PART 1
PART 2
SOMEWHAT LATER
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
What is Happiness?
by BB2
In our everyday lives we strive for happiness, but are we looking in the right places?
Do money and possessions make us happy? Or power? A big car or boat? How about a $120 a plate dinner? A 60" plasma TV set?
Think about it!
Somalia - a bowl of rice, Bangladesh - a thatched roof against the monsoon, Iraq - a restful night without the sounds of car bombs and gunshots, Palestine - a piece of land to call ones own, Chechnya - ones own government, Africa - an end to AIDS, South America - freedom from the drug lords, Iran - freedom of the fear of being nuked.
Happiness comes in many forms, but what is true happiness?
I believe it comes from within and is an acceptance of ones self and ones place in the world. It can't be bought or sold. All the rest may bring comfort but until one has self acceptance and self value true happiness is elusive.
Some of the happiest people I have met are those with the least.
Years ago one of my friends lost his house and everything he owned in a fire. I was amazed when he told me how good he felt, how it was the most liberating thing in his life. Though mystified at the time, over the years I have come to understand his perspective.
There is an old saying: I used to cry because I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet.
.
In our everyday lives we strive for happiness, but are we looking in the right places?
Do money and possessions make us happy? Or power? A big car or boat? How about a $120 a plate dinner? A 60" plasma TV set?
Think about it!
Somalia - a bowl of rice, Bangladesh - a thatched roof against the monsoon, Iraq - a restful night without the sounds of car bombs and gunshots, Palestine - a piece of land to call ones own, Chechnya - ones own government, Africa - an end to AIDS, South America - freedom from the drug lords, Iran - freedom of the fear of being nuked.
Happiness comes in many forms, but what is true happiness?
I believe it comes from within and is an acceptance of ones self and ones place in the world. It can't be bought or sold. All the rest may bring comfort but until one has self acceptance and self value true happiness is elusive.
Some of the happiest people I have met are those with the least.
Years ago one of my friends lost his house and everything he owned in a fire. I was amazed when he told me how good he felt, how it was the most liberating thing in his life. Though mystified at the time, over the years I have come to understand his perspective.
There is an old saying: I used to cry because I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet.
I used to cry because I had no gloves until I met a man with no arms!
I think he's happy - what about you?
.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Tuesday Topic
by BB2
The sixth Tuesday Topic has now been posted at One Million Blogs for Peace.
For anyone who has been following the Tillman and Lynch stories in the blogosphere, neither of the revelations from the hearings this week will come as any surprise.
What is good about the hearings is the fact that the truth is now beginning to receive coverage in the main stream media.
Here is yesterday's Tuesday Topic:
Tuesday, 24 April 2007
It has recently been revealed that at least two highly publicized accounts of U.S. soldiers in the Iraq War were largely, if not wholly, falsified.
What does this say to you about the motives of those prosecuting the Iraq War?
How much faith do you have that any of the information we are getting about Iraq has validity?
The sixth Tuesday Topic has now been posted at One Million Blogs for Peace.
For anyone who has been following the Tillman and Lynch stories in the blogosphere, neither of the revelations from the hearings this week will come as any surprise.
What is good about the hearings is the fact that the truth is now beginning to receive coverage in the main stream media.
Here is yesterday's Tuesday Topic:
Tuesday, 24 April 2007
It has recently been revealed that at least two highly publicized accounts of U.S. soldiers in the Iraq War were largely, if not wholly, falsified.
What does this say to you about the motives of those prosecuting the Iraq War?
How much faith do you have that any of the information we are getting about Iraq has validity?
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Waiting for the Tuesday Topic
by BB2
It seems this weeks Tuesday Topic is slow in coming. The Blogmaster at One Million Blogs For Peace may still be away as he mentioned in the latest post at his blog.
Therefore as we wait for this week's topic I shall bring a little light hearted musical interlude to break the dirge like atmosphere around here.
[special thanks to Homeyra for hanging this on the wall at her wonderful home which is Forever Under Construction]
(I don't know how she keeps getting those building permit extensions.)
Late nite music with wacky Iranians
.
It seems this weeks Tuesday Topic is slow in coming. The Blogmaster at One Million Blogs For Peace may still be away as he mentioned in the latest post at his blog.Therefore as we wait for this week's topic I shall bring a little light hearted musical interlude to break the dirge like atmosphere around here.
[special thanks to Homeyra for hanging this on the wall at her wonderful home which is Forever Under Construction]
(I don't know how she keeps getting those building permit extensions.)
Late nite music with wacky Iranians
.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
This One Too
by BB2
This man holds the position as this county's top law enforcement officer.
Jon Stewart presents Alberto's testimony
William Rivers Pitt tells us what it's all about.
I DON'T REMEMBER, I DON'T RECALL
I HAVE NO MEMORY, NO MEMORY AT ALL
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Tuesday Topic
by Bluebear2
Today is the fifth Tuesday in the Million Blogs for Peace endeavor to stop the war.
In the past week we have lost a great man. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was perhaps my favorite author. His works were so fitting for the time, as I was coming of age in the 60's.
In October, 2005 Kurt was interviewed on the PBS show "Now" and read a letter to George W. Bush:
He also went on to say we have a 2 party system. The winners and the losers. The winners are made of two groups. The Republicans and the Democrats. The losers are the rest of us.
In this past week we have also had a tragic incident at Virginia Tech which has taken over the media's attention. Bush has raced off to the scene to use it as another of his backdrops to try and gain political points. Much the same way he has been using our military personnel.
At the same time, the scandals: Gonzales getting caught lying about his actions; Rice facing a subpoena; Rove being exposed for obstruction of justice; several years worth of government e-mails deleted; Cheney facing articles of impeachment, all are receiving no notice.
Therefore it is only fitting that this weeks Tuesday Topic is based on a quote of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and a pitcher of warm spit.
Fifth Tuesday Topic
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
When asked about the anti-war movement during Vietnam and at the time, during 2003, Kurt Vonnegut (who passed away last week) said the following:
"When it became obvious what a dumb and cruel and spiritually and financially and militarily ruinous mistake our war in Vietnam was, every artist worth a damn in this country, every serious writer, painter, stand-up comedian, musician, actor and actress, you name it, came out against the thing. We formed what might be described as a laser beam of protest, with everybody aimed in the same direction, focused and intense. This weapon proved to have the power of a banana-cream pie three feet in diameter when dropped from a stepladder five-feet high.
And so it is with anti-war protests in the present day. Then as now, TV did not like anti-war protesters, nor any other sort of protesters, unless they rioted. Now, as then, on account of TV, the right of citizens to peaceably assemble, and petition their government for a redress of grievances, 'ain't worth a pitcher of warm spit,' as the saying goes."
What do you think of this quotation?
How do you think the modern anti-war movement can rise above the value of a pitcher of warm spit?
Today is the fifth Tuesday in the Million Blogs for Peace endeavor to stop the war.In the past week we have lost a great man. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was perhaps my favorite author. His works were so fitting for the time, as I was coming of age in the 60's.
In October, 2005 Kurt was interviewed on the PBS show "Now" and read a letter to George W. Bush:
"I am an elder in this the greatest Democracy in the history of the world. I will be 83 in November. I am a member of what has been called the Greatest Generation. I am a combat infantry veteran with a Purple Heart and a Battle Star and I now want to put my President on notice and I'm talking about IMPEACHMENT! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!The moderator then asked what he meant by the oral sex item. Kurt explained that it seemed to be the only thing left that would cause an impeachment. (This comment was not specific to Bush, but rather to politicians in general)
If he commits oral sex in the oval office, and I don't care with whom, that will be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
OUT HE GOES!
There. I've thrown down the gauntlet! If that be treason, make the most of it!"
He also went on to say we have a 2 party system. The winners and the losers. The winners are made of two groups. The Republicans and the Democrats. The losers are the rest of us.
In this past week we have also had a tragic incident at Virginia Tech which has taken over the media's attention. Bush has raced off to the scene to use it as another of his backdrops to try and gain political points. Much the same way he has been using our military personnel.
At the same time, the scandals: Gonzales getting caught lying about his actions; Rice facing a subpoena; Rove being exposed for obstruction of justice; several years worth of government e-mails deleted; Cheney facing articles of impeachment, all are receiving no notice.
Therefore it is only fitting that this weeks Tuesday Topic is based on a quote of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and a pitcher of warm spit.
Fifth Tuesday Topic
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
When asked about the anti-war movement during Vietnam and at the time, during 2003, Kurt Vonnegut (who passed away last week) said the following:
"When it became obvious what a dumb and cruel and spiritually and financially and militarily ruinous mistake our war in Vietnam was, every artist worth a damn in this country, every serious writer, painter, stand-up comedian, musician, actor and actress, you name it, came out against the thing. We formed what might be described as a laser beam of protest, with everybody aimed in the same direction, focused and intense. This weapon proved to have the power of a banana-cream pie three feet in diameter when dropped from a stepladder five-feet high.
And so it is with anti-war protests in the present day. Then as now, TV did not like anti-war protesters, nor any other sort of protesters, unless they rioted. Now, as then, on account of TV, the right of citizens to peaceably assemble, and petition their government for a redress of grievances, 'ain't worth a pitcher of warm spit,' as the saying goes."
What do you think of this quotation?
How do you think the modern anti-war movement can rise above the value of a pitcher of warm spit?
Saturday, April 14, 2007
twenty minutes into the future
by Agent 99
Tired of agonizing about war and fascism? Max Headroom lightens the load while staying on message. (View some of his other work here.)
Tired of agonizing about war and fascism? Max Headroom lightens the load while staying on message. (View some of his other work here.)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Tuesday Topic
by Bluebear2
Today is the fourth installment of the One Million Blogs for Peace Tuesday topic.
I have chosen to post the film festival which follows as my answer to the request to post a photo regarding the war in Iraq.
If any of you have a photo you wish to submit, post a link or use the Thumbsnap utility in the comments to post your photo and I will upload it to this page. (Click on the little picture at the top of the comment edit box. Choose a photo from your computer. For internet photo - download photo to your computer first.)
Here is todays topic:
from Agent 99
"The extent of damage to the bridge was not immediately clear."
(AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed )
Today is the fourth installment of the One Million Blogs for Peace Tuesday topic.
I have chosen to post the film festival which follows as my answer to the request to post a photo regarding the war in Iraq.
If any of you have a photo you wish to submit, post a link or use the Thumbsnap utility in the comments to post your photo and I will upload it to this page. (Click on the little picture at the top of the comment edit box. Choose a photo from your computer. For internet photo - download photo to your computer first.)
Here is todays topic:
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Find and post a photo of the Iraq War.
What does this photo say to you about the war?
Do you think this photo could change others' minds about the war?
from Agent 99
"The extent of damage to the bridge was not immediately clear."
(AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed )
LIARS! LIARS! LIARS!
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
The Lies Go On
by Bluebear2
Last Sunday Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain made a big deal out of going shopping at the mall in Baghdad. He issued a glowing report on how well things were going there. Previously he claimed it was just as safe as walking in any large US city.
What wasn't well publicized by the MSM was the fact that he was wearing a flack jacket, was accompanied by 100 US soldiers, had three Blackhawk helicopters and two Apache gun ships and rode in armored vehicles.
Wolf Blitzer questions McCain's reality in an interview with embedded reporter Michael Ware who has been in Baghdad for the last 4 years.
Keith Olbermann checks in on the subject with Ex-CIA specialist Larry Johnson.
Juan Cole reports that the very next day after McCain's visit:
When will the Democrats live up to their promise and get to serious work on the issues that drove their rise to power in the last election? When will they impeach these traitors to the Constitution and ride them out of town, tarred and feathered on a rail or straight to the guillotine?
Last Sunday Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain made a big deal out of going shopping at the mall in Baghdad. He issued a glowing report on how well things were going there. Previously he claimed it was just as safe as walking in any large US city.
What wasn't well publicized by the MSM was the fact that he was wearing a flack jacket, was accompanied by 100 US soldiers, had three Blackhawk helicopters and two Apache gun ships and rode in armored vehicles.
Wolf Blitzer questions McCain's reality in an interview with embedded reporter Michael Ware who has been in Baghdad for the last 4 years.
Keith Olbermann checks in on the subject with Ex-CIA specialist Larry Johnson.
Juan Cole reports that the very next day after McCain's visit:
21 Shia market workers were ambushed, bound and shot dead north of the capital. The victims came from the Baghdad market [Shurja] visited the previous day by John McCain, the US presidential candidate, who said that an American security plan in the capital was starting to show signs of progress."When will our government stop lying to us? When will the deceptions stop? Don't they know we don't believe them anymore? When will they stop using our troops for their photo-op propaganda? When will this nightmare end?
When will the Democrats live up to their promise and get to serious work on the issues that drove their rise to power in the last election? When will they impeach these traitors to the Constitution and ride them out of town, tarred and feathered on a rail or straight to the guillotine?
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
quotable taunts
by Agent 99
Let's soothe our minds with something sort of fun, shall we?
Jabber IM with old uncle dave 5:46 PM:
"I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here."
--Stephen Bishop
"A modest little person, with much to be modest about."
--Winston Churchill
"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."
--Irvin S. Cobb
"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."
--Clarence Darrow
"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."
--William Faulkner (on Hemingway)
"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others."
--Samuel Johnson
"He had delusions of adequacy."
--Walter Kerr
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it"
--Groucho Marx
"They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge."
--Thomas Brackett Reed
"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him."
--Forrest Tucker
"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."
--Mark Twain
"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork."
--Mae West
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go."
--Oscar Wilde
"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."
--Oscar Wilde
"He has Van Gogh's ear for music."
--Billy Wilder
Grand Prize to Forrest Tucker -- an actor -- if you ask me!
Let's soothe our minds with something sort of fun, shall we?
Jabber IM with old uncle dave 5:46 PM:
"I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here."
--Stephen Bishop
"A modest little person, with much to be modest about."
--Winston Churchill
"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."
--Irvin S. Cobb
"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."
--Clarence Darrow
"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."
--William Faulkner (on Hemingway)
"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others."
--Samuel Johnson
"He had delusions of adequacy."
--Walter Kerr
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it"
--Groucho Marx
"They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge."
--Thomas Brackett Reed
"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him."
--Forrest Tucker
"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."
--Mark Twain
"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork."
--Mae West
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go."
--Oscar Wilde
"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."
--Oscar Wilde
"He has Van Gogh's ear for music."
--Billy Wilder
Grand Prize to Forrest Tucker -- an actor -- if you ask me!
Tuesday Topic
by Bluebear2
Today marks the third week of the One Million Blog campaign to enlist one million blogs in an effort to end the war in Iraq.
In the past week we've seen no resolution in the UK/Iran situation, with Bush stirring the pot by labeling the British sailors hostages and we've received warnings regarding an impending attack on Iran.
Senator McCain took a leisurely stroll through a Baghdad mall and didn't experience any problems and we finally received a confession from one of Guantanamo's worst offenders.
So here is today's Tuesday Question.
This one is harder to answer without knowing the Iraqi culture.
I'm going to have to think about this one.
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
Try to imagine yourself as a lifelong Iraqi citizen.
What do you think would motivate you?
How do you think your life would change if foreign combatants left the country?
How do you think you would feel about the United States and other occupying countries?
Today marks the third week of the One Million Blog campaign to enlist one million blogs in an effort to end the war in Iraq.In the past week we've seen no resolution in the UK/Iran situation, with Bush stirring the pot by labeling the British sailors hostages and we've received warnings regarding an impending attack on Iran.
Senator McCain took a leisurely stroll through a Baghdad mall and didn't experience any problems and we finally received a confession from one of Guantanamo's worst offenders.
So here is today's Tuesday Question.
This one is harder to answer without knowing the Iraqi culture.
I'm going to have to think about this one.
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
Try to imagine yourself as a lifelong Iraqi citizen.
What do you think would motivate you?
How do you think your life would change if foreign combatants left the country?
How do you think you would feel about the United States and other occupying countries?
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