Archive for the ‘Current Affairs’ Category

Why are my mom and dad arguing? Why are all the lights on? Is it morning, doesn’t feel like morning, it still looks dark outside. So goes the confusion of a preschooler when something is not right in the household.

War first affected me in my preschool years. While I was born seven years after WWII the impact was still felt in my household. My father was in “the war” and he served in WWII at the Battle of the Bulge, among other places. He was one of many who came home with post traumatic stress disorder. Of course at that time no one called it that. Veterans were suppose to man up and live with what they experienced. But walls have ears and the elephant does come out of the closet. My dad would wake up in night terrors and many nights I remember lights and conversation well after I was asleep for the night.

That was my first experience of what war did to the soldier. And his family. Whenever a soldier goes into battle it reaches many people at home, generations of family members will feel the ripple affect. That is what has happened in my family. This is about the path that built my patriotism.

I went to the Ardennes Forest near Bastogne, Belgium to see the war museum for the famous Battle of the Bulge about a decade ago. By then I was already a history fanatic. I walked away with a new found respect for the pressures of the soldier experience. Back then war was not televised as it is today so the average American did not see or know much. And we certainly did not have the shock effect of seeing people killed or tortured. That would come much later as I watched a small girl running down the streets of Viet Nam screaming as she was sprayed with Napalm while Walter Cronkite droned out the details. And now with the Internet we are literally sitting next to a soldier’s arm watching over his (or her) shoulder. Before this time the only other story I knew of in my family was my great great grandfather being a prisoner of war during the Civil War. I also visited this historical site to gain a better appreciation for what he fought for. But that is another story, another day.

I wanted to piece together a broken childhood and why I became who I am. How the experience shapes how I mother and feel about the world scene now. Also why my children chose the path they have taken. It didn’t take long to understand the experience and see that the same scenario of war would be played out in my youth and again today.

Jump to the 1960s and Americans are fighting an unpopular war in Viet Nam. Those of us at home were divided. We pounded on LBJ to bring home our soldiers and get them out the hell out of Viet Nam. Peace rallies, mob actions coupled with those American soldiers who felt the call to support our nation reached an all time high of disruption. From the soldiers point of view they really believed they were fighting for our freedom. That they were dying so we could do or say what we wanted at home. Even saying we blamed them. America has been supported by a militia that is as old as the country, so why wouldn’t our soldiers go? In this tumultuous air the Viet Nam vets came home, affected like my dad with PTSD. Not as a hero, but to a country blaming them for a war they did not choose. Again I followed that war historically when I was in college and do so now. It wasn’t so cut and dry as being right or wrong.

War is never easy. Most of us do not want it or want to be a part of it. Most of us do not even get to make a decision of what conflicts are decided on or not. About the only thing that we can do is use our freedom of speech and hope it influences those who listen. Back in the Viet Nam era I was so angry at my country. That Big Dog America jumping in everyone’s country doing things I felt were so very wrong. I still hate war. But I am have new found patriotism now.

I was not here in America when 9-11 happened. I was in a foreign country living “on the economy”. I was alone the day my husband called me to turn on CNN. No family or friends to support me as I was shocked once again by the terror that took place. Immediately grabbing the phone to call “home” to family and friends only to be locked out of the communication sent me into a panic. Fear gripped me. I soon was quite aware I was a stranger in a foreign land of people with a lot of anger towards Americans already built on prior experiences. When you live on the economy you do not get the protection of an American military base to hide inside the walls as chaos breaks forth. You live with your neighbors. You follow the Embassy reports. Reports telling Americans “to keep a low profile”. But how? The neighbors know we are Americans. When you live in another country you find out real soon how they feel about that Big Dog America. Pretty much it isn’t positive. So when I hear Muslims stressed at being targeted now for what terrorists are doing I get it. Oh yeah, I get it. The difference for me is that I “looked” like the people in this foreign country so if I kept my mouth shut I could blend it. Color of skin and dress is a giveaway. It is very stressful being at that level of discomfort on a daily basis.

I heard people saying very mean things about my country. The country I couldn’t contact, the country where my children and grandchildren were. The country I could not get to so I could see if everyone was safe and be safe. I had to just be there by myself while my husband was at work on a military base. Waiting. Hearing NATO helicopters flying back and forth over my house with dignitaries making decisions that affected me and mine added to the absolute impotency of the moment.

So yeah, I get the anger at our government right now. I get that. But many things are hidden from us so we do not see it. You have to dig, question, and not take at face value what you see. When I came back to America I was never so happy in my life. I didn’t like living among people who were repulsed because I was American. Not all were like that of course, just like not all Americans are angry at Muslims today but, enough to need to keep a guard up. I swore I would never live abroad again. And I won’t. But what I don’t get anymore is being angry at the protector. I wanted so badly to be inside the circle of trust on American soil. But I wasn’t. I still do not agree with a lot of policies in America but that is what makes us a democracy. I get to speak up and vote. I have rights. I had years of no rights and it was very scary. What I don’t get is being so unhappy that I hear people actually hating their own country. Politically we are lucky we can leave and become a citizen of another country if it is so unappealing. Try that in a communist country or any other oppressive government you can think of.

Patriotism has shaped me in a big way but I think my experience living in a foreign country was the one space of my life that define who I am today. I like the security of living here in America because it is who I am and where I am from. I do not blindly follow my government as I have heard some people say baby boomers do. No way! I want to know. I ask, ask, ask. Someone gets disturbed about something America does then lets find out why. Someone disagrees with a policy then fight for one you believe in. But I want answers, provable answers when a statement is made. If that makes those I ask questions of uncomfortable then maybe they should start asking questions too!

Patriotism defined is a love or devotion to one’s country. That doesn’t say blind obedience to me. But it does say how I feel. Patriotism is one of there major areas that have have shaped me.

Next Part 2 is about how religion has shapes me.

The man sat down next to me on the bench. I was there to wait on my daughter while she took her driver’s test. He was quiet, oriental and old. I am known to be able to start a conversation with anyone so this was another opportunity. I thought it was just going to be me creating 20 minutes of chatter but this man had more to offer. He began by telling me of his life in China and how he got to the United States. The causes he had seen and been a part of.

What took me back to this memory is all the chaos in the name of social justice that is swirling around us on a daily basis. That man, just a little old man sitting quietly on a bench, had seen things and done things I had only heard of in history books. Now I find I too am living in my history. I find that social consciousness has become “trendy”. Again.

For me the history I am living right now is exasperating. In a word I sum the world I see around me filled with “hate”. There is a social action group for this, a social action group for that. The Christians hate the Muslims. The Muslims hate the Christians and not sure where the Jews fit in but I am sure they are subjected to the hate or being hateful to someone. Or it is the color of one’s skin? Whether it is white, black, brown, red or yellow. Coupled with hate of a religious group comes hate of any ethnic group. And while I am at it the political parties hate each other too. And did I mention gays or witches or atheists?

The media feeds on all this hate coupled with the open exploitation of personal woes facing the rich and famous. Shocking! Oh yes, but please don’t interrupt me while I read more, watch more, hear more. And the crisis of lives lost in storms, earthquakes or war. Yes friends there is more going on than in Pakistan. When is the last time you check into Latin American news?

Believe me, I think social consciousness is good. I think it is great. And we all should care about our fellow man (or woman), the earth and what we are doing to it. But I have always believed a social cause should begin with the end of the mind. I think that having a goal in mind before running off is crucial. I had a boss once that whenever I would burst into his office with an idea (because as a Tigger I just bounced right in) he would settle back into his chair look up at me as say, “Amanda, I won’t listen to your idea until you have plan. If you want something done come to me with a plan not just a complaint”. That was a major life lesson for me. And I find I expect no less from others. Everyone is complaining but with no plan on how to fix it. So that leads me to wonder, does anyone want things fixed or does everyone just want to bitch about it? Because, you know, it takes effort to affect change instead of rant with the “f” word here and the “f” word there.

Loud to me is not always better. There have been those who do and have made an effect on mankind without shocking everyone senseless. Mother Teresa is one person I think of (and no I am not Catholic). This physically little tiny lady spent her life making a difference in the lives of many people in India and being an inspiration around the world. If she did use shock to get attention someone please correct me. I don’t remember her spewing the “f” word right and left to prove she cared about mankind.

Other groups that have my admiration are those that help the needy like Mobile Loaves & Fishes – Miracles on Wheels. I would be so turned off if they felt they had to get on a soap box of anger. But their mission statement is about helping everyone no matter what race or religion they are. A lot of people say they are into interfaith organizational assistance for the needy but still fight amongst themselves about who has the direct line to the Almighty. How does that promote interfaith?

I am not a pie in the sky person. I know there is a lot of injustice in the world. But I don’t have to be shocked by it to know it is there. I know animals are mistreated, I know women are abused, I know children need to be protected from pedophilia and I know there are millions of people throughout the world that are hungry or dying. But what I don’t think is I need it thrown in my face using expletives to get my attention. And we all have a choice. There are those that need to do or say things because they need to. People get shocked. Even judgmental, calling down divine judgment at these individuals they condemn. To what end? No one says we have to read or listen to things that are disturbing to us. We can not read that blog, comment on our social network or guess what, we can just walk away. Or in fact, just speak up! Say I am walking away here but I simply do not care what you have to say! Yes, we all get to decide. You can simply not care.

The old Chinese man on that bench that morning taught me a life lesson, he wasn’t loud, rude or passionate with anger. But he had something to share. What I did with that information was up to me. I asked, he didn’t just start a tirade about his noble cause in China. Our conversation has stayed with me over the years.

I don’t want to live in a bubble. I tune in daily to CNN, BBC, New York Times, USA Today, The Daily Telegraph and the Los Angeles Times. Sometimes I lose control and get upset about what I am hearing like the story about Harold Camping’s doomsday prophecy because with no thought about the people affected who committed suicide over his prophecy he just came back with another prediction. That got me riled up. But then I am riled up that hard working Pakistanis eking out a living are subjected to abuses under the Taliban too. I do care but ranting is not going to change these lives. Change is.

And so as I move in the “silver years” of life I hope that I can say and more importantly do something that effects at least one life positively. But I don’t have to cuss my brains out to prove it! Anger is so freaking disturbing!

Earth Day is a whopping 40 years old this year. It was started to boost awareness about the environment. I was there and ready to get a move on to save the planet and reduce my carbon foot print and I have never looked back.

New ideas come up about recycling, saving energy or reducing waste. But many of these ideas are just the old ones rehashed for the younger generation. For example, the computer was not as prevalent 40 years ago so green methods are being advised now. Such as printing on both sides of your paper or putting your computer to sleep when not in use are two ways we can save energy. And another electronic saving of energy is teaching children to turn off video games or other electronics when not in use

We have all gotten use to “BYOB”. Not “bring your own beer” but “bring your own bags”! We do not even blink when we see someone with an armful of bags trotting off to the store with their bags in tow. Some retailers even offer savings if you BYOB.

But! One energy saver I am totally against is the Energy-Star rated CLF light bulbs. They are inefficient and do not live up to their touted claim that they will give you financial savings. Some say they will knock off about $30 over the lifetime of the bulb which, is suppose to last for say, ten years. So after you divide $30 dollars by ten years I had to ask  is that a real savings? And! I ran out and bought these expensive CFLs replacing all my old ones. In less than a year they are burning out in all the light fixture. Someone failed to tell me that we had to get CFL light fixture. Thankfully I saved all my old incandescent light bulbs so I am not out financially there. And what to do with the burned out ones that are laced with toxic ingredients is a real kicker. Someone failed to tell us that all CFLs are imported from another country so if they decide not to import what are we suppose to do about that! As you can tell nothing about this light bulb says saving in time or money to me. A lot will have to change about CFLs to get me convinced I am helping the planet.

For the last 40 plus years I have gathered my newspapers, magazines, papers, cardboard and plastic. Sometimes I did gather glass but now I live in a State that does not recycle glass so I have get creative in reusing as much as possible. I even recycled faithfully while spending years overseas while living in Belgium. Taking my cartons all separated per instructions to the recycle park regularly. I have always just saved my recycles and found somewhere to take them because it just seems like common sense.

Simple ideas like planting trees strategically on the south and west side of your house can be useful to keep your house cooler in the summer is another way to save the planet. (A word of caution: DO NOT over plant. A tree if dropped on its side on the ground has a root system as far out as the height of the tree! You have water and electric lines to consider.) And remember they will need maintenance, don’t want the limbs dragging on the roof! Those limbs are recyclable too.

Home electronics have been upgraded to aid us to save like energy saving washer/dryer units, dishwashers, low flow shower heads and more efficient toilets. Great that technology is helping us out right?

If you cannot think of ways to save and recycle consider these few tips:

• Small glass food jars are great for storing nuts, screws and other small shop items. I use some to prepare my Hummingbird food.
• Magazines (a great tip from Hints from Heloise) can be rolled up and stuck in your boots to keep their shape and you get the added bonus that they absorb odors too!
• Used coffee grounds? Don’t throw this away! Acid loving plant like azaleas love them.
• Those messy foam packing peanuts are great to use in the base of potting plants for better drainage.

There are so many ways to cut corners. Do not get overwhelmed with trying to do it all. Just pick a few areas. A few is better than none. And no guilt! I do not recycle perfectly but I keep trying to lower my carbon footprint.  Here are a few more ways you can get rid of an old item, try www.freecycle.org, donate to a Thrift Store (and yes, they will pick up your things) or post on Craigslist. Just remember your things have to be usable!

As Earth Day rolls around I am reminded of doing something to eliminate waste. What about you?  “Happy Earth Day my friends”

Below is a link to a beautiful poem about Earth Day, enjoy!

A Poem, Earth Day

So what about pigeons? We see them in city streets and around us all the time. We have gotten so use to them that well, you know, we consider them pests.

Pigeon House in Egypt

The other day someone sent me a picture of pigeon houses in Egypt. Hmm.. I thought, so what is the deal with pigeons anyway? Besides the fact that they have lived among us for thousands of years what possible use could they have right?

Well lo and behold pigeons have a ton of great uses and are very smart! In fact they are considered one of the most intelligent birds on this planet. Did you know the little critter can recognize their own image  in a “mirror test”.  And that is not all. They can recognize all 26 letters of the English language. They also have the ability to conceptualize  meaning they recognize and separate what they see.

Oh don’t be caught off guard by their bobbing heads as they bop around the yard. There is actually a reason those little avian do that. Theyhave  monocular vision so they bob their heads for depth perception Yep. They have a reason for bobbing about, it is so they can correctly orient themselves.

Pigeons have been war heroes and messengers. Many religious groups feed pigeons for religious reasons. In the Christian religion a pigeon (otherwise known as a dove) is used as a symbol of peace and of the Holy Spirit.

That bird does get around, does it not! I think the thing that intrigues me most about pigeons is how they can remember where they came from and where they are going. While there are many theories as to why that happens “a 10 year study at Oxford University concluded that pigeons use roads and freeway to navigate, in some cases even changing direction at freeway junctions”. Still others feel the earth’s magnetic field has something to do with their homing abilities but, for whatever reason it is a remarkable feat, would you not agree?

Two famous pigeons that received recognition were Cher Ami (Dear friend) who saved the lives of French soldiers by carrying messages across enemy lines. Poor Cher Ami was shot in the chest and leg. But! the pigeon got the message home.  For that Cher Ami was awarded the French ‘Croix de Guerre’ for heroic service. Another pigeon of note was G.I. Joe who saved the lives of thousands of soldiers who served in World War II. G.I. Joe received the ‘Dickin” medal for bravery after flying 20 miles in 20 minutes.

So you thought pigeons were just another pest in your yard or on your window sill? Think again. They are big business in some circles. Can you believe one racing pigeon was sold for a cool $132,517.00? Some famous people today just love this little humble bird.

What got me to thinking about pigeon fanciers was Mike Tyson whom I saw on a TV spot the other day. He is a pigeon enthusiast and I later learned he is in good company with the late Elvis Presley and Paul Newman.

So who decided that pigeons were just pest? Who decided that they needed to go? I learned that early in the 20th century we humans completely wiped out the passenger pigeon. And to what end?  I think pigeons need to be respected for their role in our lives. People have chosen to take them in for various reasons and the lowly pigeons aka dove merely cooperated. So the next time you see a pigeon, think about how smart they are and how people have found a way to use their intelligence to aide them in our lives.

You can find more amazing facts about pigeons at http://www.deterapigeon.com/21-amazing-facts-about-pigeons.htm . At this website are probably questions that you have wondered about. But whatever you find you will never look at pigeons the same way again!

Today I reached an all time low tolerance for bad manners on the Internet. People get on a social networking site and think it is a license to say or do whatever they want. It isn’t, never was okay, never is going to be okay.

The number one etiquette rule is, “Don’t type something you wouldn’t say in real life. You shouldn’t hide behind a computer and say hurtful things that you wouldn’t dream of saying to someone’s face.” That simply is not nice. How could anyone think that was okay? Even the tone we use in our comments should be considered. It really is hard sometimes to tell if someone is joking or not. And TYPING IN ALL CAPS MEANS YOU ARE SHOUTING. Do we mean to shout? Why?

Another one that floors me is when posting pictures or talking about our personal life it is vital to remember everyone can see it. That means anyone that has ever been in our lives including our employer. Did you know that not only your employer checks you out on Facebook or Twitter but perspective employers, banks and other credit check businesses? Well, they do! And nothing is worse than an unflattering picture posted of you. Or a comment about how you tied one on last night with some hottie. No one likes it, right? Well maybe the mean spirited person who posted it does. This is one post I heard about. A girl was on a date she didn’t like, he dropped her off and she immediately posted a negative comment about her date! And guess who saw it! He did! Did she think she was invisible? How rude is that!

Venting is okay but there is a limit to the rights of freedom of speech in our world today. And guess what? There are laws to protect those who are defamed on social networking sites.  We just don’t get to go out and say and do what we want in America then holler “freedom of speech”.  Yep, everyone gets protection under the Freedom of Expression of the First Amendment.

Recently I read that some high schools students were defaming their principal on Facebook and were shocked when he filed charges. He has rights too. And just in case you are interested, rights protected under First Amendment, Freedom of Expression are: defamation, causing panic, fighting words, incitement to crime, sedition, obscenity, offense, and establishment of religion.

The thing I see is everyone thinks their rights are being stepped on but do they have to gain their freedom by stepping on someone else? Hey, I am not for government controlling our lives and I am certainly more than sick of “PC” being over the top but we have to deal with the Internet making our lives very transparent. And with that comes responsibility.

I enjoy my Facebook friends. I connect with family and friends while meeting new associations. If I didn’t have a social network I would probably rarely talk with my kids and now almost daily I get to intrude oops, I mean share in their lives (hee) This is great. But it doesn’t give me a license to tread on their rights in front of the entire Internet.

And friends, be careful!!!!! For every person who is a good contact there are others out there lurking on the web to create problems. So be aware of the personal information you give out! If I can find anyone I can think of on the Internet so can they. And! I do not have a technology degree, some of these hackers do. They are creeps. So I say know what to say and not say. It is not a place to air dirty laundry or our marital disputes or trouble with the in-laws, kids or whatever. It is not the place to be a drama queen and certainly not the place to make someone feel stalked. Sometimes a good old fashion email would be more prudent to communicate to contact someone.

Hey, listen this isn’t intended to be scary but, a wake-up call is prudent. And finally friends, always remember do not type something you would not say in real life if I was in the same room with you. And I will do the same!

Reference:

http://www.csulb.edu/~jvancamp/freedom1.html

I saw this in the newspaper today, it is so great I just had to share!!!