LadybugFlights

ISSN: 1530-5775

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LadybugFlights
 December 2009 Vol.11 #12

Featured Fiction

Present and Counting
from Georgia Jones

Archibald Benson was not, as his name might imply, a conservative throwback to some eighteenth century worldview. The name was a family tradition; a tradition of punishment and challenge if you had asked him in the fourth grade and for some years of his youth. But he had learned to live with it and the diminutive, Archie or Arch wasn't so bad. His kids called him Dad, even his oldest who was going into her rebellious teen years and usually avoided calling him by any name at all. His wife of twenty-eight years, Susan Benson—a nice normal sounding name—seldom had reason to complain to her friends about his lack of attention or sensitivity. Archie, as she called him, was a good man with a quiet life, not too conservative or too liberal.

Archibald believed in the rule of law and the rule of rules, and he seldom "colored outside the lines" as he had once described "rebellious ignorance of order" in an editorial he had written. Though that line did not fully describe his attitude toward life, it had stuck. Archibald Benson, that conservative newspaperman was how he was known in the community. It was a wounding assumption because he thought of himself as open minded and maybe even, in his more confident moments, creative.

Now-a-days Archie had bigger problems than an awkward name and a reputation that didn't fit. The economy and technology, progress they called it, was destroying the business he loved. Print news was in trouble and that meant Archie's daughter's might not get to college, the mortgage might not get paid, his eighteen employees might be out of work and, probably most devastating to a man like Archie, the news would no longer be received vetted and carefully fact checked. It might not be received at all.

He had embraced technology at first. The pages of his paper had been graced by color pictures in new, non rub-off inks. He had a web version of the news, though he had never been comfortable with the tiny paragraph lead that was all many readers ever saw of the stories he and his reporters worked hard to provide. Now, though, he worried.

He worried about the past: what should he have done differently to avoid the calamity he foretold? He worried about the present: those employees, their bills and his own. And most of all, he worried about the future: who would take care of facts and fact checking, of learning the basics and beyond, and who would pick up after the mess his generation had left behind. That wasn't something he imagined when he had planned his children's futures. Neither had Susan and he couldn't quite shake the thought that she would blame him if that future were to become reality.

There was a definite air of gloom as Archie culled the files for "Christmassy" material to enliven the December month for his publication, The Local Times. Most years this had been one of his favorite editorial duties. This year felt different and it was. He couldn't ignore his concerns or the reality he saw on his books every month. This might be his last month of papers. Dailies were an endangered species and everyone seemed to think there were optimistic things to be said about that. Maybe there were, but he didn't see any.

He had been through the file of clip art, considered all of the cute reprints from past years and had simply had it. There would be papers this month. December wouldn't just go away because he wanted to cancel it. There would be papers but it was going to be a month of gloom, even if he stuck in every bell, Santa, Baby Jesus and Christmas wrapping picture he had on hand—not to mention anything he could pick up from the Internet… At least it was good for something. With that thought he turned his chair away from the computer and bellowed into the open space in front of him, "Has the mail come yet?"

Tina, who set copy and did a bit of light editing as well as brought coffee and the mail, hurried in to apologize for its being so late. What could she do about it? Archie grumbled to himself. As soon as she left, he got up and followed her out to the front desk. Nothing. No mail. He knew Tina was right, but he needed something to focus on and it seemed it would be the mail.

Before he could give up on this small hope, the postal carrier— as he always called her to emphasize his political correctness even though he knew her name was Millie— came through the door, a small bundle of envelopes in her hand and a smile at the ready. She was probably expecting Tina, he thought, but returned her smile anyway. He reached for the mail and Millie mumbled something about the weather, took the stack of envelopes waiting for her on the counter and swiftly turned toward the door. "Have a good Holiday!" Archie called after her, practicing the sound of it. Could they tell how he felt?

There was only one envelope addressed "Editor" and he pulled that from the stack, grasping it like a lifeline, and turned back to his office where he could open it in private, and maybe chant some wish for a miracle over it before applying the knife-like opener to its sealed flap. He was usually too busy to indulge primitive superstitions in his life, besides he laughed at people who did. But today— Today he needed anything he could get, even luck and metaphysics. The envelope opened with a soft zipping sound and a photograph fell out and onto his desk. He picked it up and looked it over.

It was slightly yellowed with age, maybe fifty years or so. There was a Christmas tree and presents and a couple of children tearing at wrappings. It was black and white. He shook the envelope. A note fluttered to the surface: For publication. Nothing else, just the scrap of paper and the snapshot. Not much of a picture, but he had asked for a picture. Here it was.

Archie put the photograph in his tray with a note of his own indicating that the picture was to be put right on the front page. Maybe someone will come forward with an interesting explanation of the photo, he thought to himself, and there might be a story in it.

It would be pointless to go through all of those days of December, a kind of Advent Calendar, describing Archie's enduring mood of despair or telling how each day's mail brought another photo, each one as average and uninspiring as the last though all were different and it was possible to guess that some of the living rooms and some of the children were different too, or to mention, in case you didn't see those issues, that each one went dutifully to the front page above the fold unadorned with a caption of any kind. Let us just agree that is what happened and that none of it changed the world or the economy or the future Archie had so heartlessly foretold for the profession he loved.

It was a Wednesday, the third week of the month when Archie placed himself in front of the counter waiting for Millie and his now usual envelope. He was determined to get Millie to interpret the markings on the postmark. Surely, the post office must have some way of telling which part of the county a piece of mail originated from, even without a return address. Millie listened to his demand, smiled politely and answered that there might be, there sure might be, but no one had ever shared that information with her. All she did, she answered, was pick up a bundle in the morning, deliver it as addressed and return the new bundle to the outgoing rack later in the day. She was only part time, after all.

Archie's gloom magnified his frustration and if Tina had not stepped in he might have said some very unflattering things to his postal carrier, things that might have counted as high on the list of postal transgressions as a dog bite and have resulted in his having to pick up his mail himself. Tina had never doubted how valuable her role was, but that day everyone took note of it.

That picture went on the front page, and the next, and the one after that, of course, but Archie was beginning to formulate a plan. On December 23rd he ran a picture, the one from that day's mail, with the caption: Did You See Yourself Here? Come to our open house on Christmas Eve and meet the people we celebrated with this year.

He was sure he had gone a little crazy and so was Susan, though her concern was more about catering an open house at the paper's offices on such short notice. No one was likely to show up, he reassured her. She looked at him and wondered why he would be planning a party if no one was coming, but went ahead with full scale preparations anyway.

The 24th came on schedule, right before the 25th and after the 23rd, and Archie spent the morning ducking the troop of arrangers that was his wife and daughters. They had some help from Tina, of course, but Susan always felt that the personal touch was what made a gathering a gathering or a celebration a celebration, even when she was unsure about what they were celebrating. By noon, the place looked a picture of holiday spirit. Only Archie still wore his everyday face.

The girls were given leave by their mother to go down the street to a diner and lunch with their friends. They had done well, she thought, and deserved a chance to get away from the dustiness of the solid institution their father had built. She, herself, always loved the chance to go by the paper, to feel the buzz of news that told her everything anyone would need to know about the world, while still remaining safe in her own little circle. It was comforting and when she thought about her place in the community she was proud that she had married Archie. Susan knew about the problems, but she always trusted Archibald Benson to know what to do. He ran a newspaper; didn't he? He must know everything and if there was something he didn't know, well, he sure knew how to find out!

Archie sat behind his desk, his ears tuned to the comings and goings on the other side of the door that remained closed. There was nothing for it; by one o'clock he was ready to leave that door closed forever. By two, he was planning where he would move his family. By three, the depression had crowded all thoughts of vengeance, anger or hope of pretending that this had never happened out of his mind. By four, he was packing his briefcase for the drive home and realizing that he would have Susan and the girls in the car with him so would need to pretend that everything was or would be OK.

Susan had gone out for last minute shopping after lunch and seemed composed and cheerful as always. Archie guessed her practiced social face would remain intact until they were alone. Thank goodness he had had the sense to marry a woman as capable as Susan. She might even take the news of the disaster better than he worried she might. That was the most optimistic thought he had entertained in a month. He was grateful for Susan and her ability to make the worst somehow less bad, sometimes even tolerable, though not that day. Not that December 24th at the end of the world he knew and with a chasm opening in front of him and every thought of happiness…

There was noise on the other side of the door. Someone had tuned a radio to carols, but there were voices, too. Archie wondered who it could be. He had run the pictures. He had taken care of the past, someone's past, maybe everyone's. He still didn't know.

He grabbed the lined spiral bound steno's pad from the corner of his desk, the pen from his shirt pocket, and reached for the door handle. The future would have to take care of itself for now. He had a story to write and, from the sound of it, the spelling of a lot of names to double check.

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Featured Article

Women's Health Equals Global Health: A Radical Proposal
from Jane Roberts

Health is very much on everyone's minds these days, but it is more than a visit to your trusted physician. Jane Roberts has offer to share another of her articles from RHRealityCheck.org.

 

What follows is a radical proposal from a grassroots activist who wants to see a whole new framework for global health. It was written because the Washington DC Global Health Council conference next June is going to emphasize the health related Millennium Development Goals and the Women Deliver Conference also in Washington next June is going to again bring world attention to the subject of maternal mortality with a heavy emphasis on family planning as a great saver of both women's and children's lives.

In much of the world, if you are born a girl, there is often commiseration instead of celebration at your birth. Or earlier you may have been aborted for your gender or your life may be purposefully snuffed out in your first days of life. In your first five years, you may die of simple neglect. There are between 60 and 100 million of you missing in the world today simply because of your gender.

And yet, no human being has ever lived who has not come from the womb of a woman. Right now on this earth, 6.8 billion people are living because a woman did something quite brave. She carried a pregnancy to term even though she probably had some difficult days. She is the giver and keeper of life. In fact, I say this rather facetiously but if every man on the planet disappeared but there were frozen sperm in a sperm bank somewhere, humanity could start over. If every woman disappeared, well, you get my point.

So from a biological scientific point of view, you women of the world are la crème de la crème, the cat’s pyjamas. You are it! But at the present time individuals, governments, religions, cultures and customs do not accord you full equality. In fact, gender inequality is the moral scourge of the age, so huge in its implications that it is almost too big to see, almost invisible.

I have with me a little writing booklet from a United Nations Population Fund sponsored elementary school in Senegal, The times tables are on the back and on the front, in French, this message: Little girls have as much right to food, education, and health care as little boys.

We should all be in a state of utter disbelief that such a thing needs to be said. We all know that girl children (often along with their mothers) eat last and least. What implication for health? After all food and water are the basics of health. What if the world committed to making sure every girl had enough nourishing food and clean water. Wouldn’t that in itself do wonders for global health and the future of coming generations? Because quite frankly, if this were the case for girls, it would also be the case for boys. It would carry over!

We all know that little girls often do not have equal opportunity to attend school. Equality of education is a primary component of the Millennium Development Goals both for girls and women. We know that two thirds of the illiterate people on the planet today are women and girls. Illiteracy equals ill health. Illiteracy equals poverty which equals ill health. What if the world committed itself to the equivalent of a high school education for every girl? If available for girls and women, it would carry over to boys and men. It would be an immeasurable contribution to health. Thus Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3 although they speak of education, are also much related to health.

What if every girl and woman on the planet were given access to health? For instance what if every baby were more or less guaranteed a birth weight of 7 to 8 pounds and to be AIDS-free. That would give every baby a good start. Imagine the revolution in health that this guarantee would imply. It would imply a world commitment to everything contained in the field of reproductive health. It would imply that early marriage would disappear. It would mean the end of FGM. It would probably imply that every pregnancy was wanted, that ante-natal care was universal, that every birth was safe, (immediate emergency obstetric care on the spot) i.e. no more maternal mortality and no more obstetric fistula. It would mean that family planning would be universally accessible as promised in human rights documents (particularly ICPD in Cairo) which have been more honored in the breach than in the implementation. It would mean that the huge toll of unsafe abortion (70,000 deaths and 5 million injuries, hemorrhages, and infections every year) would disappear. The acronym PAC (post-abortion care) would disappear. The fact that abortion remains illegal especially in the developing world results from women’s disempowerment politically and culturally. Gender inequality is the underlying reason that universal access to family planning and access to safe abortion have not been realized.

If the world committed to vaccinate every girl for childhood diseases, believe me, the boys would get vaccinated too. If the world committed to malaria bed nets for all girls and pregnant mothers, all boys and men would have them too. And if the world committed to women’s education, health, and human rights, and made the necessary moral, financial, legal, and cultural commitments to gender equality in all realms of civil society, this planet would be a different place and women and girls and men and boys would benefit equally. Women’s health equals men’s health and global health.

We must talk a little about the issue of human population. The basic reason why there are 6.8 billion of us now is that “making babies” is enjoyable and a natural human activity. Raising children is a much desired and rewarding activity for most people.

Yet, in the 21st century, human population has run up against the carrying capacity of the planet for food, water, and a life sustaining environment. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN has just come out with a finding that there are 1 billion hungry people on the planet now. Believe me, women and girls are more than 50 percent of this number! With the percentages of young people on the planet today, the UN Population Division predicts a world population of 9.1 billion by the year 2050. Can anyone seriously doubt that this will be a humanitarian disaster of immense proportions particularly for health?

If you take Africa alone, the UN says that with present fertility rates the population of Africa will double in 40 years to 2 billion. This is unconscionable. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Philippines, southeast Asia are in trouble on population. The global health community can not now insure health for all human beings. How will it do so with another 2.3 billion people, the great percentage of whom are going to come from the least and less developed countries who now offer very low levels of education and health and health infrastructure such as sanitation. What are the health implications of a lack of sanitation? Huge, absolutely huge! And people, to be honest, the status of women in most of these countries is low. This is no accident. There is a little bit of cause and effect here.

Poverty equals ill health. According to the UNICEF “Gender Equality: Big Picture Report for 2007”, women perform 66 percent of the world’s work, produce 50 percent of food, but own 1 percent of property. Women receive only 10 percent of worldwide income and perform more than 70 percent of unpaid work around the globe. Two thirds of the poorest of the poor in the world are women, often women with children. For health to come for women, the feminization of poverty must be addressed. Changes would emphasize girls’ education, gender equality and all of its legal ramifications , economic opportunity and reproductive health and choices. Bref, as they say in French, less poverty for women equals a better life for all.

I have never seen the mental health costs of gender inequality being addressed. There would be huge room for research here.

The world is seeing more and more conflicts over resources. These conflicts often result in violence of all kinds perpetrated against women. Violence against women is a public health nightmare. Increasingly rape is being used as a weapon of war. The public health implications of GBV (gender based violence) (it has its own acronym!) are astronomical, astronomical not being a term used by health professionals but by this grassroots activist retired French teacher.

And when there are typhoons, floods, droughts, 70 percent of those who die are women, often pregnant or with children. The United Nations Population Fund and the Women’s Environmental and Development Agency WEDO have issued a report on the necessity of taking gender issues into account when adopting climate change policies.

Here are some observations. Which comes first, maternal or child health? The Millennium Development Goals have cutting child mortality by two thirds as number 4 and improving maternal health as number 5. I would reverse the order. Improving maternal health is a prerequisite for cutting child mortality. And obviously cutting maternal mortality cuts child mortality big time!

Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn in their groundbreaking book “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” share the stories of women caught up in trafficking and sexual enslavement. The root causes of the global human trafficking phenomenon are poverty and illiteracy which result in powerlessness. One must attack the root causes.

If you look up www.un.org/millennium goals and click on number 5, the last line of target two says: “An unmet need for family planning undermines the achievement of several other goals.” I think it undermines all of the MDGs, every single one. But family planning is controversial. When I see the opposition to family planning, let alone to legal abortion, on the part of the religious right in this country I see mind-boggling hypocrisy. They all use family planning. Family planning equals health. With millions of women unable to be the decision makers when it comes to sexual activity, family planning is the crucial element for women’s empowerment. It allows women and girls to go to school, to learn, and to earn both money and respect and to play an active role in civil society. The health benefits of family planning for people, the planet, and peace are so vast as to be almost invisible.

Hillary Clinton at her hearings to become Secretary of State said: Of particular concern to me is the plight of women and girls who comprise the majority of the world’s unhealthy, unschooled, unfed, and unpaid.

Ban Ki-moon says: In women, the world has the most significant but untapped potential for development and peace.

Stephen Lewis: I challenge you to enter the fray against gender inequality. There is no more honorable or productive calling. There is nothing of greater import in this world. All roads lead from women to social change.

I say: When the world takes care of women, women take care of the world. That is my radical grassroots proposal. That the peoples of the world commit in every way imaginable to women’s health and empowerment and equality. The pay-off would put people and the planet on a sustainable course. Women and girls, men and boys would benefit equally. In my little book “34 Million Friends of the Women of the World” I say: “We have to imagine a world where all people, men and women, in equal partnership, with no artificial legal, cultural, religious, or economic barriers, work together for the greater good. We must imagine a world where all people regardless of their gender are judged, as Dr. Martin Luther King might have said, only by the content of their character.”

At the 2007 Women Deliver conference in London, the Lancet put out a special edition with this message on the front: “Since the human race began, women have delivered for society. It is time now for the world to deliver for women.”

We need people, men and women together, who will DELIVER for women, who will climb over the barricades, in a non-violent struggle for enormous change. We have to make it happen. We need a peaceful, purposeful, stubborn and obstinate REVOLUTION!

Jane Roberts, a retired French teacher, is cofounder of 34 Million Friends of the United Nations Population Fund and author of the book 34 Million Friends of the Women of the World, Ladybug Press. In 2005, the 100th anniversary of the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, she was one of 1000 grassroots women throughout the globe nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize a project under the patronage of UNESCO in Bern, Switzerland. Jane is a tireless advocate for women's health and women's right around the world.

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You can see more by David Donar at http://politicalgraffiti.wordpress.com/.

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Virtual World

Poets Near and Far

I'm sure you all have seen "Playing for Change" where songs and harmony connect musicians around the world. It demonstrates one of the wonderful gifts of the internet, bringing artists together for creative collaboration.

We see a lovely example of such collaboration here in this month's issue of LadybugFlights, as well as the last two. Four poets separated by many miles have a collaborative conversation in spite of the distances that separate them. Darcie Ziel is far north in Anchorage, Alaska, Robin Heche is in South East Alaska, Dennis O'Donnell lives in Washington State, and David Wiley in Southern California. See what can happen when poets transcend geography to express their individuality.

A wonderful poet also represented in this issue is Fran Sbrocchi. In spite of the fact that she lives in Perth, Australia and I live in Kansas City, Missouri, Fran and I have talked poetry together for years, and I find our conversations inspiring. Here is a little poem that almost meets the challenge presented by her "Poem without Verbs":

Poets near and far
with rhymes, words, ideas
through bits and bytes
from here to there
from me to you
from you to me
wherever we are.

Three cheers for poetic conversations, virtual or otherwise!

The wonderful poem that inspired Irma this month was by Fran Sobrocchi:

Snow
a crystal touch on a baby's face
four feet of white across a frozen land
purple moon shadows under pines
diamonds on tree limbs in the morning sun
weapons for school boys
walls in the school yard
my tracks across a field and those of a hare
a hundred telephone poles along my way to school
After deep winter's darkness
spring lake
and summer field
acres of riches
the black earth
dust
dust
and yellow harvest
combines
tiny harvest mice
The table full:
potatoes, pumpkin, corn, beans , cabbage, strawberries, saskatoons, blue berries,
raspberries, choke cherries, pincherries, cranberries, carrots, turnips six inches across, bitter horseradish, beets.
Time for the fall supper
November snow

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Baby Bug

Deck the Halls With Gold . . . Pants

 

At our house, the holidays are filled with lights and glitter and sparkles. It has been warm in November to the tune of 75 degrees so our lights are already up outside. I have also inadvertently added a new bit of sparkle to our holiday celebrations in the form of pants.

It is still a hunt to find pants that are long enough for Joel and also accommodate his skinny waist so that his pants don't fall down in public. He wears a lot of track pants and drawstring waist jogging pants. Most of his pants are black or navy but I buy them when I find them at the best price possible. My most recent choice was probably not the best. He loves them more than his other pants but they have turned out to be a little flashy even in their track-pant style.

It goes without saying that Emily is still in love with anything sparkly and girly, which often results in the wearing of her princess tiara to restaurants. Recently, she was getting compliments on her dress and accessories so Joel piped up to the waitress, "I have shiny, gold pants on today".

Not only did it sound a little weird, he probably needs to work on his future pick-up lines and not wear shiny, gold pants when he is sixteen and trying to get a date. The waitress looked a little stunned and also a little impressed by the budding showman. Before she could comment, he was up and out of his chair to show her the shiny pants in all their glory. Short of a tap dance routine in the center aisle, his outfit eclipsed any shiny decorations to come.

Not to be outdone, Emily and her friends have their own sayings that stun and bring grown adults to giggle. In her church choir class, they have been learning the parts of the sanctuary. A few weeks ago, the director asked them what the area where the pews are located is called. Apparently, "nave" was right on the tips of their tongues but it came out the "navel" of the church. They already think that the word "pew" is hilarious in its double meaning even at the age of four. Adding the possibility of a navel in the back of the church sent some of them to the floor laughing. The mom helpers and director were snickering into their shirts trying not to encourage the twittering.

Emily will be singing in the Christmas Eve service for the first time. The little ones (aptly named Cherubs) will be shepherds complete with cotton ball sheep. Joel has graduated to angel, which does not please him because he thinks all angels are girls. I may have to remind him that he was wearing gold pants a few weeks ago. Emily, on the other hand, is mad and nearly refusing to wear her shepherd costume. There are two very important reasons for her protest. The first is that she doesn't want to cover up her pretty Christmas dress. The second, and more important reason: is that shepherds are boys. I have had two very similar yet different conversations with each of them. It is interesting to me that they have such strong gender ideas so early on. In Joel's conversation, I reminded him of very manly angels in the Bible. I convinced Emily that she was going to be a shepherdess and that I would find her the costume that was closest to pink or purple. As it stands, I could have the only angel wearing gold pants under his robe and the only shepherd with a pink, jeweled tiara. The pictures will be precious. My Christmas will be the shiniest and brightest one ever. If only I can find the navel to sit in to watch the performance.


Happy Holidays to Everyone!

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Lynn Andrews
Celebrating the Giving of Thanks

 

Beyond the dimensions of ordinary life lie dimensions of higher consciousness. When you move into higher consciousness, you discover the strength and serenity of a faith and a trust, a hope and a joy that will sustain you through anything you face in life.

Fall is the season when people across the globe traditionally come together in celebration, harkening back to the days when we were much closer to the land and the celebrations of giving thanks for an abundant harvest.

What does the term 'giving thanks' mean to you? As a shaman who has spent the last four decades working with healers from across the globe, to me giving thanks is about higher consciousness. It is about the consciousness of thankfulness, a celebration with the Great Spirit of all of the gifts of life that surround us.

Thankfulness is a beacon of light which shines from within you, inviting you to move beyond the dimensions of your ordinary life. It is your way of saying to the Great Spirit, to God in all of the wonderful ways we understand God, "Thank you for these gifts of life."

You are uplifted when you say, "Thank you," to God. Even in the darkest moments, when you say, "Thank you," to the Great Spirit, you feel deep in your soul that you are not alone, that there is something very kind and powerful within your own life force. It is always present for you if you allow it in, the great God who is always on your side. When you are in this moment of being uplifted, you are in the celebration of thankfulness.

Gratefulness is what brings you into the present moment, which is where all of life is happening. Life only happens in the present moment. The past is behind you, the future has yet to come. It is important to learn from the past as you prepare for the future, yes. That's part of why we have celebrations of homecoming, they remind us of the good parts of where we have been as well as where we are going.

But the only moment in time we are ever really given is this moment, right now. So fill your present moment with gratitude. Find something for which you are thankful at this very instant. Awaken your appreciation, and don't ever let it go to sleep again. Then you will have all of the strength you will ever need to move through the events of your life with strength, confidence and, dare I say it, joy, the pure joy of living. The celebration of thankfulness is what keeps your life force vibrant.

In a way, moving into thankfulness is like placing a seed in the ground. You nurture and water the seed, and the flower blooms. Thankfulness is a seed that is within you, that needs to be cultivated. You come into this physical realm carrying this seed; it is part of your life force. When you nurture it, that's when it blooms into the guiding force of your conscious experience of life. You choose to be thankful. You choose to celebrate the life force with which you have been gifted. You choose higher consciousness, and a new world opens.

This magnificent season of fall is a time of high energy and the coming together of family and friends, to feast, to celebrate, to be reminded that no matter where we are in life, we are part of something larger than ourselves. What a great time to practice thankfulness in a conscious and intended way!

When you talk about the coming home of loved ones into your life, to me you are talking about God. As you open your heart and your home and your life to the ones you love, you are opening your being to the Great Spirit and the gifts of life which are bringing you back together.

Whatever you are doing in this season of fall, find something for which you are thankful and make it part of your celebrations. If you are going through stressful times, perhaps filled with sadness, or even frightening, look within yourself until you find something for which to be grateful and celebrate that gratitude. Make friends with your thankfulness. It is part of your life force. Nurture it in everything you do. When you feast, don't forget to think about the animals and the life that has given way so that you may live, and celebrate that life.

Whatever festivities you celebrate at this time of year, make them a conscious celebration of thankfulness. It is one of the greatest gifts you will ever have and it is always within reach. It comes from within you.

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THIS MONTH:
Poetry Corner  Poetry

A poetic conversation with poets, Robin Hiersche, Darcie Ziel, David Wiley, Dennis O'Donnell.

This month's topic:
Sensation

 

Darcie Ziel

Poetry 
	
	
    

    The Space Between
    

In the wind, 
birch trees' leaves sound like some sea
some giant sigh
immediately after a loss, just before a gain
there is that brief moment
between the crash of watery crests
an exhale, an emptiness
a chance
a wind moving through leaves.

Poetry

 

Dennis O'Donnell

Poetry 
	



eating an orange


an orange 
is not like an elephant,
not like a giraffe.
 
something in between.
touch it.
 
hold it in your hand.
see?
 
not like an ostrich egg,
not like the brain
of a champanzee.
 
something else.
break it open.
 
pry up the peel
with your fingernails
and notice how the juice
sprays into the air
like rain drops
or fog.
 
don't just pull apart
the obvious sections.
 
open your jaws
and bite 
into all of them.

 

David Wiley

Poetry 
	
	
    

    Flaneur
    

There is a movie
in progress.
It is happening 
very slowly.
A sort of action
is created
by the sheer number
of things.
Everywhere voices
are telling stories.
Everwhere people 
are inventing someone.
I myself
people my solitude
with unlikely heroes
characters in a lurid
metaphysical
science fiction
romance.
 
I travel alone
among hordes
of words and sounds.
I travel alone
among currents
of smells and memories.
All the revelers
of past centuries
dance beside me.
Flutes made of copper
and bags of bones
are thrown at my feet.
I cross the bridges
and recross them.
I am a catholic
of the senses
of the topography
of the way tings
are all laid out.

Poetry

 

 

Robin Hiersche

Poetry 
	
	
without you

	
    
my shadow's shadow
calls my name in an ancient
and much mutated echo,
 
drunken pilgrims,
rotten roses,
broken windshields,
blood dried into human rust,
urban hubris,
and slurred jargon
are innocently spewed
into our deliberate atmosphere
by your imaginary wife
who is not aware
of her necessary losses
and remains continuously
trapped in local palindromes:
 
a virgin ghost
in heat.

I have been working
all my life
to be aware
of fewer dimensions.
Without you,
I seem to be
succeeding.

Poetry

 

 

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Fly Away

Hush Hush - Keep it Down Now - Voices Carry
from Danielle Joy Linhart

The hardest thing to do in an abusive relationship is to actually leave the relationship. But, now that I have become an advocate I am finding out most women don't talk about the abuse while being in the relationship. After being beaten and broken down for the first time she can't bare to admit what has happened let alone look her friends or family in the eyes, but talk about it... Feeling, confused, embarrassed, and at fault I know I didn't even want to think about the first time I got beat around.

The message and point I am trying to make is that it's okay to talk to someone we trust about a boyfriend, especially an abusive one. Most woman gain a fear to speak of the abuse because they are afraid that their boyfriend will find out and in turn they will get beaten one more time. My bruises were placed where they could be covered and I was convinced not to say word or I would be dead. That is a fear that was placed in my soul. In my 4 year relationship it took me one year and a half to speak up and say something and I am so lucky that I had family and support.

Now is the time to try to put comfort in the hearts in minds of those who are or might be being abused and say we are here for you. Trust in the people you love and speak up and your voice will carry in the right place. Also, there are local shelters where there is a confidence level and you can get help at the same time. Take the first step to talk about it and then get out of it. Believe in you and be True to Yourself.

List on Online Domestic Violence Helplines:

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline
  • National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
  • National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
  • National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline

     

    Danielle Joy Linhart is the author of From Deep Within A portion of the proceeds from her book will be donated to LoveIsRespect.org

     

    If you know of a woman who will no longer grace our future because of domestic violence, please send us her story, or your own.

    • Get information on Domestic violence and violence against women at LadybugBooks.com

    We invite any of you to contribute on this subject. We feel it is important to continue the discussion of domestic violence.

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    We are looking for your stories remembering women's history. Send in your story and we will publish it.

    Women Exceptional Women are Our History and Our Future:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Women

    A Heifer Brings Hope to Scovia’s Family

    Every year at this time we like to remind you of the important work that Heiffer International is doing around the world... Even more so because so much of that work aides women who are not only the most needy but are often the best hope of a family and community.   ~Georgia

     

    Heifer International

    In her own words, Scovia Kabajurizi says her gift of a heifer makes her feel like a million dollars. This single mother from the Bushenyi district in Uganda cares for her own children, as well as eight nieces and four nephews who were orphaned when their fathers, Scovia’s brothers, died of AIDS. “How can a hopeless person like me become a millionaire within days?” she boasts when she talks about the transforming effects of her Heifer calf named Matsiko, which literally means “hope.” Scovia is not quite a millionaire, but it’s the dramatic difference in her household income since Matsiko’s arrival that inspires her enthusiasm.

    Matsiko is truly the reason for Scovia’s new-found optimism. Her precious “Hope” has given her a positive chance for the future, the opportunity for new life. Heifer animals make a difference in the lives of all recipients. The names project partners give to their gifts are testament to their passion and connection with their animals. Other project recipients have given their gifts such powerful names as Blessing, Grace and Luck.

    Before Matsiko, Scovia was struggling. She lives in her mother’s house, and when the banana bunches produced by the family plantation became extremely small, the children suffered from malnutrition. In addition to bananas, Scovia has worked hard to grow beans, peas and vegetables, but there has never been enough to sell for additional income. To earn money, she cooked food and sold baskets in the marketplace. However, her efforts never yielded enough to have sufficient income to send the children to school.

    When she learned about Heifer from a neighbor, Scovia joined the Kizinda Farmer’s Project. She received training on hygiene, sanitation, pasture establishment and management, food crop production, soil and water conservation, as well as shed construction. She says when she saw her hopeful heifer, Matsiko, entering the compound, “I had never been happier. When my brothers and their wives died, I lost hope, knowing that I would surely follow.”

    Matsiko thrived under Scovia’s care. She bore a female calf in May 2008. Matsiko has not only provided food security for Scovia and her family, but she also gives them a source of income. Matsiko produces 13 liters of milk each day; four liters are consumed at home, providing a remedy for the children’s malnutrition, and the surplus is sold for 500 shillings per liter, netting a profit of approximately 4,500 shillings each day, adding up to 135,000 shillings a month. Matsiko’s manure has improved the fertility of the soil. Once producing too little, the banana plantation now produces more than enough, yielding plenty for both home consumption and surplus sales. “I now sell 25 bunches of matooke (bananas) every month at 5,000 shillings a bunch, from which I earn 125,000 shillings,” Scovia says. The vegetables that Scovia continues to grow have enriched her family’s diet and nutritional status. And now with the enriched soil, there is a surplus of vegetables, which Scovia sells to nearby communities and towns. Five bundles of vegetables each day are sold for 100 shillings each, bringing in 500 shillings each day, or 15,000 shillings per month.

    The newfound abundance is overwhelming and makes Scovia feel richer than ever before. She sees her income of 275,000 shillings a month as a million dollars, because she has never earned that much money or even dreamed it would be possible.

    Scovia’s success has influenced others in surrounding communities who have replicated her technological methods of banana management and vegetable growing and improved their standard of living. Scovia’s future plans include expanding her dairy enterprise and banana plantation and purchasing additional land on which to plant more fodder and pastures. With expanded ventures and additional income, she will help her biological children and orphaned nieces and nephews complete school.

    Scovia is very grateful to Heifer International the giving support that has changed her life. She and Matsiko have provided her family with tremendous hope and self-reliance.

    Reprinted with permission from Heifer International - www.heifer.org.

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    Now Hear This

     

    LadybugLive, Audio, Webcasting, Web Casting

    Listen to Audio ShowsA son going to Afghanistan
    Listen to Audio ShowsMilitary Families

    		   LadybugLive, Audio, Webcasting, Web Casting

    Do you know a Military Family under stress?
    Dr. Eydie is offering free copies of her book Relationship Magic to military families!

    Contact us

    Know someone who might want to be a host at TeenTalkNetwork.com? We have two teens on now and both are growing up fast. The only requirement is that they want to do it enough to stick to a schedule. They all find their voice as they go along. Desiree Nelson is older of our teens—she's in her first year of college this year and she and mom, Linda Nelson, are now cross-programmed to our site at LadybugLive—got a scholarship from Discover in large part because of her program. The other, Rae Quigley is a senior this year and has done several shows on how important it is for colleges that you do something outside the usual. So there are lots of benefits for the teen who can do this, not the least of which is the experience itself. It's a great gig for any teen!

     

    If you are a writer and would like to become a NewVoices author or artist, contact:

    Georgia@ladybugbooks.com
    Please use the subject title: NewVoices Information

     

    Now Hear This     It's Not Your Same Old Radio!

    "There are people who have something to say and those who have something to sell. We are interested in the ones with something special to teach the world."

    For LadybugLive, TeenTalkNetwork, and MooseMeals to continue growing, we need correspondents and readers. The process is quite simple: submissions are by email. If accepted, a reader calls, either our local or our toll free number as directed in the acceptance email, to record. What will you be recording?

    We are looking for: readings of original creative work, comment and commentary, and ideas for regularly appearing programming that can be done within this format. We are not able, as yet, to do direct call in shows, but shows that require listener (delayed) response are OK. All of this, of course, within the same guidelines as everything we do: Of interest to women (no particular restrictions). This format might also be ideal for some of those traditional topics, such as clothing and makeup, with a fresh "twist."

    Send ideas and proposals to Georgia@ladybugbooks.com

    We strive to bring you the best in women's writing.

    And...

    Keep up to date on what is happening at NewVoices and LadybugFlights by signing up for our monthly announcements!

    We know online radio is new to many of you but we also know how rewarding it can be. So, if you need help to get started, don't hesitate to contact Georgia for help... And, hey! Our hosts love hearing from you!

    Our teen site, TeenTalkNetwork.com programming is safe — no porn or other unwanted promotions are attached to our files.

    The Internet promised and we are delivering.

    New programming is always available at:
    TeenTalkNetwork.com
    MooseMeals.com
    LadybugLive

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    Beatrice Spreadmoore's Financial World

    2009: One Year Later

    Where the Capitalist Fools have taken us

    Under Reagan, Clinton, and Bush II rising Oil prices would normally have led to an economic slowdown, as it had in the 1970s. But the Fed faced the problem in the most myopic way imaginable. They produced a flood of liquidity that made money readily available in mortgage markets, even to those who would normally not be able to borrow. This put off an economic downturn and America’s household saving rate dropped to zero.

    It should have been clear that we were living on borrowed money and borrowed time. The truth is most of the individual mistakes boil down to just one: a belief that markets are self-adjusting and that the role of government should be minimal (See Ayn Rand's book: Anthem).

    It is critical that we remake the U.S. financial policy. To do this we must determine who is to blame and get history right. In the meantime, the money men (Wall Street) are conducting business as usual as much as possible. The urgency in addressing this matter should make it our top priority.

    Why people hate Wall Street bonuses?

    There are three basic drivers in getting people to pay attention to the Market: fear, hate, and greed. Because of government's lack of action following the record costs to Main Street to bail out those "who were to big to fail", hating Wall Street and bonuses are still a key issue. Here's why:

    Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s investment bank, survivors of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, are set to pay record bonuses this year. The firms, the three biggest banks to exit the Troubled Asset Relief Program, will hand out $29.7 billion in bonuses, according to analysts' estimates.

    1. Putting its own interests ahead of its customers: You don't need to look any further than how firms pushed their toxic Auction Rate Securities (ARS) off their books and into the accounts of individual investors. This $330 billion scam has robbed the American people of their savings and Wall Street still has not resolved this situation 19 months down the road.

    2. Rewarding employees and not shareholders: 13 months ago Merrill Lynch paid 76% of its revenues to the people who work there. Their pay was linked to revenue, not how much money their deals made for customers. This encouraged employees to close big deals fast rather than paying attention to quality. This has not changed and Goldman is on track to pay record bonuses in 2009.

    3. Takes away talent that could solve more important problems: Wall Street's money attracts too many of the world's best minds. Those MIT PhD's could have been inventing ways to reduce our dependence on oil and gas instead of CDO's.

    4. Too highly leveraged: Wall Street can't make money without borrowing $31 for every dollar of capital it holds. This is okay when bets go the right way but it wipes out capital quickly when they lose. And if you look at how Goldman earned its profits in 2009, it's still borrowing a huge amount of money to trade, boosting its value at risk by 20 percent.

    5. Gets taxpayers to bailout its mistakes: The Fed had used $29 billion of taxpayer money to bail out Bear Stearns for its poor management. But that turned out to be the just the tip of the iceberg. $23.7 trillion has been put at risk to bail out Wall Street.

    Politicians protect Wall Street because it provides so much cash for their re-elections, $5 billion in the last decade alone. If voters still have any influence in politics, they must recognize that the cost to society to keep Wall Street going ("to big to fail") exceed its benefits. Only then will change really happen.

    Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)

    "Frustrating to the American people" financial firms are giving out big bonuses while incomes of the middle class are stagnating or falling.

    • $439 B of the original $700 B has been spent;
    • $280 B of that will be repaid; and
    • $159 B will not be repaid and will be a cost to the taxpayer.

    November 2009, 33 companies that received a portion of TARP's $700 billion have not paid the federal government their most recent dividend payments. Those payments are required by the terms of the bailout and signal that the firms are strained for cash. If those companies fail, US taxpayers stand to lose billions.

    There are many points of view, but the majority of Main Street believe that we need a financial overhall and more control of Wall Street. Please take the Field Trips to get an in-depth view of the risks we face. Do take the time to write to your representatives in Congress and put the pressure on to get on top of this potential Main Street destroying issue.

    Field Trips

    TARP report on AIG November 2009

    Has the Government made money on TARP?

    Capitalist Fools (a highly recommended read)

    Charting the road to ruin

     

    Happy Trails,

    B.S.
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    Books, Cooks, Looks & Ms. Elani
    Elani

    Dear Friends and Readers,

    From the beginning you are there...

    South of Broad
    by Pat Conroy
    ISBN 978-0385413053

    Elani

    Pat Conroy has a feel for the south, not only because he has lived there most of his life, but also for the various nuances of the Southern people. His latest book, South of Broad, takes place in Charleston, South Carolina. From the beginning you are there and can almost smell the pork roasting, the blooms of the every present magnolia and the pull of the Catholic faith.

    As a young boy, Leopold Bloom King, known as Leo, lost his older brother, who was only ten, to suicide. Though he knew it was not his fault, the burden of this loss played heavily on the rest of his life. His father, a kind, loving man, and high school science teacher, gave Leo the attention he needed. But his mother, never thinking Leo could measure up to Steve, the son she lost, treated Leo the same as all the other students at the Catholic high school where she was principal; with an iron ruler and little sympathy.

    South of Broad takes the life of Leo, a shy, lonely boy, and slowly and seamlessly creates a strong man, afraid of nothing. Through the characters that can only exist in a southern town, Conroy introduces Leo to proper Southern youngsters, orphans, twins, and two runaways. Each character is unique in different ways, requiring Leo to draw deep within himself to find something to pull this rag-tag team together to eventually become a tightly knit group of high school seniors. With graduation the team grows apart, only to have an event no one could have foreseen draw them together and require a commitment none is sure can be given.

    Throughout the cleverly woven story Leo learns different facts about himself and his family he finds impossible to believe; not the least of which was that his mother started out as a nun. Over the course of two decades, from the 1960's to the 1980's, his friends are faced with racism, division of class, homosexuality, and untold secrets. The final climatic episodes will leave the reader thinking about the importance of friendships. What could be the straw that broke the camel's back in you own friendships?

     

    Elani

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    YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE

    Tis the season

    a holiday letter
    from Marsha Friedman, CEO of EMS, Inc.

    Marsha has shared generously with us and with others. Here is a chance to take part on her efforts.

    Dear Friends:

    As some of you know, when I moved to Florida in 1989, I began working with the abused, abandoned and neglected children in my community. That first year I organized a gala Christmas party with the help of about 70 volunteers from my church, after learning that the foster children in our community didn't have a Christmas party of their own and had to crash other parties so the children could receive gifts. Then in 1996, a dear friend and I set up a 501C3 called, Cherish The Children Foundation. Every year since, our group organizes a Christmas event to ensure that these children, who have experienced more heartache and turbulence in their short lives than most of us experience in a lifetime, can enjoy Christmas in the same way other children do around the world.

    This year we will be providing gifts for about 350 foster children plus another 200 disadvantaged youths in our community.

    I've never asked for help from my out of state friends or clients, but as so many have said they'd like to help, I thought I would send a note to let you know that this year's event is scheduled for December 19th. So, if you have any books or products you feel would make a good gift for infants to 18 year olds, I would be happy to receive them on the children's behalf!

    Of course, we never turn down money either. We have a sizeable budget as each child receives one main gift and 6 to 7 other smaller gifts that we purchase. In fact, this year our main gift for each foster child is their own piece of luggage. You see, when these children are removed from their home it's often with just the clothes on their back and a garbage bag with other things thrown into it. They are often moved around quite a bit until they're settled into a permanent foster home and with each move, they rely on plastic bags because they don't have anything else to store what little belongings they have. I'm excited about providing the children with a piece of new luggage they can call their own - I think it will help in some small way to ease the pain of not having their own family to celebrate the holidays with and being shuffled around from home to home.

    If you'd like to donate any children's books (or even books that you feel would be helpful to the foster parents) or any other kinds of gifts for the children, you can send them to my office at the address below. It would be very helpful to receive your gifts in advance of Dec. 19th so they can be wrapped and organized for our elves to distribute to the children.

    EMSI
    1127 Grove Street,
    Clearwater, Florida 33755
    Attention: Marsha Friedman

    By the way, many people offer hand-me-downs for the kids, but these children are so used to getting hand-me-downs for everything they do, so we've made it a firm policy of our organization that the children only receive new gifts from us for Christmas!

    Lastly, as Cherish The Children Foundation is a 501C3 Non Profit Organization (Tax ID No. 59-3411071), any donations are tax deductable.

    I'd be thrilled for whatever you'd like to give, even if money. :-)

    Warm regards,
    Marsha

    From the EDITOR

    Celebrate in Art

    Painting by Elizabeth Case
    You have read about Elizabeth here and her daughter is opening a gallery for her work. Elizabeth Case had an understanding of children and a visit to the gallery, online or in person, is the perfect way to celebrate childhood this year.
    Georgia Jones, Editor

     

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    READERS REFLECT At LadybugFlights we have always encouraged the participation of our readers. For that reason we have this space, a place where you can be heard. Nothing as formal as an article or a column... Just some venting, self-expression, or a chance to communicate what you are thinking on almost any topic. Send it to us and we will let you know if we can use it!

     

    From us to you:

    Many of us have been sharing our thoughts, ideas and insights for over a decade now and we want you to know how much we have appreciated your attendance and sharing. When you respond to something we say in here or send in your own articles and ideas it makes our efforts worthwhile. Thanks for being a part of this!

    LadybugFlights staff and regulars (Scroll down this page to find out more about us!)

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    ©December 2009 LadybugBooks.com TOP

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