian Boarding Schools. This DVD produced by Rich-Heape Films, Inc. uncovers the dark history of U.S. Government policy which took Indian children from their homes, forced them into boarding schools and enacted a policy of educating them in the ways of Western Society. This DVD gives a voice to the countless Indian children forced through a system designed to strip them of their Native American culture, heritage and traditions. ......................................................... ......................................................... Uploaded by Kayaani
HEATH LEDGER ❧❧ TONIGHT WILL BE FINE ❧❧ TEDDY THOMPSON
I am still not happy with my newest upload to youtube. You can never know how it will compress and show up on youtube, so I have some glitches that I have tried to resolve, but so far they haven't resolved. And now I don't want to lose the viewer count that I have. But, having lived with me my whole life, I know me. I won't quit trying. But in the meantime, I post the text here that is at youtube, then I post the embed for now at the large size and the small size. Eventually I will delete the large size here because it doesn't fit the blog.
EDIT to original post❧
The videos on this particular post are not public at Youtube, but unlisted. I believe I have resolved one of the glitches. The public video at Youtube, still has the glitch, but it also has a prominent placement on the day and week listings under "Heath Ledger" and a respectable viewer count.
Teddy Thompson sings Leonard Cohen's song
❧ Tonight Will Be Fine ❧
Sometimes I find I get to thinking of the past. We swore to each other then that our love would surely last. You kept right on loving, I went on a fast, now I am too thin and your love is too vast.
But I know from your eyes and I know from your smile that tonight will be fine, will be fine, will be fine, will be fine for a while.
I choose the rooms that I live in with care, the windows are small and the walls almost bare, there's only one bed and there's only one prayer; I listen all night for your step on the stair.
But I know from your eyes and I know from your smile that tonight will be fine, will be fine, will be fine, will be fine for a while.
Oh sometimes I see her undressing for me, she's the soft naked lady love meant her to be and she's moving her body so brave and so free. If I've got to remember that's a fine memory.
And I know from her eyes and I know from her smile that tonight will be fine, will be fine, will be fine, will be fine for a while.
❧ Support the artists ❧
❧ Movies in Tribute ❧
Roar
The Patriot
Brokeback Mountain
Candy
The Four Feathers
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
The Order
Movie quotes from
Casanova
The Order
Charlie Rose interview
Two Hands interview
Candy Press Conference Berlin
I’ve learned a lot in a very short time.In the end the only secret people keep is immortality. from the script of The Order (aka The Sineater)
In the end the only thing that will matter is how we treated one another. Sandra Hammel
Text at Youtube ❧
Brokeback Mountain is banned from USA viewers for me.Therefore, I captured images from the movie to be able to include it in the tribute.Please, support musicians Leonard Cohen and Teddy Thompson.
I want to thank all the creative and hard working people who presented us with these wonderful movies, the TV series of Roar, the stories, the scripts, as well as the wonderful interviews with Heath.I didn’t include all of my favorite scenes in this one tribute and certainly not all my favorite interviews. Impossible in a short video. However, it wasthoroughly rewarding to work on this labor of admiration and love. And it amuses me each time I watch this and it comes the place where Heath is in the interview where he is trying to avoid answering questions about his personal love life.(2:17 – 2:24)
Roar ❧ If you like looking at Heath Ledger, this is a must see because the camera is on his face just the way it should be – up close.A blog post about Roar ❧TV series must see
On January 9th, Southern Sudan will hold its independence referendum.Both North and South are preparing for war, leaving civilians at grave risk of major human rights violations.
I commend your administration for being engaged, but I hope you can do much more to help support peace in Southern Sudan and Darfur.I'm supporting you to do all you can to help avert a terrible conflict there.
Specifically, I hope you can do more in three areas:
1. Peacemaking: Intensify our support for the North/South peace process and dispatch a senior diplomat to revitalize the Darfur peace effort.
2. Protection: Focus the post-referendum UN peacekeeping mission on civilian protection, particularly in border areas where civilians are most vulnerable to conflict and rights violations.
3. Pressure:You have said there will be benefits for peace and consequences for war.These should be big enough to get the attention of the Sudanese or they won't matter.
Are you going through a difficult time? Feeling confused, lonely or blue?
Trained counselors are ready 24/7 to talk to you. If you’re a young person looking for someone to listen and understand without judgment or if you’re feeling suicidal, please call The Trevor Lifeline now at 866-488-7386. It’s free and confidential. There is hope, there is help.[U.S. CALLS ONLY]
Trevor Chat
TrevorChat is a free ~ thetrevorproject chat~ confidential and secure online messaging service that provides live help through this website. TrevorChat is only intended to assist those who are not at risk for suicide.
Hours of Operation: Fridays between 1:00 PM Pacific (4:00 PM Eastern) and 9:00 PM Pacific (12:00 AM Eastern)
Connect with a volunteer who can support you with your concerns and questions [U.S. Residents only].
.............................................................................................. Double click the video to see on an enlarged screen at Youtube
Fort Worth City Councilman, Joel Burns, reaches out to GLBT teens with a personal story and a message of hope. For more coverage, visit the following links:
Lawrence O'Donnell aired this tonight on his MSNBC show "The Last Word". It is time for bullying to stop. Bullying. We have seen an increase of "bullying" behavior by politicians and "wannabe" politicians who are running for office or those who have already run for office. And this sets the stage for bullying to rise by our young people. We as adults set the example to stop, tolerate or "fire up" bullying behavior.
This is a brave soul ~ Joel Burns. I hope you will listen and even if you disapprove of gay people being gay, I hope you will have compassion and empathy enough to help be part of the solution to stop the tide of bullies in our human race. Bullies in the family, in your town, in the rooms you pass through, in the campaigning, in the classroom, the places in our children's lives where they think they can get a pass on this behavior. It is time to behave humanely and be proactive about our caring. Compassion first.
From Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC show about this video Thursday, October 14, 2010 ~
Zoning laws, property taxes and school budgets typically dominate the conversation at city council meetings. But one councilman in Fort Worth, Texas used his podium to talk about the recent suicide epidemic among gay youths.
In a very emotional speech on Tuesday, Joel Burns pleaded with gay teens to re-think suicide as an option. At times, he even broke down and cried in the 12-minute appeal.
"Attitudes will change, life will get better, you will have a lifetime of happy memories if you just allow yourself and give yourself the time to make them," said Burns.
Burns, an openly gay man, says he struggled with his sexuality growing up. He also described what it felt like being bullied as kid.
"High school was difficult, coming out was painful," he said. "I want to tell any teen who is watching this, life will get better."
Gay teens Asher Brown, 13, Seth Walsh, 13, and Justin Aaberg all committed suicide in 2010 in the face of alleged anti-gay bullying. (Personal Photos)
Click post title to go to article where I copied the above three photos.
If you have come here with any regularity, you know music is very important to me ..................................
.................................. This is special.
Dark Was the Night
The following text is from the Playing for Change website:
The Playing For Change crew first met this unbelievably talented musician by a happy coincidence eight years ago. Mark Johnson, Jonathan Walls and Whitney Kroenke were heading to New Orleans in search of musicians and inspiration, and long-time friend of the project Keb' Mo' offered to put them in touch with someone.
When Mark dialed the number Keb' Mo' had given him, an Italian man answered. He told Mark that the person he was calling for was on the road with a band, but that he himself was a street musician in New Orleans and would love to be involved in our project.
In the eight years following that initial conversation, Roberto Luti has become one of the musical pillars on which Playing For Change has been built. We hope you enjoy his hauntingly beautiful slide guitar on this soulful piece. And if you ever find yourself in Livorno, check to see if he is performing-- it's an experience you wouldn't want to miss!
❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧
I had the highest compliment ever paid to me this past summer after I had played piano and sung some songs for a couple staying with me. They live in southern France.
She didn't feel comfortable speaking English, but I understood her English and felt blessed by her expression of these words: "Your music comes from your soul."
That is how I feel about the music in the video above.
There are especially disturbing reports about the Government of Sudan planning to move millions of displaced Darfuris from the internal camps in which they live to areas where there is even less protection, less humanitarian aid support, and no eyes to witness any further atrocities.
The following is my letter sent to President Obama today via the link above and again at whitehouse.gov/contact
Subject: Sudan, Darfur and USA Leadership Responsibility
October 14, 2010
Dear President Obama,
I believe that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.I have heard you use this phrase more than once yourself.I consider myself first a human being with compassion and empathy and politically I consider myself a Democrat.I believe Democrats historically have been compassionate to fellow human beings, and are not all out for ourselves, but after trying our best to live our lives responsibly, have expectations that the government should protect our interests with regulations and social programs.And I believe that duties of citizens include the responsibility to know what our politicians are doing in our name and that we must be actively and proactively involved.Furthermore, I believe that we must think about our responsibilities locally and globally, which includes how we address issues such as women’s rights worldwide, human trafficking and genocide.
Since 2004, I have been a community leader who has brought attention to the genocide upon the Darfuri people of Sudan in the state of Rhode Island.In my lifetime, I have watched USA President after President, tolerate genocide in spite of all the correct and moral promises, such as “Never again”.Unfortunately, we have never meant “never again”.We only have said those words when the time that “we” could have done something to divert the madness of genocide is over.We say those words, in order to make ourselves feel better about our lack of doing something.We feel guilty and we try then to assuage our feelings or explain away our behavior of staying away from “The Problem”.
On January 9th, Southern Sudan will hold its independence referendum.Both North and South are preparing for war, leaving civilians at grave risk of major human rights violations.Is this going to be one more time that that we, of the USA and the international community could have diverted another “hell on earth”, but chose not to?
I'm asking you to do all you can to help avert a terrible conflict there.Specifically, I hope you can do more in three areas:
1. Peacemaking: Intensify our support for the North/South peace process and dispatch a senior diplomat to revitalize the Darfur peace effort.
2. Protection: Focus the post-referendum UN peacekeeping mission on civilian protection, particularly in border areas where civilians are most vulnerable to conflict and rights violations.
3. Pressure:You have said there will be benefits for peace and consequences for war.These should be big enough to get the attention of the Sudanese or they won't matter.
Sincerely,
Sandra Hammel
Use Your Voice to Stop Genocide RI
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Here is a letter from George Clooney and John Prendergast asking us for the same proaction ~
If you had 90 days to prevent another Darfur, what would you do?
On January 9th, Southern Sudan will vote for its independence. The country is currently led by an indicted war criminal, Omar al-Bashir. Both north and south are preparing for war, leaving civilians at grave risk of major human rights violations.
The U.S. Secretary of State has called the situation a "ticking time bomb." The Director of National Intelligence has said that "mass killing or genocide is most likely to occur in Southern Sudan." President Obama has said that "the stakes are enormous."
We have a brief window of opportunity to do something that has rarely been done: stop a war before it starts. But if the international community is too hesitant or too late in its efforts -- as was the case in Darfur -- hundreds of thousands could die. The last war between the North and South was ended by a U.S.-led peace process, but not before two and a half million men, women, and children perished.
Republicans and Democrats stand arm in arm for this cause, a cause which does not require sending US troops or billions of dollars. In fact, a combination of international pressure and robust diplomacy ended the last North/South war in 2005. It can work again.
Tell President Obama that we support every effort to use robust diplomacy -- in coordination with all our diplomatic partners -- to ensure a successful referendum, and peace in the South and Darfur. Our President has the power to gather the political will to stop a genocide before it starts, and we must demand that he do so.
The international community was late to Darfur. Late to the Congo. Late to Rwanda. Late to Bosnia. Tell our President that the people of South Sudan can't afford for us to be late again.
AFP:War crimes-accused LRA chief likely in Darfur: think tank. The war crimes-accused head of the Ugandan rebel group Lord's Resistance Army, Joseph Kony, is likely in the southern part of Sudan's troubled Darfur, International Crisis Group said Wednesday. The International Criminal Court has an arrest warrant out for Kony for war crimes and crimes against humanity, with his outfit accused of massacres, mutilation, using child soldiers and taking girls as sex slaves. Kony is believed to be in the area of Daffak in southern Darfur where an attack took place September 2, according to information from Darfuri rebels from the Liberation and Justice Movement.
Bloomberg:Sudanese General Tanginye Holds Talks About Joining Southern Sudan's Army. A former Southern Sudan militia leader currently serving as a general in Sudan's army began talks with the semi-autonomous region's leader to switch sides ahead of an independence referendum next year. "We have not reached that conclusion, but we are in the process of negotiating," Sudanese Armed Forces Major-General Gabriel Tanginye said in an interview after a meeting today with Southern Sudanese President Salva Kiir in the capital, Juba. "The president is my brother and he is my leader," he said.
AFP:S.Sudan foes mend fences before independence vote. The south Sudanese leadership has been setting aside its differences with armed dissidents and civil war militia foes as a landmark referendum on independence for the region looms in January. Southern regional president Salva Kiir has offered an amnesty to rebel fighters and sought to reconcile with his leading political adversary, former foreign minister Lam Akol, in a bid to ease tensions in the run-up to the vote.
Reuters:North, south Sudan disagree over Abyei vote. A referendum on the future of Sudan's oil-producing Abyei region should be postponed, northern officials said on Thursday, but the south dismissed the proposal as unacceptable.
BBC:George Clooney call to freeze Sudan leader's assets. The Sudanese leader is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur - charges he denies. Mr Clooney told the BBC that freezing his bank accounts would be a good way of putting pressure on Khartoum. The Hollywood star has just returned from Sudan in his role as a UN messenger of peace ahead of January's referendum on secession for the south.
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Double click on video to to see in larger screen at Youtube
Fan sites where you can get great Rafa news as well as read in specific threads the Times Online Rafa blog posts from the US Open 2010
Vamos Brigade Rafa's Babolat-sponsored forum It is free to register at these sites and then you can read at your heart's content. These two fan sites are a great source of up-to-date information
~ ❧Pictures prior to Rafa's first match - Round 2 ❧ ~
Rafael Nadal of Spain walks with security personnel to his pre-game news conference after a training session at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament October 12, 2010. Photo credit: Reuters
Rafael Nadal of Spain attends a pre-game news conference at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament October 12, 2010. Photo credit: Reuters
Round 2 pictures
Rafael Nadal of Spain returns a shot to Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland during day Round 2 of the 2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters at the Shanghai Qi Zhong Tennis Center on October 13, 2010 in Shanghai, China. Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images AsiaPac
I spent the afternoon going around Newport, Rhode Island shooting videos for One Day On Earth. I haven't looked at the video yet. It didn't feel spectacular when I was shooting it, but you never know how video will be until you start looking at it. I shot a couple skateboarders, one of which ran into to me with his ...skateboard - they wanted to know if would be on youtube and one thought he would be a movie star. I had a difficult time getting the kites to stay in the frame out on Ocean Drive at Brenton Point State Park. Unfortunately, no Darfur events to shoot. One Day on earth
In the end of September, I called the local newspaper - The Post and Mail- in Columbia City, Indiana, where I spent my childhood from 9 years old through high school. I asked if I could write a letter to the editor or an article about my father. And Ruth Stanley, the Managing Editor was very receptive and said she would publish it as an article. She didn't care how long it was, she was more interested in the story. After I wrote my first draft, she was willing to print it, but I wasn't happy with it, so I offered to edit it. I cut out a lot and ended up with a more concise article.
From Indiana, Cindy Auer found me on Facebook, requested to be Facebook "friends" and said, "I saw your article about your father in the paper. It is nice to honor him in that way. I'm still around CC, but I live in..."
Religion in the USA is the focus of this PBS series on American Experience's Frontline
Although I don't consider myself as a religious person, I was raised in a very religious family and environment. Very fundamentalist, very conservative and not encouraged to think for myself/ourselves...beyond what we were told is the truth. I don't fit in my family's plan for me. I am therefore a misfit, an outcast, a "disappointment" to what was expected of me and judgment from the members has always been present.
I approve of me. Although at times, I would prefer to feel like I fit in my family, it is necessary that it is enough that I am okay with who and what I am. Being a "member" has been secondary to living a life that is not pretentious and in my truth.
But, I am interested in learning why I am what I am and where I "came from". So this American Experience's Frontline series sounds interesting to me. I plan to watch it. It is always online if you miss it when it airs on TV.
...For the first time on television, God in America, a presentation of AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and FRONTLINE, will explore the historical role of religion in the public life of the United States. The six-hour series, which interweaves documentary footage, historical dramatization and interviews with religious historians, will air over three consecutive nights on PBS beginning Oct. 11, 2010....
..."The American story cannot be fully understood without understanding the country's religious history," says series executive producer Michael Sullivan. "By examining that history, God in America will offer viewers a fresh, revealing and challenging portrait of the country."...
..."Americans are awash in a sea of faith, but their knowledge about religious faiths and religious history often runs as shallow as their commitment to religion runs deep," notes Stephen Prothero, chief editorial consultant for God in America, professor of religion at Boston University, and author of Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know -- And Doesn't. "A series like God in America can help correct that imbalance and provide the basis for a common understanding of the role religion has played in American public life."...
And this series will be airing again....
We Shall Remain
~ this is a "must see" about the people who lived here before the immigrants came and took their land and denied them to live their lives in the freedom they had before the government of the USA was formed
Precinct 2701 (Prudence Island Fire Station) — Option 1: 51; Option 2: 6
Precincts 2702 and 2703 (Portsmouth Multi Purpose Senior Center) — Option 1: 373; Option 2: 270
Precincts 2704 and 2705 (Common Fence Point Community Hall) — Option 1: 352; Option 2: 197
Precincts 2706, 2707 and 2708 (Portsmouth Town Hall) — Option 1: 604; Option 2: 514
Precincts 2709, 2710 and 2712 (Aquidneck Island Christian Academy) — Option 1: 818; Option 2: 703
This is the letter that arrived in the mail, the day before the vote. It has falsely stated opinions in it. Who wouldn't have voted "no" to funding the schools, if you believed this letter to be true? Click the letter image to enlarge.
Commentary: Divided We Fall
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On the facebook page to Save the Arts and Sports in Portsmouth, RI, a person wrote that we need new leadership in the volunteer group who tried to save the arts and sports programs in our town's public schools.
I wrote this in response on that page:
I think it is not time for new leadership. The leadership was outstanding and I am grateful for it. It is simple to put down leadership. It is not simple to lead. When anyone criticizes leadership or says we need to have new leadership, I wonder why that very person isn't the one to be the next leader. Possible reasons are that it is time-consuming, thankless and very difficult.
Even good leadership needs people who are interested. Caring about the community's responsibility to provide funding for education is a touchy subject because for many people it will always come down to how one feels about teachers getting paid via the local tax dollars. And those who didn't vote who have children in the schools - have children in schools now that are offering a half year of what has always been offered the whole year long. There is a great divide and if those who have children in the schools, and those like myself who don't and are in our sixties, but still care about the education of "our" community's students, don't vote when voting is our way to say what our priorities are, then those who are motivated get their way. It takes more than leaders, it takes the rest of us to get involved.
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Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Portsmouth Public Schools and Portsmouth family on BBC America
FINAL Rafa Nadal vs. Gael Monfil 6-1, 7-5 Sunday, October 10, 2010 re-air Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 12:00 p.m. noon USA EST The Tennis Channel
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning his singles final match against Gael Monfils of France at Ariake Colosseum on October 10, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images AsiaPac
Rafael Nadal of Spain in aciton during his match against Santiago Giraldo of Colombia in round 1 of the Rakuten Open tennis tournament at Ariake Colosseum on October 5, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images AsiaPac
Round 2 pictures
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after defeating Milos Raonic of Canada of Round 2 of the Rakuten Open at Ariake Colosseum on October 7, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan.
Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images AsiaPac
Rafael Nadal of Spain look on Milos Raonic of Canada in round 2 of the Rakuten Open at Ariake Colosseum on October 7, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images AsiaPac
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after defeating Milos Raonic of Canada in round 2 of the Rakuten Open at Ariake Colosseum on October 7, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images AsiaPac
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after a point in his match against Dmitry Tursunov of Russia in the quarter finals of the Rakuten Open tennis tournament at Ariake Colosseum on October 8, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images AsiaPac
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning his match against Dmitry Tursunov of Russia in the quarter finals of the Rakuten Open tennis tournament at Ariake Colosseum on October 8, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images AsiaPac
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after a point in his match against Dmitry Tursunov of Russia in the quarter finals of the Rakuten Open tennis tournament at Ariake Colosseum on October 8, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images AsiaPac
Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a backhand in his match against Dmitry Tursunov of Russia in the quarter finals of the Rakuten Open tennis tournament at Ariake Colosseum on October 8, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images AsiaPac
Rafael Nadal of Spain jumps to celebrate after winning the Men's Singles semi final match against Viktor Troicki of Serbia at the Rakuten Open tennis tournament at Ariake Colosseum on October 9, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. Rafael Nadal of Spain defeated Viktor Troicki of Serbia 7-6, 4-6, 7-6. Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images AsiaPac
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates a point in the Men's Singles semi final match against Viktor Troicki of Serbia at the Rakuten Open tennis tournament at Ariake Colosseum on October 9, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. Rafael Nadal of Spain defeated Viktor Troicki of Serbia 7-6, 4-6, 7-6. Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images AsiaPac
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning the Men's Singles semi final match against Viktor Troicki of Serbia at the Rakuten Open tennis tournament at Ariake Colosseum on October 9, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. Rafael Nadal of Spain defeated Viktor Troicki of Serbia 7-6, 4-6, 7-6.
Vamos Brigade Rafa's Babolat-sponsored forum It is free to register at these sites and then you can read at your heart's content. These two fan sites are a great source of up-to-date information
I love my life. I love where I live. And I am passionate about my passions. I love to dance. Necessary to live: music, piano, singing, writing, acting, painting.
I have been fighting for and supporting the arts all my adult life. Since 2004, I have been working with other activists to end the Darfur genocide.
I have traveled to Europe many times since my early twenties. Places I have been: many USA states including Hawaii, Montreal, Canada, Barbados, France, Spain, Luxembourg, England, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece and Germany - and have wonderful memories.
My last trip was in May - June 2013 to Spain.
I would like to travel to Europe and Kyoto, Japan.
I love the southwest where I have visited Hopi, Navajo, Zia and San Idlefonso potters.
Life is exciting and I intend to live it full-out to the end.
B.S. and M.M., both in music
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Khartoum, Sudan Stop Genocide Time
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Spain Time
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Melbourne Time
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Hawaii Time
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RAFA NADAL -BRING BACK LONG PANTS - SLEEVELESS TOPS
Double Click on Videos to Enlarge
Darfur - The Abandoned Genocide - a video by Sandra Hammel
Want to help? Call 1~800~GENOCIDE
"May I Suggest" by Susan Werner
Satchita - Playing for Change
Stand By Me ~ Playing for Change
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Genocide is not only a word,
it is crying of the whole human race.
There is nothing redeeming about being silent
when speaking up is the humane thing to do.
The honor and integrity of the human race is at stake.
