Musical Selection for today

Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto

The violin concerto (1939) is a transitional work: the first two movements sing sweetly and intently; the last movement burns the barn down with complex meters and new dissonances.

American composer Samuel Barber, most famous for "The Adagio for Strings", often confuses critics. He founded no school; he stuck to no one style. As a public figure, he seemed aloof from the various critical fights of American music: tonal vs. atonal, Stravinsky vs. Schoenberg, and old-guard vs. modern.

Barber distinguished himself as a melodist. Almost everything he wrote has at least one gorgeous tune or memorable theme.

On This Day

Births:

Rene Descartes 1596 - Philosopher, "I think, therefore I am"
Liz Claiborne 1929 - Fashion designer
Shirley Jones 1934 - Singer, Actress ("The Partridge Family")
Herb Alpert 1935 - Musician
Richard Chamberlain 1935 - Actor ("The Bourne Identity")

Al Gore 1948 - U.S. Vice President under President Bill Clinton

1732 - Composer Franz Joseph Haydn was born. He is known for helping to develop the Classical style.




Events:


1943 - "Oklahoma!" by Rodgers and Hammerstein debuted on Broadway. The original title was "Away We Go".
1492 - King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued an edict expelling Jews who were unwilling to convert to Christianity.

1776 - Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John that women were "determined to foment a rebellion" if the new Declaration of Independence failed to guarantee their rights.

...remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.

1880 - Wabash, IN, became the first town to be completely illuminated with electric light.
1889 - In Paris, the Eiffel Tower officially opened.
1904 - In India, hundreds of Tibetans were slaughtered by the British.
1918 - For the first time in the U.S., Daylight Saving Time went into effect.

1959 - The Dalai Lama (Lhama Dhondrub, Tenzin Gyatso) began exile by crossing the border into India where he was granted political asylum. Gyatso was the 14th Dalai Lama.

There's much more here.

...and then Jesus said

A modern Gospel in the computer age.

Many literal christian people create and forward emails that suggest that if you don't forward them (usually to ten people) you don't love Jesus or God. Some of them claim that because we haven't put "Jesus" back in our lives our country is in ruins and will get worse. So the disciples were afraid, (as usual in these circumstances) and asked the Lord, who was busy blogging at the time, about these things ...and then Jesus said:

Blessed are they who see through manipulation and idolization, for they shall not be moved by the scribes and pharisees of these days.

Blessed are they who have not created God in their image and worship a Father and Son that only exists in their fairytales and dreams for they, in not so doing may allow what Is to be known and therefore, who they and all truly are as well.

Blessed are they who do not foster their lame beliefs on others, for they do not project evil into the world that has no inherent evil and was pronounced good which has NOT changed, being of that which IS and has always BEEN and will always BE.

Blessed are they who pity and have patience with those who have no real awareness that I am in everyone and everything and that if they see me in everyone and everything they would be amazed and astonished and at peace, that peace that passeth understanding.

Blesssed are they who behold Christ within and all around them, for Creation IS the kingdom of Heaven and that creation is never separate from it's Creator and it's Creator is LOve.

Blessed are they who do not do the very things that claim to be honoring me but only keep the real me from them.

Blessed are they who forward this post to ten people immediately or they shall surely die.*


*I'm kidding.


And the disciples were amazed and astounded because they couldn't agree if he was kidding or not...and Jesus said, "duh."


me and Jesus in the EE

More Spring Photos in Newberry, SC

On this Date in History

Birthdays:

1853 Vincent van Gogh Zundert Netherlands
1940 Astrud Gilberto Brazil, singer (Girl From Ipanema)
1945 Eric Clapton [Eric Patrick Clapp] Ripley England, legendary guitarist/singer (Yardbirds, Cream, Tears in Heaven)
1964 Tracy Chapman US singer/songwriter (Freedom Now, I Got a Fast Car)
1968 Celine Dion Québec Canada, singer (I'm Your Woman)
1970 Secreteriat race horse, triple crown (1973)


Deaths:

1925 Rudolf Steiner Austrian philosopher (anthroposophy), dies at 64
1948 Mahatma Gandhi assassinated in New Delhi
1966 Maxfield Parrish US painter, dies at 95
2002 HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother dies at Royal Lodge, Windsor, at 101

Events:

0239 -BC- 1st recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
1533 Henry VIII divorces his 1st wife, Catherine of Aragon
1778 Playwright Voltaire crowned with laurel wreath
1842 Ether was used as an anaesthetic for 1st time by
Dr Crawford Long (Jefferson GA)
1858 Pencil with attached eraser patented (Hyman L Lipman of Philadelphia)
1867 US purchases Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 (2¢ an acre-Seward's Folly)
1870 15th Amendment passes, guarantees right to vote regardless of race
1870 Texas becomes last confederate state readmitted to Union
1889 John T Reid opens 1st US golf course (Yonkers NY)
1919 Gandhi announces resistance against Rowlatt Act
1932 Amelia Earhart is 1st woman to fly solo cross the Atlantic
1953 Einstein announces revised unified field theory

There's a lot more here.

Picture is of Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night." Click on it or his name above for link. Second picture is Maxfirld Parrish's "Daybreak." Then, of course, Gandhi.

Bull's-eye on Beavers

In The State Newspaper today:

Bull’s-eye on beavers
Dams causing damage, so rodents will be killed

The city of Columbia — weary of beavers building dams and swamping nearby sewer lines and manholes — has hired a federal agency to kill the animals.

City Council recently approved a $50,000 contract with The U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wildlife specialists will work for a year, killing beavers, breaking down dams and getting creeks and streams flowing again.

It’s too early to say how many animals will have to be killed.

The city may also get a helping hand from the animal rights organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which is working with the Virginia Department of Transportation on tackling similar beaver issues.

A PETA biologist is expected to visit Columbia and see if special water-control devices can be used in lieu of killing the rodents. A combination of methods might be the solution.

The article goes on to say:

Some animal activists, including those in PETA, say trapping is inhumane and ineffective because other beavers move into the area and build new dams.

Instead, Stephanie Boyles, a biologist with Virginia-based PETA, encourages cities to use water flow devices — pipes placed underneath dams which allow water to continue to flow.

The dams are left in place and the beavers are not killed.

“It’s more cost-effective and humane to invest in these long-term permanent solutions,” Boyles said, noting they’re cheap to build and maintain. “Otherwise, the animals will continue to recolonize those sites. The problem doesn’t go away.”

But Boyles concedes the devices don’t work in every situation. She’ll visit the city and assess whether they could work.

I would love to see the co-existance of humans with the natural world. I have had such a great experience while the beaver dam in Newberry was allowed to remain. It has since been destroyed.

I was priviledged to see several beavers including on one occasion the mother and a young kit. On another day, a beaver was on his back in the water munching on some leaves from an over-hanging branch. Several times I saw a large beaver making deliberations about breaches in the dam. I got to see turtles, various birds including a Little Green Heron, which was such a delight, as I had never seen one and did not know what it was for months. Of course I didn't have my camera with me that day. I saw a red-tailed hawk and watch and filmed it for almost 30 minutes. I left before he did. I saw muskrats, foxes, deer and dragonflies galore.

The night before they destroyed the dam I saw a Great Blue Heron at dusk at the edge of the pond and the next night across the street, probably wondering what happened to the pond.

The picture above is one I got from a video camera I was shooting with. Wish I had had a better camera for shooting stills. But the excitement and joy of being there was wonderful none-the -less.

When the dam was removed I could see how high the dam actually was frok it's lowest point. Roughly 6 to 7 feet and maybe 15 feet wide. It was in front of two culverts that passed under the road and the heavy rains had pushes it closer and closer to the culverts. It was only a matter of time before the whole thing would have been blocked off. I've sseen on TV where biologists have erected guards to keep dams away from culverts so the dam would not cause a problem.

Let's hope we can solve these problems with kindness towards out fellow creatures. They have so much to offer to anyone who would take the time to enjoy them.

Peace.

Frühlingsglaube (Spring's faith)

It's spring, a time for renewal and awakening. Poets throughout history have penned many a wonderful expression of man's sentiments relating to the seasons, to nature and the world in which we inhabit however briefly. German Lied or art song has many fine examples of such expression. I've been drawn to Franz Schubert's, (1797-1828) Frühlingsglaube, text by Johann Ludwig Uhland (1787-1862).

Die linden Lüfte sind erwacht,
Sie säuseln und wehen Tag und Nacht,
Sie schaffen an allen Enden.
O frischer Duft, o neuer Klang!
Nun, armes Herze, sei nicht bang!
Nun muß sich alles, alles wenden.

Die Welt wird schöner mit jedem Tag,
Man weiß nicht, was noch werden mag,
Das Blühen will nicht enden;
Es blüht das fernste, tiefste Tal:
Nun, armes Herz, vergiß der Qual!
Nun muß sich alles, alles wenden.

The mild breezes are awakened,
They whisper and move day and night,
And are at work everywhere.
O fresh scent, o new sound!
Now, poor heart, don't be afraid.
Now all, all must change.

The world is more beautiful with every day,
One knows not what yet may be,
The flowering will not end.
Even the deepest, most distant valley blooms.
Now, poor heart, forget your torment.
Now all, all must change.

The picture above is of Wisteria blooming now in South Carolina. We stopped on the side of the rode to take this picture and I got a good whiff of the beautiful and delicate fragrance.

"O Frischer Duft"

There is a link to Lieder in the sidebar. What a treasure of great poetry and music from the heart of Europe and from the Romantic Period of the Arts. (1820-1910) Schubert wrote the music for Frühlingsglaube in 1820 when he was in his early 20's and the author of the poem, (Uhland) in his early 30's.

Romantic Music.

Turtle Blogging and...

Wait, two of these are not turtles. Actually,
none of these is a turtle. They're pictures silly.




Nature around Newberry.




me in the EE

Quote

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

from Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

Amen.

Saw this at Got Liver?

Bob Barr Flip-Flops on Pot

From an article by Chris Frates

Bob Barr, who as a Georgia congressman authored a successful amendment that blocked D.C. from implementing a medical marijuana initiative, has switched sides and become a lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project.

Ironically, Barr said he will help lead the fight to give District residents a say on whether to allow medical marijuana — the very thing the “Barr Amendment” denied them in 1998. He will lobby for the rights of states to set their own medical marijuana policy without federal interference.

The four-term former Republican congressman will also work to unplug a youth anti-drug campaign which a recent study showed actually increased the likelihood that all teens would smoke pot.

“A lot of conservatives have expressed great concern over the taxpayer money that is being wasted on this poorly run advertising campaign,” said Barr, who left Congress in 2003.


more at link above...

Howard Zinn Live on G Living

War cannot be accepted any longer.

Two Anniversaries Today

Today marks two anniversaries for me. The first is a very joyous one - my two month anniversary of my liver transplant. So far I'm way ahead of the curve: no rejection episodes, liver is working great, and medication reactions are pretty much gone. Happy Day!!

The second anniversary isn't quite as joyous in that it marks the 23rd anniversary (time flies) of an F2 tornado destroying most of downtown Newberry, SC. We also had an F3 just outside of town. There was one death within the city limits and according to the NWS 10 others out in the county (I didn't know that.)

From Wikipedia:

The Carolinas Tornado Outbreak of March 28, 1984 was the most destructive to sweep through the two states since the Enigma tornado outbreak struck 100 years and 1 month earlier, according to NOAA and NCDC public records.

Weather records from March 28 indicate that an earlier tornado watch had been issued covering Northern Alabama and Georgia, and small tornadoes were reported in Barrow County (2:25 P.M., Eastern Standard Time) and Henry County (2:30 P.M., EST) in north Georgia. The first severe reports from North Carolina - golf-ball sized hail reports from Macon County, NC also occurred at this time. Severe storms began entering Western South Carolina by mid-afternoon, and tornado watches had been issued for most of South Carolina, North Carolina and a portion of Virginia.

I can remember it being a rather warm day and very sunny for most of the day. I was a senior at Mid-Carolina High in Prosperity. During last period I worked in the library and I can remember looking out the windows and noticing that the sky to the west was getting very dark. We all thought "Oh, great, thunderstorms and rain."

I also had a migraine headache that day. I had those frequently back then and they would really do a number on me. I had severe pain, light and sound sensitivity, nausea, and my eyes would water. I was miserable by the time I got in my Mom's 1977 Mercury Marquis station wagon that I drove to school (the "Kitty Hawk").

I was supposed to go down to the Ritz Theatre and work on the set and some other stuff for a show I was doing with the Newberry Community Players. I was Assistant Director/Stage Manager for the show, Crimes of the Heart. Instead, because of the headache I decided to go home and take a nap before rehearsal at 7pm.

I woke up at 5pm when my Mom shook me awake. She had a very scared look on her face. That's something that very rarely happened. My mother was a true Steel Magnolia. I could hear my dad on the telephone. That was also rare. She told me there was a tornado warning. Daddy hated talking on the phone. I realized he was talking to my sister who lived in the part of town known as "West End". We lived outside of town "in the country" in a mobile home.

Suddenly, my dad started yelling at my sister: "Get out of there!" Then he had the most horrible look on his face and dropped the phone and said to my mother and me, "Get in the car!"

I was terrified at that point and my mother was crying. We walked outside and the air was absolutely still. It looked like it was about 7pm at night with a weird orange glow to everything. The clouds were swirling and seemed like they were right above the treetops.

Daddy got us in the car and he drove. That was also weird, he always let Mama drive. We started up the drive and I asked if we were going over to Uncle Billy's house. He had a big brick house about 3 or 4 miles away and perpendicular to the path of the tornado. Daddy just shook his head and floored the accelerator when he turned onto SC 34 directing into the path of the storm. (This is the only time my father ever drove faster than 40 miles an hour!)

As I looked out the window I saw a tornado begin to dip out of the clouds into a field to our left. I pretty much knew at that point we were dead. But we kept going.

We got as far as Mt. Bethel Garmany Road and then ran into trees, power lines and debris all over the road. I thought we'd have to turn back but my dad decided to try another route. He was determined to get to my sister's house. We finally were forced to give up and go home as the police had closed off every road going into the city of Newberry. My sister later got word to us that she was fine and so were her kids.

When we got back home the steps in front of our trailer were about two feet away. I thought, "That's weird. The tornado moved concrete steps." We went inside and I opened the back door to check for damage out there and realized that the trailer was sitting hard against the utility pole. The tornado had picked up the trailer and moved it two feet and not a picture was crooked nor a dish broken. It was bizarre.

The rest of the night I listened to reports on the radio. Downtown Newberry was pretty much destroyed. Had I been at the Ritz I would have been in the middle of the worst of it and stranded. The roof was taken off the theatre and we had a good bit of water damage.

Little blessings.... a headache that caused me such pain and discomfort kept me safe during the worst storm in over 100 years. Universe works mysteriously sometimes.

Kucinich Blasts Democrats on Iraq War Spending Bill

Posted on Mar 23, 2007 at Truthdig

article includes audio
Not everyone was celebrating the passage of the Iraq spending bill on Friday. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, told Truthdig it’s “a disaster for the American people.” The presidential candidate went on to explain his dissatisfaction with his party: “It’s the same kind of thinking that led us into Iraq— that we didn’t have any alternatives.

We should be listening to what the American people had to say last October, and that is taking steps to immediately end the war. And that means to set in motion a plan to end the occupation, close the bases, bring the troops home using money that’s already in the pipeline to do so. At the same time there’s a parallel process of bringing in international security and peacekeeping forces to stabilize Iraq. And we can get that help once we end the occupation. Then you have to have a number of other steps that are taken. Most people aren’t aware that this bill that Congress passed sets the stage for the privatization of Iraq’s oil, oil industry. To have the Democratic Party involved in something like that is outrageous. Furthermore, we should be pushing for the stabilization of Iraq’s food and energy crisis. There’s no talk about that. Basically we’re blaming Iraq for the disaster that the United States and this administration visited upon them. We’re telling them, either they’re going to get their house in order or we’re going to leave. Well, you know what, this approach is wrongheaded and the Democrats should have known better and they should have done better.

If the Democrats had told the American people in October 2006, “Vote Democrat, we’ll keep the war going till the end of Bush’s term; vote Democrat, we’ll privatize Iraq’s oil; vote Democrat, we’ll give the president enough money to attack Iran if he so chooses,” the American people would have never voted Democrat.

You know, there was a lot of talk about voting with the team today. About Democratic unity. For what? For war? Are you kidding? I mean, how about unity for peace? How about unity to challenge unilateralism? How about unity for healthcare, for education, for jobs? You know, because all those aspirations are directly affected to the degree that we continue to spend more money for war. Don’t forget, we’re talking about at least a hundred billion dollars. All this money going for war. It just has to stop. We are at a turning point in this country’s history. Either we’re going to make a real commitment to peace and to diplomacy and international cooperation, or we’re going to descend into some lower circle of Dante’s Inferno where we have nothing but destruction and where we have all hope lost.

This is such a disgrace. The only "saving grace" may be the complete arrogance of the President in that he promised to veto this bill because it has time limit restrictions and we know how he hates restrictions of any kind. Mr Bush can not be wrong, ( in his mind) and he cannot be told what to do. He doesn't care what anyone else thinks except the corporate executives that support his supporting them.

Anyone making money on war should be considered aiding and abetting a crime. This is shameful and the people need to speak out if our legislators can't represent those they swore to represent: all Americans, not just the war-mongers and fear-mongers. Over three thousand of our soldiers dead for their oil.

The plan never included leaving Iraq completely. Billions of dollars have been spent building fortresses for continued occupation and protection of the oil reserves. That's what Bush means when he says things are going well. It's what he doesn't say that is of greater import.

As some of my elders would say, let us call forth divine intervention. We know that spiritual laws never fail. There will be a correction. Let's hope that all will come to a greater understanding of truth and goodwill. Sometimes we travel the wrong way down that one-way street for too long. Let's go the other way. The way of peace and understanding and kindness for all.

Bush may be a Christian of some sort, he may talk with God, BUT no one can follow Christ or Buddha by killing his enemies. Just doesn't work that way. If you are a Christian you see him in everyone, for "what you do to the least of these, your brethren, you do to me".

Jesus- was killed over 3,000 times and counting- US
Jesus- was killed over 600,000 times and also counting- Iraqis
Jesus- was displaced from his home and to other countries- over 1,000,000 times
Jesus' homes and businesses were destroyed - costs in the hundreds of millions
Jesus' oil reserves stolen- priceless


Real men love Jesus (and hate everyone else?)
Jesus: turn the other cheek
Jesus: forgive 7 times 70 times

Jesus: forgive them, for they know not what they do.







...and all the while I remain here in the EE, where there is only peace and joy for all, if you would have it.


UPDATE: here's H.R.1591

From the summaries:
Declares the sense of Congress that the U.S. Constitution grants: (1) the President the sole role of Commander in Chief; and (2) Congress the sole power to declare war.

Makes appropriations to the Secretary of Agriculture for emergency crop and livestock disaster assistance

Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; (2) $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and (3) $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day. Applies federal minimum wage requirements to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and to American Samoa.


Check out the Amendments. There are 150 of them and most say this:
Purpose will be available when the amendment is proposed for consideration. See Congressional Record for text.

Here's a statement by Elizabeth Kucinich:

Today as the Democratic leadership celebrates the passage of HR 1591, Dennis and I are in mourning. We mourn the deaths of those who have passed and those whose lives are now on the line, both in the military and civilian Iraqis. We mourn the destruction, the ecocide. We mourn with families in Iraq and the US who will see more death and devastation. We mourn the callous and calculated political spin cloaking the Congress's hawkish support of war with the rhetoric of peace.

Congressman Kucinich voted NO. Standing firm with him on this NO vote were 13 Democrats: John Barrow [GA], Dan Boren [OK], Lincoln Davis [TN], Barbara Lee [CA], John Lewis [GA], Jim Marshall [GA], Jim Matheson [UT], Michael McNulty [NY], Michael Michaud [ME], Gene Taylor [MS], Maxine Waters [CA], Diane Watson [CA], and Lynn Woolsey [CA].

Read all here.

And from Russ Feingold:

“Today marks an important step toward ending the war in Iraq. For the first time, the U.S. Senate will pass binding legislation requiring the President to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. While this is long overdue, it is a big step in the right direction and it brings us closer to ending our involvement in this disastrous war.”

Turkey Blogging

A turkey is either one of two species of large birds in the genus Meleagris. Turkeys are classed in the order Galliformes. Formerly they were considered a distinct family, Meleagrididae, but more recently were reclassified as a subfamily (Meleagridinae) of the pheasants and their allies. Turkeys have a distinctive fleshy wattle that hangs from the beak, called a snood. As with many galliform species, the female is smaller than the male, and much less colourful. With wingspans of 1.5–1.8 meters (almost 6 feet), the turkeys are by far the largest birds in the open forests in which they live, and are rarely mistaken for any other species. The usual lifespan for a turkey is 10 years.



The Turkey is the symbol of sacrifice.
It gives life so others may live.

Many saints and mystics have Turkey as a totem. With a Turkey totem, you have transcended self. You act and react on behalf of others. This act is not a sense of moralism or guilt, but a deep knowledge that all life is sacred. What you do for others, you also do for yourself.

To have a Turkey totem is a true gift. Its gift may be spiritual, material or intellectual.
Through giving to others will you reach your own goals.

The Turkey is linked to the third eye, the seat of feminine energies within us, and the center for higher vision.

Turkey is also the symbol of the Mother Earth and her abundant harvest. All of Earth's blessings and the ability to use them to their greatest advantage are part of Turkey's teachings.

Took this picture in Newberry South Carolina same day as the Killdeer, (posted below).

Peace.

Tunnel Dream

You experience yourself moving through a tunnel into a white light or returning from the light. This may be accompanied by the sound of whooshing water. You may meet someone, or meet yourself, at the end of the tunnel, much like a Near Death Experience. While moving through the tunnel, you may move alone or see others. You can fly quickly or slowly. You can experience emotions with this dream journey, which often brings transformational messages.

(Click on picture for more dream symbology)

I had a tunnel "dream" experience a long time ago. While meditating I became aware of "traveling" towards a light, like a star, through a tunnel. I could not tell whether I was going towards it or it was coming towards me. When I got to the light, I beheld the most loving face I'd ever seen. I was immediately at peace and "enraptured." It only lasted for a few seconds and when I awoke I was in such a peaceful state I had never known before. I interpreted the face of that of Jesus, or Christ, or my higher self as we sort of melded into one another. It was the night that I learned that I did not have to get confirmed into the Catholic Church, as I was very resistant to the idea. I was happy and at peace about the world as I lie on my bed that night.

I was later told that I had managed to slip through the fabric of the 3 dimensions to witness for a short time another dimension. The message was that there is no one outside of you that can bestow upon you through "confirmation" what is already true about you: that you are one with your Creator, and all creation.

Allowing me my choice that night gave me the peace of mind to connect with and confirm who I was and will always be, an insight into who we are and will always be.

What if the rest of my classmates had that experience instead of the slap-in-the-face-by -the-Bishop one?


Amen.

Iowa Senate passes LGBT rights bill

Iowa's state Senate passed a bill Monday to extend civil rights protections to gay, lesbian and transgender people in the state, despite opposition from business interests.

The bill adds the words "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to a list of protected characteristics under Iowa's Civil Rights Act. Democrats have long supported expanded protections, and they now control the Senate, the House and the governor's office.

The chamber passed Senate File 427 on a bipartisan 32-17 vote. It moves now to the state House of Representatives, where Iowa Equality board president Sandy Vopalka expects it to have a tougher time.

Read all at link above.

Also go here: Equality Iowa

South Carolina Equality Coalition
March 8, 2007

Non-Discrimination Bills Introduced

Stop Discrimination! No one should lose their job, housing or be denied access to public accommodation because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Senator Robert Ford (D-Charleston) has introduced four non-discrimination bills! Tell your state senator to support these bills. Please take a moment to thank Senator Ford.

Killdeer with eggs

Today brought a great discovery over at the West End Cemetary. After shooting, (filming) turkeys and goats we stumbled upon a killdeer, (Charadrius vociferus) with (his/her) eggs. The males and females are similar in color.

Our book, Birds of the Carolinas by Stan Tekiela simply says:

Nest: ground: male builds: 2 broods per year
Incubation 24-28 days; male and female incubate
Fledging: 25 days; male and female lead their young to food
Food: insects

It is classified as a shore bird, but doesn't live near the shore. Has a very distinctive "kill-deer" call which we didn't hear today. It is the only shorebird with two black neckbands. It is known for it's broken wing impression, which draws intruders away from the nest. (Although I got as close as I could I did not want to upset him.)

Link to the killdeer call here.

What a wonderful gift from nature today. Thank you, Pacha Mama.

What gift has nature given you today. Did you take the time to experience any of what She has for us all?

me and Buck in the killdEEr (he he)

Liver Lessons for Living

The call came and I had a new liver. Of course, with that liver came a bit of guilt that someone else died so I could live. What spiritual responsibility did I share in this event? Because my beliefs dictate that we create that which we need in our lives there was a part of me that wondered if somehow I was responsible for my donor’s demise. Of course, I know that I cannot affect another’s reality - only my own. Still, the thought of that gift filled me with wonder, dread and hope.

-- Read the rest at Got Liver?

Accepting Gay Athletes

Seventy-two percent of heterosexual adults say their feelings toward their favorite male pro athlete would not change if the player revealed he is gay, according to a recent national survey conducted by Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive.

Openly gay and lesbian athletes have become far more visible in the nation's major media with the coming out of WNBA player Sheryl Swoopes and the very recent publication of the New York Times best-seller 'Man in the Middle' by former NBA pro John Amaechi," said Bob Witeck, CEO of Witeck-Combs Communications.

Read all here.

Picture is of a gay penguin couple. (Probably not pro athletes)

Peace.

Keith Olbermann Videos

If you're not watching Keith Olbermann's work on TV you're missing out on one of the only sane voices in the US news today. He's on MSNBC. Here's the link: Countdown with Keith Olbermann.