Hope 4 America

2011-12-18T19:55:00.003-05:00

Art, Nature and Cultures

Healing Our Planet and Ourselves

2011-12-18T19:47:00.003-05:00

Art, Nature and Cultures Healing Our Planet and Ourselves

2011-11-06T12:26:00.005-05:00

Born feet first, I'm a natural dancer. I came into this world with my feet and toes moving to the rhythms of my life. Watching other inhabitants on this planet, such as the animals and plants, move to their own dances of life and listening to the sounds of their music, I began to see the intricate connection between humans and all other living things. Every single thing that lives here on this Earth is part of this planet. The natural processes of need by each and every organism brings into existance others to fill that need. Humans are just a small part of the story of life on Earth, because so many other creatures have been on this planet so much longer. If we want to survive as a species, we must understand and respect the entire living world's creatures.

2011-10-23T14:33:00.000-05:00

The energy of love for all beings

2011-05-18T16:26:00.007-05:00

The vision in my heart that brings me great peace is a meditative life of singing, dancing and sharing the natural movements of life that I see in nature. And, in dance, music, and song, give back to the human spirit the ability to take care of the earth and each other.

Peace and Love

Patty

2011-04-29T15:57:00.000-05:00

2011-03-27T14:09:00.001-05:00

I go to Nature

to be soothed and healed,

and to have my senses put in tune once more.

John Burroughs

2011-02-21T21:57:00.001-05:00

2011-02-05T04:14:00.000-05:00

2011-01-13T03:26:00.002-05:00

Excerpt from: “Cancun Climate Summit Report #3" by David Simpson from Planet Drum www.planetdrum.org
.......Were we to take as the basis for our working template only the level of emissions reductions indicated in the Copenhagen Accord-and now in the Cancún Agreements-world average temperatures would likely rise between 3.2 and 5.4 degrees centigrade by the end of the century. Given that the rise to date of .8 degrees C since 1870 has already produced changes of a considerable magnitude-glaciers disappearing, ocean acidifying, permafrost melting, sea level rising, unprecedented heat waves, massive flooding, 300,000 deaths by climate this year alone-the thought of enduring temperature rises 4 to 6 times greater is terrifying.

Do I personally believe that we are condemned to this eventuality because of a refusal to step outside the insulated dome in which business likes to play? Maybe. There is an inveterate, deep-seated cautiousness that surrounds large-scale business and societal investment. Also, society's long-term normative responses-what's seen as right, what's wrong, what's dumb, what might work-are strongly resistant to change-or change at the rate that climatic circumstances might demand.

We are now in uncharted territory and as normative responses migrate rapidly and caution is seen as incaution in disguise, there will be a shift. It is at this fault line where a substantial realignment is possible. Leverage must be applied. Only what has come to be called "civil society" or the "social movements" are positioned to provide this pressure.

This is because these agencies and their practitioners are proxies for alliances and social groupings that are both more local and more universal at the same time-the people of the world themselves, whose stake in this is their very lives. Many have been unable, due to accidents of birth or lack of time or resources, to mount effective action in the name of their own and the planet's survival, but humanity begins now to awaken and take stock. Let the battle for credibility begin!

Photo by Craig Smith

For Health and Happiness

2011-01-02T10:33:00.003-05:00

What A Wonderful World It Would Be....

2010-12-22T22:40:00.003-05:00

....if there were no more wars and people would stop fighting.

Peace and Love

Patty

2010-12-22T20:25:00.003-05:00

"How many times must the cannon balls fly, before they're forever banned?" a line from the 1963 song "Blowin' in the Wind" written by Bob Dylan

Think of all the good we could be doing for our planet and all of its inhabitants...if they really were "forever banned".

Prince Charles eco film: HARMONY

2010-12-16T03:46:00.001-05:00

Life is....

2010-10-24T14:04:00.002-05:00

Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans. ~ John Lennon

The photo in this post and the one below are by Craig Smith

2010-10-20T16:02:00.004-05:00

2010-10-08T23:24:00.000-05:00

2010-10-08T23:22:00.000-05:00

2010-10-08T23:20:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, Oct. 2nd, 2010, Farm Aid celebrated it’s 25th anniversary in Milwaukee. In concert at this event, Farm Aid President Willie Nelson and Marty Dread performed their song “Lend a Hand to the Farmers”, written by Willie and Marty.
On March 10, 2010, I had the honor and pleasure of also doing this wonderful song and having it featured in video on Willie’s PRI website. Below is my video as it appeared on The “Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute” site.

2010-10-08T23:14:00.000-05:00

2010-09-21T09:32:00.000-05:00

Seasons, Cycles, and Rhythms of Life

2010-09-21T09:26:00.003-05:00

We need to learn a lot more about nature’s seasons, cycles, and rhythms of life that are so important to both our physical and spiritual well-being. When we don’t understand these basic things, we can become lost and out of sync with the natural world that supports us. ~ Patty Ann Smith

This Year The Autumn Equinox is on Wednesday, EDT, Sept. 22.

Peace Work

2010-09-10T17:18:00.004-05:00

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

A Council of All Beings

2010-08-28T11:49:00.005-05:00

We are all embedded in the web of life, and it is your birthright to enjoy an empowering kinship with other species. There is a Council of All Beings and Evolutionary Remembering. Through practice, we must become familiar with Earth and All Beings. Don’t take yourself too seriously. We are now on the path of shifting from the industrial growth society to a life sustaining civilization. ~ Joanna Macy

Guitar Olympics

2010-08-10T14:19:00.004-05:00

Guitar Olympics offers insight to various levels of the "Art Of Guitar", as it is presented worldwide by guitarists who have, and still are studying and applying their skills on the instrument. While most of these artists are often highly trained, some have been non-traditional in their acquisition of their techniques... learning not always from written music, but from others by the transferal of abilities through observation and skilled listening. It is generally their high level of skill that sets them apart from the "Strummers and Pickers" of guitars that are so often seen, and therefore places them at the level of Olympic Guitarists.

"We Are The Guitar".

Those of you who play at the depth of the soul know exactly what this means. the guitar, in the hands of the player, is an extension of those hands, and the entire body... both physical and spiritual. We explore the music landscape that resides within and then present it to the world. Perhaps we even to some extent help shape that world. Music is a journey, the traveler "musician" ventures out to discover his or her own Holy Grail. That special series of sounds that are life changing, and perhaps often life extending. This YouTube channel is not about me, sure I am a guitarist too, butit is about the magic in music and the guitar. It is dedicated to the "Real" Sound Of Music that the truly inspired guitarist shapes as he or she plays, bringing out ethereal forms that float through the air and only materialize when there are ears to hear them. As Michael Angelo said about sculpture... he did not make the sculpture, but only released it from the stone... so it is with music and the guitar. The sounds are there just waiting to be released, all you need is a guitarist. www.youtube.com/GuitarOlympics

Rachel Carson - author of "Silent Spring" and "The Sea Around Us"

2010-07-24T13:13:00.004-05:00

"The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe around us, the less taste we shall have for destruction." ~ Rachel Carson

Patty at Willie Nelson's Peace Research Institute

2010-07-19T03:14:00.001-05:00

Dance to the Rhythm of your Life

2010-07-05T23:31:00.006-05:00

Dance to the rhythm of your life.

"Inhale the light on water":)

Stand in your Truth,

Move and live in Joy,

Circulate freely,

and Love Life!:)

in Peace and Love ~ Patty:)

Independence Day

2010-07-04T05:36:00.003-05:00

It would be nice if on this Independence Day, all Americans would help escalate the efforts that have already been being made to make amends to our first people here ~ our Native American Indians ~ whose wisdom has always held the keys to our sacred land and environment.

2010-07-04T05:35:00.001-05:00

Iroquois Indian Museum

2010-07-02T02:14:00.004-05:00

from the Iroquois Indian Museum

"In Iroquois society, leaders are encouraged to remember seven generations in the past and consider seven generations in the future when making decisions that affect the people."

2010-06-30T22:16:00.001-05:00

2010-06-28T00:20:00.005-05:00

The stone at the bottom of the sea

just as pure as clean can be

please come back to me.

~ Patty Ann Smith

The Streams Chanting

2010-06-17T04:31:00.003-05:00

Do you hear the flower-bells ringing.

The birds singing.

The wind's whisper.

The streams chanting.

Do you see the butterflies dancing.:)

2010-06-01T15:45:00.000-05:00

2010-05-26T23:55:00.000-05:00

A work of Art takes us into our selves.

A Wonderful video

2010-05-26T23:53:00.005-05:00

2010-05-19T17:33:00.001-05:00

Even the tiny Lace Wing has a place in our world.

Mothers Day

2010-05-09T08:22:00.001-05:00

THE AMAZING MOTHER TIGER - INCREASINGLY RARE

With less than 4,000 tigers left in the wild, each new life represents hope for the future. A new tiger mom has her work cut out for her. The cubs are dependent on mom for nearly two years as she feeds, protects and educates them on how to survive.

THE AMAZING MOTHER ORANGUTAN

The highly intelligent orangutan is the ultimate do-it-yourself mom. She spends nearly all her life high up in the trees, where she builds a new nest every single night from branches and foliage, fashioning more than 30,000 homes in her lifetime! She also never puts her babies down, generally nursing offspring until they reach the age or 6 or 7—that's the longest dependence of any animal on Earth.

text from http://www.conservationinternational.org/
pics from National Geographic and Greenpeace

2010-05-07T15:35:00.001-05:00

2010-05-07T15:25:00.002-05:00

Music, Peace, and Love

2010-05-07T15:24:00.000-05:00

2010-05-05T17:42:00.003-05:00

Cinco De Mayo!

2010-04-30T01:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Willie!:)

A Piece of the Earth

2010-04-30T00:41:00.005-05:00

I have been given a brief time of joy
to tend a piece of the earth;
to consider the flora and fauna there
like children entrusted to my care.

Peace and Love ~ Patty:)

from my planetary conscious friend, Vyn, in Germany:)

2010-04-30T00:36:00.001-05:00

EARTH DAY/EVERY DAY

2010-04-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

My wish for you is that you will go outdoors and enjoy the wonders of nature and like it so much....you’ll do it Every Day.:) Peace and Love ~ Patty:)

Lend A Hand to The Farmers

2010-04-21T07:48:00.000-05:00

Farm Aid

2010-04-14T23:37:00.004-05:00

photo by Craig Smith

On Farm Aid, I signed this wonderful informative petition. Please go to http://www.farmaid.org/ and sign it, too! US family dairy farmers are a big part of Hope 4 America, too. Thank You ~ Patty:)

To: Members of Dairy Industry Advisory Committee

Thank you for your commitment to examining price volatility and farm profitability for dairy farmers and for your efforts in providing the Secretary of Agriculture with critical recommendations on how USDA can best address these issues to ensure a viable future for our nation's dairy farmers.

As you know, family dairy farmers are in a chronic cycle of crisis. In January 2009 alone, dairy farmers faced a dramatic 30% decline in milk prices, the result of a defective milk pricing system that is vulnerable to extreme volatility and instability. This downward spiral has continued with some farmers receiving as low as $9 per hundredweight for their milk — less than half the cost of production.

The dairy industry needs a commonsense pricing formula for raw milk that pays a fair price and accounts for cost of production on farms across the country. Dairy price support programs must also account for total cost of production. Until a reasonable pricing formula is established, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack must use his authority to institute an emergency floor price of $18 per hundredweight for milk to keep farmers on the land during the current crisis.

Furthermore, any supply management scheme created must factor in total cost of production in order to truly address the problems that put dairy farmers out of business. Otherwise, such measures will be counterproductive and ultimately harmful to the health of family farms.

Thousands of family dairy farmers are at risk of losing their homes, their land, and their livelihood. Please, act now to set a fair price for milk and save our nation's family dairy farmers.

Sincerely

Patty Ann Smith

Environmental Protection

2010-04-09T01:10:00.002-05:00

Protecting wildlife and all of their habitats is a very high priority for all of us to take part in.

(photo by Craig Smith)

My "Lily" poem

2010-04-03T01:25:00.006-05:00

There is something about a Lily
that is so hope-filled;
the way the petals unfold
and the pistils and stamens push forward.
They grow so tall and bend with the wind.
They are so effortlessly beautiful
unafraid and accepting of all that life is.

FDR's Second Bill of Rights

2010-03-21T19:06:00.003-05:00

Roosevelt’s Second Bill of Rights -1944

President Franklin D. Roosevelt created an "economic bill of rights" that would guarantee:

A job with a living wage
Freedom from unfair competition and monopolies
A home
Medical care
Education
Recreation

Roosevelt stated that having these rights would guarantee American security, and that America's place in the world depended upon how far these and similar rights had been carried into practice.

Excerpts from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s State of the Union Address on January 11, 1944:

.....We cannot be content.... if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.
This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.
As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.
We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.” People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.
In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.

Among these are:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;
The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
The right of every family to a decent home;
The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And.....we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens.

The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life

2010-03-09T02:32:00.004-05:00

photo by Craig Smith

Starting from the premise that we can no longer live in a disenchanted world, it has been found that a profound enchanted engagement with life is not a childish thing to be put away with adulthood, but a necessity for one’s personal and collective survival.

~ Thomas Moore

The Particles of Light

2010-03-03T14:56:00.003-05:00

photo by Emily ByWater

The particles of light naturally align themselves with the ultimate efficiency of energy and movement. There is a common spiritual bond between all things in the universe that makes us all part of the genius of nature's intelligence ~ which is in the innate knowledge that all species help every other specie naturally evolve towards a more complex organism.

In Appreciation for Our Family Farmers

2010-03-03T13:35:00.001-05:00

Snow in Charleston, South Carolina

2010-02-13T13:56:00.002-05:00

photo by Craig Smith

Climate Change

2010-02-13T00:31:00.010-05:00

From Repower America:
“Global warming theory predicts that global precipitation will increase, and that heavy precipitation events… will also increase. This occurs because as the climate warms, evaporation of moisture from the oceans increases, resulting in more water vapor in the air.” – Jeff Masters, meteorologist

Fact: Climate change causes more frequent and severe snowstorms
Record snowstorms need two things: temperatures below freezing, and very high humidity. On a planet warmer by a few degrees on average, the Northeast US will still have plenty of days below freezing; the big difference will be warmer seas producing higher levels of moisture in the air — and therefore more severe cold-season storms.

Fact: We can expect more extreme weather
Scientists tell us that climate change has already led to more extreme weather in the United States and we can expect stronger hurricanes, more wildfires, heatwaves and droughts, to name a few. The cost of inaction could reach half a trillion dollars a year.

Fact: The world is warming at a quickening pace
Weather in one region over days or months should not be confused with climate or the patterns of weather over decades and centuries. And the science is clear here: the last decade was the hottest on record. And to put this year’s weather in perspective, January was warmer than average for the continental United States.

photo from: http://www.reallynatural.com/

Patty at Willie Nelson's PRI

2010-02-08T11:18:00.004-05:00

Marin Shelter for the homeless ~ The People and Ideas

2010-02-05T19:15:00.004-05:00

For more information about Marin Shelter, click on Marin Shelter headline above.

The homeless in our own country

2010-02-05T17:40:00.006-05:00

I found this picture via my friend Chris Highland’s Marin Shelter website in Marin County, California. Chris is the director of Marin County’s shelter for the homeless. His January post on the Marin Shelter website led me to the picture and article about the "Adopt a Meter" program where businesses in a city can donate money to have old parking meters refurbished "and install them in areas with a high volume of pedestrians. Money deposited in the meters will be given to the city’s homeless outreach programs. Sponsoring companies will have their logo prominently displayed on the decorated meters." The "Adopt a Meter" program is already going on in Nashville and Denver. For more information on the program, visit: http://www.thekeyalliance.org/.

from Al Gore ~ regarding Haiti Earthquake

2010-01-18T05:27:00.009-05:00

part of an Email that I'm always honored to get from Al Gore:

"Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 85% of Haitians already living in desperate poverty. Now, with hospitals in ruin, dire shortages of even basic necessities like fresh water, and no way to find out whether family members are alive, the Haitian people urgently need our help.....

There are moments when we, as human beings, must come together as a global community and as stewards of each others' health and welfare. It is that sense of interconnectedness that brought each of us to the climate movement, and it is moments like this that bring out the best in us -- as individuals, as a nation, and as a movement."

If you'd like to DONATE, click on the title of this post.

map photo is from USGS http://www.usgs.gov/

from Conservation International...and "Patty"

2010-01-08T13:40:00.004-05:00

From Conservation International ~ 2010

Happy New Year

In the coming year, we’ll be taking on some of the great issues of our lifetime including:

working to secure a stable global climate;

understanding and protecting the sources and flows of fresh water;

ensuring nature's ability to provide food for human needs;

minimizing environmental pressures on human health;

valuing the role of nature in human cultures;

safeguarding the unknown and as-yet-undiscovered option values that nature provides; and

saving our oceans – which are threatened like never before by climate change, pollution and over-fishing.

photo by Craig Smith

2010-01-05T00:40:00.000-05:00

Raise Your Voice ~ Change Climate Change

2009-12-22T00:12:00.001-05:00

from: Conservation International

2009-12-11T13:11:00.005-05:00

"No matter where you live on Earth, what you do affects the oceans—and what happens to the oceans affects you." ~ Conservation International

My NEW CD!!!

2009-11-05T15:32:00.003-05:00

NEW!!!
Meditation CD by Patty Ann Smith
INSPIRED THOUGHTS for THE 21ST CENTURY

Unlike my two music albums, this is a meditation album (spoken audio) on topics that are close to my heart, and I have, also, written about. Like New Orleans, War, Peace, Nature, Spirituality, Metaphysics, the Environment, World Cultures, and Holistic Health...and, also, people like the Dalai Lama, Rachel Carson, and others....some of the topics I’ve even taught and given talks on in bookstores and colleges. And, what I hope to accomplish with this album is to relieve some of the suffering in our world for the 23 minutes of this CD whenever you listen to it; and when it’s over, you feel just a little more hope about whatever you might need in your own precious life.
This continuous track of 15 uplifting meditative messages with reflective guitar music by Craig Smith and soothing sounds of nature, is the best from a collection of my Heart Stuff spoken audio series. I hope you enjoy it!
Silently, be drawn by the pull of what you really love...stand in your Truth...and move and live in Joy!

Peace and Love
Patty

Nature and The Rhythms of Life

2009-10-26T10:03:00.011-05:00

For me, it’s all part of the music and rhythms of life....music we can hear and music that we can't hear. It’s going on all the time and everywhere.
Silently, be drawn by the pull of what you really love...stand in your Truth...and move and live in joy!

Have a Great Day!
Patty

2009-10-20T14:50:00.001-05:00

2009-10-20T14:24:00.003-05:00

The song "Amazing Beauty" sung by me is from a poem written by Chris Highland....set to the tune of "Amazing Grace".
Chris Highland is an author of 10 books, a nature photographer, an interfaith chaplain, nature chaplain, teacher, counselor, and free-thinker. For more about Chris, go to his website http://www.naturetemple.net

2009-10-13T01:14:00.001-05:00

2009-10-13T01:05:00.004-05:00

the DVD Signs Out of Time ~ the story of Dr. Marija Gimbutas

"What does the dance mean to the dancers.
How do we measure the beliefs that set those feet in motion."

Stories, myths, and songs from Marija’s childhood left a lasting impression that led her to become the archeologist who uncovered the truth about old Europe ~ hundreds of cultures all over ancient Europe that were never in our history books. She discovered that Old Europe was actually a peaceful culture without weapons and with high levels of culture and Art. Due to nothing being discovered before this, we accepted that militarism was the way we were supposed to live. We have a better history than we know. And, we can now shape new views of who we are as human beings and how we are capable of living.
Dr. Gimbutas’s extensive catalog of archeological findings throughout all of Old Europe, and later even beyond, uncovered ancient art of the goddess with imagings of designs of the earth ~ birds, animals, plants, stones, etc. ~ creating the cultural story through union of goddess and earth...and coming to realize that the goddess is simply a metaphor for the living earth ~ nothing more. Earth/goddess was the unity of all life in Nature....that has continually been depicted femininely in Ancient Primitive Art for thousands of years in many different cultures all over the world.

Something to Think About

2009-10-09T19:01:00.000-05:00

In Honor of Our Beautiful Moon

2009-10-08T20:11:00.001-05:00

Health vs. Wealth

2009-09-24T22:37:00.000-05:00

Bring This Movie To America

2009-08-10T05:19:00.000-05:00

Appreciate What You Have

2009-07-03T15:01:00.005-05:00

Go ahead and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to....

When you worry and hurry through your day,
it is like an unopend gift....thrown away.
Life is not a race. Take it slower.
Hear the music, before the song is over.

2009-06-20T17:32:00.002-05:00

When the mind is still, we can look out upon the world with a clarity that defies all sense of separation, and we feel connected to all of life. ~ Stuart Wilde

2009-06-14T04:06:00.008-05:00

A tiny fragile planet called Earth

photo art by Craig Smith

2009-06-09T18:05:00.000-05:00

A Message from Patty

2009-06-09T17:56:00.000-05:00

Patty's Song in Movie

2009-05-04T03:29:00.000-05:00

One of My Songs is in a Movie!:)

2009-05-03T12:05:00.002-05:00

One of my original songs from my MYSTIC DREAMS album, "I Guess You’re Everywhere", is featured in the movie "Like It Or Not!"(Ob ihr wollt oder nicht!) The movie was released on April 30th, 2009 in Germany, where it was produced. It opened to a huge number of theaters in Germany and will be followed by worldwide distribution. I hope you get a chance to see it when it comes to a theater near you.

Patty:)

Water for Life

2009-03-21T14:44:00.006-05:00

photo by Raymond Clement

excerpt from the United Nations Water for Life website:

This year on World Water Day, we call attention to the waters that cross our borders and link us together.

The world’s 263 transboundary lake and river basins include the territory of 145 countries and cover nearly half of the Earth’s land surface. Great reservoirs of freshwater also move silently below our borders in underground aquifers.
With every country seeking to satisfy its water needs from limited water resources, some foresee a future filled with conflict. But history shows that cooperation, not conflict, is the most common response to transboundary water management issues.
Over the last 60 years there have been more than 200 international water agreements and only 37 cases of reported violence between states over water. We need to continue to nurture the opportunities for cooperation that transboundary water management can provide.
We share the responsibility for managing the world’s transboundary waters for current and future generations.
(click on Headline to go to the United Nations Water for Life website)

Everything Grows With Love

2009-03-19T14:04:00.000-05:00

photos by Craig Smith

2009-03-18T02:49:00.000-05:00

Think of no one as an enemy. The best thing that could happen for the worst person is a miracle that will make them a better person. So, why not pray for miracles for everyone, love for everyone, so that all may find happiness? ~ Amy Nelson

Women's History Month

2009-03-13T06:42:00.003-05:00

"The United States is filled with great hope that our daughters, and the daughters of all nations, will continue to serve as leaders in the pursuit of our collective well-being and have the opportunity to achieve their full potential."~ President Barack Obama

On Wednesday March 11, 2009, President Obama created a "White House Council on Women and Girls" that will be headed by one of his senior advisors and close friend, Valerie Jarrett. The President's executive order came a week after he issued a proclamation declaring March as Women's History Month, a celebration that began with the first "Women's History Week" in 1978 initiated by the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission that was expanded with a 1987 National Women's History Month Resolution passed by Congress.
"The Council will provide a coordinated federal response to the challenges confronted by women and girls and to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider how their policies and programs impact women and families," a statement from the White House said.

2009-03-05T02:31:00.001-05:00

The principle business of life

is to enjoy it.

2009-03-02T03:11:00.001-05:00

photo by Patty Ann Smith

The natural movements of life as it dances.

2009-03-02T01:12:00.004-05:00

photo by Emily ByWater

By cutting back on things we don't really need,

We make room to enjoy

The things we already have.

2009-02-21T04:40:00.002-05:00

2009-02-13T17:31:00.006-05:00

The condition of our heart determines....everything.

"...Our lives can change with every breath we take...Let go of what's gone. Hold on like hell to what you've got. Each other. We've all got meanness in us, but we've got goodness, too. And, the only thing worth living for is the goodness..." ~ from "Where the Heart Is"

Earth song: "Sombolera May Son" ~ Artist: Khadja Nin

2009-02-12T12:55:00.002-05:00

2009-01-29T23:28:00.007-05:00

Everything in creation

must be true unto itself.

Inauguration Day ~ Hope 4 America!

2009-01-20T18:48:00.003-05:00

photo from MSNBC

Michelle Obama - USAService.org

2009-01-15T14:38:00.002-05:00

A Lovely Message from Michelle Obama

2009-01-15T14:27:00.002-05:00

"...On January 19th, Barack and I will join thousands of people all across the country for an extraordinary day of service.I recorded a short video to tell you more about this important effort

....Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are committing to renew America together, one community at a time.

Whatever service activity you organize or take part in -- cleaning up a park, giving blood, volunteering at a homeless shelter, or mentoring an at-risk youth -- you can help start this important journey. But this is about more than just a single day of service, it's the beginning of an ongoing commitment to your community.

Monday, January 19th, is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King taught us to live a life of service, and he led by example. He once said:
"If you want to be important -- wonderful. If you want to be recognized -- wonderful. If you want to be great -- wonderful. But, recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness."

Barack and I will be volunteering in Washington, D.C., our new home. I hope you'll join us by taking part in this national call to service in your community:
http://www.USAservice.org/calltoservice

It will take ordinary citizens working together with a common purpose to get this country back on track. This national day of service is an important first step in our continuing commitment.

Now is the time to remind all Americans what ordinary people can accomplish when we stand together."

Thank you,

Michelle

"Deadwood South Dakota" ~ sung by MonkeyLess John

2009-01-11T14:47:00.001-05:00

A Message from my friend, John, about Hatred and Racism

2009-01-11T14:45:00.001-05:00

"My friend Dan has started a tribute week for songs that talk about hatred and racism.

I believe we are all emotionally racist to some extent. If you have ever walked down a street and have felt that you weren't safe when a black person, or a white person, or and Eastern Person or a Red person has walked by, then really , you are prejudging, which I suppose is more what this is.

Where we get past this is to realize that, emotionally that maybe how we feel, but we can choose not to be racist, through our actions towards others, and the respect we can give to each other. Until we are all ready to say " I am sorry about what we have done to you" and really mean it, then this will never, ever end.Look, we are all members of the human race, lets just say that, mean that, and please just live there.

Same for religious differences, do you really think God wants you to hate someone because they don't quite believe the same thing as you??? I can't imagine that would be true." ~ MonkeyLess John

From Conservation International

2009-01-04T06:12:00.003-05:00

photo from CI

"When Nature Thrives

Humanity Benefits"

http://www.conservation.org/

Scarlet Ribbons ~ sung by Patty Ann Smith

2008-12-22T18:48:00.001-05:00