Let's Dance in the New Year 2011

So you don't think you can dance! Take a lesson from the all time greats! Follow the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6O9FB90kAU

And for some more chicken legs (this one is great, stay with it!) follow this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6O9FB90kAU

Hawkscry Snow

Jane and I just returned from Hawkscry. We went up to see if the roads will support traffic for the celebration on Friday. Unfortunately, we think they will still be pretty bad on Friday, especially the secondary roads and access road to the meadow, so we will have our celebration in Kenilworth instead. Here are some photos of the beautiful snow at Hawkscry, taken on Wednesday, December 29, 2010.

 

Happy new Year.

Repeal of DADT

From Day One, President Obama has said that the question wasn't if, but when, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" would be repealed. Now we know the answer. This morning, the President signed repeal into law -- setting into motion an end to this discriminatory policy that weakened our military and forced some brave men and women to lie about who they are. It was a moment for the history books -- possible only because the President wasn't alone in his determination to get this done before the end of the year.

As this discriminatory law falls into the rubbish heap we move closer to the ideals this country was founded upon; a country dedicated to the idea that all men and women are created equal and deserve all the rights and responsibilities inherent in being a citizen. Sexual orientation is not chosen, and therefore part of who you are as a person. To deny that is to deny you the dignity of being a complete person, and this is outright discrimination and not worthy of this country. We must continuously be on the alert at how individual civil liberties are challenged and sometimes eroded in society and do what we can to contradict that erosion.

Today we can feel proud that as a country we move closer to being that perfect union so passionately dreamed of and fought for throughout our history.

Follow the link for the speech given on Wednesday, December 22, 2010 by President Obama.

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/TellRe

Trust Yourself and Believe

Inspiring TED talk about perseverance and spirit. William Kamkwamba overcame many obstacles in his fight to better himself and his family. This short TED talk will amaze you with his indomitable spirit.

At age 14, in poverty and famine, this Malawian boy built a windmill to power his family's home. Now at 22, William Kamkwamba, who speaks at TED, here, for the second time, shares in his own words the moving tale of invention that changed his life.

Follow the link:
http://www.ted.com/talks/william_kamkwamba_how_i_harnessed_the_wind.html

Captain Condom; How HIV declined 90% from 1997-2003 in Thailand.

Ted talk by Mechai Virvaidya in which he uses humor and facts to show how low tech solutions can effect large scale change and improve public health. Amazing what can happen when you get the politicians out of the way!

Follow the link:

http://www.ted.com/talks/mechai_viravaidya_how_mr_condom_made_thailand_a_better_place.html

Getting to Yes! Finding the 18th Camel.

Follow the link for a talk by William Ury on resolving conflict and moving toward resolution.

William Ury, author of "Getting to Yes," offers an elegant, simple (but not easy) way to create agreement in even the most difficult situations -- from family conflict to, perhaps, the Middle East.

William Ury is a mediator, writer and speaker, working with conflicts ranging from family feuds to boardroom battles to ethnic wars.

http://www.ted.com/talks/william_ury.html

Rising Water Parable

The waters were rising in the story of the man

on the roof of his house waiting for God to save him.

A boatman pulled up asking if he could help.

A helicopter hovered overhead and asked if he needed help.

Each time, the man replied, no I’m waiting for God to save me.

At the gates of heaven he asked God why he didn’t save him.

God replied, who do you think sent you a boatman and a helicopter?

Bridges

The flow of one year into the next somehow feels more momentous than the simple passage of one moment to another. We stand at the foot of a bridge anchored in the ruins of the past and taking our leave of what was once and is no more, stumble into the soft unformed future, burdened needlessly with resolutions that fill a persistent suspicion of brokenness, as if we could use this mud to fill the cracks through which only light flows.  As if we were not loved in our various states of abandon! For this is an enigmatic journey, this moment to moment passage, in which we must shed the illusion of foreign destinations in order to inhabit the illumined Now, eternal in its fluid nature. A journey whose sole purpose would have us understand that we never left.

Thoreau in his essay "Where I lived, and What I Lived For," describes this moment:

Time is but the stream I go fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. It's thin current slides away, but eternity remains. I would drink deeper; fish in the sky whose bottom is pebbly with stars. I cannot count one. I know not the first letter of the alphabet. I have always been regretting that I was not as wise as the day I was born.

In truth there is only one bridge to cross and that is the one that leads from ignorance to the joyous recognition of our own devine nature. The miraculous happens and we find ourselves standing refreshed on the sandy bottom of eternity, full of childlike wisdom and content to rest in the slipstream of time.

The Old Venerable Apple Tree

The old apple tree which dominated the corner of the lower meadow near the road for so many years finally succumbed to the slow persistent tug of gravity and old age and fell across the road, partially blocking it. I was able to drive around it, the length of trunk not quite fully occupying the width of road, granting me even in death this one last consideration. In truth, she was mostly dead years ago but the mass of vines, bitter sweet and poison ivy principally, took every advantage of her decrepit verticality in a mad frenzy of sky stretching, and hid the fact. Now, indisputably dead and resembling a beached whale, she was forever relieved of her quiet sentinel over the passing seasons across the meadow.

Fact is, she was never much to look at being always grossly deformed of limb and nearly buried in vines. But she did produce yearly the sweetest little red apples and in great quantity too! Most of the apples fell into the riot of brambles at her base to be eaten by untold legions. But at least a few would make it into the yearly applesauce effort, appreciated long after the seasonal downfall.

I never much paid attention to her, these few short musings being the bulk of conscious thought directed her way in all the years she stood quietly making no claims for my affections. Now that she is gone, I feel a sad unoccupied place in my heart, nothing much, more like a tender sigh of things remembered and no more. A quiet acceptance of the fleeting passage of time and a vague remembrance of the sweetness of little red apples.

The Technology of the Heart

His Holiness The Karmapa speaks about the importance of using the advantages of increased communication and technology to energize the heart connection between people and motivate people to do good in the world.

Follow the link for this TED talk (25 minutes)

http://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_the_karmapa_the_technology_of_the_heart.html

Wahchitchu: One who takes the best meat for himself

Aaron Huey's effort to photograph poverty in America led him to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where the struggle of the native Lakota people -- appalling, and largely ignored -- compelled him to refocus. Five years of work later, his haunting photos intertwine with a shocking history lesson in this bold, courageous talk from TEDxDU.



Here is American History that exposes the genocide against the Lakota, and by extension all indigenous peoples in this country. This is a powerful 15 minute talk about the events that have led to present day reality for the Lakota.

Follow the link for this TED talk

http://www.ted.com/talks/aaron_huey.html

Change is in the air.

Last week (October 11 and 12) I took a hike to Black Balsam in western North Carolina near Asheville. Climbing upward along the worn path I was filled with gratitude about being able to access such magnificent beauty with relative ease. On the first hike I was accompanied by Jane

and we made the excursion after work. One the second hike I was accompanied by Steve.

Color was everywhere. Russets, golds, reds, and deep yellows painted broad swaths from the base of the mountains to the top, the colors changing as a function of altitude and sunlight.

It is easy to embrace the change of seasons when it is hearlded by such fanfare.

 

Anti-Bullying campaign

As a response to the recent teen suicides in September and October of 2010, I decided to send a letter to all my friends asking them to contact their local school administrative units and inquire about the anti-bullying policy in affect. Hopefully this will serve as a reminder to them that this is an important issue that needs to be reviewed and strengthened. Here is the text. Feel free to do your own activist thing and contact your local schools.


Friends,

October 11 is national Coming Out Day! You may not have been aware of that but I think it is the perfect opportunity for us to stand up against oppression and "come out" for clear and tough rules about bullying in schools.

I am talking about the oppression both subtle and overt of students that do not fit into the culture of conformity, so much a part of adolescence. Aggression and micro-aggression not only against students with an expressed different sexual orientation, but also against students with intellectual, physical, and emotional handicaps, as well as different religious beliefs and practices.

The news this week has been grim since the spotlight has been turned onto a rash of tragic suicides resulting from bullying of some kind within the school setting. I am sure this happens more frequently than we can imagine, but now that the media has turned their attention to it, we are suddenly made aware in a powerful way. In one survey (2009 GLESEN survey) 9 out of 10 gay and lesbian students reported being harassed in the previous year.

U.S. Secretary of Education Anne Duncan recently said; "This is a moment where every one of us -- parents, teachers, students, elected officials, and all people of conscience -- needs to stand up and speak out against intolerance in all its forms," "No more. This must stop."

I would add that the argument the suicides are the result of an unhealthy life-style is dangerous and leads to a certain absolution of guilt on the part of society in general, and possibly on the part of organizations charged with the safety of children.

So, here is what I ask you to do for your very own "Coming Out" . Please contact your state and local school officials and ask that they review and strengthen

their policy against bullying in schools (if they have one!). If they have a policy, ask that it be sent to you. This will let them know that the issue is important and demands attention.

Please feel free to forward this message to all your friends wherever they may live.

Thank you in advance, and thank you for coming out!!!

William

For North Carolina:



Bev Purdue (Gov.)
919-733-4240
www.governor.state.nc.us/eTownhall/suggestionBox.aspx

NCPublic Schools:
919-807-3300
Asheville City Schools:
828-350-7000 (Ask to leave a message for the Superintendent)
Buncombe County Schools:
828-255-5921 (Ask to leave a message for the Superintendent)
communication@bcsemail.org

Other States:
Google state government for you state or city. Contacts are not always easy to find as numbers are sometimes buried under much information (imagine!!), but they are there .




Sample request:
Yes, my name is ___________and lately I have been thinking about the recent rash of teen suicides around the country stemming from aggressive and subtle bullying of students who in some way do not conform to the general population in either orientation, religious beliefs, or because of physical or intellectual
handicaps. I was hoping that you could inform me of the policy against bullying that is in place for your schools. I would also ask that you bring this issue up for current review and do all that you can to strengthen this policy so that there is no misunderstanding about the severity of the problem for these students. I thank you in advance for all your efforts in creating a safe environment for all students, especially those who in some way do not conform to the standard population.

My phone number is ______and my email address is____________. I would appreciate any contact regarding this issue that is very important to me.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.







=============

National Coming Out Day

October 11 is National Coming Out Day It is significant for several reasons. First, it is a day for the LBGT community to celebrate their diversity and the contributions they make to the community. Additionally, it is a day for closeted individuals to come out into the open about their orientation if this can be done safely, liberating themselves from a certain amount of shame and hiding. Plus, it is a day when we can all come out in support of the rich diversity that makes this nation so vibrant.

Our society has come far in its acceptance of LBGT people, especially with the passage of an inclusive hate crimes bill on 22 October 2009, and signed into law by president Obama on October 28, 2009.

This legislation will help protect every person in the U.S. from being the victim of a hate crime in eight separate ways, on the basis of their: Race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Although we can feel proud of this achievement, there is still work to be done in affording equal rights to this group, including the right to get married, raise a family, and take care of and make decisions for a sick partner. Showing support for this group, and particularly support for individuals you know personally will help advance the struggle for equal rights and greater tolerance of diversity in all its forms, and could save someone from depressed isolation or suicide. October 11 is a day we can all come out for greater tolerance. I encourage everyone to reach out to someone in this group and let them know that they are valued and loved for who they are, no matter what their sexual orientation might be. If you know someone who is struggling with their sexual identity, let them know they are welcome to use you as a support person. If you are a parent of a LBGT person, rekindle or strengthen the love between you with acceptance and understanding. Vow to undertake the journey of finally seeing sexual orientation as God-given and nothing to be ashamed of. Stand up and interrupt oppression if you can by refusing to participate in anything that devalues this group. If your child goes to a school that does not have a way for LGBT students to gather and support and be supported by each other, try to establish such a group, or ask that it be established.

Song of Life (William Stanhope)

Song of Life

This urgent song- a sudden cry
Springing forth from deep morning slumber
Like a  fountain
Filling the eager emptiness with 
Divine vintage

Uncorked and served
To any weary traveler
Awake enough to fetch an
Empty wine glass from the closet
And turn it heavenward

O Winemaker!
 Fill my cup
With this sublime vintage
Pressed abundantly from the long sweet -and- bitter
harvest of time

With your caress and wink
And gentle pull
Bring my lips to the cup's edge
And let me fall drunk
Into your awaiting arms

O weary man!
Why refuse the proffered cup
Brimming over with the fruit of
Joy-filled vineyards

Let this holy nectar
Smooth your troubled brow
And like a warm fragrant blanket
Cover your sorrow
And open your heart

(July 6, 2010)

Through my Window (William Stanhope)

Through my window I see
Swaying in the wind a
Whispered invitation to dance
The warm hand of that light
Smooths rough linear bodies
Stretching up and out to endless blue
Wet lambits of cloud
Catch wildly in the
Bony extremities of branch

O! To become once again
A lover of trees
To feel their strength inside
My own feeble bones
To stretch my body
Along soaring flanks of bark
To drink the rising life sap
To be loved again
By forest glade
To become the honored guest

May You Find Joy

 May You Find Joy is sung by Womensong of Asheville. This song was written after our dear friend Meta Racine-Bowers was killed in an automobile accident. Meta was a dear friend of our Daughter Claire who lost several friends that year in tragic accidents. The lyrics speak about the pain of loss. I gave permission for the refrain to be changed for this version, but the lyrics below are the original. In the video only verse 2 and 3 are heard. This song was written in 2006.

May you find Joy in the darkest hour
Of the lonely path and the deepest woe
May you find calm on the open sea,
In the storm above and the fire below.

Then may the smiling face of God
Shine on your journey as you go.

On this earthly plane we can hardly see
Our eyes are blind and our hearts are bound
But there awaits for our unbound soul
An ocean of love waiting to be found

Then may the smiling face of God
Smile on your journey as you go

And when you cast in the Ocean of Love
Your heavy heart only God can know
And when at last after toil and pain
You are lifted out of this passing show

Then may the smiling face of God
Smile on your journey as you go.

Follow the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxhMkGbX8TM

France

We enjoyed a week with friends Gloria and Claude at their farm in Terrieres. What I appreciate so much in France is the connection you feel with the land, especially through the food. Many people have their own "potager" or vegie garden and of course the markets are positively brimming with beautiful produce. The French know and appreciate good food and understand the connection with quality ingredients. We really got a better feel for the area around Terrieres which is located near the town of Bonne (not too far from Chauvigny in the vicinity of Poitier). The land is rolling and dotted with many fine Medieval villages, perfect for biking! There are fields everywhere, and this year the crop of preference seems to be rape seed. Not as pretty as sunflowers to be sure. We had rather cool weather except the last day and were glad to have brought our single warm piece of clothing each, which we used every day. The drive from Paris took about 5 hours. We stopped a little to get food, gas. The hard part is Paris. The airport is to the North of the city and the A10 highway is in the South so you have to drive halfway around the entire city without making any errors. If you do it could take you into the center and then you will never be seen again. The traffic is imposible, the roads chocked with large trucks driven by truckers from wherever (not France probably) that have no manners whatsoever. There you will not see a placarded truck with the words "How's my driving?" and a phone number. They are really quite terrifying and will follow you with barely a sliver of space and then sit on the horn (LOUDLY) if you go too slow, which of course is what happens when you are looking for exits, etc. Horrible!!! Anyway, in the countryside France is still bucolic and wonderful though being de-peopled at an alarming rate due to lack of work for the young families who are forced into the cities to find it. There are many houses that are basically abandoned or owned by foreigners, typically the English, though they too have their problems now in the economic crisis and many have had to sell.