A Real Magazine. News, Writing, Interviews from LadybugBooks.com.

LadybugFlights, Looking Back from March of 2003

A Camel Caper Down Under
from Jill Baggett

The tyre was certainly flat but I didn't mind so much, although the same can't be said for my husband. John was having quite a lot to say about it.
It gave me time to admire the view.

Wild hops stretched as far as the eye could see. A carpet of hot pink and red with tiny white and yellow everlasting daisies framed by the towering Flinders Ranges in the distance. The hops are a legacy, left by the Afghan camel drivers and their camels, to beautify Outback Australia. The camels were fed on hops and the seeds have sprung to life all through the Centre along the old camel routes.
A dust storm seemed to be building in the distance. I hoped it wasn't going to spoil the camel races in Marree, our destination for the following day. We knew the weather could play cruel tricks out here. Fifty weeks of the year brilliant sunshine and starry nights are the norm but then a dust storm can reduce visibility and the power to breathe to nil. The annual 4" rainfall can all be dumped in a torrential downpour in one or two days, effectively cutting roads with bogs and swollen watercourses. John threw the ruined tyre into the boot, still muttering under his breath. I resumed reading the guidebook.
"Marree means little possum," I informed my uninterested spouse. "The name was changed during the First World War, the original name was Hergott Springs and considered politically incorrect with the anti German feelings of the time. I like Marree, I'm glad they changed it."

Marree is situated in the far north of South Australia. The Back of Beyond was the name given to describe it in the 1950's documentary by John Heyer. The film follows the adventures of the Birdsville Track mail contractors who took over from the Afghans and their camels when the automobile age reached the Centre.
The sun was setting as we passed the first deserted dwellings on the outskirts of the town. A rusting car rested limply in front of a long disused petrol bowser. It looked sad, no one had ever bothered to drive it away.

The town virtually died when the railway to Alice Springs was re-routed during the early 1980's. What had been a thriving town, famous as the start of the Ghan railway journey, was reduced to a small service centre for the cattle and sheep stations around Lake Eyre and for tourists, off the beaten track and heading for Alice Springs, Birdsville and Oodnadatta.
The sunset, a fantastic kaleidoscope of yellow, orange and blue, provided a stunning backdrop to the few buildings silhouetted against the sky. The hotel is the only two-storyed building and visible for miles. Dusty and parched we stopped for a drink and joined the seething mass of humanity in the bar.
The cultural diversity was amazing. There were visitors from all over the world and the racial mix of Afghan, Aboriginal and white settlers, unique to the interior, was evident in the strong features of the locals. The party was in full swing when we arrived but strangely the publican objected to anyone singing.
One determined reveller insisted on treating us all to a rousing rendition of 'The Boys From The Bush', soon enthusiastically joined by most of the visitors. The police were called and the offender was dragged out, clinging to the doorframe, till the last chorus was finished. The publican looked in danger of apoplexy.

Mayhem would be the best way to describe
the camel races the next day.


Some camels set off at a brisk gallop long before the starting whistle sounded, others waited for the whistle and then ran in the opposite direction, others just sat down and yawned. The finale is traditionally the Afghan descendents race, the camel riding talents of their forbears not so much in evidence. A large group of beasts in this race had a sudden irresistible urge to jump the fences. However, the enthusiasm of the spectators and riders knew no bounds and our day was made when we won the raffle, two large garish porcelain camels, the ugliest ornaments I've ever seen, but I wouldn't part with them for anything.
Another sunset in all its brilliance brought an end to the races and the start of the outdoor dance. Huge bonfires warmed the night air, country and rock bands took turns to play from the back of a semi trailer, an excellent makeshift stage.

A camel came to the party too. Walking nonchalantly through the crowds he would take cans of beer gently from the hand of anyone not on their guard and quickly toss back his head, expertly drinking to the last drop. If the can contained soft drink he would unceremoniously spit it out and burp.

Accommodation for almost 1,000 people in a town of 80 residents is a challenge to the resourcefulness of the locals. Most people camped but we stayed with friends in a disused butcher's shop, a butcher's shop put to good use the next morning.
I was woken by the sound of someone working the old mincer. On investigating I found our host feeding large chunks of freshly killed meat through the machine.
"What are you doing?" I asked rather unnecessarily.
"Making kangaroo rissoles for the party," was the unexpected reply, "I just shot him this morning." He looked hugely pleased with himself. I made a mental promise to myself to be very careful what I ate at the party the locals were hosting that day.
It was an exciting day and the menu improved. My memories are of fabulous curries and vegetable hotpots (and kangaroo rissoles), music played with a piano accordion and various brooms, sticks, stones and spoons to create a band second to none and which played all day and well into the night.

Marree is a very special place, a tiny outpost of civilization but so rich in history and diversity. It has recently been in the news with the discovery of The Marree Man. A pilot on a flight from Coober Pedy to Marree spotted the huge figure of an aboriginal man drawn into the desert earth. The figure is almost twice as tall as Mt Kosciusko. The mystery of how it got there is yet to be solved.

Marree resident
Larl Zada

Strange and mystical events are not unusual in Marree. Since the 1940's there have been reports of stones falling onto the roofs of houses from a clear sky, a black cloaked figure that appears and then vanishes, the sound of invisible horses galloping through the town in the dead of night and the two little girls featured in John Heyer's film, who wandered into the desert after their mother died and simply vanished, their footsteps stopping abruptly in the Back of Beyond.
Reluctantly, we began the two-day drive back to our home in New South Wales. I amused myself by writing the following poem, inspired as I was by the rich history and by-gone days of this isolated town.

Small Town Dreaming Shimmering in the desert haze Rooftops reflecting, outback days Marree you dream of ages blest Your time has come to sleep and rest. The kooris call this land their own Two tribes, they have forever known Your starry skies, your moonlit night, Desert flowers, birds in flight. The Afghans came with camel trains They trekked afar through drought and rains They brought life's joys to pioneers, News of the world to waiting ears. The mail contractors came and went Their fame widespread, their courage spent For lonely homesteads by the track To Birdsville they would toil and back. Trains to Alice bid you goodbye No more they come, no more pass by Marree you haunt me, beckon still Don't sleep, awake, all hearts to fill.

Jill Baggett leads a life of chaos together with a husband and six sons who provide her with a constant source of writing material. She has a diploma from The Writing School and enjoys writing in all its forms. More than seventy short stories and several poems have been published in magazines and anthologies. A play by Jill has been produced in Sydney and she has been commissioned to write another.

Read this feature from past issues.

With yet another landmark: We are celebrating the 100th show of The View from Anywhere on MooseMeals.com and since the host is our very own Shimon Weinroth, we thought we would feature him predominantly this month!

Shimon Weinroth, Poet, Philosopher and Humorist

an introduction from LadybugFlights, March, 2007

"I believe the writing of poetry is invoked by the desires to
       REMIND to REMEMBER to BE REMEMBERED"
                                                              ~Shimon Weinroth

From time immemorial woman and man have labored endeavored in concert and alone to fulfill the dream of these desires remind remember and to be remembered. Before our Romanticists of the early nineteenth century there were attempts to express personal subjectivism of self and id the rules of decorum and societal norms and mores inhibited and prevented separation of author from the subject of discussion or song and did not permit overt participation by the author in his artistic expressions.
The artist invariably attempted by use of all sorts of ruses changing narrators speakers audience ambiguity of the pronouns by use of allegory fables fairy tales and drama to break onto the scene attempts that were feeble and unsuccessful but to deny that they wanted to personally express themselves on all levels would be to deny human nature—whatever that means—thus they expressed themselves by use of forms and were as personal to the extent they dared being oppressed or guided by state and church.
The French Revolution which changed hierarchal structure of society the bourgeois merchants replaced the nobility and brushed aside the principle of divine right not only questioning the structure of state but also the clerical establishment. The revolution helped the romanticists profess iconoclasm become anti-christs cut away the trappings and embellishments. These world shaking events for societal and communal change self was never forgotten and ironically more emphasized by the demands of Equality Fraternity and Liberty.
When Keats says I want to do some good in this world he is driven as we all are to remind to remember and to be remembered.
Keats purposefully chooses an Urn to say despite the irrevocable nature of death and ashes we leave behind art and its history.

The philosophical question that arises when we cut away all the preludes and rigmarole to what extent to what degree can I assert free will to what level of non-determinism can I express myself even if disguised in the statement I should like to do a little good The physical world about us is a determinist world the empirical sciences logic and the external stimuli natural phenomenon their causality and reason can be explained in determinist terms the conclusions are forced upon us. We cannot refute 2+2 that the planets revolve about the sun that the Atom Bomb and nuclear wastes can be detrimental to our health that when cut by a knife it hurts and that we will probably bleed that some wants can be explained by secretion of hormones all these conclusions are in fact of a deterministic nature and we have little or no choice or influence. Where then do we assert ourselves for the good of the world?
Belief, Imagination, Dreams, Hopes, Promises, Broken or Kept, illusions we create to the extent we want to reflect or divorce ourselves by use of the psyche, the spirit, and express ourselves by means of art, which is the physical transfiguration of all these processes of free will.

I would go a step further to prove the existence of free will by saying we have the right to make mistakes. We are able to make mistakes and correct them.

I Woke With Wonder

twas Ella I saw riding on a sunbeam marching down the milky way skipping through the light among the stars, amidst the music bars dancing all around the planets, I can hear her laughter see her wonder gliding through the clouds on the waves of sunbeams calling out to Nerri come and join me and we shall paint the skies swim in the sea of stars float out to the heavens dream of places from afar of flowers colorful delight and birds of flight soft and feathery, winging over dales and vales climb on their beams to snowy mounts frolicking and romping tramping and stamping on the soft white crystal flakes and crunchy carpets of sunshine glare singing out to mom and dad come join us if you dare in our games of make believe and dreams of morning stars

Fairy Tales for Grown Old People

Naggity and Cruchity, some old souls you see, here and there and about telling tales of fables and whales, spouting parables of magic and tragic you'll hear them groaning and moaning of good years gone bye. sigh and lie about the whole package deal called life, pay them no heed just pasture them out without any ado swept by the witch's broom far into the beyond, there they'll stay in the land of no refunds
Midnight and Morning Blues

gnaw and plague with pains, dreary thoughts, of the morrow, with no place to hide, no sanctuary in a mind dulled by constant fear, there is no pier, to tie my boat, no port to steer, no peer to spend, moments that last forever, If this be immortality,I"d give up the fancy, my mind a desert, wasteland of no ideas, to roam freely,to find a place, on paper, constricted before their birth, turn sour with early morning blues

and the topic of his 100th show:

Gestalt Theory
Gestalt theory arose in 1890 in reaction to the psychological theory of Atomism which examined parts of things that could be put back together to make wholes. Atomists believed things to be absolute and not dependent on context. Gestalt philosophers focused on the way our mind perceives wholes out of incomplete elements. For the Gestalt theorists things are affected by where they are and what surrounds them thus things are more than the sum of their parts as the whole takes on an added value " the whole."
Where the Gestaltists went wrong; they got bogged down in psychological theorizing and the epistemological reviewing rather than emphasizing the physiological aspects of Gestalt phenomenon.
Unfortunately, this syndrome or physiological aspect of our senses has lain fallow and is insufficiently investigated suffering from the historical background, and bickering of behaviorists and psychiatrists. There are many reasons that the psychological is a factor once one takes into consideration the physiological but should not precede but rather follow the physical Once we know to the full extent the physical aspects then we will be better equipped to deal with the psychological and epistemological.
Perceiving a whole out of incomplete elements is a factor of our vision and the ability to create wholeness, continuity, contiguity and symmetry is a physiological ability based on the incapacity of our vision to discern at first sight, small discrepancies, which might be seen as a disability or advantage.
The necessity of swift evaluation of a scene might have aided the species in survival. Today we have technical machinery to discern these differences and when necessary we employ their services, if at all.
The principle of similarity states that things which share visual characteristics such as shape, size, color and texture are seen as belonging together. Many species had to design disguise to seek a sanctuary of safety to blend in with their background utilized the principle of similarity to hide from their predators.
The principle of contiguity: Things are closer together can be seen as belonging together. We see them as gravitating because of actual proximity spanning the gap. This factor is seen with materials and is part of the theory of affinity among atoms. Children who have played with drops of mercury will testify to togetherness which is physical and then comprehended by the observer. The Gestalt principle of continuity: observing a cross of lines is seen as two crossed lines rather than four lines meeting at the center and when flashed a picture of a picket fence which has a missing slat or two if asked to draw what was shown we will draw a whole picket fence without a flaw or missing slat. This is advantageous for a lazy homeowner to make repairs or for the dog to get in or out of the garden. There is no doubt that Mammals Aves and Pisces are accorded the gestalt principles in their endeavors for survival most prevalent the talent for camouflage.
Gestalt principle of closure: we tend to see complete figures even when part of the formation is missing: eye sight makes us better prepared to assess our environment and at the same time to overlook pitfalls, experience teaches the species to take another look thus we go from macro to micro better armed if we get the chance to survive first sight.
Gestalt principle of area: the principle of area states the smaller of two overlapping figures is perceived as figure while the larger is seen as ground. we perceive the smaller figure to be a shape on top of the other figure,, making us ever aware of three dimensions equipping us in advance to see the volume of the material world.
Gestalt principle of symmetry: describes where the whole figure is perceived rather than the individual parts. Perhaps this attribute or quality of vision has led to a greater ability of tolerance where we iron out the wrinkles and round out the corners on the other hand may make us less aware of pitfalls and dangers. If in doubt all you have to do is view M.C. Escher's paintings and creations. One could easily fall off his stairways on the other hand three dimensions is the world we live in (perhaps four still unproven).
Gestalt theory is first of all a description of physiological phenomena and can be computed before dealing with the (side effects, )the psychological. If millions have viewed Escher's drawings and agree, the disturbed the innocent, the normal , the stable, the apathetic, the jolly and a populace of thousands of emotions can if asked reproduce the almost exact copy of the artist then it must be first physiological and then part of our epistemological experience. Gestalt Concepts
Closure: The eye supplies the missing pieces in a composition then and only then the mind registers the incompatibility of discrepancy and on second sight registers the full picture.
Continuance: the eye continues the direction it is going similar to the laws of motion
Similarity: items that look alike tend to seem even more alike then their differences are swallowed by the modus of negligible
Proximity: Items are in relationship to each other ( the phenomena of magnetism is applied when attracting and the concepts of continuance closure proximity and alignment are applicable}
Alignment: lining up objects to organize and form groups. Thus our penchant To categorize and classify for our convenience as well as describing the many forms of material and inorganic elements. It is the eye first that precedes the mind and harnesses the mind to make the second sight To evaluate and estimate,
We are capable of seeing without looking this should convince you that sight and the gestalt syndrome are first a physiological capability. My children made me aware of the difference of seeing and looking when I asked them did your kindergarten teacher see you today I was told she saw me but was too busy to look at me to notice me to pay attention. English composition uses the present tense for seeing and the present continuous for looking now the latter demands concentration of the mind where as the former is a physical capability you see without trying to( the lights are on but she is not at home).
Magnetism and electricity exist but until the industrial revolution we did not harness it for use. For proximity continuance and symmetry are characteristics of magnetism and electricity which are one and the same. Atoms have an electrical charge, called electrons this is their eye to the environment.
We must accept the distortions of reality as portrayed by the inability of the eye and other senses as a reality of what is seen and not what is. Each individual will have the individuality of response in the iris of the eye which negotiates with the discrepancy of what is and what is seen and adopts his or her own mechanism to tolerate this difference, we see no problem with using eye glasses of hearing aids to correct faulty senses correcting our vision and hearing
The gestalt syndrome exists in every field of the ontological , the world of matter as well as the epistemic. All organisms are affected by the gestalt factors. Perhaps atoms have a corresponding reaction to their environment.

Gestalt for Me and You Seen and Perceived as True


...Coming soon: Shimon is working on a CD collection of his favorites from the first 100 shows!

Read this feature from past issues.

Tina is back and will soon be setteling into her column again. Meanwhile, we have been enteraining guest columnists and Richard Kuhns is one of those who is generous with his information.

Hypnosis—All Hypnotists are Not the Same
Richard Kuhns B.S.Ch.E.

That's like asking if all hypnosis is the same. Ok, I've opened up a can of worms. But it shouldn't be a surprise to you. After all you might be wondering how to determine whose self help self hypnosis audio tape programs to purchase.
But I may not be giving you the answer you might expect. Just as all car mechanics are not equally talented and all physicians are not equally talented, not all hypnotists are equally talented. And the world is full of very talented hypnotists. Those of us who are talented learn from each other.
There are two necessary ingredients for hypnosis to work:

rapport
charisma
Without either, no hypnosis will occur. It's that simple. For instance, we could transcribe a session conducted by a proficient hypnotist and give it to someone who has little or no experience, have him/her read or memorize the script, and end up with different results.
Rapport has to do with trust. If what is said is unbelievable, then rapport is lost. If one's voice is unbelievable, then rapport is lost. What makes one's voice unbelievable? Answer: hesitation, quivering, or if the voice sounds canned--anything that suggests doubt. That's why you can have two different results with two different people using the same script.
When looking at which hypnosis program to purchase there are two basic questions:
1. Does the description of the approach in the program make sense to you? Rule of thumb, just don't rely on a description that says, "Listen to this program and you'll notice dramatic improvement!" Make sure that it describes the essence of the program and that it makes sense to you.
2. Experience: Look for someone with at least ten years clinical or professional experience in private practice. Experience makes a huge difference between the theoretical and the practical.
For instance, if I told you that you could have painless dentistry done without any analgesic such as Novocain, you'd probably find that a stretch. Yet if I told you how it's done, then even though you'd still be doubtful, it would make enough sense to the point you'd give it a shot.
This same power resides in all of us. Not that I'm suggesting you run off to the dentist to test it, but then, that's how I discovered it would work. No one ever hypnotized me or even gave me those suggestions--I did it from what I know about the power of the mind, self hypnosis, and utilization of stress management techniques--deep breathing and letting go of muscular tension (this is called centering).
That repetitive experience enables me to deliver a realistic effective program to others. Likewise years of experience in empowering others to build self esteem, stop smoking, shed weight, over come life crisis... provides the believability to create and maintain rapport that comes through with charisma.
In choosing a program, make sure it comes with a money back guarantee. Usually it's a thirty-day guarantee--use the program for thirty days and if you experience no change return the program after 30 days and before 45 days (they give you a 15-to-30 day window). This is quite reasonable as change often requires up to 21 days to break an old habit. Unfortunately, you may find that the voice on the audio tape lacks charisma and there's no believability (rapport) and you're stuck with holding onto the cd until the thirty days has passed. Now I'm not talking about diction--even the great Tony Robins makes mistakes in diction. I'm talking about the heart of the voice. Even though most or all of what you hear may be from a well thought out script, the ingredients of rapport and charisma must still be present in order to have results.
If after that thirty days you forget to return self help audio tape in the 15-to-30 day window you're stuck with the program.
I found that the 15-to-30 day window created anxiety, i.e., "what if after 45 days I like the program but am afraid I won't be far enough along the path after 30 days?" This anxiety stood in the way of success which is why all audio tape (actually cds) come with a four month window--plenty time to work with the program as often times it's useful to use a program such as building self esteem for several weeks, then put it away for a few weeks, and then use it again. Each time this is done, the program takes on more value and means something different. And of course without rapport and charisma the programs would be useless.

Richard Kuhns B.S.Ch.E. NGH Certified is one of the few engineers who has traversed the physical to the mental universe. He operated the Biofeedback Center of NJ and Hypnosis Consultants for nearly twenty years during which time he conducted stress management programs for corporations such as AT&T and IFF. He appeared on various radio and TV shows such as the Arlene Francis WOR radio show, Joe Franklin�
His website www.dstressdoc.com has programs using stress management and hypnotic techniques for self improvement. His other site (www.PanicBusters.com) is focused for the professional wanting to dramatically improve success in the treatment of panic/anxiety and agoraphobia.

Read this feature from past issues.

The Magical Sky

A couple of days ago we stood outside in the predawn stillness and watched as the bright disk of the moon changed from bright disk to luminous crescent to a dark reddish disk that was barely discernible in the night sky. The moon literally became a shadow of its former self as it moved through the shadow of the earth which shielded it briefly from the sun's bright light. That was truly a wondrous night. And with the internet, it is very easy to share in this experience even if it was cloudy where you were or you were sleeping or didn't watch for any reason. And if you did watch, you can share how others experienced this lunar eclipse. Check out the website.
The Hubble Telescope is an amazing tool for exploring our universe. The Hubble site has many lovely pictures available, uniformly beautiful and inspiring. Besides pictures and technical details, this site also shows poetry and artwork inspired by Hubble pictures. Read some of the poems, then write your own and post it in the Writer's Room over at LadybugBooks.
If you like to listen to information, Dr. Sky has a plethora of fascinating astronomical news on his audio essays on our sister site, TeenTalkNetwork. You can meet astronomers, astronauts and space artists, among many others.
For anyone who would like a daily dose of celestial beauty, check out the Astronomy Picture of the day. I have set it as my home page, so every day I see a different picture which reminds me that, even when we mess things up here on earth, there is a whole magical, beautiful universe out there. We can get a glimpse of it through the magic of the internet.

Dr. Georgi Mandushev Discoverer of the Largest Planet Outside our Solar System


Read this feature from past issues.

"Life is made up of memories, not milestones."
~Rose Kennedy

The venerable matriarch might have said this since she had a large brood. The milestones of first teeth and first steps might have gotten lost as she juggled motherhood and politics. I understand her viewpoint more as I have my second child. I can only imagine how full her heart and memory bank must have been. Maybe I have relaxed a little or just don't have the time anymore to read the latest news or normal scheduled timelines for development. I think that she must have decided to focus on the positive after so much sadness passed through her life. I have nowhere near the sorrow that she did but have decided to focus on the memories as well.
I still write down the major milestones and take pictures to mark the rest. However, the majority of the milestones are now in my mind-they have become the memories and often-repeated stories that stick with me even as my children grow. I think that is why elderly women often gravitate back towards their early mothering days. They repeated the stories of those first steps and first teeth so many times that they have them ingrained in their memories sixty, seventy, even eighty years later. I think that these sweet early childhood days when the changes take place so quickly will be what I remember as I rock in my twilight years.
As Joel approaches kindergarten this fall, I am astonished at all of the changes that are taking place. It is as if there is this new cluster of growth where he becomes a bigger, smarter, more independent, and even more loving child everyday. I am so excited for him to feel ready to move forward and learn new things. Yet, in the midst of all the change and growth, he is still only a few years removed from infanthood. He decided he wants me to drive him to school and make his lunch instead of riding the bus or eating in the cafeteria. While this may be temporary, I am going to enjoy those precious moments as we drive to the school and back again before he decides in ten years that being within a ten feet of me is forbidden.
He asks me frequently when he will be a grown-up or a dad or at the very least a teenager. His major reasoning is that he wants to drive a car. I will ride in the back and his car will be some version of the infamous yellow Transformer. I want to tell him to slow down and enjoy these years without so much responsibility. Slow down and enjoy the time before he realizes that not everyone likes him and that every yellow car doesn't magically transform into a robot. Slow down and enjoy the days when you still get an afternoon nap and a snack. I remember being five. I remember feeling carefree. Yet, I also remember wanting to be big. I wanted to have more money than pennies. I wanted to go to school with the big kids. I didn't want to drive a car but I did want to pick my own hairstyle (should have skipped that one). I think I would pick that age as my go-back-in-time transport age. The whole thought of one of my favorite childhood books of "someday you'll know" makes me want to tell him to hold onto five for as long as he can. But even he can't focus just on the milestones. He has to move forward just as I do. If I could whisper, "slow down" to his five-year-old self and to mine, I would. I know he wouldn't listen anymore than I would have. I now think that each stage is just as important as the next and I am enjoying this point in my life in so many ways. What I wouldn't give for just a little bit of being five though.
I wrote a poem when I graduated from high school almost twenty years ago. It was awkwardly poetic but expressed exactly how I felt then. There were so many new things that lay ahead of me. The words in it talked of shadows of the past and even ghosts. I took a small moment to mourn what I saw as the passing of my youth-such angst in a few short lines. The closing line of the poem reflected that growth. I was definitely not as wise as Rose Kennedy but to the young me, it felt just as earth shattering as the simple sentence she wrote as a long-time mother.
"We have grown and can no longer return as we were."
I have grown as a mother. My children are growing daily. Someone asked me recently if I was sad Joel was going to kindergarten and Emily was no longer a baby. The mother in me said no. I might have taken a moment to mourn the passing of their babyhood. But, there are so many new memories to experience. I think maybe I am less sad than I expected because I know what expect now. My own memories of childhood are kicking in. I know what comes next. Joel and Emily as infants was all new to me.
Because I don't remember actually much about being a baby or a toddler, the whole experience was surprising and so full of memories that I don't think I could store them all at once if I had reams of paper and a much larger brain capacity. Those first months were so full of newness that I did write down much of it. Those entries serve as triggers to help me remember the entire scenario and details. If I close my eyes, I can still feel them kicking me before they were born. I can catch a wisp of new baby smell or feel the weight of such a small infant as I caught my breathe and my thoughts realizing that they were actually real and out in the real world.
I have long since stopped being caught up in the minutia of what exact day of the year and week and minute that they got their twelfth tooth or rode a tricycle for the first time. I have many pictures of those days. Some of them are a little odd. My finger points at that twelfth tooth. A not-so-flattering picture of my rear-end blocking the view of the tricycle follows. I may not remember the exact day or it might actually be scrawled on a post-it note in the junk drawer of the kitchen. I do however remember the real memories behind the important and not-so-important days. We may have laughed a little harder and cleaned a lot more on the first day of solid foods. We may have seen the rings on Saturn on the first day Emily sat on the potty. The walking firsts become merely stepping stones for tap dancing in the basement and definitely running. The first sentences that were so important the first time around become new discoveries and something to anticipate but not stress over.
It has also been said that most kids go to kindergarten potty trained and sleeping through the night. In all of the memory and milestone making, I have learned that all those important things happen eventually. Each child has its own time schedule. Emily and Joel were born with a lot of hair and got all of their teeth very early. I have always rationalized that this is why they walked later. They could only handle so much at one time. Of course, when Emily walked later, I handled it much better. Joel paved the way for her and let me relax and enjoy the moment and the memory so much more.
I am still a writer and a documenter by nature. I have calendars lined with cute things they have both done and many of the milestones still documented. However, the longer I am a mommy, the more I write things down like "kissed me on the cheek with a closed mouth-no drool but still watch out for the open mouth" or "thought Shell Station was McDonalds because the sign was red and yellow and looked a lot like fries". It took us awhile to figure out the second one while Emily frantically pointed at the sign on the side of the interstate when there were no Golden Arches in sight.
Even if I don't write a thing down in the future, it is all recorded in my mind. The triggers of everyday life remind me of certain precious moments and memories. I can almost picture myself fifty years from now rocking on a front porch rocking recounting each story to whoever will listen. For now, I will sit on the front porch rocking and telling each child why they are special to me, what I remember about them being babies, and what we are going to do tomorrow.
Joel begins kindergarten in a few weeks. I have pictures of him standing by the round-up sign at his school. I purchased his new school wardrobe with his guidance and he chose his own snacks at Sam's Club. I know I'll have the camera out when he goes to school for the first time. I'll kiss him too many times and watch him enter his classroom with amazement at his big boy independent self. I won't cry until he is out of sight but I think I'll be crying a few tears for the right reasons. I am happy he is excited about school and that he is truly ready to go.
I know that Rose Kennedy probably took her kids to school for the first time. The tears may have been less after the first three or four and she probably didn't stay for the fifth one's departure down the long corridor. I can imagine that she took a picture in her mind and saved as much artwork from each child as she possibly could. Her camera might have been a Brownie instead of my digital but there is probably a stack of posed picture somewhere with backpacks up against summer legs. She probably cut crusts off of sandwiches and made sure child number four didn't get stuck with the dreaded peanut butter. I can even imagine that somewhere she still wrote down the first day that they drove the car or made their own lunch or just simply tap danced in the basement. I may only have two children yet my own memories are immeasurable to me.

Read this feature from past issues.

Creation Myth or Mythdemeanor?

In the beginning there was this word floating around in a big giant vat full of nothin'. Nobody knows what this word was, but let's just hope it was a useful word, not too complicated. Something like "stipulate" or maybe something that was pronounced nothing like it was spelled like "rendezvous" to keep it a little more interesting.
In a little while from the opposite end of the vat God appeared. He reached out and grabbed that word, whatever it was, and swung it over his head scattering all the letters hither and yon, sending them flying to the farthest corners of the vat (it was a square vat).
All this new activity really got God fired up. He thought to himself why stop there? Why not create an entire universe replete with planets and suns and super novas and black holes because, in his heart of hearts, God was astronomy major.
So that's what he did, and it looked great so he thought "why stop there?" So he went ahead and made the earth, the sky, and the oceans. It turned out to be such a masterpiece that God invented the word agog so he would have something to be whenever he looked at it.
Now, since there was still a couple of days before the first day of the week, God decided he had a little extra time to really go all out and add some Zippidy Do Da to the place.
And that's when he decided to make a man in his image using nothing but ordinary, garden-variety mud. God was quite a wizard with mud and soon he had created a man that looked just like him except that God looked more like Charleton Heston, and the man looked more like Gary Bussey which was a little disappointing for God but he wasn't too hard on himself because it was his first try at making mud men.
Anyway, God went ahead and gave the man the best name he could possibly think of - Adam -- which was kind of an unimaginative name when you consider that none of the other names were taken, but, you know God. He always has to work in mysterious ways. So what are you gonna do?
Now how God got the idea for making Eve is anybody's guess. Apparently he had gotten tired of working with the medium of mud and started looking around for something else to use. God's eyes came to a rest on Adam and a peculiar expression crossed His Almighty Face.
Adam was all, "What?"
And God was all, "Nothing."
And Adam was all, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
And God was all. "No reason. Nothing. Nevermind."
Of course, somewhere in there God wrestled Adam to the ground and managed to get a hold of one his ribs and, quick like a bunny, fashioned it into a really, really pretty lady named Eve. And since Adam was a sucker for a pretty face, he really didn't hold it against God too much that he had just ripped out one of his bones without any anesthesia.
Rumor has it that God instructed Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge because she was blonde and he wanted to keep her that way ha ha! But seriously, once God realized that his creations were practically incapable of holding up their end of the conversation, he knew he had to do something.
Just then a poor, little, defenseless, cute, little python was slithering by. God commanded him to stop mid-slither. The snake totally ignored God and continued on his way.
While God was trying to remember when the heck he created the snake, Eve ate an apple and talked Adam into eating some of it too.
After that, Adam and Eve went to old Navy and each bought a whole new wardrobe and charged it to God.

Blog with Linda!
Linda will soon be joining the lineup of ejoyable programming at LadybugLive.com. Watch for "Shut the Hell Up Girlfriend" starting this month. And, did you know: Linda Vernona was a Grand Prize Winner of Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest.

Read this feature from past issues.

THIS MONTH:

Poetry Corner

From May, 1999 LadybugFlights:

On Being a Woman in 1999
Steve Biddulph is worrying me, his concern about men�s and boys� reaction to feminism But I�m still doing the shopping laundry, gardening, housecleaning Now I�ve added complicated financial skills: I have an accountant, financial adviser, banker stockbroker and solicitor Papers pile on my desk to be read, consumed, acted upon filed. This grandmother drives all over the city to pick up a luscious expensive cake for a wake feeds the cat and bird clears the letter box takes grandchildren on a country outing. She�s trying to withstand all the media persuasion to be breast-clamped pap-smeared scanned for osteoporosis trying to think wellness not pathology trying to enjoy a wine, chocolate or a piece of cake without guilt. I can sit alone in a restaurant be the only patron in the theatre visit the Art Gallery float in a parachute. Must go for a walk, brisk muscle-toning, fitness like my sisters in the gym boot scooting absailing Don�t be a burden on the State Buy health insurance in case this doesn�t work. Buy: car insurance house insurance travel insurance security doors alarms for house and car You were raped? Left your window open? Wore a shot skirt? Shame! You provoked. You were burgled? No alarm? No security screens? Wore your gold jewellery shopping? Walked into the garden for five minutes reflection? A destitute druggie needed your wedding rings. Be informed; T.V. newspaper Wars, economy, health, education, environment, human rights. Be responsible, volunteer, demonstrate, vote. Minds alive! Read, learn, absorb, remember? Join a choir, bridge club, university class. Get out with people Try to remember their names, or even faces —will help keep dementia at bay. No more rows of nodding elderly, they are doing their exercises in wheelchairs outside in the sun for vitamin D slip slap slopped with sunscreen. No dreaming of days gone by We�re living in 1999. In the words of a great writer: I know It Sucks! Lois Eastwood, Perth Western Australia

Read this feature from past issues.

Beginning this month we will be serializing Flying Lessons for Butterflies by Sheila Whitman. Sheila Whitman is a Professional Counselor and Life Coach, with a private practice in CT. She has done agency counseling with pregnant and postpartum women, and coordinated a residence for women and children in a domestic violence program. Sheila strives to nurture the potential of her clients, and understands that past or current abuse is incredibly detrimental to this goal of self-actualization. The lessons contained in this book invite the reader to challenge old beliefs, and make concrete changes in self-esteem and creative risk taking. Emphasis is on strategies for altering perceptions and behaviors that may have been distorted during childhood, and the development of a healthy integration of mind, body, and soul. The underlying message is that every individual has great value and can eventually soar to discover his or her best self. Sheila completed her B.S. at Temple University and M.S. at Southern CT State University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Connecticut and a Registered Professional Counselor in California.
Information about Sheila Whitman's counseling and life coaching can be found on the web site http://www.counselorlifecoach.com/.



Flying Lessons For BUTTERFLIES
How to free yourself from the effects of abuse

Introduction
I am a therapist. I love my work, enjoy the candor and challenge that clients bring to their sessions, and never define them as patients. The majority are very sane, but struggling to swim upstream. They are warm and beautiful people, who don't believe that they are.
During the summer of 2002, clarity about some of my clients came not with a whisper but a roar. I'd been counseling women for more than twelve years, listening to their stories and helping them discover solutions. Then, in a period of two to three months, a disproportionate number of women arrived at my office, with crises that were rooted in the bruising of their spirits. There was a striking similarity in their childhood histories, and an undercurrent that was draining energy and vitality from their lives. It was as if something or someone had tampered with their chi or life force.
This may sound like a dramatization of ordinary lives, but it underlies many of the problems that I have seen in my practice. An individual's urge to develop and take wing is as natural as breathing, but basic physical and psychological nourishment are essential to support this maturation of body and mind. When the spirit is denied or exploited in childhood, the adult emerges with diminished strength and uncertainty about feelings, beliefs, personal identity, and relationships.
If the lessons for life were distorted or withheld during those formative years, there is much to learn, in order to have a healthy, creative, and peaceful life. There are too many beautiful butterflies, whose wings were bent and bruised while they were growing. Once they reach adulthood, it seems that flying is more difficult than it should be. However, I believe that, with a little help and personal effort, there is great hope for healing.
This is the reason why, in the summer of '02, the season when numerous butterflies appeared in my office, I decided to write this book. It is intended for individuals who were abused or neglected as children, and who may continue to be in similar relationships as adults. As you read and try the lessons in this book, it is hoped that they will nourish your efforts to understand the patterns, challenge the negative messages, and inspire you to join others who share similar experiences.
On the journey, perhaps you will find out who that wonderful butterfly really is: You!

Chapter 1
UNDERSTANDING AND OVERCOMING
THE LEGACY OF ABUSE
Lesson l - The prevalence and impact of child abuse
Child abuse is a concern that reaches far beyond the isolated world of its young victims. It stretches forward in time, to color their future success as friends, parents, spouses, workers, and creative people. Though often hidden, this is not a minor issue.
A report released by the Orange County, California Child Abuse Prevention Center, contained the following year 2000 statistics:

Child abuse kills more children in America than accidental falls, choking on food, suffocation, or fires in the home
1 in 4 female children and 1 in 7 male children are sexually molested before the age of 18
80-90% of the offenders are family members or close friends of the family
Everyday, three children are murdered by a parent in the United States, 18,000 per year are disabled, and 565,000 are seriously injured
These are only the documented cases of physical abuse to children. We can only imagine the number of unreported assaults, and the emotional damage that is suffered, with or without bodily harm.
Abuse may or may not be physical. It can take the form of neglect, rejection, belittling, controlling, isolating, and a myriad of other behaviors. Ultimately, unless there is permanent damage or death, the long lasting impact is emotional.
It is in the home that a child learns self-concept and trust; it is where one of the tasks is to make sense of self and others. In an abusive home, there is repeated trauma inflicted by a primary source of sustenance and feedback. In this confusing mix of hurt, blame, secrecy, and professed family unity, a child can develop distorted perceptions of why this is happening, who is to blame, and how to prevent reoccurrence. Complicated lies and half-truths, intended to explain the abuse, lead to unrealistic notions about how to avoid future episodes. For a child, who typically lacks outside models or previous family experiences, the negative impact on coping, relationship expectations, and personal competence is real. In some cases, the child begins to feel very disconnected from his or her reactions and actions.
Upon entry into the teen and adult years, the consequences of adjustment to and survival of such a home may emerge in unhealthy interactions, social unease, substance abuse, or extreme standards for perfection. Many repeat the patterns of childhood, and become involved in damaging adult relationships. Clearly, not everyone who is abused exhibits these negative outcomes: some children are more resilient than others, and some find outside support that carries them through to adulthood. But, for those who have experienced this type of childhood, and now feel out of control, have low self-esteem, or are struggling with relationships, this book may provide a first step toward healing and fulfillment. These lessons strive to help the reader understand how his/her feelings came into being, and it is hoped that they will nourish the process of self-acceptance and the integration of mind, heart, body, and soul.
Next month: Lesson 2 and some challenges for you to work on.

To order Flying Lessons for Butterflies: How to free yourself from the effects of abuse:
Contact the author at 203-910-4279 or WhitmanLPC@aol.com

OR

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.
Read this feature from past issues.

A little bit in writing about what's happening at
LadybugLive.com, MooseMeals.com, and TeenTalkNetwork.com

Serious and Entertaining
We have it all
News this Month:

Don't miss the new program Train Your Brain with Dené Ballantine
It is back to school time and September will have some special programming on the subject at TeenTalkNetwork.com
If back to school is a topic of interest, pay special attention to Live at the Edge with Dr. Doris Jeanette

Have you been listening to Falling Awake with Mary Lou Sanelli? Maybe you would like to see her in person? Mary lou will be giving readings this month in Seattle: The University Bookstore, Tuesday, September 11th, 7 pm and the Third Place Books, Ravenna, Thursday, September 13th, 7 pm.

* Zero to Sixty in Fifteen Minutes
an editorial by Elizabeth Case which originally ran in July 0f 2001. Her history and connection with radio was something we thought you might want to hear about again.
Radio definitely gets my vote for seventh most important invention of the 20th century.

But, I can only address it quite personally...
my dad was a radio announcer.
Although among my most senior art students is one lady who does remember my dad, and stood in line to see him in a radio audience, most people don't. It is possible some of you — but more probably your grandparents — might have heard him on Lowell Thomas — his ". . .Ninety-nine and 44/100ths percent pure, it floats; this is Nelson Case, speaking for Ivory Soap," was never heard over the air spoken by anyone else. (Except one time when Dad was skiing in the Alps and my brother was called in to read in his place.) You may recall the percentage-part and not the name. However, back in the time before Television, he was in prime demand, and as popular as a movie star. His voice was resonant and deep — the mail that came in was remarkable — one woman wrote for years, in purple ink, as if she knew him well, telling him everything about her life.
I can share a few things. He started out at the age of 19, working for KFWB in Hollywood — I have pictures of him with Bing Crosby at Coconut Grove by the standing mike. That was the same year he had met and married my mom at William and Mary College in Virginia and moved to California.
After a stint in San Francisco, they moved east so he could work in the New York City radio stations — the big time, so to speak, I guess. Going to a huge Christmas party for employees and associates at NBC stands out in my mind. In fact, at that event they introduced the "Big Apple" — the new dance hit — they called it a rage. People whirled all over the broadcast studio stage, the ladies with a million petticoats showing.
I always tried to stay awake to say goodnight when he left the house for the Midnight Ballroom show...so handsome in his tuxedo. There were always audiences on radio...just like TV today. Everyone dressed up, even the studio spectators — it was like going to a party.
At home, he played the piano, jazz — Ben Grauer and Glenn Miller lived in the same apartment building — and there were jam sessions (after I was put to bed.)
For many years, before, during and after the war, we — Mother, brother and I — lived in California, Mom didn't want to get in the way of his career. Dad was in New York. We used to get a kick out of hearing him on the air. During the war, he gave over his Piper Cub to the Civil Defense on Long Island, and went into the Naval Air Corps, Transport Command. After the war, we moved back east to join him and become a family — and for awhile my brother and I went to the studios with him. As exciting as it was, it was only a year-long experience.
One of my most vivid memories was the big Carnation Contented Hour radio show starring Percy Faith and Buddy (remember the song he made famous, "Linda"?) Clark. I even used to babysit Buddy's daughter Penny. The studio was like a Broadway theatre, with velvety seats, and a large oval stage. The job of warming up the audience fell to my father — dashing in his tuxedo — who would direct everyone to clap very rapidly, rather than loudly and slowly — that way, people at home would think there were more people. He also reminded the ladies to remove their gloves. I was totally star-struck and just about swooned meeting guests on the program. . . but only recollect speaking with Alec Templeton and Bob Hope. Kids at school thought it was special that my dad was on radio. Secretly, "I Love a Mystery" was my favorite.
Years later, I was a guest on the Joe Franklin radio show sharing memories — that man kept a lamp in the window for a long time with his "Memory Lane."
Another of Dad's jobs at the time was the Ford Theatre with Ed Sullivan. The main responsibility of the announcer was to sell the product. There were miles of snaking wire and sound equipment sprawled across the stage and mikes in the front, back and above, great walls of draperies and hanging ropes. The most thrilling thing for me was finding out both Ingrid Bergman and Lucille Ball were as big as I was. Ingrid Bergman tripped on all the wires and tangled with/leaning against a ladder backstage. She said she was nervous — but the minute she started to read, she was. . .well, not nervous. . .unerring. Lucille Ball had the reddest hair I ever saw, but she was unexpectedly ladylike and graceful in the way she spoke and moved.
It was fun to go to the studio for the soap operas, especially on holidays when everyone goofed around, and pages of scripts sailed about and lay scattered on the floor around the mike, when people acting tried not to let the audience at home know they were cracking up. The whole behind-the-scenes life was a merry-go-round of parties and Toots Shor and Twenty-One, the theatre — dressing up — tennis games, dressing down. Green rooms and backstage visits.
I was away at school when TV eased in and took over. At least I got a glimpse of postwar radio — enough to last a lifetime, actually.
Of course, radio lives. Don't you love the "Car Guys"? And WNYC? Isn't it great to know that you can still hear the old programs here and there, and subscribe to tapes you can play in your car, once more imagining what the characters look like.
Just a note in passing: audio is big these days on the internet. Computer radio programs are springing up on creative websites. There's one coming up on Ladybugbooks.com — a women's publishing site — where poets dial in and read their poems over the phone.
It's not all about watching.
Once more, thank you for listening, which is what I always say.

Elizabeth Case was a painter and poet, who has been interviewed on by Dottie Moore on The Gallery: Creative Traces,
or read the three part interview from this magazine.

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

     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 newsletter:

Join the LadybugLive/NewVoices mailing list

Email:

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER!

We also offer our audio programs in downloadable MP3 format for offline listening, and at the same modest subscription price — With no unwanted advertising! 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

Read this feature from past issues.

Crooks and Liars

Why don't we rebel?

The RIGHT often seems mystified as to why so many of us tell pollsters how dissatisfied we are with the economy. Bush and his supporters frequently say, “Look at the GDP and unemployment rates! Every one should be thrilled! What kind of idiots the American people?” Maybe articles like this will help the Conservatives understand the reason that so many of us are deeply upset.

Americans earned a smaller average income in 2005 than in 2000, the fifth consecutive year that we found it necessary to make ends meet with less money than at the peak of the last economic expansion.

The combined income of all Americans in 2005 was slightly larger than it was in 2000, but because more people were dividing up the national income, the average remained smaller. Less for more.

Total income listed on tax returns grew every year after World War II, with a single one-year exception, until 2001, making the five-year period of lower average incomes and four years of lower total incomes a unique experience for the most of us born since 1945.

We think our personal economic situations offer hope for the American dream while at the same time we feel our fellow man is suffering from the general economic situation.

Hey Conservatives! Got it? Income growth not only stopped after Bush took office, and the last five years are unique in the post WWII-era.

Incomes are on the decline

Analysis of current tax statistics show incomes have been increasing since 2002, the average income in 2005 was $55,238, but is still nearly 1 % less than the average of $55,714 in 2000, after adjusting for inflation.

The combined income of all Americans in 2005 was slightly larger than it was in 2000, but because more people are dividing up the national income the average remained smaller. Total adjusted gross income in 2005 was $7.43 trillion, up 3.1% from 2000 and 5.8% from 2004.

Total income listed on tax returns grew every year after World War II, with a single one-year exception, until 2001, making the 5-year period of lower average incomes and 4 years of lower total incomes a new experience for the majority of Americans born since 1945. The White House said the fact that average incomes were smaller five years after the Internet bubble burst “should not surprise anyone.”

The impact on those earning $1,000,000 and more

According to a separate analysis by Citizens for Tax Justice, a group that points out policies that it says favor the rich the growth in total incomes was concentrated among those making more than $1 million. The number of taxpayers in this bracket grew by more than 26% to 303,817 in 2005, from 239,685 in 2000. These taxpayers, who make up less than a quarter of 1% of all taxpayers, received almost 47% of the total income gains in 2005, compared with 2000. People with incomes of more than a 1,000,000 dollars also received 62% of the savings from the reduced tax rates on long-term capital gains and dividends that Bush signed into law in 2003.

The Citizens for Tax Justice calculations showed that 28% of the investment tax cut savings went to just 11,433 of the 134 million taxpayers, those who made $10 million or more, saving them almost $1.9 million each. Over all, this small number of wealthy Americans saved $21.7 billion in taxes on their investment income as a result of the tax-cut law.

The impact on those earning less than $100,000

The nearly 90 percent of Americans who make less than $100,000 a year saved on average $318 each on their investments and collected 5.3 percent of the total savings from reduced tax rates on investment income. I.R.S. data shows that the number of Americans making less than $25,000 a year shrank, down by 3.2 million, or 5.5 percent. Nearly half of Americans reported incomes of less than $30,000, and two-thirds make less than $50,000.

The number of taxpayers making more than $100,000 grew by nearly 3.4 million and accounted for more than two-thirds of the growth in the number of returns filed in 2005 compared with those in 2000.

How President Bush sees the situation

The fact that average incomes remained lower in 2005 than five years earlier helps explain why so many Americans report feeling economic stress despite overall growth in the economy. Many Americans are also paying a larger share of their health care costs and have had their retirement benefits reduced, adding to their out-of-pocket costs.

The White House noted that during the same five years, income tax rates have been cut under a series of laws sponsored by President Bush. Bush has delivered a steady diatribe of upbeat assessments of the economy, saying last fall, for example, “I’m pleased with the economic progress we’re making.”

Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman, attributed the drop in average incomes to “the significant wrenching hits that our economy took in 2001 and 2002, so no one should be surprised that what a bubble economy created in the late 1990s and 2000, where economic data were skewed, would take some time to recover.” Mr. Fratto said the fact that nearly all of the growth in incomes was among those in the upper reaches of the income ladder and that the majority of investment tax breaks went to those making more than $1 million “is not a very interesting story.” “There is no question that you will always have distributional concerns with a tax rate, a broad-based tax rate, at the very top of the income scale,” Mr. Fratto said. He said the more significant issue was the reduction in taxes for middle-class Americans that Mr. Bush won from Congress. Remember the $318 savings?

Robert S. McIntyre, the director of Citizens for Tax Justice, said that even though he expected a few very wealthy people to reap most of the tax savings generated by lower tax rates on dividends and capital gains, the size of the savings “still takes your breath away.” He said the tax savings at the top, combined with lower average incomes after five years, “shows that trickle down doesn't work.”

Why don't we rebel

Typical Americans still believe that, through hard work, education, and the willingness to sacrifice for their families, they will be able to attain the American Dream. We are simultaneously pessimistic and optimistic about the economy. Given that we view the overall economy as performing poorly and promoting economic insecurity, it should come as no surprise that we favor policies that would reduce and eventually eliminate that insecurity. And, given that we remain optimistic about our own futures and are determined to get ahead, it should also come as no surprise that we favor policies that promote economic opportunity and individual mobility.

How we view the overall economic situation

58 percent of us think current economic conditions are “only fair” or “poor,” 54 percent think it’s a bad time to find a quality job, and 52 percent think the economy is getting worse for our fellow man.

How we view our personal economic situation

66 percent of us think we are better off than our parents were at comparable ages. 56 percent of parents believe their children will lead better lives. 70 percent of us think we have already attained the American Dream or would attain it in our lifetimes. 82 percent of us think we are working class, middle class, or lower class, but an amazing 45 percent believe it was very or somewhat likely that they would become wealthy in the future. When it comes to our own individual and family situations, most people say that they are succeeding.

The economic solutions we want

Given that the public views the overall economy as performing poorly and promoting economic insecurity, it should come as no surprise that the public favors policies that would mitigate that insecurity.

The public’s top two economic concerns are retirement and health care.

As long as the political leaders provide hope in these areas and recognize that we are basically optimistic while feeling a need to help our fellow man we will continue to allow ourselves to be lead by promises delivered by crooks and liars.

Field Trips

The importance of a balanced budget

Happy Trails, and keep your money under the bed!

B.S.

Read this feature from past issues.

Are you tired of being lied to? The purpose of this column is to try to sort the fact from the lies in consumerism, both on and off the Internet. If you find a product or company you would like to compliment or blast, please let us know and we will talk about them here.

The So-Called New Consumerism
from Georgia Jones

Six point type... Who writes anything in six point type? If you have ever read (or avoided reading) a contract, you know the answer to that one.
Here it is in something we can see and talk about:
"We may discontinue, add to or revise any or all Services in our sole discretion and without notice, including access to support services, publications and other products or services ancillary to the Service. In particular, we reserve the right at our sole discretion to modify, supplement, delete or remove any software, file, publications, information, communication or other content provided to you by (insert company here) or its vendors in connection with the service. If we undertake any of these changes, we may, but are not required to, notify you by email, online via one or more of the websites within the Service or other electronic notice. If you do not agree to such changes, then you must cancel your subscription and stop using the service prior to the effective date of such changes. Your use of the Service after the effective date of such changes or additions constitutes your acceptance of such changes. In addition, we may take any action consistent with our Acceptable Use and Fair Access Policies, including actions to a)... b)... c)... d)... e) withdraw, change, suspend or discontinue any functionality or feature of the service, f)... g)..."
This excerpt is from my new contract, the one I just signed for WildBlue Satellite Internet service. I used to be on Hughes/EarthLink and had that service, in fact, since 2002. The excerpt is one you will find in almost identical form in every contract with a provider of electronic services, including whatever kind of ISP you use and your cell phone. It is not optional to the consumer. Let's go over exactly what it says.
In this paragraph and elsewhere in the agreement (I got tired of typing as I assumed you might get tired of reading) there is a provision that requires you to keep on paying no matter what they do to you. The provisions I skipped, a-d and f and g, are fairly reasonable in that they are also specific about what you can do that will get your service withdrawn, changed, suspended or discontinued. That is reasonable enough and in keeping with the spirit of an agreement. But what are they required to do?
Nowhere, not even in the parts I left out, four pages of six point type, are they required to provide you a functioning service that either meets your needs or their advertised product specifics. And, if not satisfied, your only recourse is to pay for the entire contracted service immediately. Am I misunderstanding the concept of implied warranty? No, these contracts simply modify that legal nicety by forcing—yes, it is forcing when all of the contracts are this similar in their provisions—your collaboration in denying that basic to you.
I left in provision e above for a reason. Read it again if you need to. This one says that while you can lose your service due to the misbehavior specified in provisions a-d and f and g, they can cut you off without a reason. Not only that but back up a ways and read the earlier statement that says they can change the service (change is not defined and in the entire document there is no assurance that it does not mean stop doing whatever it is you contracted them to do, in this case provide my Internet connection) without notifying you except by a means they have the right to withdraw, change, suspend or discontinue at their discretion, and if you do not act on what you have not been informed about before it happens you are still obligated to pay and pay and pay...
Most of us sign such agreements, often without reading the small print, because we believe that the company we are dealing with will deal with us fairly, that it is in their interest to make the changes they refer to in a positive way, improving service and communication rather than limiting or withdrawing it. Besides, we want what the company appears to be offering and we either know their reputation or have checked with friends or family for their stories of how they were treated. To consumers, such things have always been more important than fine print. Yet, the fine print is there and, when the company chooses to use it, you better know where you stand; or, more likely these days, where you don't.
A brief description of my recent Hughes/EarthLink experience demonstrates this moral:
I had been happy with my Internet service given that there is no cable or DSL in my location*. It was faster than dial up, always on (essential for me), and reliable. Starting about two months ago it was none of those things.
When things did not appear to be getting any better and I had eliminated every possibility of a local (my own) problem that would explain why my service was slow and intermittent, why I had to rely on dial up for a good part of the time, I called Technical Support at EarthLink.
Granted, I had waited longer than most people would have: I know what I'm doing (including every work around to make a bad system usable) and I just didn't have the hours, yes hours, to spend on the telephone with a service rep somewhere in India who knows less about the service and my system than I do. Well, eventually I had to give in and make that call, three of them in fact. Their first answer was that it was my fault. I had not downloaded a software upgrade, which (refer back to that paragraph above) I had not been notified I needed.
I spent four additional hours downloading the software over the telephone line. So, after three calls and five hours of friendly if parroted helpfulness I was told that EarthLink couldn't fix the problem but Hughes would. A trouble ticket was submitted to Hughes. Nothing can be done without this trouble ticket.
When nothing improved and I was not contacted, I began the process again. No trouble ticket had been turned in, as it happened. Three more calls and additional hours and I had a trouble ticket; my email would no longer send; and I could not get any response to the basic questions as to what the problem was and when it might be fixed. I called sales, customer service, and technical support speaking to a supervisor. With every phone call I insisted that if we were not being recorded they turn on the recorder so someone (anyone) who has authority might find out how they were treating what even they described as a long time loyal customer. I emailed customer support and filled out their customer satisfaction survey; maybe the written word had power.
There is no power; not for the consumer who is already made powerless by the contractual agreement, nor for those who are given the responsibility to deal with that consumer. So what do we do? What can we do? I hope you read "Beatrice Spreadmore" before scrolling down here and read on to this month's editorial. I put it to you, as consumers, that all we can do is everything because if we do nothing nothing is exactly what we will continue to get for our money and our trust.

* And about the DSL and cable: I do not live in a remote area. Our immediate neighborhood of average sized (not acreage) lots has over 3,000 homes, two-thirds of the total in the nearby incorporated area less than three miles away, which does have both DSL and Internet cable. Another corporate choice that the consumer has no say about even when they are impacted both economically and in lifestyle by that choice.
And you don't even want me to tell you about the month we just spent without any money thanks to a problem at Bank of America!

Share your consumer experiences with us: Send us your story and we will print it here.
Read this feature from past issues.

Books, Cooks, Looks & Ms. Elani

Dear Friends and Readers,
Every reader will share her ups and downs.
Waiting for Daisy
by Peggy Orenstein
ISBN 978-1596910171

Years ago the 'death of a rabbit' signified a pregnancy. So did two missed menstrual cycles as well as morning sickness. Before the advent of the condom, diaphragm and the Pill, pregnancy was feared by any woman who had engaged in sex and did not want a child. But within the past fifty years women have had the ability, if not always the wisdom, to prevent most unwanted pregnancies. This is usually a blessing.
In Waiting for Daisy, by Peggy Orenstein, the reader is allowed into the life of one woman who thought she had it all. As a spokesperson for women who choose not to have children and that decision be acceptable, she told her husband that she had made that choice as well. He agreed. All was fine until the day came when she changed her mind and did everything in her power to get the one thing she had always said she didn't want; a baby.
The book is both humorous and poignant. Every reader will share her ups and downs. Orenstein goes through every known avenue to get pregnant from every day sex, to drinking strange potions, acupuncture and everything in between. She buys fertility goddesses. She looks into international adoption with devasting results. But after six more birthdays, and reaching the ripe old age of forty, Orenstein has to face several facts, the main one her husband who is fed up with the 'fertility sex' and her obsession with becoming pregnant. The fun in gone from their marriage and the money spent on every fertilization treatment known has more than emptied their savings. A baby does not seem to be in the offing. But there is always that one more attempt.

Read this feature from past issues.

YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE

Item this month sent by a reader of
Anti-war veterans protest at Black Expo
By Aisha Sultan
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/19/2007
About 90 Iraq war veterans, dressed in black shirts, stood in formation Saturday afternoon in front of military recruiters at America's Center and shouted their protest message three times: "War is not a game!"
They were referring to the large military simulation game set up by Army recruiters at the Missouri Black Expo. The group of veterans, known as Iraq Veterans Against the War, were in St. Louis for their annual meeting this weekend when they decided to stage a brief demonstration at the Expo.
Kelly Dougherty, 29, is executive director and served in the Army National Guard as a medic and military police officer in Iraq in 2003 to 2004. She said recruiters often stress the opportunities the military offers to low-income and minority groups.
"We want people to know the truth about military service and that it's not always what they say," she said.
Dougherty said many potential recruits may not realize the consequences the prolonged war in Iraq may have on their service - increased chances of repeated deployment, extended tours of duty, a call back into war even after a contract expires and difficulty accessing benefits upon return.
"People who are considering joining the military should know the truth so they can make an informed decision," she said.
Military recruiters at the Expo refused to comment.
While the demonstration only took a few minutes, it sparked reaction from several people.
One onlooker told the protesters they should support their country. Another passer-by snapped back at him: "That's exactly what she's doing."
If this recruiting approach disturbs you too, consider doing something:

Veterans For Peace
Outreach and Communications Specialist
www.veteransforpeace.org

Read this feature from past issues.

From the EDITOR

Mixing Definitions Only Adds Confusion

It is commonly assumed these days that there is a convergence or at least a practical parallel between democracy and capitalism, so much so that I recently heard a news commentator say "When capitalism fails how can anyone trust democracy?" He was talking about the sub-prime lending debacle that is shaking every nerve of the world economy right now.
Political leaders, media analysts, and even pundits refer to the growth of capitalism in the world as the spread of democracy. There is little, if any, questioning of that assumption, though the glaring exceptions which disprove the rule are there. "American Democracy" (a modernly coined phrase meant to describe the convergence of capitalism with democracy) unchallenged is part of the mix of forces pushing the United States, and the world, further and further to the right.
On the other hand, we have been told that communism is a discredited economic system. That statement is another misunderstanding of terms and a failure to analyze the facts. Communism, like American Democracy, was a construct built from parts of an economic theory and a governmental structure. The failure of the totalitarian government of the Soviet Union meant a public discrediting of the economic theories it considered to be its practical parallel.
But what are these economic and political systems and do they really pair up in the almost mystical way their true believers assert?
Totalitarianism, we all know, is a system we do not want. Democracy, on the other hand is one which doesn't work very well but is, as has been said by others before me, probably as good as government can get. Simple enough. The economic systems, though often poorly understood, are almost as simple.
Communalism is a variation on socialism and only describes the communal application of socialist tenants through the common efforts of groups, such as trade unions. Because Socialism is the basic theory, I will skip through the variations directly to the foundation.
Socialism is an economic theory which uses an optimistic view of the human ability to design systems to offset the perception that individuals, if left to their own devices, are greedy and self-involved.
Capitalism is a more optimistic view of the human individual and of group dynamics. These separate optimisms are at the heart of the difference between these two approaches to economics.
Capitalism also has a number of permutations, but its foundation is Classical Capitalism.
According to Classical Capitalism, if markets are left unhindered by outside controls, even, or maybe especially, those designed to make them more humane, they will operate in a balanced way which will result, we're entering the realm of mysticism here, in a humane system. The capitalist, who is the owner of the means of production, will act in a way that best serves his needs and his profit motive. (Excuse the male pronouns, but, admittedly, women had little to do with developing these systems, though many are involved in fostering their aims today.) So, the plant owner will only build a plant to produce a product for which a demand is, or can be, established. And that same plant owner will not produce any more, or any less, of this product than the market will consume. This is the law of supply and demand—a concept vital to Classical Capitalism. As modern peoples who have stretched our minds around this issue, though, we know that managed supply can result in managed demand. But regulating plant owners, to avoid this calamity, is contrary to the theory.
According to Classical Capitalism, the market for labor, in spite of the admittedly humane motives of John Smith in first proposing the system, is treated very much the same as the market for goods. Laborer demand for wages is limited by the logical proportion of the cost of production which labor should share, and by the market demand for and the success of the plant owner's product. The weakness in this plan should jump out at anyone reading with any degree of care: logical proportion. What substantive meaning can that phrase have? Well, says Classical Capitalism, laborers will demand a fair wage based on their needs, and, if they do not receive it, they will move on to another plant where the owner is more in need of labor, prompting a labor shortage at the original plant which will force that owner's wages into line with the needs of the worker. Lovely, you say, but why has my company's profit ratio gone up while my wages have not?
According to Classical Capitalism, it is in the nature of capitalists that they will compete among themselves, and within the range of probability that none should win a decisive victory over his rivals. So monopolies cannot exist and those managed markets I mentioned earlier are a figment of consumer imagination.
If you are not falling for this theory, let me describe the other, opposing, idea for you.
Socialism assumes that all humans are capable of base, inhumane, activity. Therefore, markets are established according to communal ideas of need, with the work of production shared among the members of a community, according to the skills of each member, and the ownership shared with a reasonable degree of equality. This proposition meets immediate skepticism when the statement is examined. Just as "logical proportion" in Classical Capitalism raises questions of meaning, reasonable degree is suspect when we are talking about equality. Who will be in charge of the divisions? Not only the divisions of ownership, but those of product and production, as well.
Socialism as a stand alone system has many problems not the least of which is its basic premiss. How can a theory that assumes the baseness of humanity rely on systems, contrived by that same humanity, to be more humane than their creators? And, of course, by making such an assumption about itself a society, managed thus, has demeaned the very real humane instincts all of its members share at some level. Yet, the optimism of Classical Capitalism is just as clearly misplaced.
There have been other economic systems, but I do not think that feudalism, slavery, or any of the other systems that humanity has already abandoned deserve any consideration in a modern world. Perhaps, before we choose, there is another, better, system waiting to be discovered? It is my own opinion that there is not. We must make do with what we have and this brings us back to the integration of these systems of economics into systems of politics.
There is no question that establishing and maintaining socialism is easiest in a totalitarian state. It is a messy system, what with that problem of who will establish the distribution. This is best done by a single tyrant, benign or otherwise, or a group of tyrants. So, it might also work in an oligarchy, but this, too, is a state with concentrated power at the top and might be considered a modification of the basic totalitarian motif, as are autocracy and all other such models.
Democracy, on the other hand, finds it hard to maintain anything indefinitely, though some forms of socialism have been known to flourish in democracies. These exceptions are when the two economic systems are informally melded and then democratically controlled to serve the needs of the population and to temper the failings of Classical Capitalism.
The danger we confront in failing to define these systems is that they will become associated one with another: socialism with totalitarianism, and capitalism with democracy. If we make it either or, our choices are limited. We, as citizens and workers in this circumstance, would have to chose to be abused by a system that denies our full humanity through totalitarian rule and an economic system which has little faith in our strengths, or to be abused by a system where our voices in government have little meaning because we are subject to the unrestrained whims of business owners whose highest expression of humanity is discretionary.
Balance is always difficult to achieve but even more so in human endeavors where there is an infinite variety of rightness to consider. It has been the nature of American Democracy as it has become more closely identified with capitalism to bundle this variety into a small ball of self-righteousness that it calls Patriotic, Christian, or simply: right. This tendency has been furthered by a belief that no governance is the best government as long as this view of rightness is enforced.
Thanks to that thinking, capitalism is being run without restraints or regulation, while democracy is limited by the control of education and information by the seats of capitalism instead of those of democracy. The disaster in New Orleans (and I do not refer to Katrina but to its aftermath), the economic nightmare that is our current state of credit in this country, failing health care, immigration issues, and on and on, all come from this root: our failure to define, separate and use the systems of economics and governance. We can still effect change. It is not too late, or that is my hope.

Georgia Jones, Editor

Read this feature from past issues.

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!

This is not new but with gas prices the way they are, we thought it was worth repeating:

I've been in petroleum pipeline business for about 31 years, currently working for the Kinder-Morgan Pipeline here in San Jose, CA. We deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period from the pipe line; one day it's diesel, the next day it's jet fuel and gasoline. We have 34 storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons. Here are some tricks to help you get your money's worth.
1. Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are significant. Every truckload that we load is temperature-compensated so that the indicated gallonage is actually the amount pumped. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don't have temperature compensation at their pumps.
2. If a tanker truck is filling the station's tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car's tank.
3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it's warm. (Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating 'roof' membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation.)
4. If you look at the trigger you'll see that it has three delivery settings: slow, medium and high. When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery - from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which is being sucked back into the underground tank - so you're getting less gas for your money.
Hope this will help ease your 'pain at the pump'.

Read this feature from past issues.

©September 2007 LadybugBooks.com

Please write to us. We want to hear what you think:
LadybugFlights.com