How do you get real information about a candidate, the kind that helps you decide how to vote, reliable information about what the candidate stands for? (more…)

The NBC Debate —

NBC has decided, after earlier inviting him to participate, to change their own rules and exclude Dennis Kucinich from yet another major debate. I think every American should be angry about it: NBC Rewrites its Own Rules to Prevent America from Hearing Kucinich. (more…)

This is all very confusing. Let me see if I get this straight: In protesting a move by the state of Michigan to change the date of its primary election to January 15th, closer than the Democratic Party-approved cutoff date of February 5th, both John Edwards and Barack Obama wound up with their names off the primary ballot there, and aren’t campaigning in the state. I’ve read that they also didn’t turn in the necessary paperwork to allow write-in votes for them.

Isn’t that a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bath water? (more…)

A video posted at afterdowningstreet.org shows Dennis Kucinich in an interview, discussing what someone is voting for when they vote for him:

Kucinich on What You Win With Your Vote
(more…)

Most people close to me are well aware that I hate politics. I also hate how events and policies, and terrorists, have so far in this millennium forced me to think about politics more and more. Though political matters naturally interest me, as a human being who cares about my world, and although I’ve always voted, focus on political matters gets my blood pressure up and ruins my inner peace and ability to focus on what’s really important to me in my life. That’s certainly not the role I want government to have in my country. I worked for the government long enough, and by law had virtually no political voice during that time, and I now want the government to be simply a solid, secure structure that does its job efficiently and sits in the background of my life, taking care of us all as it should. Low maintenance. We pay enough for it, after all. (more…)

Kriss Perras Running Waters of Malibu Arts Reviews Magazine reports that Lord of the Rings Star Viggo Mortensen Joins Forum on Impeachment This Evening Online and in New Hampshire.

Excerpt: “Online participants can watch the panelists and email questions at http://www.kucinichtv.com from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m ET.” (read article)

* * *

Update 7:25 PM
Unfortunately it appeared the Kucinich team had technical difficulties, so the video wasn’t available.

The article linked above mentioned this piece by George McGovern today in The Washington Post: Why I Believe Bush Must Go, in support of impeachment. (more…)

According to the Associated Press, ABC has cut 3 candidates from its upcoming Presidential Debates. The Seattle Times reports that Dennis Kucinich is contesting this decision:

NEW YORK — Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday after ABC News excluded him, fellow Democrat Mike Gravel and Republican Duncan Hunter from today’s debates. (read article)

Kucinich is contesting his and the other candidates’ exclusion, and he’s filing a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Consider that a few weeks ago, Republican Mike Huckabee was nearly as far behind in the polls as some of those now being excluded. It’s not up to ABC or any other network to decide for us how we should vote, or who is a viable candidate at this point in the process, when only one state has chosen its nominees in the two major parties. The American people own the US airwaves, not ABC or any other network. What good is the free press if that press won’t provide us fair, objective, and balanced coverage of something as important as a presidential election? If you wish to let ABC know what you think of this decision, they have a contact page here.

Last night Bill Moyers interviewed Dennis Kucinich on his PBS show, Bill Moyers Journal. If you missed it, you can watch the video or read the transcript here. You can also read the blog entry, Media and the Presidential Election, with viewer comments.

Thank you, Bill Moyers and PBS, for giving this important candidate some of the media coverage he deserves.

Americans voted for a Democratic majority in Congress in 2006, and the message I thought we sent when we did that — just as the media seemed to think — was that most of us wanted out of the Iraq War and wanted to see Cheney and Bush impeached, or at least some true ass-kicking in Washington over the lies they used to get us into the war and the torture and other atrocities committed since. (Both Clinton and Nixon were impeached for far less.)

Yet the candidate who’s taken the most action toward that end, Dennis Kucinich, is BEHIND in the polls.

So my question is, when are Americans going to figure it out? You can have the candidate who appears on TV the most and visits your town, so you get a little thrill before you vote for him or her, and they can have that expensive campaign backed by the very people (wealthy corporatists) who want the opposite of what you want from them, or you can pay more attention to those who don’t have wealthy backers or the nod from mass corporate media, and are actually doing their jobs and campaigning at the same time, at least one of whom wants a true universal healthcare system rather than a corporate health insurance system, and is continuing to take action on behalf of you, who are ignoring them.

Does big business run the country? Or do we, the people?

A simulation called Step By Step Into A Black Hole depicts a theoretical descent into a black hole and the subsequent view of the outer universe from inside the black hole. In the first pictures we see the black hole as a bubble of darkness (scroll down) in an otherwise starlit universe. From inside, we see mostly darkness with a bubble of starlight. The two opposing views remind me of the Yin-Yang or Tai-Chi symbol, with its two sides of light and darkness, contrasted by bubbles of their opposites contained within each half (in the eye of the fish). This led me to question — and research a little more — the origins of the symbol.

I’ve always thought of Yin-Yang as a purely philosophical or even spiritual concept, one of integration, interdependence, and balance. I never thought of it having any connection to our physical universe as conceived by scientists. But according to two sites I came across today, here and here, it may originate from prehistoric observations of the Big Dipper — or the Plough, as the constellation is known in China — as it changes apparent position in the night sky through the course of a year.

If true that the symbol originated from celestial observations, then its origin is the same, an observation of the changing seasons, that we find in the western, European pagan precursors to the Neopagan Wheel of the Year, only instead of the seasonal changes observed in daylight hours or the points on the horizon where the sun or moon rises, it measures the concurrent changes in the predominant feature (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least) of the night sky. Please note that what I refer to as the Wheel of the Year, as we know it today, is a fairly recent invention used in Wicca and Neopaganism, but is based for the most part on ancient European celebrations of the seasons, including the solstices and equinoxes — which no doubt hold some connection to ancient astronomical markers such as Stonehenge and Newgrange. There are also possibly similarities in the origins and symbolism of the Native American Medicine Wheels, which would take another in-depth post to explore, though this appears to be a good resource to start with.

I only found two sites that mention the possible origin of the Yin-Yang symbol with the Big Dipper’s path, though other sites certainly hint at the possibility, and according to one Chinese Mathematical Astrology site, “The most important constellation in the heavens to the Daoist is the Plough (or Dipper).” The eight trigrams of the I-Ching Ba Gua, with their broken and unbroken lines could be perceived as gradations of light and darkness pertaining to the seasons of the year, and might be seen to correspond with the eight quarters and cross-quarters of the Wheel of the Year. They are often depicted or written of as corresponding to the elements, the four directions, or the seasons. Most sites I found have more to say about the meaning of the Yin-Yang symbol than its origin, but nearly all say it’s based on “precise observation.” Most also associate its meanings with the sun and moon as well as to the seasons. I’ve included more links below.

Where does the Yin Yang Symbol come from? (also linked above)

The Sacred Wheel of the Year as revealed through the I Ching (also linked above)

Ancient Chinese Astronomy

The tai-chi mandala: Taiji or Yin-Yang symbol

Tai Chi Symbol, Yin-Yang Emblem, Taiji Tun by Michael P. Garofalo

Tai Chi & Taoism (lists movements of the Tai Chi form that take their names from the Big Dipper or its seven stars)

Taoist Nine Star Astrology (also linked above)

the origins of Yingyang and the symbol deconstructed

Tai Chi Symbol (Gin Soon Tai Chi Chuan Federation site)

Chinese Philosophy: Yin and Yang

I-Ching (Wikipedia article)

And if you’re ready to jump traditions and do even more exploring, check out this page of a much larger resource site:

ABORIGINAL STAR KNOWLEDGE: Native American Astronomy (also linked above)

Main site: NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN RESOURCES

Certainly the symbol is more likely to have originated from a simple observation of the heavens, without the aid of a telescope, than from anyone way back when conceptualizing a black hole. But I still like my observation that a theoretical journey into a black hole resembles this ancient symbol in some regards. The universe seems to repeat its basic patterns, and the spirals of galaxies we observe at great distance with sophisticated technology find their counterparts depicted on stone walls our ancestors decorated eons ago. Even though our cultures and philosophies took many different turns through the course of time, prehistoric humans everywhere started out with similar reverence for the natural world, and based our traditions on observations of the world and heavens around us.

Happy New Year!

I’m adding art journal blogs to my blog list as I find ones that I can’t live without visiting regularly. My two newest links are to Jana’s Journal and Sketch Blog, and Princess Haiku (who visited me and commented a while back, leading me to watch her intriguing blog for a while).

I hope you all enjoy visiting these fresh, new to me blogs.

It’s none of my business how you vote, and it’s as easy for me as for anyone to be fooled by the wrong politicians, or to be under-impressed by the right ones. I remember voting against one man basically because he wasn’t a good enough public speaker to get his ideas across in a way that impressed me that year. I didn’t like his voice either. But I later regretted not voting for him. So when I read about Oprah Winfrey promoting a presidential candidate, I find it disturbing. I have nothing against Oprah, or any other celebrity who might back a particular candidate. In fact I’d rather see celebrities in the news for this reason than for some of the seedier reasons we’re forced to hear about them on the nightly news. I admire a lot that Oprah has done, and especially that she promotes important issues, though I don’t know whether she’s made clear all her positions on the issues our next president will face, or why I should listen to her over anyone else about who should be president. (more…)

“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.”

- Thomas Jefferson

Mt. Palomar has four inches or so of new snow. I’m sure you get sick and tired of snow in other parts of the country, but here in San Diego County it’s a novelty we get every few years and then only at the higher elevations.

Whatever and however you celebrate this time of year, Happy Holidays to you and yours. While it lasts, we’re celebrating our lovely view of snow.

. . .

This is an abbreviated version of a post with more photos at Mystery of a Shrinking Violet. If you haven’t read my romantic mystery, Snow Angels, it’s available as a free ebook, here.

I’m finally shopping my novel around, so I have more time to take care of the rest of my life. There’s something about a book-length writing project that shuts out too much else from the range of my attention, so I’ve decided that unless I sell this novel it’s going to be smaller creative projects for a while, like poetry, short stories, and some needlework and painting. I’m interested in art journals, at the moment, and in playing my guitar more. I’m a rank beginner, but I find music puts my brain into a completely different frequency or something, and I like it there.

While it would be easy (for some people perhaps, not me) to set a list of goals to accomplish, and stick to that set list, I’m more of a drifter. I look forward to browsing my creative urges for a while to see where they lead me. Hopefully they’ll lead into a little more organization and housecleaning. Writing a novel can really upset your housecleaning routine — if you even have one to start with, which I don’t.

I’m surprised and disappointed at the response by some progressives to Dennis Kucinich’s insistence that the State Children’s Healthcare Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill should cover legal immigrant children. If a child’s parents are here legally, and working in the US, which means they very likely pay taxes, why should their child, who has no control over where his or her parents decide to live, not benefit from this program? (more…)

The local birds seem to think our yard is a good place to visit while the last bits of fire and smoke die down, and they’ve come through in flocks as well as individually. At one moment this morning they seemed to be throwing a bird party in our side yard. I stepped outside and saw four or five hummingbirds, a flock of common bushtits (which don’t normally show themselves in the open), a sparrow, something else I couldn’t identify hopping around in the bougainvillea, and a mockingbird displaying the white of its wings and singing its heart out. All this in the space of a minute while I just watched, mesmerized by their activity. We normally don’t get so many at once, though we feed hummingbirds and scrub jays regularly. I suppose some may have been displaced by the fires.

There’s still a lot of smoke in the air, but it’s great to be home. I keep wanting to post some of my thoughts and even a little critique regarding the evacuations and information channels, but it feels so good just to be home after being away for four days last week, and I’m thrilled with how much was saved. I don’t want to seem in any way critical of the people responsible for that. Suffice to say, if you’re a local government official, the more information you can feed evacuees (in as many languages as needed please, for everyone’s safety), and the faster you can get them home after the danger is past, the more willing people will be to evacuate in the future. It may seem that some people are hard cases about evacuating, but I think most who seem that way have their reasons. We have a natural homing instinct that makes it very difficult, particularly added to the stress of a disaster, to be away from one’s home, to feel that one can possibly know enough about what’s happening there. One wants to do something, and it’s difficult to relinquish control.

My husband, dog, and I were blessed to be able to stay with loving family members who put up with our stressed-out state of mind, and we were blessed again to come home and find our house still standing, in fact our entire neighborhood and downtown area untouched except by smoke. There’d been no looting — not that anyone would want my old things anyway — and the power hadn’t even gone out, so our minor fear that we’d have to restock our freezer turned out to be unfounded. Today the smoke still lingers, and the dry weather and heat keep everyone on alert, in the knowledge the fires are contained but not necessarily out. We’re cautious yet immensely grateful.

Many thanks to all our firefighters, and to all the visiting firefighters, including those from out of state and Canada, who came through to help save lives and homes, as well as to all the other officials and support people who worked so hard to ensure things went smoothly here in San Diego County.

This quote found at Perceval Press —

“Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky.” -Rainer Maria Rilke

— seems to blend perfectly with the current topic at Michael Prescott’s Blog, even though I wouldn’t ordinarily combine references to the two sites — and even that helps illustrate my point. Michael’s post titled, Art, this one’s for you!, explores the notion that we’re here to experience separation, and is the third or fourth place that I’ve seen Michael Talbot’s and Jane Robert’s writings mentioned in the past couple of weeks, which has led me to finally add them to my future reading list.

My question is, could it be that we’re here to learn how to love while in a separated state? The entire topic can bend one’s preconceived notions of reality. Beyond science and beyond the physical, what are we really? Is there something even beyond spirit? Why are we here?

Is unconditional love only love of the whole and an ability to find empathy in our hearts for one another? Or is it also the ability to love and appreciate one another in spite of our separateness — perhaps even because of it?

This isn’t a new concept. Perhaps I’m just seeing it differently today, from the perspective of all the divisions, conflicts, and pressures humanity is experiencing. If we can learn to love each other now, then we’re incredibly, miraculously, and perhaps infinitely capable of love.

P.S. Art, the commenter to whom Michael’s post is dedicated, added this URL to the discussion, which presents an intriguing story:

Riding the Dragon: An Unexpected Encounter

In a completely new take on foreseeing the future, scientists are using a “new technique to track changes in the extent of Arctic sea ice over the past 1,000 years.” Find the BBC News story here: Arctic muds reveal sea ice record. Scientists hope the information obtained will help reveal to what extent global warming is manmade.

“The indications are that the natural cycles of change over the past have been very rapid - but the likelihood is that we’re now seeing the effects of manmade warming on top of that.” (read article)

“If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it’s not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.” ~~ The 14th Dalai Lama

What more can I add? I’m an inveterate worrier, determined to change that undermining habit. Words of wisdom like this help keep me afloat.