I woke up early this morning with some wierd rhymes and phrases going through my head.....they reminded me of reading Dr. Suess, Shel Silverstein and other authors to our kids when they were growing up. A litany of phrases tripped, one after another, through my mind as I opened my eyes to start the day. It became obvious to me that the tensions in our today Country invade my subconscious when I sleep.....and they create their own kind of poetry.
It was almost like a song.......
What happened to the us, child.....what happened to the we?
When did the them take over.....and hide the best of me?
What happened to the leaders, child, who show us how to shine?
When did their examples turn to hate and anger all the time?
Who decided the other was bad and when?
Will our melting pot pride ever show up again?
What happened to the us, child.....what happened to the we?
Should the me stay silent and say nothing more?
Or should the me step out and try to even the score?
When did real become fake, child, when did this all start?
Who is at fault, child, and what’s in their heart?
What happened to the us, child, the we, the all?
This is often the way one of my little blogs start....a thought that rattles around in my brain until I decide to just put it down on paper. I have a small "following" and that's OK. I really do this because I've always loved to write.....and sometimes it starts with a dream....
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Burning Eyeballs.....
What do you do when you're "trapped" in a small space for about nine hours. A small, narrow spot where it's hard to move around, stretch your legs or sleep. You disturb your fellow traveler every time you need to get up to walk the aisles. What do you do in coach on an airplane moving from the USA to Europe. Well one thing I don't do is complain....after all I'm fortunate enough to be heading off for another travel adventure.
And KLM feeds you well and gives you a wide variety of TV and movie selections to watch on your own private screen. That's how I found a movie I somehow missed when it was in theaters...."Shock And Awe". The movie covers two reporters for the Knight Ridder News Agency as the Bush administration led the Nation to the war in Iraq. While other newspapers were pushing the administration's line that Sadam had weapons of mass destruction, two young reporters were uncovering alternate facts.
The movie is fascinating....beginning with a young soldier at a hearing in Washington DC. He rolls to the front of the room using his wheelchair. When asked to stand to be sworn in he just looks at the panel....and the chairman apologizes. He can be sworn in while seated. Then he begins to share his thoughts. He says he's always been fascinated by numbers.....that's the way he looks at the world. And he begins to list a few numbers. The number 19...the age at which he enlisted in the army. The number three....the number of hours he was on the ground in Iraq before his vehicle hit an IED. The number six....the six inch piece of shrapnel that sliced through his spine. And then he says "I'd like to ask one question. How the hell did this happen?"
And the movie flashes back to September 11th... airplanes flying into the twin towers and the Pentagon. It moves forward as the Bush administration begins to find "facts" that Sadam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and is preparing to use them. And the US can't allow that and has to keep the world safe. The drum beat continues for over a year as the President, his cabinet members and our congress move closer and closer to war. And our troops invade in 2003.
The few reporters at the Knight Ridder Agency who refused to give up, who didn't believe the research and the officially sanctioned government "facts" presented, were the only ones that got it right. But no one was listening. It was years later that Colin Powell admitted that his speech to the United Nations prior to the invasion was based on flawed intelligence. It was years later that the New York Times apologized to it's readers for presenting the wrong information.
The movie was fascinating.... I was never aware of this back story until watching "Shock And Awe". It reminded me of "All the Presidents Men" and also reminded me of the importance of a free press. The movie ended with a list of additional numbers:
And KLM feeds you well and gives you a wide variety of TV and movie selections to watch on your own private screen. That's how I found a movie I somehow missed when it was in theaters...."Shock And Awe". The movie covers two reporters for the Knight Ridder News Agency as the Bush administration led the Nation to the war in Iraq. While other newspapers were pushing the administration's line that Sadam had weapons of mass destruction, two young reporters were uncovering alternate facts.
The movie is fascinating....beginning with a young soldier at a hearing in Washington DC. He rolls to the front of the room using his wheelchair. When asked to stand to be sworn in he just looks at the panel....and the chairman apologizes. He can be sworn in while seated. Then he begins to share his thoughts. He says he's always been fascinated by numbers.....that's the way he looks at the world. And he begins to list a few numbers. The number 19...the age at which he enlisted in the army. The number three....the number of hours he was on the ground in Iraq before his vehicle hit an IED. The number six....the six inch piece of shrapnel that sliced through his spine. And then he says "I'd like to ask one question. How the hell did this happen?"
And the movie flashes back to September 11th... airplanes flying into the twin towers and the Pentagon. It moves forward as the Bush administration begins to find "facts" that Sadam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and is preparing to use them. And the US can't allow that and has to keep the world safe. The drum beat continues for over a year as the President, his cabinet members and our congress move closer and closer to war. And our troops invade in 2003.
The few reporters at the Knight Ridder Agency who refused to give up, who didn't believe the research and the officially sanctioned government "facts" presented, were the only ones that got it right. But no one was listening. It was years later that Colin Powell admitted that his speech to the United Nations prior to the invasion was based on flawed intelligence. It was years later that the New York Times apologized to it's readers for presenting the wrong information.
The movie was fascinating.... I was never aware of this back story until watching "Shock And Awe". It reminded me of "All the Presidents Men" and also reminded me of the importance of a free press. The movie ended with a list of additional numbers:
- we've been on the ground in Iraq for 17 years
- the war has cost more than two trillion dollars
- 36 thousand American troops were killed
- one million Iraquis were killed or injured
- zero WMD were ever discovered
I watched two other movies on my trip across the pond until my eyeballs were burning. Two other movies......but "Shock And Awe" is the one that still rattles around in my brain. The numbers.....
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Plarn.......
And just what do you do with all those plastic bags from the grocery store? Replace with re-usable tote bags (the ones I always forget in the car when I go into the store). Recycle as many as you can. Use them for cleaning up after you walk the dog. Or........ create sleeping mats for the homeless.
A friend told me about this effort, an easy crochet project turning plastic bags into nice, colorful, soft pads for the homeless to use to cushion their sleeping bags. So I cut my bags into strips and she creates the mats!
Step one....keep your bags.
Step two....flatten the bags and cut crosswise to make loops.
Step three.....add one loop to the next to make a long, long "string". Roll them into a big ball.
Step four....give to my friend.
Step five....see the results and feel good about helping just a little bit.
So save those bags....pass them on to someone who knows how to crochet and help the homeless.....with a colorful ball of "plarn" not yarn!
A friend told me about this effort, an easy crochet project turning plastic bags into nice, colorful, soft pads for the homeless to use to cushion their sleeping bags. So I cut my bags into strips and she creates the mats!
Step one....keep your bags.
Step two....flatten the bags and cut crosswise to make loops.
Step three.....add one loop to the next to make a long, long "string". Roll them into a big ball.
Step four....give to my friend.
Step five....see the results and feel good about helping just a little bit.
So save those bags....pass them on to someone who knows how to crochet and help the homeless.....with a colorful ball of "plarn" not yarn!
Monday, October 8, 2018
Elon Musk Where Are You.......
We had a wonderful trip to Europe....a Viking Cruise from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Everything about it was just about perfect....weather, food, activities and the friends who shared the adventure with us.
But oh how I wish there was some kind of time capsule that could take us from Milwaukee to cross the pond....without the time zones in between.
Today will be a long day coping with jet lag......
But as our daughter once reminded me...."Mother, this is a first world problem.....you are getting off a plane in Europe!" She's right of course....but I think I'll text Elon to see if he can invent something that would speed up the travel process.
But oh how I wish there was some kind of time capsule that could take us from Milwaukee to cross the pond....without the time zones in between.
Today will be a long day coping with jet lag......
But as our daughter once reminded me...."Mother, this is a first world problem.....you are getting off a plane in Europe!" She's right of course....but I think I'll text Elon to see if he can invent something that would speed up the travel process.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
History Repeats....
We had a little down time yesterday afternoon......so we watched a movie. Yes....we are cruising the Rhine River and have enjoyed one experience after another.....but a little down time on day five was welcome.
Scrolling through the listings on our state room TV we found “Mark Felt” starring Liam Neeson. Frankly I will watch anything with Liam Neeson so it was an easy choice. This movie could have been a companion piece to “All The President’s Men”.......and it was fascinating. The Watergate scandal from another perspective....that of Mark Felt, the number two man at the FBI when the break-in took place. J. Edgar Hoover had just died at the beginning of the film, Mark Felt expected to move into his position....but Nixon appointed one of his men instead. Someone with no law enforcement experience. As Felt greets the new head of the FBI he says “Mr. Gray, the FBI is the most respected institution in the world. It is one of the two cockpits that fly America and it is what it is because no one from the outside ever got inside. What goes on in here and what it means to the Country...that’s all that I care about.”
And as leads began to develop Nixon tried to stop the investigation in its tracks. He tried to limit the FBI’s efforts and stop their investigation. At which point Mark Felt, with the FBI for 30 years and a consummate professional, responded strongly and in no uncertain terms.
The scene is a telephone call from John Dean to Mark Felt. In response to John Dean’s order/request that they shut down the investigations and stop the leaks Felt responds: “The White House has no authority over the FBI....at all. I’m afraid the White House has nothing to suggest to the FBI.”
And the conversation is over......
Sound familiar? Where is Deep Throat when we need him......
Scrolling through the listings on our state room TV we found “Mark Felt” starring Liam Neeson. Frankly I will watch anything with Liam Neeson so it was an easy choice. This movie could have been a companion piece to “All The President’s Men”.......and it was fascinating. The Watergate scandal from another perspective....that of Mark Felt, the number two man at the FBI when the break-in took place. J. Edgar Hoover had just died at the beginning of the film, Mark Felt expected to move into his position....but Nixon appointed one of his men instead. Someone with no law enforcement experience. As Felt greets the new head of the FBI he says “Mr. Gray, the FBI is the most respected institution in the world. It is one of the two cockpits that fly America and it is what it is because no one from the outside ever got inside. What goes on in here and what it means to the Country...that’s all that I care about.”
And as leads began to develop Nixon tried to stop the investigation in its tracks. He tried to limit the FBI’s efforts and stop their investigation. At which point Mark Felt, with the FBI for 30 years and a consummate professional, responded strongly and in no uncertain terms.
The scene is a telephone call from John Dean to Mark Felt. In response to John Dean’s order/request that they shut down the investigations and stop the leaks Felt responds: “The White House has no authority over the FBI....at all. I’m afraid the White House has nothing to suggest to the FBI.”
And the conversation is over......
Sound familiar? Where is Deep Throat when we need him......
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Pondering While Wet......
Just why did we start saying "I'm going to take a shower?" I was shampooing my hair this morning and began to wonder about this phrase. Isn't it more accurate to say "I am going to step into the shower stall, turn on the water, get wet, get clean and turn off the water." I'm not taking the shower anywhere!?
So I googled the meaning:
1. Lay hold of (something) with one's hands; reach for and hold
2. Carry or bring with one; convey
Both of those definitions only make it more confusing to wonder why we say "I'm going to take a shower."
But then I saw the Merriam Webster site and the long, long list of uses for the word "take" and I'm sure it's covered in the list at some point. I wasn't interested enough to do any more research....just an odd thought that popped into my mind while wet.
So I googled the meaning:
1. Lay hold of (something) with one's hands; reach for and hold
2. Carry or bring with one; convey
Both of those definitions only make it more confusing to wonder why we say "I'm going to take a shower."
But then I saw the Merriam Webster site and the long, long list of uses for the word "take" and I'm sure it's covered in the list at some point. I wasn't interested enough to do any more research....just an odd thought that popped into my mind while wet.
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