December 31st–World Healing Day: Locate a Labyrinth or Find Your Place, Wherever You Are

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

If you’re not getting ready for a big New Year’s Eve party, you might want to take a moment to observe “World Healing Day.”

December 31, 1986 was designated “World Healing Day” by a couple who founded The Quartus Foundation:

The Word “Quartus” denotes the four-square aspect of each individual: Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical.

The foundation is a research and communications organization with the stated purpose of probing the mysteries of Ageless Wisdom and integrating those interminable truths with spiritual metaphysics. By combining the dynamics of mind with the unlimited potential of universal laws, the ancient principle of energy follows thought is confirmed. With this understanding as a key, a door opens to a new philosophy of life that is both practical and rewarding.

At noon Greenwich time, December 31, 1986, men, women, and children around the world gather to participate in the most comprehensive prayer activity in the history– a planetary affirmation of peace, and love, forgiveness and understanding involving millions of people in a simultaneous global mind link. the purpose: to reverse the polarity of the negative force field in the race of mind, achieve a critical mass of spiritual consciousness, and usher in a new era of Peace on Earth.

I don’t know how much closer we are to Peace on Earth, but the thought might be a good one. It can’t hurt to take a moment to mark the day.

One way of taking part of  this global day of meditation is by walking a labyrinth. There is actually a private labyrinth only a couple of miles up the road from where I live, but you have to call ahead if you want to visit. If you’d like to find a labyrinth near you, visit the World-Wide Labyrinth Locator, a very sophisticated search tool which includes full directions and pictures to labyrinths all over the world!

Here’s a recent story about a nearby group of labyrinths that will offer a special a special group celebration.

Walk the labyrinths during World Healing Day

By S. Derrickson Moore/Sun-News reporter

LAS CRUCES, GLENWOOD & THE WORLD — Are you looking for a fresh way to end 2008 and begin the New Year with a tradition that celebrates health, spirituality and healing?

It’s been a tough year, and those looking for an alternative to tying one on and starting 2009 with a hangover might want to consider joining in celebration of World Healing Day on Dec. 31.

“It’s also known as World Peace Day. It was established by the Quartus Foundation in 1986 and every year people around the world meditate to heal themselves, each other and the world. Many walk a labyrinth,” said Cordelia Rose, who will open up Whitewater Mesa Labyrinths in Glenwood at 4:30 a.m. Dec. 31 for those who wish to join group celebration.

“The time set is 12 noon Greenwich Mean Time,” said Rose. “In New Mexico, this is 5 a.m., but we’ll be open all day for anyone who would like to participate in this international day of healing. I will lead a group walk through the Pima labyrinth to contemplate healing at 5 a.m. It will be softly illuminated with fairy lights, enough to see your own and others’ feet treading the labyrinth’s path. It’s lovely. It almost feels as if the labyrinths are floating, After dawn, all four of the labyrinths and the maze can be walked individually or with family and friends.”

SNIP

The process is simple.

“We walk and eventually we stand and we make an intention for whatever we feel needs healing in the world and in ourselves,” said Rose, who stressed that anyone can join in the global meditation, wherever they are.

(MORE)

Although I’ve never been to the labyrinths in Glenwood, I’ve passed by the area on the way to the City of Rocks. I think this unique natural formation would be another perfect place to mark World Healing Day.  As you roam around the rocks you can hear the silence, broken only by the winds across the high desert’s vast expanse.

city-of-rocks-wide-rocks

City of Rocks, NM (Wide View)

View from the middle of the City of Rocks

View from the middle of the City of Rocks

Find your place, wherever you are…

***

Don’t confuse World Healing Day (World Peace Day) with other days bearing similar names.

The United Nations’ International Day of Peace is marked every year on September 21. “Established by U.N. resolution in 1982, “Peace Day” has grown to include millions of people around the world who participate in all kinds of events, large and small.

The U.N. also sponsors The World Peace Prayer Society (WPPS) , a not-for-profit organization. “WPPS is a non-sectarian, non-political organization associated with the Department of Public Information at the United Nations. The work of WPPS encompasses the globe in ways that support peace, harmony and goodwill among all citizens. WPPS is not a religion or a church organization.”

***

All of us here at IA wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy New Year…

See you in 2009!!

Revisited: Seeds Planted in 2004, a Suicide in 2008 (And a Few Other Stops Along the Obama Way)

~~by InsightAnaltytical-GRL

As the year winds down, I thought I’d pick a few of the stories we’ve written at IA that seem to have either generated the most interest or just seem to give us key insights into the creation that is Obama.

First,  the piece that sits at the top of the pile in hits, with nearly 3,000 views to its credit.  Back in June there was a great deal of speculation about a “rant” by Michelle Obama; to this day, no tape has been revealed.  As I researched the meeting that the event was to supposed to have occurred, I unearthed quite a bit more information on the 2004 Rainbow/PUSH conference which may give us more clues on why Obama was chosen to be THE ONE.  Many of the seeds may have been planted then…

The link to Hillbuzz (below) will lead you to a bit of “sleuthing” about what Michelle Obama said that day.  To refresh your memory, here is Hillbuzz’s summary of may have transpired on the so-called “whitey tape”:

“…a rant about the evils of America, and how America is to blame for the problems of Africa. Michelle personally blamed President Clinton for the deaths of millions of Africans and said America is responsible for the genocide of the Tutsis and other ethnic groups. She then launched into an attack on “whitey”, and talked about solutions to black on black crime in the realm of diverting those actions onto white America.”

Now, onto the piece posted at IA…

A Party Held HOSTAGE: Michelle Obama Wasn’t Alone in Her Hostility at the Rainbow/PUSH Conference in 2004–Protests Against Jesse Jackson, Threats Against Democrats/Kerry By Ministers in an Eerie Preview of the Rev. Wright Episode

Posted on by InsightAnalytical–GRL |

The Hillbuzz post on the Michelle Obama rant tape gives a brief overview of what was going on at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago which was held between June 26th – July 1st 2004 in Chicago.

My research comes up with some more interesting information about what was going on outside the conference…demonstrations by ministers, specifically Rev. Anthony Williams, against Jesse Jackson, who was called “the worst nightmare” for the black community and threats against the Democratic Party and candidate John Kerry by protesters in what seems to be an eerie preview of the Reverend Wright episode this primary season. More on this later…

The entire agenda of the conference is available in a press release issued by Rainbow/Push. The press release was entitled 2004 Annual Conference: Politics, Business, Education, Hip-Hop Take Center Stage.

BILL CLINTON, JOHN KERRY, BILL COSBY, DICK GEPHARDT, HOWARD DEAN, BARACK OBAMA HIGHLIGHT ANNUAL RAINBOW/PUSH & CEF CONFERENCE CHICAGO (June 16, 2004) – Former president and current author Bill Clinton, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, entertainer/educator Bill Cosby, former presidential candidate and Vermont Governor Howard Dean, Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt, Chicago Stock Exchange Chairman Valerie Jarrett; Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, California Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Democratic senatorial candidate Barack Obama and Starbucks Chairman and Chief Global Strategist Howard Schultz are among the dozens of newsmakers scheduled to attend the 33rd Annual Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund Conference, June 26 – July 1, 2004, at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers.This year’s conference, 2004: A Year of Critical Choices For Inclusion and Growth, has extra significance as this presidential election year marks the 20th anniversary of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.’s historic run for the presidency of the United States. His 1984 campaign was the first serious bid by an African-American for the nation’s highest office.

In celebration of this anniversary, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition hosts a day of festivities on Saturday, June 26, known as Reunion Day. The event, which will be held at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition headquarters at 930 E. 50th St., Chicago, will bring together the many politicians, political organizers, campaign workers, ministers, educators, students, factory workers, journalists, Midwestern farmers, Appalachian coal miners and other supporters who worked on the 1984 and 1988 campaigns.

“On this day, we will reach back as far as we can go,” Rev. Jackson said as he and Rainbow/PUSH Coalition officials look forward to seeing some of the old warriors, whom he describes as the “roots” of the movement. “Most of today’s young politicians don’t know these people. Many of them who started with us are aging and they are not here, but their children and their political offspring are active.

“One reason Jesse Jr. won his congressional seat is because his opponents did not know how deep people’s gratitude was for our work. “All of these people, and their children and even their children’s children, voted for him.”

“For all of us,” Rev. Jackson added, “Reunion Day is about tapping the strength of our roots, about looking deep and wide to know who we are. This event is one way of keeping our roots watered.”

Many of the elected officials and people gathering for Reunion Day will remain in Chicago on Sunday, June 27, for the convention’s Leadership Summit Day. Guests scheduled to attend the summit include former presidential candidate and Vermont governor Howard Dean, Senator John Edwards (D-N.C.) Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, California Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Florida Congresswoman Corrine Brown; Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., Democratic senatorial candidate Barack Obama, and many current and former lawmakers at state and federal levels.

Isn’t it interesting that in 2004, Jackson’s 1984 run was described as the first “serious” run for the Presidency by a black candidate? And yet, in 2008, we’re hearing that Bill Clinton is a racist for citing Jackson’s campaigns and Obama is being referred to as the first “serious” black candidate? But, a story from the Chicago Tribune reporting on the conference’s Reunion Day includes the following background. (Jackson, Fans Reflect on Legacy of ’84, ’88 bids. Note: Original story in fee archives, excerpt from copy of the story found at FreeRepublic [shudder!])

Asked last week if he ever thought he’d win, Jackson answered: “I was running to register people, running to enlighten people and running to learn.”

At that he succeeded, he said.

The 1984 campaign alone registered 1 million new voters, according to Rainbow/PUSH. In 1988, the campaign registered 2 million new voters…

As for enlightening people, Jackson said, his bid stretched voters’ notion of the electable.

“When I ran in ’84, it was like an absurd idea. It was just crazy. Scholars were writing articles,” he said. Jackson won 3.5 million votes in 1984 and did better in 1988, emerging from the Democratic primaries and caucuses with 7 million votes.

That sounds like a pretty “real” candidate to me…

***

Now, what else happened at the conference?

According to the agenda provided in the press release, there was what seems to have been a “Women’s Luncheon” which was held on Monday, June 28, 2004 from noon to 2 pm. Jesse Jackson was the keynote speaker at the event. I cannot find any other event specifically for women on the agenda. And there is no specific mention of Louis Farrakhan being in attendance at this event.

Just before this luncheon, however, there was a meeting from 8 am to 10 am focusing on the “religious community.”

Monday, June 28

Focus: The Church and the Marketplace
Sessions on finance, health, issues in the religious community and related topics will be held throughout the day. Rev. Major Jemison, president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, gives the keynote address. Rev. Stephen J. Thurston, president of the National Baptist Convention of America, presides. 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

I cannot identify which event Michelle Obama or Farrakhan reportedly attended…did they attend the main meeting, the luncheon, or both? Or was there another event which they attended other then the ones I’ve mentioned?

***

Bill Clinton and Bill Cosby participated on the last day of the event:

After four days of specialized meetings and events, the conference concludes on Thursday, July 1, with a stellar lineup of participants, including former President and current author Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, Charles Ogletree and celebrity judge Greg Mathis, who will discuss critical issues in education.

***

The protest against Jackson coincided with John Kerry’s speech on Tuesday, June 29th in a session attended by many from the labor movement. As reported by Cyber News Service. (NOTE: Rev. Anthony Williams, a member of the Libertarian party as described in the “Why Anthony” section, announced in 2006 that he planned to run against Jesse Jackson, Jr. om 2008–his website from 2006 is here, with a full biography. He makes a special appeal to young voters in the “Issues” section and the section “Republican Party” provides information for donating to his campaign.Williams actually ran in 2006, but lost to Jackson. He was part of a group of Conservative black leaders who, in 2005, who condemned “Democrats for what they view as an “act of racism” for illegally obtaining the credit report of Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, a black Republican believed to be ready to launch a campaign for the U.S. Senate.)

Protestors Call Jesse Jackson ‘Worst Nightmare’ for Black Community
By Marc Morano
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
June 30, 2004

Chicago (CNSNews.com) - As Democrat John F. Kerry addressed Jesse Jackson’s 33rd annual Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Conference on Tuesday, about 100 African-American religious and community leaders gathered on a sidewalk outside the conference to protest Jackson for being the black community’s “worst nightmare.”

“Jesse is an immoral person. He has a history of being on the wrong side of history,” said Pastor Anthony Williams of Chicago’s St. Stephens Lutheran Church.

“The media — the American media — has invented our worst nightmare in the black community. He has never done anything beneficial for our people,” Williams told CNSNews.com.

“We are letting the Democratic Party know — from a state, county and federal level — that the black vote is not for sale. I will vote for Mickey Mouse before I vote for John Kerry,” Williams added.

The protestors chanted and carried signs that read “Jesse does not speak for black people” and “America’s number-one pimp selling the black vote.”

Williams does not believe that black voters’ overwhelming support for the Democratic Party has proven beneficial to minorities.

“The African American community has historically got nothing (from supporting the Democratic Party) — a precious few has gotten something like these old civil rights organizations and people like Jesse,” Williams said.

“We have been taken for granted because of people like Jesse. His day is over with,” he added.

(snip)

The protestors said Jackson does not represent black America.

“We want the Democratic Party to know that we will no longer be taken for granted, we will no longer just give our vote to them. We will no longer allow Jesse to pigeonhole the black community into a vote for them,” Davis said.

(snip)

But protestor Williams was not persuaded that blacks have no other option except to vote for the Democratic Party.

I say, ‘Guess what? We can go fishing on Election Day, and let’s see what is going to happen to Mr. Kerry then,” Williams said. “I will just encourage my congregation of 3000 people to go fishing.”

Harold Davis said he was willing to give Bush and the GOP a chance to compete for his vote.

“Let’s see what the Republican Party has to say about pulling yourself up by your own boot straps. Let’s give them the opportunity to come to the talk,” Davis said.

Wow. Doesn’t a lot of this sound real familiar?? Seems like the Democratic Party has been sitting on this volcano since 2004. And Williams’ was calling Democrats racists in 2005. Doesn’t all this this sound like the Democratic Party has been held HOSTAGE and that 2008 is all about appeasement?? (With just window-dressing with “image” and no real action on real concerns?) Is this what is at the top of the agenda for Democrats??

***

Also, link to full coverage of the conference in JET magazine, July 26, 2004

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The miserable campaign this year, with all the empty platitudes about “hope and change,” seems to be represented in this sad story that was reported just before Election Day on November 4.  It shows how Obama seemed to play on delusion as part of his campaign. This posts seems to get at least a few views every day even now…

BREAKING: El Paso Man Commits Suicide, Leaves Note to Obama “Take Care of My Family”; Other NM News–VOTING Problems, Giuliani in So. NM Tonight (Saturday)

Well, if this isn’t some sort of real manipulation of the mind….Rush Limbaugh was talking about people being interviewed who thought Obama would save their homes and do other wonderful things…NOW THIS…this vulnerable man, hoping that Obama will take care of his family….that’s the kind of thinking/emotion that Obama has put into people’s minds…how very sad!!!
By Adriana M. Chávez / For the Sun-News

EL PASO — A man who jumped 60 feet to his death from the Spaghetti Bowl on Thursday left a note with a message for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.

A note to “Obama” was found in the man’s car, which was parked on the top ramp of the Spaghetti Bowl.

Officials offered no further explanation nor interpreted the note’s meaning.

About 7:45 a.m., police responded to a report that the 52-year-old El Paso man had jumped off the uppermost ramp of the Spaghetti Bowl. His body was found on I-10 west just before the Copia Street exit. His name was not released.

Police spokesman Darrel Petry said Crimes Against Persons investigators were investigating the death as a suicide.

Two notes on large pieces of paper were found on the dashboard and another part of the car, police said.

The investigation into the death caused traffic to back up near Hawkins Boulevard for at least an hour as the man’s body lay in the far right lane of the interstate. His white tennis shoes, which had fallen off during or after the fall, lay just a few feet from his body.

Police were also seen on Ramp F, the top ramp of the Spaghetti Bowl, next to the white four-door sedan, which was parked unattended. The ramp connects I-10 west to the Bridge of the Americas and Paisano Drive.

Police confirmed that the man left behind a note that read, “Obama take care of my family.”

(more)

FOR GOD’S SAKE!!!!!!  WE HAVE TO STOP THIS HORROR OF A CANDIDATE BEFORE HE GETS TO THE WHITE HOUSE!!

More news from NM–

Rudy Giuliani is going to hold a rally in a park in Mesilla TONIGHT, Saturday night. There was a small squib in the paper and on the website of the Las Cruces Sun-News…details very sketchy… AZ Sen. Kyl was here last week talking to business people.

Also, problems with people getting their absentee ballots!  THOUSANDS could be disenfranchised!  Mine didn’t come until today….yesterday we raced down to the County Clerk’s office to sign an affidavit to say we wouldn’t use the ballot if it came under penalty of the law if we tried to vote twice.  We signed and voted.  The GOP had challenged this late change by the SOS, but it was upheld…But the GOP is right on this…that the absentee ballot situation has been messed up.  Paper now finally saying that officials are admitting that they didn’t have enough people to do the job, after weeks of complaints and denials…

Ballots see here.

***

Do you ever wonder if Giuliani would have been able to run a better campaign against Obama than McCain did?  Knowing Giuliani from years of living  just outside of NYC, I think would have at least been more “spirited” in going after Obama. Maybe?

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OTHER POSTS FROM 2008 THAT ALSO ACHIEVED “HIT” STATUS

Parts 1 & 2–The Lineup: A Who’s Who of The Associates of Barack Obama

Posted on

Part II: Obama’s Adviser David L. Boren–How He Screwed Us Long-term in 1993 re: Energy and More

Posted on by InsightAnalytical-GRL

***

There were so many other interesting posts on women’s issues, the media, the personality of Obama and his use of techniques to manipulate the masses, etc. etc. Then there were the posts on animals and things not political that made us laugh or cry.

All in all, the six months this blog has existed has covered a lot of ground.

We’ll see if we can keep it up next year!

***

Thanks to Leslie, our Chicago Correspondent and kenosha Marge, who both found IA early on, Grail Guardian, and American Lassie for joining forces with me, GRL,  and helping get this blog out there.  And thanks to all who have visited!

On Being “Disagreeable”

~~By kenosha Marge

I seldom listen to anything Obama has to say, perhaps because he seldom has anything to say. Political rhetoric is not worth my time or effort. Spare me the high-flying phrases and simplify all our lives by saying something of substance.

We know this will not happen. What savvy politician would actually say something substantive when his adoring fans don’t require it from him? The adolescent mindset of a good share of our population annoys and at the same time scares the hell out of me. Is this what much of humanity has become, perpetual adolescents screaming for Elvis or the Beatles?

Since the Rick Warren controversy began there is no escaping what passes for an explanation from President-elect Barack Obama. His advertising agency phrase about being able to “disagree without being disagreeable”  is played endlessly on television. Perhaps because the big Zero is off in Hawaii on vacation and thus the poor, pathetic 24-hour news folks didn’t have anything else to run.

“Disagree without being disagreeable,”  for some reason that utterly puerile phrase, one among many, stuck in my craw. I wondered if the wordsmith extraordinaire Favreau took time out from groping cardboard cutouts to write that phase. Inquiring minds and all that.

I intend to be very disagreeable about Rick Warren. He is the happy face the Obama Administration has chosen to put on bigotry. Our lefty friends tell us he isn’t as bad as Falwell or Pat Robertson. Sorry,  lefty friends,  but I find it simply amazing that you now are willing to settle for someone who isn’t as bad as whoever. Not being as bad as is a sad little excuse not worthy of adults. Damn, there we are back at the adolescent mindset.

I have a new yardstick for what I find tolerable these days. I ask myself would I accept this Warren fellow if George Bush chose him? Would I find his folksy manner acceptable if he was the choice at a Republican Inauguration? In other words, would I be as accepting if we weren’t talking about a Democrat? Because if you are willing to make excuses for a Democrat that you wouldn’t make for a Republican then it’s not about choice or character or about bigotry so much as it is about partisanship. And hypocrisy.

Beneath the benevolent corpulence of Rick Warren beats the heart of a misogynistic, homophobic, creationist. Not someone you could believe would have a place of honor at the Inauguration of a Democratic President. Not someone you would expect liberals to embrace. Not someone acceptable to the progressive community.

Au contraire,  mes amis! Our lefty friends are working so hard to keep from being annoyed with PEBO that they are abandoning or ignoring every belief they ever had. PEBO wants to give a religious bigot a place of honor at his inauguration? Fine and dandy. He’s just trying to bring all those nasty fundamentalists that want to deny civil rights to other citizens on board the Soul Train. Women can board so long as they are submissive to their husbands. Gee whiz folks, sure lacks something I looked for in a progressive movement. Like progress maybe?

How about this from “Not Your Sweetie” about Rick Warren:   Women Obots in Shock: Warren Hates Women Too?

Take marriage. At his Saddleback Church, wifely submission is official doctrine: The church website tells women to defer to their husband’s “leadership” even when he’s wrong on important issues, such as finances

Never mind if she’s an accountant and he flunked long division, or if she wants to beef up the kids’ college fund and he wants to buy shares in the Brooklyn Bridge. The godly answer is supposed to be “yes, dear.” Is elevating this male chauvinist how President-elect Obama thanks women, who gave him more than half his votes?

According to PEBO and his suppine supporters we should all just hold hands with Regressive Religious Bigots like Warren because we can disagree without being disagreeable.

Maybe they can do so. I cannot. Some things in my creed are not subject to negotiation. I don’t choose to make nice with bigots. I don’t choose to play well with others when the others are smiling purveyors of evil.

In my world Rick Warren for all his bonhominie and pretense of being a good Christian is an evil man. I consider all bigots evil. Those that would restrict the civil rights of some citizens will always make my list of evildoers. A Democratic President-elect is honoring this man at his inauguration? I can find nothing in this fact to be agreeable about. I can find nothing hopeful in this. And so, I do not intend to be agreeable.

The Past Week(s): December 14-27, Recaps and Random Thoughts (“Heart” Series; Betty Currie Returns; “Money as Debt”; FDA Caves to Pressure, Antibiotics Back IN Food Animals as of 11/30)

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

We’ve been busy over the last week with our “Heart” series (and there will be two pieces in the same vein over the New Year holiday) but here are a couple of items that have caught our eye recently.

***

In case you missed this: From the “you must be kidding department”:

Remember Betty Currie? Personal secretary to Bill Clinton who testified 5 times before a grand jury during the Lewinsky scandal?  With a lot of the Obama team former Clinton Administration officials, I guess this should be no surprise at this point.

Obama Team Has Forged Another Link With Clintons

Answering the phones these days for the co-chairman of President-elect Barack Obama’s transition, John D. Podesta, is none other than Betty Currie.

Emerging from retirement in southern Maryland to volunteer at Obama headquarters, Ms. Currie was the personal secretary to President Bill Clinton, who became caught up in an independent counsel investigation into his trysts with the White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Since leaving the White House, Ms. Currie, 69, has shied from publicity and kept a low profile in Hollywood, Md., where she lives with her husband, Bob, and Socks, the presidential cat, which she took with her after Mr. Clinton left office.

Ms. Currie, who works with local nonprofit organizations and serves on the Alcohol Beverage Board of St. Mary’s County, declined to discuss her work for Mr. Obama or her recent life, citing a transition office policy against volunteers giving interviews.

Compelled to testify to a grand jury five times about Mr. Clinton’s relationship with Ms. Lewinsky, Ms. Currie is widely admired in Clinton circles for her loyalty and effectiveness.

Mr. Podesta, who was Mr. Clinton’s last White House chief of staff, said it was natural for him to call Ms. Currie back to service.

“Of course I asked her because in the 30 years we have worked together, I have never known anyone with more grace, dedication and public spirit than Betty,” he said. “And she has one mean Rolodex.”

Yup, that Rolodex must be something to see…along with all that grace, dedication and public spirit!  Wonder if Socks has any insights to offer about what’s going on in that transition team?

***

So, with the huge spending being planned by Team Obama, my mother is talking about the Depression a lot more.  Then there’s the concern over to whether to buy gold and silver or to get a Swiss bank account (Swiss francs reputedly offer a  stable hedge against the loss of the dollar’s value).

A Canadian visitor named Manuela suggested this animated video which explains what money is and how it is created in response to our discussion of  The History Channel’s recent program on “The Crash” (which was not the greatest).  (See “The Past Week: December 7-13” below.) It’s the sort of thing that anyone who doesn’t have a clue about the current financial crisis should see…

The film is by Paul Grignon and is called “Money as Debt” and you can see it here.

***

If you eat animal products, you might want to know this. Two days before Thanksgiving, the FDA REVERSED the ban on the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals, including chickens, cattle, and pigs, effective November 30th.  As reported by the the non-profit American Association for Health Freedom:

FDA Reverses Its Order on Antibiotics in Animals

…In December 2007, a coalition of consumer, environmental, science, and humane groups known as Keep Antibiotics Working wrote to the FDA commissioner, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, urging further FDA action. Their letter presented evidence that the widespread use of antibiotics in livestock contributed to the MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) epidemic in Europe, and showed that the effectiveness of antibiotics against deadly bacteria was questionable at best. They cited data that a new strain of MRSA bacteria in pigs was linked to 20% of all human MRSA infections in the Netherlands and Canada, though there are insufficient studies to make that link in the U.S., where MRSA cases have recently surged. The coalition also estimated that 70% of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are used as feed additives in chicken, pigs, and cattle.

This past summer the FDA instituted an order banning the off-label use of drugs in food-producing animals, while noting that the same family of drugs was important to treat disease in humans. This fall, the FDA echoed again the same sentiment, taking note of the increasing evidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in cattle. But the FDA’s action met with harsh industry criticism. Pfizer argued that the drugs were essential for preventing disease in animals. Other groups, including the Animal Population Health Institute, the KS Health Department, the National Turkey Federation, and the American Veterinary Medical Association, also criticized the FDA’s ban, which was to go into effect on November 30.

So despite the mounting concern over antibiotic resistance—which is known to endanger human life—on November 25 the FDA revoked their earlier order, to the profound dismay of the Keep Antibiotics Working coalition and researchers like Dr. Stuart Levy at Tufts University, who leads the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics. Dr. Levy has collected a considerable body of evidence to educate his colleagues and consumers about the dangers of the overuse and abuse of antibiotics both in humans and in animal use.

The AAHF is working with other groups to see reform of the FDA and has a petition up at ReformFDA.org.

Now, with Tom Daschle heading Health and Human Services, which encompasses the FDA, should we expect a reversal of this decision? From Daschle (and wife) who have had some ties through their lobbying activities that might point to other interests? See here for details.

***

THE PAST WEEK

*By Grail Guardian

**Contribution by Chicago Correspondent Leslie

***By American Lassie

After “Aunt Benazir’s” Assassination, Fatima Bhutto Still Fighting to Reveal the Truth

6. The Heart of the Season: Celebrating the Season with Light…New Mexico Luminarias

*5. The Heart of the Season: Hats for Grail Mama and Friends Beyond Family

4. The Heart of the Season: A Dog’s Purpose and Justice for Karley and All Who Deserve It

3. The Heart of the Season: Weeping for the “Unnatural History” of Chimpanzees (Updated 2X)

2. The Heart of the Season: Birds of the Solstice and Signs (A Double Post by kenosha Marge and InsightAnalytical-GRL)

Katie in the Christmas Tree by kenosha Marge

Winter Solstice, 1992: The Final Flight of a Soul by InsightAnalytical-GRL

1. The Heart of the Season: Wise Words from a Young Old Soul

Taking Our Power, Taking Our Lives: Women Under Threat (Updated 1X)

**Chicago Style Update…

Of Robots and Women and Our Current Life in the Village of Stepford (Antidote on the Way?)(A Double Post by kenosha Marge and InsightAnalytical-GRL)

Women, You’re About To Be Replaced By…a ROBOT! by InsightAnalytical-GRL

Women Will Never Be Equal by kenosha Marge

***On Reflection: These Are The Times That Try Men’s (and Women’s) Souls

W.A.M. Asks — Who Needs Christmas When You Can Worship “THE ONE”?

The Past Week: December 7-13, Recaps and Random Thoughts (Blago in the Can and ON the Can; Obama License Plates in IL?; Reality-Based Black Commentary; Canada & the Auto Bailout; Live Blog of The History Channel on “Crash: The Next Great Depression?”– No Surprise, A Waste of Time; Ignored Science) (Updated 1X)

After “Aunt Benazir’s” Assassination, Fatima Bhutto Still Fighting to Reveal the Truth

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

One year ago today on December 27, 2007 I woke up to the BBC World Service on my shortwave radio and heard the news that Benazir Bhutto had been assassinated. It didn’t suprise me at all, given the political situation in Pakistan at the time, her family’s political history, her own political past (holding the office of  Prime Minister twice) and her return to Pakistan from exile.

I wasn’t exactly sure I would write about Benazir Bhutto until I came across an March 2008 interview with Bhutto’s niece, poet and author, Fatima Bhutto.

Fatima Bhutto

Fatima Bhutto

During the interview which was taped for CNN  “Talk Asia” program (hosted by Anjali Rao), Fatima Bhutto discussed her aunt, as a politician and as a relative, as well as her own activism.  Along the way, she had some very interesting comments that ring very true for me today in our current political environment.

In Part 1, a brief history of the Bhutto family recounts how Ms. Bhutto’s grandfather, founder of the Pakistan People’s Party and first democratically-elected leader of the country, was executed by the military and how Ms. Bhutto’s father, Mir Mataza Bhutto  (Benazir’s younger brother and a member of Parliament), was gunned down in 1996 after he split from his sister and became critical of her government’s corruption (more later on this topic).

Here is Part I of the interview:

more about “Bhuto 2“, posted with vodpod

Key observations from Ms. Bhutto about her aunt include how:

“…in power, she caused a lot suffering…unrecognizable.”

“People placed hope with her…(she) spoke to hope and change…in power, she was no different than what had been before” (cited large-scale corruption, human rights issues and her dealings with the Taliban).

The “lack of accountability as she returned…deal with a dictator erased 20 years of corruption and a provision…makes it impossible to file charges against future parliamentarians” (National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

During Part 1 Ms. Bhutto was asked if she had any political aspirations of her own (at the time of the interview some in Pakistan saw her as the person to take over her aunt’s party), but explained that wanted to remain an activist on the local level, without any association with any party. She said there were other ways to be active outside of politics and that shes was not interested in “power politics.”

Asked about fears for her own safety because of her being so outspoken, she said all Pakistanis lived in fear and added:

“Once you begin to self-censor, you’ve done the state’s job…and they can rest quite easily.”

In Part 2 of the interview Ms. Bhutto describes how her father and six others were gunned down in 1996 by the police outside the family home (Fatima was 14 and in the house at the time and heard the shots), just a few of the thousands killed in what was called “state terrorism” in some quarters.  Her father was from the PPP’s left-wing and he broke with his sister who was Prime Minister at the time and accused her government as being corrupt.  Benazir Bhutto was accused of trying to cover-up the role of her husband in the murders.  Among the findings of an investigation by a tribunal was the conclusion that the murders could never have taken place without the “approval from the highest levels of government.”

(See” “Living on the Edge,” The Times (UK), 05/08/2008  (“Six months after her aunt Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, Fatima Bhutto is fighting to reveal the truth surrounding the murder of her father in 1996 — and making some very dangerous enemies.”)

According to Ms. Bhutto, this was a turning point in her life as she became the issues of  justice and violence became central to her life, as did the need for accountability so that political violence in Pakistan could come to an end.

When asked if there would be real change if the PPP took power again, Ms. Bhutto had these words:

“In Pakistan, it seems, that power doesn’t really change hands, it’s the faces that change.  But ultimately, their goal is the same.”

Part 2:

more about “Fatima Bhutto CNN Talk Asia Part2“, posted with vodpod

Who was she talking about in March 2008?  The United States’ “democracy” as it really is today?

If you have time, do watch Parts 1 and 2 of this interview with this brilliant, courageous young woman. You’ll admire her…I know I do!

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(Part 3 of the interview deals with Bhutto’s book about the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan.)

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For more on Fatima Bhutto and her books and newspaper columns, see her website.

“Aunt Benazir’s false promises,” by Fatima Bhutto,  Los Angeles Times, 11/14/2007


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