What next ?

In Dubai, children with distended bellies, many of them orphans,  rummage through huge landfills looking for food or whatever they can find.

In the wealthy town that I live in, unfortunate people rummage through the dumpsters of apartment complex for cans and bottles to recycle for money.

America, where are we headed?

What if we Americans were taxed .25 (cents) on every hundred dollars they spend on non essential items such as X-boxes, video games, yachts, etc. and what if the revenue from that tax went to help homeless folks and folks in need of  medical care or food for their families? And what if these funds were administrated by folks whose only interest were in the fair distribution of the funds?

Mostly I hear that the solution to poverty and disaster is for the government or the Red Cross or the UN to do something ? Mostly I hear that the blame lies with the government or the Red Cross or the UN.  Few people I know (including myself) feel financially strong enough to reach into their own pockets on a regular basis to help others.

I believe that Americans must find a way to help Americans in need.

Our Federal and State coffers are in deficit. We are running out of many natural resources. Large banking institutions  trusted with our giant supply of money let the entire country down. The result is the largest ongoing transfer of wealth from lower and middle class to the wealthy, not to mention the personal and financial losses suffered in the 'great recession'.  Today, large agricultural companies are sparring for control of the world's seed production, supply, and distribution.

Is a food transfer next?

Something has to give.

Is today's reality to bring a child into the world and assume they will be able to find a way to feed themselves?

We need a plan, Stan.

New Year's Day

New Year's Day is always exciting to me. It is a physical sensation topped off with a smile. Happy New Year everyone and a silent prayer for those who have suffered or continue to suffer from Katrina, the lending debacle and the greedy rotten bankers whose shady practices  perpetuated led to millions of Americans losing their homes, jobs, and savings.

Shame on us America. Where was our inner watchdog?

For all of this, my soul is eternally grateful

Photo, View from the Deck
Thanksgiving day, 2006.


It is only when I actually start to list exactly those things for which I am thankful that I realize that every aspect of my life is a blessing !

I don't know exactly when my prayers took the form of thanks but it happened some years ago.

My daily prayers begin with an all-inclusive thanks for my blessings followed by requests for the beneficience of the universe for my friends and family.

I have so much to be thankful for. Without conscious thought, it is difficult to appreciate what I have always had.

I try to imagine being without.

I have a roof over my head.
I know where my next meal is coming from.
I have a career not a job.
I have great friends.
I have a great family.
I live in a beautiful place.
I work in well-kept garden.
I live in a great country.
My neighbors and colleagues constantly strive for civility and diversity.
We are beyond the worries of mere subsistance.
By world standards, we are rich.
We are able to make regular and steady contributions to the greater good.
We have at least ten diverse religions in my communitiy.
We do not harbor grudges against each other.
We do not war against each other or our next door neighbors.
We do not foster hate.

For all of this and more . . .
my heart and soul are eternally grateful.

What kind of blogger are you?

This sounded like fun, so I tried it just for the heck of it.
It's a quiz entitled "What Kind of Blogger Are You?" I like the outcome, hope everyone else thinks it's true!

You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

Celestial Perspectives . . . . .

Intentions

Outlining Your Intentions
borrowed from The Daily Om

Making A List Of What You Want

The universe is aware of both the concrete goals we actively pursue and the nebulous dreams we have not yet begun to refine. Neither our struggles nor the daydreams that inspire us are beyond the range of universal perception. Yet to manifest our aspirations, we not only need to know what it is we generally wish to achieve; we also need to clearly articulate these aims to ourselves and the universe. When we create a list of what we want, citing each item in as much detail as possible, our aspirations take on new substance. What was once a mere wish becomes real and achievable when put into words. As you pour the contents of your heart and soul into your list, your well-defined ambitions become a part of you, and the universe responds to your new determination by placing opportunities related to your objectives in your path.

Whatever the nature of your desires, your list can help you channel your intellectual and emotional power into your efforts to realize them. The list you create should not simply be a record of your individual goals. Rather, it should be a comprehensive, exhaustive catalog of each target you want to reach and your reasons for aiming for them. This may mean that your list will encompass many pages of text, since when you write down and review your ambitions, you empower yourself to more accurately direct your goal-realization efforts. You then also have a framework in place that helps you distinguish success from setbacks. If you keep your list in a convenient spot and review it daily, you will inadvertently reaffirm your conviction to your aspirations, demonstrating to the universe that you are truly devoted to your chosen path while keeping your objectives fresh in your mind. If you have an altar, this would be a great place to keep your list.

As you compose your list, try not to edit or judge what you have written. Some of what you want may seem outlandish when considered in the context of your current circumstances. Whether you are destined to fulfill the items on the unique long-term agenda you create in a year, 10 years, or 20 years, if you are free with your ideas and understand that you may not bring these dreams into the realm of reality for some time, your list will attract the universe's benevolence even as it energizes and inspires you.

The Loss of Tower Records and an Older Landmark Music Store, Wallachs Music City by Marcia

On her personal blog, Quantum Leaps, my celestial sister, Sonja, lamented the loss of her old friend, Tower Records. Tower was an old friend to many of us. I recall traveling and finding myself in a large city for the first time and seeing Tower Record's familiar marquee. Suddenly the city didn't seem strange anymore. But the subject of this particular blog is not Tower Records. The subject is another landmark record and music store that lost the same type of fiscal battle in the late 1970's. I would love to hear from anyone reading this blog who visited Wallachs Music City, on the corner of Sunset and Vine in Hollywood, California, 2 blocks west of RCA Records, 5 blocks south of Capitol Records, in the heart of Hollywood's music industry. In addition to the best selection of vinyl in the city of angels, Wallachs carried sheet music, scores, musical instruments, turntables, record changers, all grades of blank recording tape for reel-to-reel and a respectable stock of diamond needles for most popular turntables. But what is most memorable to me were the 12-15 individual sound booths along the window wall, facing Sunset Boulevard. Customers could actually take records into the booths and listen to them before deciding to purchase. The sound booths were marginally bigger than a phone booth. Customers usually stood while they listened and though the booths were built for one person, two people could cozy up close and listen together. It was in these sound booths that I first heard Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Ike Turner, Johnny Cash, Frankie Lane, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Stan Kenton, Stan Getz, Cal Tjader . . . not to mention RCA Victor Red Label classics and movie soundtracks. More than once my boyfriend and I would wait for a pedestrian to pass our window so we could steel a kiss. 45 singles started to become obsolete, 45 EP's and 33's were in and the payola scandel was hot. The closing of Wallachs Music City was the end of an era in Hollywood. Wallachs is featured in The Bruce Torrence Hollywood Photography Collection. It doesn't look like much in Bruce's black and white photos but Wallachs was king in Hollywood back in the day when sugar gave you energy, cigarettes calmed your nerves, meat and cheese were good for you and the sun was a good source of vitamin D.

A Hallowed Rose by Marcia

Believe it or not . .
It's another sweetshot . . .

A rose of a color
I've never seen . . .
The hue of pumpkin
before Halloween !

Trick or Treat?

Bye for now. I have to get ready for All Hallows Eve !
I'm going as a blogger.

Happy All Saints Day everyone !
Marcia
a.k.a. sweetshot