A blog about Kern County and News.
Gender: female Member Since: June 30, 2006 Last Signed In: September 07, 2008 Profile Views: 7672 Blog Views: 22029 Sweat Shops right Here in Our Town:Life as it should not be. PolitiFact~ another tool to cool the hot air and get the facts David Hoffman on loss and gain Searching Who to Vote For? Dark Skies Convicted The Silent War~ Women for Women International Amazing Grace~ the life of Wilbur Wilberforce Greater World Gifts Internet Flaw:Black Hat Conference July 06 August 06 September 06 October 06 November 06 December 06 January 07 February 07 March 07 April 07 May 07 June 07 July 07 August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 "Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats." Diane Arbus My life seems to operate sideways~ backwards almost~ and I have come to see thats right for me. A rain of snakes,disruption that cause's growth ,the world split in two.Everyone has there own path,mine has been one of thought,mostly of things folks today seem to disregard. Truth, personal integrity,politeness,...not all eschew these things.For me its been the easiest way to be~ any other way leads me to more trouble..and a sense of humor,above all about myself. Laughter keeps a person sane,and I enjoy seeing the coyote in myself~ the eternal trickster 
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In the interest of full disclosure,I love this country!. Every so often all the leaders gather together in a show of solidarity,no matter who the commander in chief is. Scotus in the front row,VP,Speaker of the house in back of the President...it just fills me with pride that in a world full of military take overs,dictators,holocausts, that we stand for civil government . I really liked the idea of a military person being allowed to pass hi/her education benefits to their children. More help for the south to rebuild after Katrina. The call for a humane solution to the illegals here to become citizens, for a greener energy solution..the stuff I am not so happy with I want to leave till later. Like a bride on her honeymoon~ i just wanted to say how proud I am of my fellow citizens and my country. And no,I did not play the drinking game!
Set in 1916 in Ireland, THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY, is a beautifully, tightly filmed tale of rebellion, the fight for Irish independence and the fates of two young men. Damien ~ (Cillain Murphy) and Teddy ~ (Padraic Delaney) start out as both brothers and comrades in at arms, yet at films end are tragically divided. The film explores the costs of freedom, the many sides of how one can view the path to freedom~ and asks which way to freedom is the least costly. The core scene to me is the moment when the treaty has been worked out, and Irish court is in session. A woman has borrowed money, and not repaid it. The lender is charging 500% interest (in reality the rate was at 800% but the films director set it lower so people would believe it) and the court orders him to pay the woman, as the rate is exorbitant. He refuses, and while being hauled off to jail, Teddy whisks him off to the pub to work out a compromise. Teddy is asked to come back into court to explain his actions. He says a shipment of guns is expected and he needs the lenders money to buy them. His brother and others feel this is disrespecting the courts and what they fought for, complete independence from England. That scene brilliantly illustrates the choice many an idealist, for many a cause faces. Does one stick to the ideal or make compromise, take baby steps, to the desired end result? In the end one sides with the purists. The thick brogue can make the film hard to understand (I watched it twice to catch the rhythm ), and the brutality is harsh. The contrast of the Irish training with hurley bats, against the Black and Tans well armed troops is startling. The scene where an English sergeant uses rusty pliers to pull off the fingernails of one of the freedom fighters or, depending on your side, a terrorist, is vivid. The burning of homes, a senseless death because one boy refuse to say his name in English, are somehow balanced by the lovely green scenery, and great performances from the actors and the unknowns. Director Ken Loach deserves the Palme d'Or he won for this film. It will stir the rebel’s heart in us all; make you voice the rebel yell. Yet feel the cost in your bones.
It is all over the net,youtube etc...what is your answer? Bono,An astronaut,Kissinger,a mother,Peres,a college student,Karzai,a young boy,Emma Thompson,a working woman,Yo Yo Ma, and more are responding:check out the youtube video and go to http://www.youtube.com/ to see the replies. The question being posed is: "What one thing do you think that countries, companies or individuals must do to make the world a better place in 2008?" Dear Subscriber: I wanted to give an update on my post ,http://people.bakersfield.c... . The trial has been postponed twice,the last time because some DNA from the alleged perpetrator was found on the victim and needed to be processed. This is good news as the alleged perpetrator had been claiming he did not know the victim. They had the DNA from when she under went surgery after the attack,so why it was just "found" is something I have no answers for.There is also no answer for my original question,why? The trial is scheduled for February, so I hope to have the results then...yet there is no good outcome for any concerned here. The young woman is still suffering the effects of the attack,upon hearing the trial would start she broke down~but that at the least has led her into counseling. The alleged perpetrator is still in jail,word is his mother refuses his calls. The neighborhood has calmed down,but to call it a neighborhood ignores the fact it is really an armed camp. I could not sleep again last night,Kelsey's birthday is fast approaching. I recalled the time he ,so sweetly,looked back at me and "sneezed" his mouth-full of food all over my face...a sure sign of love and a full child.The time he heard us all speculating about what he was learning in swim class,how in my arms he pitched forward into the pool dunking his face and smiling wide when he pulled back up..he put an end to that wondering. There are millions of more moments,perhaps only moments a Mother could love. I wonder about that other Mother,does she have memories too? Surely she must and our pain ,while of different sorts, is still pain over loss. Sometime back another poster stated there are worse things than death . I took exception to that and in some ways still do. But I think about this young man,the same age as my child,his mother,her denial of him and his acts~ and I think there are worse things than death. A wasted life for one. I am glad my children's lives were not a waste.Nonetheless I weep for those who lives are wasted.
I was doing some reading, mostly Greek and Norse mythology, for it seems to me aspects of my character has been forged by both these cultures. The Greeks at first depicted their gods with very human qualities, and then as their culture became more sophisticated, the idea of gods who behaved as humans did, became unbelievable. Socrates, in the last half of the fifth centaury B.C. said, “The wise are doubtful and I should not be singular if I too doubted”. The myths had begun to lose their hold on men’s minds. The Norse mythology, the one I most relate to, is unlike any other dreamed of by man. It was shaped no doubt by the harsh environment, the long dark winters and the fragility of such a life. Their notion of Asgard is foreign to us; there is no joy or assurance of bliss. To attain Valhalla one must die a heroic death, and then await doom. Asgard, its gods and its humans know that in the last battle between evil and good, the evil giants will defeat the alliance between man and Gods. Asgard will fall in ruins, while the cause is hopeless, both man and the Gods will fight for it until the end. The only sustaining support for the human spirit is to choose heroism and heroism depends on lost causes. The power of good is shown by the continued resistance while facing certain defeat. It may at first appear fatalistic, but there is always a choice: to yield or go down fighting to doom. The heroes’ death is like the martyr’s, a triumph. The hero says, in effect, you can do nothing to me, because I do not care what you do. The Norse poet saw victory was possible in death and that courage is never defeated. Stern in its own way as the Sermon on the Mount, but the easy path has never held the allegiance of man for long. We are, lucky for somehow the two Icelandic Eddas survived the purge of all things pagan by the Christians. Elsewhere in northern Europe all the old stories, ways songs and traditions were obliterated A few fragments here and there survived Beowulf in England and the Nibelungenlied in Germany. If not for these works, the Elder Edda (circa 1300) and the Younger Edda (circa 1100), we would know little of the great Teutonic races. The Younger Edda is mostly a treatise on how to write poetry, with some prehistoric mythology not in the Elder Edda. It is the Elder Edda comprised of purely pagan poems, often of the same story, yet never connected that is the greater of the two. It contains the basics for a Norse Iliad, but no great poet came to work the poems as Homer did his source material. The Edda has pages of nothing but names; it is often childish, repetitive, crude and common. Nonetheless, the epic comes through, it seems as if the poets held greater conceptions than they could pen. The most splendid tales hold a hero, both men and women, who go to meet death, a deliberately chosen death, and often long planned for. The only light in the dark is heroism. THE CREATION “Of old there was nothing, Nor sand, nor sea, nor cool waves. No earth, no heaven above. Only the yawning chasm. The sun knew not her dwelling, Nor the moon his realm. The stars had not their places. There is prophecy in the Elder Edda, singularly like the book of Revelations, that after the defeat of the Gods~ The sun turns black, earth sinks in the sea, The hot stars fall from the sky, And fire leaps high about heaven itself ~ In wondrous beauty once again. The dwellings roofed with gold. The fields unsowed bear ripened fruit In happiness forevermore. Then would come the rule of one even greater than Odin and beyond the reach of evil~ A greater than all. But I dare not speak his name. And there are few who can see beyond The moment when Odin falls. This remote day is the only hope the Eddas offer as sustenance. Asgard will fall ,all be obliterated yet one day the world will begin anew. Oddly another part of the Eddas contain collected sayings of good sense that reflect no heroics ,and give a view of life that dispenses with it altogether. Like Proverbs, the writers here seem old men, ones who have returned from battle ,have reflected on life from a different point of view, even with a touch of humor. a)There lies less good than most believe In ale for mortal men. b)A man knows nothing if he knows not That wealth oft begets an ape. c)Tell one your thoughts, but beware of two. All know what is known to three. Some show shrewd knowledge of human behavior. a)A paltry man and poor of mind Is he who mocks at all things. b)Brave men can live well anywhere A coward dreads all things. A tolerant spirit appears occasionally~ A0No man has nothing but misery ,let him be ever so sick. To this one his sons are a joy ,and to that His kin, to another his wealth. And yet to another the good he has done. b)None so good that he has no faults, None so wicked that he is worth naught. Sometimes a depth of insight~ a)Moderately wise each one should be, Not over wise ,for a wise mans heart Is seldom glad. b)Cattle and kindred die. We also die. But I know one thing that never dies, Judgment on each one dead. These two line are among my favorite~ The mind knows only What lies near the heart. It is these thoughts and beliefs that are the undercurrent that hold me up in times of trouble. I will die, my choice is in how and why. Courage is all I have in the end. Fight the good fight.
there would then come a new heaven and earth~“ as told by an old wise woman.
The old has turned into the new, another cycle starts, and this New Year begins. The winds here are gusting off and on and finally a series of storms are lined up, heavy with the promise of rain, so far, only leaves are falling. Nonetheless the rain will come, cleaning our air, the plants and settling the inevitable dust. Rain ~elemental science magic. Basic precipitation occurs when calcium oxide and sodium hydroxide are emitted into the atmosphere, undergo chemical transformations, and are absorbed by water droplets in clouds. The droplets then fall to earth as rain, snow, or sleet. Sounds so dry, so clinical, yet we have all felt the power of a good cleansing rain. This week other forces have, both clinical and elemental, have been at work in my life. A lifelong friend has stepped up and has gone beyond the extraordinary, doing me an indescribable kindness. That kindness has lifted me up, helped make that which seemed impossible, possible. A warm rain of peace and hope has given me heart. The added benefit is that, this act has made me see how I hold myself back, yet again shown me exactly who my own worst enemy is. Always my battle, both spiritual and worldly, is with myself, the one thing that I both control positively and can control me negatively. This week also brought yet another babe into my circle of friends. What is it about the sweet smell of a new babes head? Those eyes that seem to take in more than you do , you can feel the optimism, the openness, the sheer wonder of it all with just a glance into a child’s face. While other focus on all the slight imperfections(the couple, the house, their prospects) I can only see promise, not wanting to cast a ray of doubt on what is a precious few moments of pure possibility. To help in bringing forth only the best, acknowledging the possibility of the worst ~yes. But I will not tend that fire, doom and gloom will be brought by another’s hand, not mine. The Iowa caucus is old news; New Hampshire and Super Tuesday loom large. However, I ask a moment of reflection on what really came out of Iowa. Yes some, won, some lost. However, by the large numbers that turned out, I am heartened, it is as if Iowa said, “I know one vote can not make a difference, but I am voting anyway.” I am heartened it was talk of policy and not money that drove the delegate’s choices. Bombardment of slick ads did not win the day, slow reasoned talk did. It is as if Iowa said, “I know, all is corrupt past bearing, yet I am not”. I am very encouraged that despite a slip or three it was not negativity that won the day, it was a sense of union. It is as if Iowa said, “We are Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, but we are Americans first and last.” Both of the major parties picks went on in their acceptance speeches to urge a new day. From Barack Obama’s victory speech, “We are choosing hope over fear. We're choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America. “ From Mike Huckabee’s victory speech, "Tonight, we proved that American politics still is in the hands of ordinary folks like you," Huckabee told supporters in Des Moines. "A new day is needed in American politics, just like a new day is needed in American government," he said. It is as if the politicians have heard the people, more and more people each day asking for a united country, a country of red, white and blue melded into one symbol, for the common good. Could it be at long last we tire of hating each other? Could it be we long to burry our rancor at our fellow citizens? Could we dare to hope for a new day, for a rain to wash the past away? Could we be ready for the hard work of forgiveness, so we can forge a consensus? I know this much to be true: when all I can see is the negative, that is all I see and often exactly, what I get. On those moments when faced with the surety of the negative, when I can stop myself, turn and see the possibility of the good, I often receive that good. There are still mountains of ill, so much so it often overwhelms me. However, other hands than mine must tend that fire. I go to make a fire by the shinning city on a hill, I go to nurture pure possibility in babies, and I go to see what is good and great in my country. I go to await change and the cleansing rain.  N.H. Debate: The Dems' Turn January 6, 2008
When the going gets tough, the tough get misleading.
Summary
During the Democratic portion of the Jan. 5 New Hampshire debate:
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