This blog covers current topics in the news, with a metaphysical twist, and a pinch of humor.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Takin' It to the Streets
Mubarak cleared: Egypt protests as ex-leader charges dropped BBC - November 30, 2014
Egyptian police have used tear gas to disperse protesters angry that charges against ex-President Hosni Mubarak over killings during the uprising three years ago have been dropped. About 2,000 people massed in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the birthplace of the 2011 revolution. At least one person was reported killed in the clashes. Mubarak was originally sentenced to life in jail then cleared in a retrial.
Resignation of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson unlikely to halt protests FOX - November 30, 2014
City officials in Ferguson, Mo. were due Sunday to address the resignation of Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and killed teenager Michael Brown in a confrontation in August that fueled protests in the St. Louis suburb and around the nation.
I had the most amazing Thanksgiving in Westport yesterday. Because of the bad weather on Wednesday I decided I would take Metro-North up to Nikki and Ryan's house on Thursday morning. Along the way I sat next to an actress with interests in nutrition who happens to live with a man who worked with Nikki remaining close friends over the years. She sat down next to me, not by accident, and it wasn't long before we started to talk only to discover our connection. She texted her boyfriend and I texted Nikki ... soon we were all talking on our one hour train ride to Westport.
Our family reunion was filled with the laughter of children, preparing the dinner, great food, visits by neighbors and friends, and of course a game of football in the backyard, and sports on TV. I had a ride home topping off a beautiful perfect day. When you think about the troubles in the world, I have much to be grateful for in 2014. I took a few photos and posted them here. I hope you are enjoying your holiday. As to Black Friday ... I hope you find some great bargains if venturing out.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Happy Thanksgiving
What will many people remember about Thanksgiving this year - the situation in Ferguson as it affects them and it's ripple effect across the country, the weather, holiday celebrations, and more. I'll be with family in CT and really look forward to it. Thank goodness for Amazon as I mailed games for the younger children ahead. My daughter Tracy in AZ, and her family, are working at a charity event serving food to the poor. Later they will join friends for dinner. It was my grandson Vanni, 14, who made the suggestion after hearing about it in High School. It's a great way to give back and see that no matter how bad things are in your life, others are in worse situations. It's not easy living here. Every day I am thankful for everything in my life.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Thanksgiving Week Blogs
Which direction are you going?
It's Thanksgiving week as people travel, plans are made, reunions are had, many battle the climate, holiday bargains are everywhere, and more. There's celebrations, entertainment, football, and hopefully something for each of my readers to be thankful for.
Ferguson Decision: It won't be a happy thanksgiving for many who feel passionate about the death of Michael Brown and the grand jury's verdict. Yesterday, I had lunch with a friend, and this was the verdict we both predicted though many people already knew what was going to happen and braced for impact. This will have its moment in history and hopeful will result in needed changes. The legal system doesn't always work. Watching local updates... What we're seeing if civil unrest and part of end times.
Injustice: Bill Cosby is guilty and more women will come forward. Some of his victims may already be deceased. This will also ripple to incidents by other men that went unreported for a long time and now women will speak up and others will follow. Isn't it interesting how the hologram still allows people to ignore what Cosby has done and attend his. That won't last long. It's all about timing.
Travel Chaos: For many parts of the country, the weather takes center Wednesday as people face the chaos of holiday travel. Be safe. Watching local updates.
Job Chaos: Workers everywhere are finding their situation no longer makes sense for any number of reasons. This has existed for a long time, but now people are losing it. Is anything about most work situations just and fair or functional? No, and it's a domino effect. When one aspect of a work situation doesn't work, everything around it breaks down.
Talk TV this week: Lots of cooking everywhere - most geared towards Thanksgiving. How to pass the time if unemployed ... If you live in and around the city ... try visiting some of the local talk shows. One of my clients has a friend who will be part of a food segment on the Meredith Vieira Show Wednesday.
It's Thanksgiving week. As people travel, plans are made, reunions are had, many battle the climate, holiday bargains are everywhere, and more. Black Friday is becoming a myth as bargain shopping begins earlier and earlier each year. There's just been too much pressure and craziness for shoppers in the past to not make changes. There's celebrations, entertainment, football, and hopefully something for each of my reader to be thankful for.
Each weekend as I archive blogs from the previous week - and delete the news from Ezine - it's as if they were part of something in another space-time that disappear from mind as we move to the next set of experiences. We seem to be processing faster and faster. 2014 is almost over. Most people ask, "Where has the year gone?" Personal and world situations go on and on ... sometimes haphazardly ... until it all stops.
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How to pass the time if unemployed .... if you live in and around the city ... try visiting some of the local talk shows. One of my clients has a friend who will be part of a segment on the Meredith Vieira Show this week.
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Did anybody watch The Newsroom last night? Guess what they talked about ... the world ending .. as see-through the eyes of scientists. The characters could never agree or disagree as we the audience are left to reflect on the truth. Most people I know realize where this is going, but the question is how soon? Watch the episode if you can.
Review of that segment ....First, I'm fairly certain Aaron Sorkin and executive producer Paul Lieberstein (who played Deputy Assistant Admin. Richard Westbrook) wouldn't air something like that if it wasn't mostly true. They've never consciously lied to us before, and I don't think they'd start now. That being said, I am by no means a climate change expert, and I'm not going to pretend to be one by researching a bunch of various websites for validation as to Westbrook's claims. What I can promise you is that this scene sparked as much conversation in the real world as it did in the fictional one inhabited by Will, Mac and the rest of the ACN crew. As soon as those conversations start to happen, I will update this posting with links to relevant websites and experts. As for now, please consult the EPA's official, real website for more information about how we can save the planet - or at least prepare for post-apocalyptic society. Read more ...
I celebrated my 70th birthday in Nashville where I met actor, singer, and musician Chris Carmack co-star of the hit TV series Nashville. Chris plays Will Lexington a rising country star struggling with the fact that he is gay, which would not sit well with the country and western community.
Thursday, the same night Nashviile airs, 52-year-old country and western singer Ty Herndon and singer Billy Gilman came out. Ty Herndon announced first. He had an immediate impact on double-platinum country artist Billy Gilman, who, hearing of Herndon's move, came out in a YouTube video on Thursday as well. At the end of the day ...most people have always figured out when someone is gay.
I wonder how this will affect Chris Carmack's character on Nashville. If fans turn against gay country singers, as they have with other performers who came out, then so be it. People will have to take a long hard look at their own prejudices. This is just one of an endless list of challenges in which we are gaining understanding and making inroads. There are people in the world who have never met anyone who is gay and do not understand the dynamic of the whole experience. It's all about duality - so there will be positives and negative.
There will be other country performers who will soon come out in the aftermath of this announcement. Give it time. Ty and Billy have definitely opened the door to the future of country music. Let's give them lots of credit and support. It's time and part of the program. Straight or gay, humans do the whackiest things in relationships then go on to write and sing about them. We are a crazy species filled with too much judgment, fear, and anger using every opportunity to vent. Let it all go.
Chris Hemsworth is an Australian actor. Hemsworth began dating Spanish actress Elsa Pataky in early 2010 after meeting through their mutual representatives, and they wed in December 2010. They have three children: daughter India Rose (b. May 2012) and twin sons, Tristan and Sasha (b. March 2014).
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Ellie's Winter Photos from Brooklyn
The cold weather continues ... with the official start of winter still a month away.
Like a kid with a new toy ... I'm having fun with my Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
More women my age having fun ... I've never done drugs and take no meds. Enjoy ...
Media Moments
I was never a Bill Cosby fan. Something about his behavior was always off for me. Now he joins the list of male celebrities involved with sexual scandals and mental illness. He preyed on young innocent women who would be too afraid to report what happened to authorities though carrying the scars for life. Awful ... New Bill Cosby TV show scrapped by NBC BBC - November 19, 2014
US TV network NBC has scrapped a proposed project with comedian Bill Cosby after accusations that he sexually assaulted women resurfaced.
Another 24 year old women setting records ... and selling them ... Taylor Swift is first female to succeed herself on US chart BBC - November 20, 2014
Taylor Swift has become the first female singer to succeed herself at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The 24-year-old's latest track, Blank Space, rose 12 places to bump her previous number one hit, Shake It Off, from the top after a four-week run.
The National Museum of the American Indian is part of the Smithsonian Institution and is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the Native Americans of the Western Hemisphere. It has three facilities: the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., which opened on September 21, 2004, on Fourth Street and Independence Avenue, Southwest; the George Gustav Heye Center, a permanent museum in New York City; and the Cultural Resources Center, a research and collections facility in Suitland, Maryland. The foundations for the present collections were first assembled in the former Museum of the American Indian in New York City, which was established in 1916, and which became part of the Smithsonian in 1990. Read more ...
One became the Van Cleef & Arpels of Navajo jewelry making, and the other lived the Native American experience in epic proportions. The achievements of two extraordinary families, the Yazzies (Navajo) and the Poolaws (Kiowa), are the focus of two recently opened exhibits at The National Museum of the American Indian in New York. While the museum's permanent exhibit, An Infinity of Nations, feels thoroughly Smithsonian with its showcase of tribal artifacts from throughout North and Meso-America, the new exhibits zero in on, make personal, and bring up to date modern and contemporary Native American life.
It's interesting that UFOs are reported over volcanoes, nuclear plants, and fault lines.
They are either delaying or accelerating events. I go with delaying until the hologram reaches Zero Point.
'UFO' Discovered (Sigh) In Apollo 12 Photograph, 45 Years Later Huffington Post - November 18, 2014
The European Space Agency's comet lander might have died after just three days - but as we know, data recovered from space can yield insights long after the mission itself is over. Take Apollo 12, for instance. You might think that the second manned mission to the Moon - while remarkable even now - has given up all of the scientific secrets we could expect over the last 45 years. Well not so, according to the UFO community, who claim to have spotted something unusual in the depths of one of the photos from the mission.
UFO Traffic Report: Mid November 2014 Examiner - November 18, 2014
UFO testimony this past week documents more low-to-ground sightings with one California witness suggesting a "major UFO corridor" and another wondering if the object was a drone. The most compelling case occurred over the Ohio Turnpike where the object was under 150 feet. The five cases reviewed here were some of the most interesting from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.
A UFO filmed hovering over nuclear power plant in Veracruz, Mexico, and posted to YouTube November 7 is just the latest in a long series of UFO sightings over and near nuclear facilities - as history of ominous sightings that stretches back six decades, to the earliest days of nuclear energy production.
Media Moments
The Jennifer Lopez videos are really funny. As to Bill Cosby, i believe he is guilty as charged but nothing will ever come of it. There should not be a statute of limitations on rape.
Jennifer Lawrence Looks Drop Dead Gorgeous in New Fashion Spread - See the Pics! - November 17, 2014
Jennifer Lawrence stares straight into the camera (and into your soul) in one of the pics from a just-released bunch, which focuses on her face and shows her wearing a silver-plated chain necklace with sea-green and turquoise accents that match and bring out her beautiful eyes. A single wisp of hair, which is tucked into an updo, frames one of her cheekbones.
'Mockingjay' lands in Los Angeles - November 17, 2014
The Hunger Games began a slow drumbeat to its finale on Monday night at the Nokia Theater L.A. Live, premiering Mockingjay - Part 1 (in theaters Nov. 21) with gusto. Rather than opting for a traditional red carpet, the franchise built a glossy, fiery Capitol set for its actors to parade down.
Great Photos: 5 wedding rules Solange Knowles broke fabulously CNN - November 17, 2014
She's a celebrity who didn't have a celebrity wedding. Everyone wore white. She wore a wedding pantsuit. What bridesmaids dresses? Who says it's bad luck to see the groom before the ceremony?
Bill Cosby's Silence On Rape Allegations Makes Huge Media Noise NPR - November 17, 2014
This may be the first time in a long while that Bill Cosby can't control the public conversation about Bill Cosby. Read the recent biography Cosby: His Life and Times, and you see a portrait of a talented performer who took control of his business and career interests early on, forever suspicious of journalists and industry executives who might try to interfere.
Actor Known As 'Japan's Clint Eastwood' Dead At 83 Huffington Post - November 18, 2014
Ken Takakura, an actor known as "Japan's Clint Eastwood" for his portrayal of tough but principled gangsters in over 100 movies and who gained international fame in director Ridley Scott's "Black Rain," has died at the age of 83.
Jerusalem Synagogue Attack
Israel: 'We will respond with a heavy hand' after synagogue attack kills 4 CNN - November 18, 2014
Two knife- and axe-wielding Palestinian men broke into a Jerusalem synagogue Tuesday morning and killed four Israeli worshipers, Israeli police said. Police responded and shot and killed the attackers, spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told CNN. Authorities said the men were cousins who came from East Jerusalem and also had a handgun. Six others were wounded during the attack in the Har Nof area of West Jerusalem, including two responding police officers, Rosenfeld said.
Four killed in Jerusalem synagogue attack BBC - November 18, 2014
At least four Israelis have been killed and eight injured as two men armed with a pistol, knives and axes attacked a West Jerusalem synagogue, police say.
Monday, November 17, 2014
50 Years Ago the Verrazano Bridge Opened
On November 21, 1964 the Verrazano Bridge opened to much hoopla in Brooklyn and Staten Island. I was 21 years old and have never forgotten the thrill of crossing over the bridge for the first time with my husband Ralph, in our shiny new convertible.
In the decades that followed, what was farm country became suburbia to families who migrated over the bridge from Brooklyn, to raise their families. From Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge to Staten Island then later to New Jersey - that remains the pattern.
Living on or near water is part of our physical experience here. I have never lived more that 2 blocks from the Atlantic Ocean. 26 years ago ... moving to an apartment facing the bridge never crossed my mind ... and yet something about the bridge stirred my soul.
On June 10, 2009 at 8:00 AM - when everything outside physically Faded to Black for 5 minutes - intuitively I ran to the window facing the bridge as if I knew that is where I will be facing when the hologram ends.
Many people have reported seeing UFOs over the bridge, including my students while meditating here, though I have never seen a ship pass over. It's the ships that pass under that always attract my attention ... as they enter NY harbor. I've watched ocean liners embrace the sea on their maiden voyage. It's all very inspiring when I sit here writing every day.
The bridge is like a giant megalithic structure. It's arches have been called tuning forks and antennae ... the cables resonating harmonics into the grids. It is often referred to as a gateway between realities.
I have written many blogs incorporating the Verrazano Bridge into my story lines. The bridge been used as the backdrop for many famous movies including "Saturday Night Fever".
I never go to bed without looking out over the bridge perhaps to watch a majestic sunset or just to experience the energies. I know it's part of the reason I am here.
Retired Engineer Looks Back on Verrazano Construction NY1 - November 17, 2014
It's a slide show Mark Carter hasn't looked at in years - but on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Verrazano Bridge, the 79-year-old was more than happy to show photos he shot while working on his first job as an engineer charged with figuring out how to make way for the road beds that serve as approaches to the bridge in both Brooklyn and Staten Island.
More of the many photos I've taken since 9/1/91 when I moved here.
GQ
GQ (formerly Gentlemen's Quarterly) is an international monthly men's magazine based in New York City. The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, through articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books. 73% of the readership are men, and 63% are single. 65% of readers had an annual income of $50,000 or greater; and 25% had an income greater than $75,000. Read more ...
If you watch the second video - it's about a news anchor who wore the same blue suit
every day for a year to see if anyone noticed. I would have notice after two days.
The point ... women's clothing and hair get noticed more often than men ... I agree.
Monday Memos
It's raining hard in the city today but not like ...
This is George's nephew, Christopher Minaya, an actor and model. I think he looks like a young George Clooney. Love this ad.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Cracking Plates and Flying Saucers
Saturday November 15, 2014
This morning a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia. It had a depth of 47 kilometers (29.2 miles), according to the USGS. Remember when a 7.3 was considered a powerful earthquake? Not anymore. The North American plates has had swarms of Earthquakes in Nevada over the past few days. Saturday there was a 4.8 in Montana. Today we look to the 8's and above to catch our attention. Most people anticipate something they call "The Big One". You don't have to be psychic to know that day is not far away.
Giorgio A. Tsoukalos
Speaking of flying saucers ... the latest episode of Ancient Aliens was called Aliens Among Us - all about The Watchers. The episode began with government surveillance of everything humans say and do - the cloud. They question, "Could this be by design - ancient aliens monitoring the human experiment?" Various descriptions of physical entities was offered as Alien Watchers. I didn't agree with their alien representations both positive and negative in the duality of our reality. What I did connect with was this question, "Who's watching the watchers?" That is my connection to all of this - the Watchers outside the hologram. In our own way, we are all Watchers just as we are all aliens.
Paper Bag Speed Dating
London
As everything in our reality is accelerating and becoming more and more ridiculous ... have you ever tried speed dating ... with a paper bag on your head? Looks like a fun way to sell something about yourself that you want to attract in a partner. What would your paper bag look like? What would it say? It could teach you something about how you think the world views you.
Paper Bag Speed Dating is the brainchild of the people behind a new London-based dating app called LoveFlutter. They organized the event as a part of their #SayNoToShallow campaign. "Could you get a date using just your personality?" they asked, challenging people to attend their paper bag dating event. 30 women and 30 men signed up. They were given a paper bag each and were asked to personalize them using various designs - they could add quirky personal messages to serve as conversation starters. Later, they had to wear the bags on their heads. Some people did beautiful drawings, while others wrote stuff like "I used to be a spy," or "Does my head look big in this?"
While most people rely heavily on looks while speed dating, this new trend in London is forcing people to do the exact opposite - choose by personality. Paper Bag Speed Dating doesn't allow you to see the face of the person you're talking with. It's basically a looks-free hookup party, where participants place a paper bag over their head. You still get to make quick decisions just like with regular speed dating, but the deciding factor is personality, not physical appearance.
Sitting with a bag over your head in NYC would probably not seem strange.
Many would think it was part of a broadcast or something promotional.
Friday, I had lunch with my friend Lorraine who sells make-up, etc. in Walgreens. As blizzards and freezing weather race across the country, it was sunny and a great day to get out. Saturday morning, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia. It had a depth of 47 kilometers (29.2 miles), according to the USGS. Remember when a 7.3 was considered a powerful earthquake? Today, we look to the 8's and above to catch our attention, sensing Mother Earth about to wind up this hologram.
After I left Lorraine, I walked across 86th Street from 4th to 5th Avenues, a main shopping area. Much to my surprise, a woman in her 30s came up to me and others on the busy street showing us a piece of paper written in crayon, requesting for money for herself and her three children. What made this more out of place, she was Middle Eastern wearing the attire of her culture. It was almost like a scene out of the news from countries in the Middle East.
A female client, Christina, later told me that she employs a Middle Eastern woman to clean her house. That woman is married and has two sons all of whom sleep on the floor while her husband sleeps in a bed. They are among the many illegal immigrants from around the world who believe they can create a better future here. Maybe the next generation ... but we won't be here that long.
My first client today is the daughter-in-law of a woman who went by the name Princess Dena, due to her Native American ancestry. She came here as both a client and student sharing many colorful stories about the old days in Hollywood where she worked as an actress with Elvis among others. January 2006, while walking home from work, Dena passed Dunkin Donuts parking lot which runs between 4th and 5th Avenues. It was dark, though not that late. Sadly, Princess Dena was killed by a hit and run driver. My blog about Princess Dena's death and experiences afterwards
Thursday, November 13, 2014
MS Quantum of the Seas
Jack, my friend and neighbor, loves to sail the seas on luxury cruise lines. In recent years he has taken 5 cruises in as many years. Most of us know cruise ships have not had a good reputation as of late due to health and sanitary issues. But alas Jack is preparing to set sail November 18th on an amazing new ship the MS Quantum of the Seas. He emailed that there are so many great new features he didn't know where to start. Best of all was the Wifi which means a lot in today's world, especially for Jack as he is a businessman. Bon voyage!
With 16 public decks and room for nearly 5,000 passengers, Royal Caribbean's new Quantum of the Seas is the third largest cruise ship ever built and boasts such groundbreaking features as a deck-top ride into the sky and a bar with robot bartenders.
The only kind of ship I would fantasize about today is a spaceship - and I don't mean the limited ones we send into space - but more of the sci-fi kind.
Humans have always sailed the seas from the time the first floating vessels ignited wanderlust in ancient seafarers. Maritime history
Back in the day people enjoyed gambling and adventures on Steamboats which have an interesting history.
It's all about the bass ... Whoops ... I meant it's all the weather ...
Tuesday was a picture perfect day in the city with today's morning fog slowly burning off giving way to one final day with temps above 60° before it all goes away. Elsewhere across the country the weather is making news with storms and what we used to call "weird weather" that has become the norm. Stay safe and dry. Prepare ....
You can see the fog lifting as road crews "pave" the way for winter.
Cars are being towed ... Noise levels are high ... Vibrations are so strong my apartment was shaking like an earthquake.
