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31 July 2009

Falling in love again: A poem about opening yourself up to love




Falling in love again: A poem about opening yourself up to love

by alekhouse @ HubPages

From Denny:

Since yesterday was my birthday I thought I'd mellow out on the early AM posting today... :)

Here's the comment I left on her page - What a beautiful piece, loved it! And such good encouragement to others to dare, one more time, in spite of feeling burned out emotionally, to love once again, discovering they can now rest in the loving. Thank you for the word treat! Blogging this on over to my poetry blog for everyone else to enjoy too! Thank you for writing it.

Writing, Arts, culture, Literature, Love, Relationships, Society and Culture


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30 July 2009

Joke: Cat Goes to Heaven

TOKYO - JANUARY 20:  A cat plays at Nekorobi c...Tokoyo Cat Cafe where for $10 customers can play with their favorite cat - Image by Getty Images via Daylife



From Denny: Today's my birthday so I thought I'd mellow out and lay back on the early AM posting. Found this over at Jokes.net, enjoy!

Cat Goes to Heaven

One day a cat dies of natural causes and goes to heaven. There he meets the Lord Himself. The Lord says to the cat, "You lived a good life and if there is any way I can make your stay in Heaven more comfortable, please let Me know." The cat thinks for a moment and says, "Lord, all my life I have lived with a poor family and had to sleep on a hard wooden floor." The Lord stops the cat and says, "Say no more," and a wonderful fluffy pillow appears.

A few days later, six mice are killed in a tragic farming accident and go to heaven. Again, there is the Lord there to great them with the same offer. The mice answer, "All of our lives we have been chased. We have had to run from cats, dogs and even women with brooms. Running, running, running; we're tired of running. Do you think we could have roller skates so we don't have to run anymore?" The Lord says, "Say no more," and fits each mouse with beautiful new roller skates.

About a week later the Lord stops by to see the cat and finds him snoozing on the pillow. The Lord gently wakes the cat and asks him, "How are things since you got here?"

The cat stretches and yawns and replies, "It is wonderful here. Better than I could have ever expected. And those 'Meals On Wheels' you've been sending by are the best!"



Cat, Roller skates, Heaven, Family, Pets, Lord, jokes, Humor

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29 July 2009

Video: Cat in the Sack



From Denny: This short video gives new meaning to pet boredom. What kind of a cat walks around the house with a paper sack on his head for fun? Well, this guy does; talk about strange. Time to roll out the pet psychiatrist and pay the deductible, folks!

Just click on the title link to take you there as Yahoo Video only provides links. Also, look for the video by this title of Cat in the Sack on the page.

Cat photo by chefranden @ flickr

Cat, funny pets, funny video, humor

28 July 2009

Nature: Rain, rain, go away...


Rain, rain, go away..., originally uploaded by muha....

rain, rain, go away... threatening rain clouds in the beautiful Maldives Islands, a paradise of beauty...



From Denny: The first of nine photos I found and wanted to share when I did a search for rain photos over at flickr, enjoy!

Nature: Spring Rain


Spring Rain, originally uploaded by spratmackrel.

gentle puddles...

People: Rain Makers



Photo by 1happysnapper {is online and working too} @ flickr

Flower: White Roses in the Rain


White Roses in the Rain, originally uploaded by John-Morgan.

Raining in California...

People: rain ruined


rain ruined, originally uploaded by (Tres) "descamarado".

oh, what a day...!

People: walking in the rain


walking in the rain (ii), originally uploaded by {eclaire}.

A night shot about rain.

From the photographer: it was raining that night and i love when people carry their transparent umbrellas.

Uploaded by {eclaire} on 22 Oct 08, 9.58PM CDT.

People: Jumpin' in the Rain


Jumpin' in the Rain, originally uploaded by Tony the Misfit.

I just love this one!

From the photographer: Ok, not Gene Kelly, but pretty cool in Soho, New York City.

Uploaded by Tony the Misfit on 28 Jun 08, 9.11PM CDT.

People: Walking Alone in the Rain


Walking in the Rain, originally uploaded by *clairity*.

... in Minnesota in May...

People: Welcoming the Rain


Rain (#41247), originally uploaded by mark sebastian.

From Denny: Last in a series for rain photos!

From the photographer: Finally had an opportunity to test out the rain jacket on my 5D. I fired the 580EX with a pocket wizard. All I had to do to protect the strobe was stuff it into a 1 gallon ziplock bag and mount it on a plastic tripod. It was a very cold and wet shoot, so Jenna should get all the street cred for willfully soaking herself to the bone while I stayed relatively dry under a raincoat.

Uploaded by mark sebastian on 5 Jan 08, 6.42PM CDT.

27 July 2009

10 Cheats to Help You Look Good in Photos



From Denny: Found this good reminder list when taking photos over at Reader's Digest. Some people are just natural at posing for photos and at ease in front of the camera. Other people are nervous and don't know how to relax in front of the camera for a great photo.

These tips really are timeless and most helpful. The key is to see like the camera sees. It's important to study photos of yourself to decide what it is you like or dislike about it. Many times they are easy fixes like don't wear white clothing against a white background as there is not enough contrast not to mention it's visually dull.

Learn how to relax your facial and arm muscles as you pose so you won't look stiff in the photo. Go for solid colored clothing to look more sophisticated and timeless in a photo.

These days with digital cameras not many people can bear the closeup showing every little flaw. Try not to pile on the makeup but rather go for a soft, shimmering, even dewy look that the camera will show off well.

And, remember, we all have a good angle for the camera. Try to determine your best angle after looking at old photos of yourself. Then when it's time to snap that pic you know what position to get into to look good! :)

Here is what Reader's Digest had to offer on the subject:

"How to put your best face forward and pose like a model.
By Karen Lee, former model handler at the Elite modeling agency and head of the Karen Lee Group.

1. Focus your eyes just slightly above the camera lens, move your face forward a bit, and tip down your chin.

2. Put your tongue behind your teeth and smile, which will relax your face.

3. Keep your arms by your side—but not glued there. To look natural, they should be a little away from your body.

4. Test-drive clothing against a white wall, with an indirect, natural light source (under a tree, indoors near a window) — it will show whether blue really is your best color.

5. As a rule, avoid patterns.

6. Photos exaggerate everything, so go easy on the makeup. For women under 30, a little mascara and lip gloss; over 30, add a touch of concealer.

7. Practice the classic model pose: Turn your body three quarters of the way toward the camera, with one foot in front of the other and one shoulder closer to the photographer. When you face forward, your body tends to look wider.

8. For standing photos, belly in, buttocks tight, shoulders back, spine straight.

9. Study photogenic people as well as photos in which you think you looked best. Look at your best angle. You’ll probably see that you were laughing or having a good time. Capturing someone when they’re relaxed or most animated usually makes for the best results.

10. To feel at ease, try closing your eyes, then opening them slowly just before the photo is taken."

26 July 2009

Video: What Made Wedding Video a Web Hit?

From Denny: From reporter Mike Taibbi he explains why this wedding video has taken the world by storm. This is also a good video for people who are still scratching their heads trying to figure out what all the fuss is about on this one video.

Video: Wedding Party Recreates Blissful Boogie for Today Show

From Denny: They are at it again for national TV! One of the ushers is now in a cast since the original wedding video and was still in the dance.

25 July 2009

Viral Video: Wedding Entrance Dance

From Denny: Enjoy this fun version of how to do your wedding day! It's gone viral on the web.

24 July 2009

Summer Dreams: Germany


summer dreams, originally uploaded by FrizzText.



From Denny: I like to do flickr searches and today it was on "summer dreams" and I'm posting all the goodies! There are a total of 13 photos in this Summer Dreams search today, make sure to see them all, enjoy! BTW, many are All Rights Reserved photos, so check with the photographer's flickr page to make sure if you desire to use them. Thanks and have a great weekend! :)

Summer dreams: on the walk


Summer dream, originally uploaded by jbarc (away for a while).

Summer Dreams: mystical tree


Summer Dream, originally uploaded by Micartttt.

http://composelandscapes-micartttt.blogspot.com

very cool vision!

Summer Dreams: Sundown artsy style


Sundown, originally uploaded by daybeezho.

Summer Dreams: Dandy Corona


Dandy Corona, originally uploaded by daybeezho.

See ya, Dandy Lion!

Summer Dreams: Come On--Let's Play!


Come On--Let's Play!, originally uploaded by daybeezho.

And for dog fans how could we not love this adoring sight? :)

Summer Dreams: Cat


Summer Dreams, originally uploaded by daybeezho.

C'mon, you knew I just had to sneak in a cat picture, my favorite furry creatures! :)

Summer Dreams: Estuary


Estuary, originally uploaded by bartolo100.

in Massachusetts

Summer Dream: water


Summer Dream, originally uploaded by bartolo100.

Summer Dreams: Idyllic

From the photographer:

Idyllic

Rhodes(Greek: ÎĄÏŒÎŽÎżÏ‚, RĂłdos, IPA: [ˈro̞Ă°o̞s]; Italian: Rodi; Ottoman Turkish: Ű±ŰŻÙˆŰł Rodos; Ladino: Rodi or Rodes) is a Greek island approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) southwest of Turkey in eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007[2] of which 53,709 resided in the homonymous capital city of the island.

Historically, Rhodes was famous worldwide for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The medieval Old Town of the City of Rhodes has been declared a World Heritage Site. Today Rhodes is a tourist destination.

The island of Rhodes is shaped like a spearhead, 79.7 km (49.5 mi) long and 38 km (24 mi) wide, with a total area of approximately 1,400 square kilometres (541 sq mi) and a coastline of approximately 220 km (137 mi). The city of Rhodes is located at the northern tip of the island, as well as the site of the ancient and modern commercial harbours.

In the 1st century AD, the Emperor Tiberius spent a brief term of exile on Rhodes, and Saint Paul brought Christianity to the island. Rhodes reached her zenith in the third century, and was then by common consent the most civilized and beautiful city in Hellas. In 395, the long Byzantine Empire period began for Rhodes, when the Roman Empire was split and the eastern half gradually became a Greek empire. Although part of Byzantium for the next thousand years, Rhodes was nevertheless repeatedly attacked by various forces. It was first occupied by Muslim forces of Muawiyah I in 672. Much later, Rhodes was retrieved for the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus during the First Crusade.

In 1309 the Byzantine era came to an end when the island was occupied by forces of the Knights Hospitaller. Under the rule of the newly named "Knights of Rhodes", the city was rebuilt into a model of the European medieval ideal. Many of the city's famous monuments, including the Palace of the Grand Master, were built during this period.

The strong walls which the Knights had built withstood the attacks of the Sultan of Egypt in 1444, and of Mehmed II in 1480. Ultimately, however, Rhodes fell to the large army of Suleiman the Magnificent in December 1522, long after the rest of the Byzantine empire had been lost. The few surviving Knights were permitted to retire to the Kingdom of Sicily. The Knights would later move their base of operations to Malta. The island was thereafter a possession of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four centuries.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes

Link to Kyles blog :)
www.metavophoto.com/blog/14-splendid-sunrise-sunset-photos/

Uploaded by Katarina 2353 - busy spending vacation time :) on 29 Aug 08, 11.39AM CDT.

Summer Dreams: Levels

From the photographer:

Levels

The Pannonian Plain is a large plain in Central Europe that remained when the Pliocene Pannonian Sea dried out. It is a geomorphological subsystem of the Alps-Himalaya system.

The river Danube divides the plain roughly in half.

The plain is divided among Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

Uploaded by Katarina 2353 - busy spending vacation time :) on 31 Jul 08, 12.35PM CDT.

Summer Dreams: Bottom of the panonian sea II

From the photographer:

Bottom of the panonian sea II

The Pannonian Plain is a large plain in Central Europe that remained when the Pliocene Pannonian Sea dried out. It is a geomorphological subsystem of the Alps-Himalaya system.

The river Danube divides the plain roughly in half.

The plain is divided among Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

The plain is roughly bounded by the Carpathian mountains, the Alps, the Dinaric Alps and the Balkan mountains.
Although rain is not plentiful, it usually falls when necessary and the plain is a major agricultural area; it is sometimes said that these fields of rich loamy loess soil could feed the whole of Europe. For its early settlers, the plain offered few sources of metals or stone. Thus when archaeologists come upon objects of obsidian or chert, copper or gold, they have almost unparalleled opportunities to interpret ancient pathways of trade.

The precursor to the present plain was a shallow sea that reached its greatest extent during the Pliocene, when three to four kilometres of sediments were deposited.

The plain was named after the Pannonians, a northern Illyrian tribe. Various different peoples inhabited the plain during its history. In the first century BC, the eastern parts of the plain belonged to the Dacian state, and in the first century AD its western parts were subsumed into the Roman Empire. The Roman province named Pannonia was established in the area, and the city of Sirmium, today Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia, became one of the four capital cities of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pannonian_Plain

Uploaded by Katarina 2353 - busy spending vacation time :) on 29 Jul 08, 4.34PM CDT.

Summer Dreams: Dream Butterfly


Dream Butterfly, originally uploaded by zenera.

More summer dreams...

From the photographer:

Dream Butterfly

They loved the raspberry flowers

--

Yellow Strings » Dream Butterfly

When i'm feeling down, when i'm feeling blue. There's only one thing that I
ca--an do!
Chorus
It's the only thi-ng that get me higher,
It's the only thi-ng that lift my spirits!
I'm a butterfly, flyin away---
I'm going higher and higher,
I'm taking myself on a dream-- bu-uterfly!
When i take a ride on my butterfly,
I can take my self anywhere I pleeeez!
Whe I get higher and my srpirits are lifted,
i take myself, back down to Earth!
I say goodbye to my butterfly and walk away with my head, thrown up high!
Repeat CHORUS

Uploaded by zenera on 28 Aug 06, 9.46AM CDT.

Summer Dreams: Do You Still Dream?


Do You Still Dream?, originally uploaded by zenera.

From Denny: I like to do flickr searches and today it was on "summer dreams" and I'm posting all the goodies! This one came with a bonus poem too!

From the photographer:

Do You Still Dream?

Saphiri

-----

Chris Rea › Do You Still Dream?

Do you still dream of summer nights
The endless roads between the distant lights
Do you still find yourself
On strange and long highways
Drifting into unknown phase

Do you still dream of summer days
The sunlight dancing on white rolling waves
The everlasting taste of innocent desire
The atom splitting of its fire

Do you still dream?

Do you see that tunnel showing any sign of light
Does fear still wake you in the night

Do you still dream?

Uploaded by zenera on 14 Oct 06, 1.57PM CDT.

23 July 2009

35 Astonishingly Intricate Ice Sculptures



From Denny: Check out these ice sculpture photos - wow! Then click on the title link to take you to all 35, some of them are incredibly intricate and great designs.

22 July 2009

Does Happiness Elude You?



From Denny: One of the beauties of coming from a family of very long-lived people is that you don't lose the institutional memory of historical events. Another plus is that you don't lose what former generations taught in the way of good character. What is in fashion in one generation is often out of fashion in the next and, so, we lose the cultural continuity of good values.

Like in any family there were those in mine who were, well, slugs, when it came to good character. To a person they lived miserable anti-social lives, unhappy the majority of the time because they focused too much upon themselves. In my book there is nothing wrong with being good to your self. Just try to make the same good faith effort for others as you would yourself and your life is enriched!

For instance, I enjoy writing all these many blogs. It gives me a creative outlet for color, design and writing about anything and everything that interests me in this world of awesome wonders. Writing these blogs also gives me a chance to share with others as if these blogs were the ultimate social site of sharing! By sharing with others a person can enrich the lives of others while they enrich their own.

Then comes the Joy as was taught in previous generations. This kind of Joy has lain dormant for the past 25 years or so, drowned out by business greed and the drive to unbalanced excessive and financial only success. There are a lot of facets to the concept of success. Monetary wealth and accumulation is only a small part of the equation. This much power and large wealth requires the learning of real wisdom in order to not be destroyed by such power. I could get into what the ancient Kabbalists have to say about the power inherent in money and how to prepare for basically trying to grab a tiger by the tail but that would be another very long post! :)

Perhaps it's time for global society to rediscover some of the ancient wisdom of past societies, learning to appreciate the success of others as well as their own. Happiness can be an elusive creature to those who are calculating and refuse to dig deep into their hearts and offer up greater generosity to those around them. Generosity of spirit goes a long way to creating a much happier life!

Funny Dog Photo by Phil Romans @ flickr

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe at age 69, painted ...Goethe at age 69 Image via Wikipedia



Quote

“Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though t'were his own.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Playwright, Poet, Novelist and Dramatist. 1749-1832)

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Money, History, Family, German language, Good faith, denny lyon, Arts, Kabbalah, Literature, Kids and Teens



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21 July 2009

Video: Artsy Fascinating Ad for the PEN Series Camera

From Denny: This is such a joyful little ad and downright entertaining too! Thanks to the folks over at bestontube.com. It's a fascinating look at how you can employ still photos into a video and gives you a different perspective. Very artsy!

Here's the promo text: "A beautiful stop-motion ad celebrating the 50th anniversary of the PEN camera series."




Stop motion, International PEN, art, Video, Stop-Motion, PEN, Animation, Music video

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20 July 2009

Funny Video: I Just Want a Pizza!

From Denny: This girl, Justine, is so funny! She cold calls a bunch of stores asking to order a pizza. Most of them don't catch on to her snarky ways but one guy finally did and the exchange and how she gets out of it is hilarious! He really nailed her and his comments are unbelievable. Of course, her close-up facial expressions steal the show, enjoy!



comedy, funny videos, hilarious, IJustine.com

19 July 2009

Do You Realize Speaking Kindness to Others Benefits You?



From Denny: This is a wonderful profound statement about the long-lasting effects of kindness when someone hears these words. Have you ever considered how much good it does your own heart - and health - when it hears you speak these words out loud for another? Both of you benefit!

This act of kindness goes a long way toward developing emotional intelligence to the highest level and boosting the health of your own immune system against disease. After all "dis-ease" is to be out of balance. Kindness creates an "ease" bringing all into balance again, making you and others stronger!

Quote

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." ~ Mother Theresa

18 July 2009

Update: Foreign Exchange Students Abuse Scandal

Update: There were such great comments over at Dennys Blog Feeds on this story that I just had to repost this story for you to read. I really like it when someone wants to seriously discuss a social issue. What comes out of any good discussion is more understanding and some new facts to investigate. I have an inkling that this story is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Time will tell as more reporters look into the veracity of the experts and the accusers.

Federal Agents Investigate Burger Kings Treatment of Foreign Students - An excerpt: "RIVERTON, Wyo. – Federal agents from the Department of Immigrations are expected to arrive in Riverton today to investigate a possible indentured service case involving foreign students. Five university students working in the states through an exchange program said they were fired from the local Burger King and evicted from squalid living quarters provided by the company after they complained about the conditions.

They described the 15x15-foot house as a boiler room prison, because the windows wouldn’t open, bunkbeds with air mattresses were the beds, a hot-plate on a counter sufficed for a kitchen stove and the toilet and shower stall were unsanitary due to corrosion.

Riverton police, who executed the eviction notice over the weekend, were appalled at the conditions found and reported the situation to immigrations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Local Burger King management has refused comment and corporate officials in Florida say they were unaware of the situation. The students were matched with the local Burger King through the work/travel programs of Worldwide International Student Exchange (WISE) and Aspire Worldwide. They paid $3,500 to $5,000 each to participate, and were told adequate housing would be provided at an affordable fee.

They said rent for the house was $1,800 a month, paid to Burger King District Manager Peggy Handran. Her phone number listed on the work agreement is no longer in service.

The university students are all men, ages 18-21, coming from Turkey, Mongolia, Azerbaijan and the Ukraine. They have found temporary sanctuary with a neighbor, Donna Michel."

Click on the title link for the rest of the story.

The Discussion

Comments:

smbpott
said...

This case is unfortunate and I feel bad for the kids, but the vast majority (95%) of exchanges are positive for the students and the families and communities which host them. I urge the press to investigate Danielle Grijalva, director of Committee for Safety and Chris Gould, a retired British police investigator and PURPORTED consultant to foreign exchange programs worldwide. They say mistreatment of foreign students is significantly underreported. What basis do they use to show underreporting? What is the board make up of the committee for safety? What foreign exchange programs is Chris Gould a consultant for? You will find these two people have NO basis for their setting themselves up as experts, and that they are acting together, but essentially alone (no real committee, no board oversight of organization, restraining order against Danielle...), just trolling the internet for sensationalized cases of exchange student abuse and posting them on one website repeatedly.

16 July, 2009 22:21
Denny Lyon said...
Hi, smbpott, thanks for visiting and leaving your comment!

As with most stories like this, it isn't about how well the majority has been treated but rather about the abused minority that went unreported or not investigated.

This story is really not about the concept of foreign exchange students as it is a great idea culturally. It isn't about the whole organization either.

What this story is about is the fact that nothing was done to address these problems, not enough or perhaps any oversight on the part of our government - most likely the vast majority of issues happened during the Bush years of "non-doing."

It was foolish for our current State Dept. not to fine tooth comb every project they had in operation during the Bush years looking for this kind of thing. As it was the GAO was prevented from investigating AND reporting by Bush and Cheney. Normally, they handle these kinds of investigations as these problems always follow one culprit: follow the money. Most likely, Bush and Cheney cut the funds for oversight and hired outside political cronies as payback for campaign funds.

BTW, do you have proof to back up the stats you give that 95% of the foreign exchange students do not encounter any problem? If there was no oversight, no reporting, no surveys, where did you get this stat?

In the end, we are both coming at this problem from different sides and meeting in the middle in complete agreement: not enough oversight to prove either the good or the bad satisfactorily!

I'm glad these people have finally gotten the courage to speak up and speak out about their abuse. It went pretty much the same in the religious community, especially Catholic, when for decades people complained about sexual abuse. The same arguments abounded that it wasn't that bad, it wasn't true, that 95% etc., etc. Since then the abused began to speak up and the whole truth came out: there were thousands worldwide who were badly abused for decades.

My policy is never to deny a listen to anyone who has been abused, especially when it was as a result of an institutional entity for which as part of the public I am partly responsible.

17 July, 2009 08:57

From Anonymous:

Hello:

Thought you may find this of interest:
Federal agents investigate Burger King's treatment of foreign students
Leslie Stratmoen KVOW/KTAK News Director
July 16, 2009

http://www.ktakradio.com/news/2009/jul/16/federal-agents-investigate-burger-kings-treatment-/

Too many exchange students leave our country with a horrible impression of America.

17 July, 2009 16:16


From Denny: This is a video story I tried to put up yesterday but CNN did not yet have it up on its site until today. Unbelievable what foreign exchange students have lived through when visiting the United States during the Bush years and recently. The truth is just now coming out.

It's a real horror story that our own government funded this abuse and did not take the interest to regulate these agencies that promote and place these students in American homes. Some of those homes were convicted felons, students were raped, starved, forced to live in filthy situations, even placed with known and registered sex offenders! How perverted can you get?



Politics foreign exchange students rape sex offenders starvation abuse America United States State Department investigation

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Bloggers Unite: Global Human Rights Abuses



From Denny: This is a post I ran over at The Social Poets Friday evening for the Bloggers Unite Human Rights Day post on 17 July 2009. Bloggers everywhere are all blogging on the same day about human rights.

***

Humanity is at a crossroads in our world history where we must make a profound decision. It’s time to live better.

Currently, human rights abuses are no longer exclusive to certain regions of the globe. There is a sharp increase in human rights abuses worldwide for decades now and situations are increasing in violence yearly.

Stories abound globally of the most heinous crimes to humanity. Nothing good is accomplished by mankind trying to annihilate mankind. Just what is going on in the world? Here are just a few areas:

• Hamas and Taliban Islamic terrorists and other terrorist groups worldwide are on a bloodthirsty killing spree with bombings of civilians, women and children in many places in the world.



Photo by azrainman @ flickr

• Rogue unstable governments, covertly cozy with terrorist groups, working feverishly to acquire the nuclear bomb so they can kill off their neighbors they don’t like because they are another religion, a different economic or another kind of social system – or just plain won’t give them what they want.

• Genocide in Africa because people of different tribes can’t work out their differences like civilized people.



• Jailing journalists - trying to report the truth - as political temper tantrums to get their own way: North Korea and Iran.

• Tortured prisoners worldwide with the most notable recent heinous acts perpetrated during the Bush years on terrorist suspects never given trials, mainly because there was no real hard evidence.



• Under Taliban Islamic law and culture women are still regarded as subhuman and not deserving of first class treatment like men.

• Here in the United States, during the Bush years, women were raped, often savage gang rapes, at our military universities yet went unreported.

• Then there are battered women worldwide from Islamic to Christian countries whose husbands will not stop pummeling them.



We, the majority, are allowing the few to terrorize us, our neighbors and our loved ones. We must mobilize to stop it. How? Education for starters.
In the end, in order for humanity to not come to an end, we must consider a working alternative to what exists today in the way of abuses. It is a basic human right to be loved. Loved, you say? Yes, loved. We all have the right to be loved.

Love comes in many forms. We have the human right to certain expectations of basic decency and civility. We have the human right to healthy drinking water and sanitation and affordable housing. We have the human right to expect our political leaders that are guardians of our country to be honest and get serious about addressing pressing social and economic issues.



Photo by alicepopkorn @ flickr

Human rights abuses worldwide, in our own countries, in our homes will continue until the average person stands up and says "No!" to it all. Human rights abuses will continue until we all get serious about connecting up to create a tsunami force to push humanity along until we all do better, choose better and, in the end, start living better. Now that’s Love in action! We all have the human right to be loved. Let’s give Love.

A few places you can go for education and plug in to help:

Bloggers Unite where you can help by blogging

Youth Movement For Human Rights - worldwide

Human Rights Watch

Amnesty International, dedicated to bringing world attention to human rights abuse


North Korea, United States, denny lyon, Human rights, Nuclear weapon, Africa, Amnesty International, Human Rights and Liberties, Sharia, The Social Poets

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17 July 2009

How Do You Handle Excessive Stress?

Interrupting GoGo's catnap to tell her about t...Interrupting GoGo's catnap to tell her about the health benefits of smiling... Image by elycefeliz via Flickr

From Denny:

In case you missed it, today I ran this quote over at the quotes blog, Beautiful Illustrated Quotations, and thought it was also a good fit over here:

Every now and then you get to quote yourself which I find quite amusing! How does that happen? Well, the spiritual development people know exactly what I'm talking about as it often goes like this: You are replying to an email as I was in this instance, or, say, you were having a conversation with someone, and, suddenly, out pops this fantastic one liner. You know it's profound or memorable or just plain good advice.

There is a lot of chaos, job loss, sudden onset of health issues and violence going on right now in our economy. People are struggling with their particular life tests, looking for ways to battle or handle excessive stress.

I grew up in a harsh environment of constant stress and created a lot of coping skills to help me manage the stress instead of the stress controlling me. Here is the most recent advice my spirit jumped up and offered to a recent email friend whose husband is now out of work and lost their house of many years.

There is a lot of hurt going on throughout this country. Like anyone I have my own garbage to deal with from time to time, yet I follow my own advice as in this quote. It has never failed me.

Inevitably, the bad times begin to fade and finally end and then a new cycle of properity begins. Keep your mind and eyes on the positive - even when you know it's down the road. Eventually, you will arrive at that better point in your life.

Quote

“Keep smiling. Humor keeps your attitude pushed up and your heart wide open to sight the new opportunities coming your way.” Denny Lyon, 16 July 2009



Health, Stress, Mental health, Coping skill, Emotional Health and Wellbeing, Kids and Teens, Lyon, Support group, Denny Lyon, humor, smiling

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16 July 2009

Nature: water lily


water lily, originally uploaded by madcrow.

From the photographer: "I don't know if everybody knows this already but I discovered it just now by myself how to produce a hdr from a single jpeg: I created two other images by editing the pic with -50% contrast and +30% and -50% brightness in this case and processed the three images with Photomatix as usual. Well, the single picture was simply overexposed in the white areas of the lily due to the high contrast ratio, so I think this is a suitable method to eliminate this problem.
Canon 400d 18-55"

Nature: dusk in Switzerland in summer


dusk, originally uploaded by madcrow.

Nature: Pannonian idyll

"Central Europe that remained when the Pliocene Pannonian Sea dried out. It is a geomorphological subsystem of the Alps-Himalaya system.

The river Danube divides the plain roughly in half.

The plain is divided among Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

The plain is roughly bounded by the Carpathian mountains, the Alps, the Dinaric Alps and the Balkan mountains.
Although rain is not plentiful, it usually falls when necessary and the plain is a major agricultural area; it is sometimes said that these fields of rich loamy loess soil could feed the whole of Europe. For its early settlers, the plain offered few sources of metals or stone. Thus when archaeologists come upon objects of obsidian or chert, copper or gold, they have almost unparalleled opportunities to interpret ancient pathways of trade.

The precursor to the present plain was a shallow sea that reached its greatest extent during the Pliocene, when three to four kilometres of sediments were deposited.

The plain was named after the Pannonians, a northern Illyrian tribe. Various different peoples inhabited the plain during its history. In the first century BC, the eastern parts of the plain belonged to the Dacian state, and in the first century AD its western parts were subsumed into the Roman Empire. The Roman province named Pannonia was established in the area, and the city of Sirmium, today Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia, became one of the four capital cities of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pannonian_Plain"

People: silent conversation


silent conversation, originally uploaded by chospatis.

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