Today, September 10th, the Earth was destroyed

with the successful starting of the cyclotron in CERN, a new World was created...

Imagine that you were a bride or groom in the late 1800s and you were in your late teens... you were on the North American prairies, about to start a homestead... rumours of experiments were trickling out to your town, about a crazy idea to use lightning to light the world... you heard people say, that if it happens it will mean the end of all life... to use it would mean that you will die... that it was unholy...

but fast forward to 1940's, and compare the two worlds... the immense changes, that this couple lived through... their children and grand-children and great grand children... now come back to today, and look at a similar couple, starting out life... excited and letting the news of the experiments in CERN filter through but not paying too much attention... their lives have been as dramatically altered today as had the previous couple... only difference, they can not begin to guess in what ways, as neither can we...

BUT, CHANGE WILL HAPPEN, and as dramatically as it has for our fictitious homesteaders... Without electricity being harnessed, we would not have motors, or motor vehicles... electric light, computers, audio and video equipment... planes would have been impossible... our world would not exist without electricity... the discoveries that will be made with the new cyclotron will revolutionize transportation, health care, computers, how we work, and how we communicate... it will bring space travel into the 21st century, and out of the model T era of liquid fueled rockets... how these changes are assimilated and how fast, will depend on the resilience of out societies and economies... just as electricity and the use of oil were slow to get off the ground, so we will see similar resistance... greed will be the number one enemy... the benefits that will save many lives, will be reserved for the rich, and powerful, but perhaps altruism will prevail... we can only hope...

if the 20th century model of economic power is over thrown, and the new economy, that is the Internet/Web and the GRID, prevails we will see the benefits spread faster than wild fire... and mankind as a whole, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, all of us will begin to benefit...

that is my dream... for if it holds true, I may be around to see these benefits come to pass... even though I will be 140 years old... if not, then mankind will truly have destroyed his home, and native land... proving once and for all, that he is an unfit species for survival... all because of greed...

Dad beaten over daughters disco ban

Dad beaten over daughters disco ban

http://www.austriantimes.at/?c=9&id=7629

21. 07. 08. - 08:30

Dad Dumitru Hasdeu ended up in hospital when his teenage daughter's pals beat him up for refusing to let her go to a disco.

The 47-year-old was left with broken ribs and concussion after the attack outside his home in Todireni, eastern Romania.

From his hospital bed he told local media: "I didn't want her going out at night. She's only 16 and discos aren't a suitable place for her. I went outside to tell her friends that and they were furious and attacked me. I don't care though - she still won't be going out."

Police have arrested his attackers.



ok, now that you have read it, what do YOU think... should that father have let his daughter go to a Disco... now remember, we don't know her friends, and we don't know what if any adult supervision would be had at this club... obviously the music won't be the old style disco music... but new club music... and it is probably going to feature alcohol and drugs... at least the ones here do... and I certainly would have grave reservations about letting my daughters go...

now as for the attackers... what should there punishment be... did they have a right to beat the father up... and if the daughter egged them on, what should her punishment be... in this case I think for those over 18, treat them as adults, and give them a bit of jail time... 1 year at least... and for those under 18, put them to work in community service or if there is work around the house of the man they beat up... have them do it, under supervision... this father is not going to be up to doing anything for at least 6 months... concussion can take that long or longer to get over... there should be a clear signal to other young people, and I am thinking here there may be young girls involved in this brawl as well... they should not be allowed to get a slap on the wrist... this is serious and if not punished could lead to more attacks like this...



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now the meat of the post: do kids these days, have too much freedom... have we taken the teen out of teenager and made it adult hood... should we rein in these kids and bring them under more strict control... or has it gone to far... and we are not in a position to bring our authority to bear on this or any other issue that involves teenagers... ie sex, clothes, smoking, drinking, traveling, staying out all hours...

and if we have let this happen, are we to blame or the media and the schools... have parents been missing in action, because the schools and the media have taken over the raising of our children... from the time that a child enters public school she becomes the pawn in a stuggle to see who controls her growth and education, between the school, her peers, the parents and the media (ie Internet, magazines, music, and books) and the parents have little or no real power in this, as all the authority lays with the schools and the media... the schools get them 5-6 hours a day and the media / peers, almost the rest of their waking time... if the parents get 1-2 hours a day out of 16, it is a miracle...

so little wonder at 16 years of age, after 10 years of indoctrination, our teenagers are rebelling against our authority... we become the old establishment, and they are the new...

The Politiczied Wofe

Recently, I have had the "opportunity" to be confronted by Right Wing American attacks while posting comments around the web... not that my comments have been so out and out Liberal or Democratic... but that I chose to be even handed in my comments... going with Canadian Traditions of Fair Play and Decency, rather than Personal Attack and Discredit of those to whom I was debating... it has caused me to Politiczy this Blog, and so to counter that tendency and give myself space to speak, I have created this blog http://the-politicized-wolfe.blogspot.com/
My version of Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park...

Schnee Wolfe

When does someone die

NB: I wrote this in February, just prior to some heart surgery, which I didn't know I was about to have at the time of writing... blew a lot of plans out of the water, but has not changed my thinking on this... Now with the example of Elisabeth Fritzl, I am even more convinced that this is true... Read on to see what I mean, and let me know if I am right... PS: my sister in law, gentle lady that she is, told me tonight that I was looking pale, like I had Prison Pallor... spending too much time behind my computer, in my room in the basement (9 1/2 x 12 x 6 1/2 ft); perhaps I have been doing too much reading on the net... today is the first day of summer, perhaps I should get out and get some sun, before winter returns ;0 being single has it's advantages, when there is no one around to tell you the truth ;) TTFN

This is a controversial subject when taken to it's extreme, as in comas and euthanasia... but I am not going there... so don't worry... no, what I am talking about is those who are still cognizant of their surroundings and able to get about, even moderately, with assistance... people like Doug, and the lady across the street from us, Lucy, of no last name and no history aside from knowing her since we moved here, 20 years ago... it is her that I want to talk about most, as she is an example of someone, who I believe, will not willingly go to that rest we all are headed for... when we came here she was in her 60's and married... had lived in the same house for several decades... her neighbour Doug, we believed he too, was not one to willingly go... Doug was a widower for at least 10 years before we met him... his wife having died from Cancer, and he never remarried... he worked up until a few years after we came... bought a car on his severance and then retired... he would do his yard, cut the grass and kept busy... saw his kids occasionally... went to the local coffee shop, like clock work... but in the end, when his health began to fail, I believe he got tired of living... and at some point, he died inside... he was always a joy to talk to... active mind and loved ideas, but life after retirement was the pits... he couldn't motivate himself after awhile... mean while, Lucy, for whom life had always been a struggle, continued on... they were about the same age... and went into hospital about the same time... she came out fighting, and he came out ready to go home to be with his wife... I should mention that Lucy was a widow, her husband died about 3 years after we moved in... and she has no family that we know of... she for all intents and purposes, is alone in the world... if asked about her past, or where she comes from, she waves her hand and says something like, 'oh it was a long time ago, and it doesn't matter now', yet she is one of the sweetest old ladies going... she does not take help without giving back... she likes to be independent... can remember my brother's wife cutting her lawn and getting 10 dollars with some flowers... little things... This week, we had a major snow storm... and Cathy, with her snow blower went out and after doing her driveway, went and did some of the neighbours... perhaps I should mention, there was between 17 and 22cm of snow fall... and at this time there is 6 inches on the lawn, with big 3-4ft snow banks along the roads and driveways... have some pictures which I will be posting... don't have the connector to download to this computer... but, to continue, Cathy did a path to Lucy's door (she doesn't have a car) and her side walk (here it is mandatory to clear your sidewalk within 24 hours of a storm, or get fined and the council will clear it for you)... well, today, typical of Lucy, she is out there puttering around shoveling snow... this is not light fluffy stuff... why, because she says if she doesn't keep moving, she will seize up... she is now at least in her early 80's with no sign of stopping... I was watching her today, doing her thing as she always does... whether it be the snow, the weeds in her lawn, even cutting the lawn, and raking leaves... she will do a bit and rest and do a bit more, but she will most often than not, turn down any help if asked...today as I was watching her shoveling the snow, little bits that really didn't need to be touched... and seriously so, because in a day or two we will be having temps of +6 and rain... and a lot of this snow will melt... at first I couldn't understand why she would be out there... previously, just before she came to shovel, I had seen her coming from up town, a walk of about 1 mile, pushing her wheel chair... not in it... pushing it... remember seeing her last spring, up at the plaza, and had asked her if she needed help... No, don't need help... if I need to stop, I have my chair with me... she later brought over some flowers she had picked on the way home, weeds we would call them, as a thank you for the offer of help... this is Lucy... but today, after a little bout with chest pain the past 2 weeks, now have orders to book a stress test, and also, with my own hopes... am looking at Lucy in a new light... where do I want to be in 20 years... do I want to be sitting in the Wheel Chair with a 20 something nurse pushing me, and feeding me... or do I want to be independent and living on my own, cutting my own fire wood, cooking my own meals... there is a lesson in these two peoples lives... does one give up and go, or does one do the necessary to keep going... when does one die... I believe, now, that it is when one gives up... that is when they die... not at the point the body stops functioning... but when the spirit inside says, 'NO MORE, STOP THE WORLD, I WANT TO GET OFF!!' I hope that I am like Lucy and will be here in 30- 40 years, pottering around, doing my own thing... but to do that I know I need to change my life, and SOON!!

To Age, or Not to Age, That is THE Question

I have posted here on my neighbour, Lucy, who at 88 does not give up... yesterday she was clipping the edges of her lawn with scissors, after cutting the grass the day before, with her old electric lawnmower... today, she was out on hands and knees again, digging up the dandilions... that's a dandilion head to the left...

well, this past week, George Carlin died, a Canadian Icon in the Entertainment Industry... actually should have been a philosopher, but that's another story...today I got a forward from a friend, perporting to be the Gospel of Life According to George Carlin... rather than mail it to all and sundry as is most peoples inclination, and thereby clogging up the Internet traffic lanes, posting it here for anyone and everyone to see...

George Carlin on aging! (Absolutely Brilliant)

IF YOU DON'T READ THIS TO THE VERY END, YOU HAVE LOST A DAY IN YOUR

LIFE.

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. 'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. 'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16 !

And then the greatest day of your life ! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!! But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed? You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40.

Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone. But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would! So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70!

After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there.

Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'Then a strange thing happens.

If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!' May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, what ever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

And if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares? But do share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!

What is Poverty

Poverty is a much debated philosophical term these days in southern Ontario, and Canada as a whole... our politicians and NGO's are striving to come to terms with an economy that is tanking (going down the tubes, dieing, flat lining) in various parts of the country, while in other's it is booming, FOR NOW!! If various Carbon Emissions policies are put in place, these Boom Times will BOOM!!! for many, and leave us with more 'poverty' than before...
Soooooooooooo What is POVERTY... well, one criteria, put out by NGO's is not having enough income to provide for adequate Food, Clothing, Shelter... the basics of live in any society... what is adequate is left up to the imagination... in Canada here, it would mean adequate enough to survive our Winters, living in an Urban environment... that is hooked up to the Power and Heating Grids... in Southern Ontario, the Social Services (SS) in the last budget got these rules handed down:

http://www.thestar.com/News/OntarioBudget/article/350617
As expected, the budget also includes a 2-per-cent increase to social assistance in November. The hike will bring monthly payments for a single person on welfare to $572, and to $1,020 for a single person on Ontario’s disability support plan.
A single parent on welfare with one child under 12 will receive $970 a month in provincial benefits including monthly Ontario Child Benefits of up to $50 per child for all low-income families starting in July. For a similar family with a disabled parent, the monthly benefit will increase to $1,473.

CANADIAN COUNCIL ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT http://www.ccsd.ca/factsheets/fs_lico05_bt.htm

Before-Tax Low-Income Cut-Offs (LICOs), 2005

Population of Community of Residence

500,000 + / 100,000-499,999 / 30,000-99,999 / Less than 30,000*

Family of 1

$20,778 ***$17,895 *******$17,784 *****$16,273 --per year

$1731.50 **$1491.25*******$1482.00****$1356.08 --per month

$399.58 ***$344.13 *******$342.00 *****$312.94 -- per week

$11.42 ****$9.83 *********$9.77 ******$8.94 -- per 35 hr week

Family of 2

$25,867 ***$22,276*******$22,139******$20,257--per year
$2155.58***$1856.33******$1844.92*****$1688.08--per month
$497.44 ***$428.38*******$425.75******$89.56-- per week
$14.21 ****$12.24********$12.16*******$11.13-- per 35 hr week

Without going on, seeing as you can do your own research, it is easy to see that there is something wrong with these figures vs the SS figures... so what is the true measure of poverty...

if it isn't the bean counter type of calculations, done by either the Government Actuaries or the NGO's accounts... well, without getting to technical, lets look at the average Mr & Mrs Driver today...

you buy a car, say 20,000 dollars, mid range, and you drive around town, but take the Go train to work... you have 2 kids and they need driving to and from there practices and such... your looking at about 240 dollars a month on gas... and not a lot of driving to the country on that... your car is new, but in 4 years it needs a major Tune Up... up til now the 'tune ups' done under warranty haven't been more than a checking of the lube and oil... so now you have put a fair bit of mileage on the car, the tune up will be complete, and will run about 1000 dollars... tires will have had to be bought, winter, because the All Seasons Radials, in the Canadian Climate don't grip too well in snow... another 1000 dollars, and the expense of taking them off and on the rims... so you bought extra rims... Chu-Ching... get the picture... now the point I am making is, that with that 4+year tune up, how many people will have 1000 dollars hanging around... no many... and most people will not be buying a new car, so that tune up on a used vehicle will be more expensive and come sooner... as well as other problems cropping up, like 'BREAKS', Emission tests, and Transmission maintenance... Chu-Ching Chu-Ching!! so what is poverty... well, it is when you go to get the car tuned up and they take it in the shop, and tell you the ball park figure will be, oh, about 900 dollars... you have the money with about 80 to spare... but then you get the call, Car is ready... and you say great, how much... 1076.56 dollars, there was a part that we had to replace, not on the estimate... uhhhhhhhhh! we have 980.00 can we pay that and pay you the rest in 3 days time when we get paid... "NOPE!!" you pay the bill or don't get the car... OUCH!! your Knackered for 116.56... THAT's POVERTY... it might as well be 3 cents or 3000 dollars, for all your concerned... you are poor... and that puts you in the same boat as the next guy... ME!!

I had 4.95 dollars on me, and it was hot, and I wanted to buy a bag of apples... I had seen Empires Apples on sale for 3.97 for 5 lbs, and I went in with my little stash, smiling... got up to the fruit bins... the price was now 4.97 dollars... nope, no extra 2 cents... have to settle for the 3lb bag for 3.97... the difference between 3 and 5lbs was not a dollar, but 2 cents... THAT's POVERTY!! the price had gone up in a week, by 1 dollar... not the stores fault, but my income not keeping up with the rise in prices... it wasn't the car buyers fault, his income couldn't stretch to cover all the necessities of life...

and now we are being told, that we will have to tighten our belts more, as the war on climate change heats up, and become front line in our lives... we are going to pay more for the sin of using fossil fuels, and the products that are made needing fossil fuels... our lives are going to change irrevocably... who will be able to live through this war... will the upper class, those earning 6 figure salaries, just go whizzing by, absorbing the costs, while the middle class struggle, some winning and some losing... and us LOWER CLASS, who have minimum incomes; the elderly on pensions, the single mothers, the disabled, and the ones getting by on minimum wage... will we fall through the cracks, to make those movies that depict the future with a sub human class living off the refuse of the rich, a reality... that's the challenge for our politicians to grapple with... because if they choose wrong, and it ends up like that, with the Utopian Society for the Rich and a Post-Armageddon like subterranean existence for the rest of us, there will be little to loose in a bloody revolution... where nobody wins...

A work of Fiction...

This is obviously a work of fiction; I was standing doing the dishes from last night, and I began to wonder what a woman like Rosemarie would be thinking right now, after all she had been through; after, I came down and began writing, and with a couple of interruptions, I finished this (with tweaking ;) in about 4 hours. I don't know for certain that any of this is real, only their situation, but I do believe and hope that the outcome is... if you enjoy it or not, let me know and why... I haven't written fiction in decades, and it would be nice to get some input...
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She sat in front of the fire place, staring at the emptiness. No need for a fire today, she mused. July already, and the days were warm and sunny. Another summer you have survived to see Rosemarie, she said to her self. Not outloud of course. Not in this house, she smiled inwardly. The look on her face, belied the humour she felt. The clinic staff may not understand if she were found talking to herself. Oh, some of the Doctors did. Herr Dr. K., that handsome man. The thought just came, she paused, shocked and shivering in fear, wondering where that had come from. She was getting too comfortable. Letting the guard down was not an option. But then she remembered where HE was. And relaxed. Just over 2 months. They said she would have to work at it. So work she would, and she would have her revenge. She began the exercises the Dr's had given her, to mentally and emotionally deal with the day. Another guard, or a path way out of the nightmare of 51 years of marriage.
Getting up she walked to the window, with it's sunshine flooding through the thin curtain. Looking out on the grounds, she could see in the meadow area, her children playing. The late afternoon sun slanting in over the trees. She thought of them as her children, when in reality they were her daughter's, Elisabeth's and Gabriele's, playing like they didn't have a care in the world. It was a blessing that Gabriele was able to come so frequently. And being a younger sister, it helped Elisabeth's and Kerstin's recoveries. She felt so old, and worn out, her young and pretty Elisabeth. WHY!! and she couldn't answer!! Always the question, WHY!!
Last week, she and Elisabeth had an argument, a first. Such a silly thing to argue over, Kerstin and Monika's music. When Gabriele had come in on them and started laughing, they were about to turn on her, when they realized what was happening. And they both burst into tears, and held each other for what seemed like hours. Gabriele drawing them in together, with her slender arms, the youngest of the family, now grown wise and strong with age.
Later when talking to the Doctor about it, she knew that she and Elisabeth had crossed a boundary in their relationship. But what. They disagreed a bit more now, but never with the same feeling. They had been given coping tools for that too. The 4 women loved each other with an intensity that few would understand. Kerstin with her years of growing up alone with Elisabeth; Rosemarie, now having found her grown grand daughter, and daughters; and Gabriele having found the sister she had lost, a niece or stepsister she never knew she had and a mother who was coming out of the shadows. They all had bonds that drew them together, if they didn't let the past keep them apart. Soldiers that had been at war, reminded of it by each other's presence.

Elisabeth looked up from her book; she still could not get enough of reading. And the sun, that glorious sun, feeling it's warmth on her skin. She had lost the pallor of whiteness, and her skin was taking on a darker complexion. Not tanned, as they were concerned that it might be too much for her skin. The green of the trees, so many of them. Having tossed her shoes to the side she could feel the grass on her bare feet as she swung them about, the coolness of it. Leaning back she looked up at the blue sky, and the wispy clouds, coming over the hills that surrounded Amstteten. The light breeze, caressing her face and arm, keeping the skin from feeling too warm. Closing her eyes for a moment, she basked in it's glory.
From her seat in the sun, she turned her head, and saw her mother at the window. She lifted her hand to wave to her, and instead made a come on out gesture. Her mother moved from the window, and then she saw her at the door, walking steadily. It always amazed her, how strong her mother appeared. No one had known, what a small little girl hid inside. Brutalized by her father, even before they were married. But it had been what she had expected of life, as a woman. And she too, had come to expect it, until she met her one boy friend. How that had changed her image of herself and life. Love, she shrunk from the memory, not wanting to explore that side of life again. Feeling the weight of the years on her. Lydia said that it would come. But she blocked it out. Too much, just too much!

Coming to herself, she saw her mother standing a few feet away from her, looking in that quizzical way, mother's had. She smiled up at her, and patted on the chair next to her. 'No, Elisabeth. You know the Doctor's want you moving about. You have to keep those muscles exercised and strengthening. We have 3 – 4 weeks. If we go into this unprepared, and break down, HE will have the victory, no matter what the courts decide. THAT must not happened. WE MUST GROW STRONG!'
Elisabeth got up, with the help of the cane that they had given her. Struggling to standing erect, before her mother, she smiled broadly and saluted, 'OK, Frau Kapitain, where to now?? Perhaps we should saunter over to the gate and say hello to the men with the cameras!!' and they both cracked up laughing at the image that that action might provoke. Men and boys scrambling to get to their cameras, tripping over themselves to get the first picture. Before they turned their backs on them.
The sound of their laughter spread across to the meadow. Gabriele, Stefan, Monika and Kerstin made their way over, the children left to be watched by the supervisory staff. Elisabeth could see that again, today, there was a change in Kerstin. She was not sure what it was. A bit less of the timid, and more strength, but where was it coming from. She was between Gabriele and Monika, holding their hands as she walked toward her. A bit more upright, but her legs holding her up now, without shaking, as when she had come to her from the hospital. Still bent over like herself but getting stronger. Stefan, her beautiful Stefan, how she ached for the shield he had in his eyes. She moved toward him, and with tears welling up in her eyes, drew him to her. 'Mommy, are you alright??' He had wanted to be her shield. Men were born to protect, and he couldn't protect the ones that mattered most to him against, the monster. Now she was holding him, his bent frame, leaning on her shoulder.
'I am fine Stefan, just a bit teary eyed now and again. It is all so overwhelming to see us out here after all.....,' she let the sentence drift off into silence. Looking around at each other, the 5 of them, knowing that there were no words to fill in that gap.
'Come,' said Monika, breaking the silence, 'Gabriele's Kurt, has taught Felix a new game, and Alexander and Lisa, are setting up the boom box.' Rosemarie's groan, eliciting laughter from Elisabeth and Kerstin. 'But Grandma, it isn't like rock music!' said Kerstin as she twirled around, a bit unsteady, between the two girls. 'But Kerstin, you have it too loud!!' responded Rosemarie in the long suffering tone of the elderly. Gabriele spoke up with,' We will keep the volume down Mama. But you have to remember, Kerstin, there are other singers besides RW.' ending on a girlish laugh.
Rosemarie sighed, before adding, sprightly, 'The clinic is sending out a picnic dinner for us,' looking over at Elisabeth, with a twinkle in her eye, ' so no cooking tonight Elisabeth! Hurrah!!' breaking the tension and getting more laughter from them all. So the 5, arm in arm and hand in hand, made there way over to the meadow. The sun touching the tops of the trees with a golden glow.
From the Clinic's office windows, a Doctor stood watching them, and wondering what the future would hold for them. Shaking his head, as he turned back to the pile of files on his desk, he mused, and how much longer can we protect them from that future.

what is happening here, it isn't perfectly clear

well, don't stop people, keep reading ;0
what is happening, is that I am moving this blog, out of the dark corners of the blogsphere, into the light of day... why... an encounter of the 3rd kind sorta; had a message that said I should go to this hill in SW USA; hmmmmmm haven't started making mud pies in the living room yet, so can't be that...
alright, it is because I have been inspired to do more writing... what with all the posting around that I have been doing on other people's sites, and the creation of 'The Female Holocaust' site, have decided it is about time that I get back into writing...
Years and years ago I used to do a lot... actually would start with a word, and just go with the flow and in no time have an essay, on that word... don't think I'll be doing that exactly, but take ideas and work out an essay on them... this is a short cut, in that I will also start another blog site, dedicated to Nature, and Nature photography... not like WWF or National G., just my own photographs and essays and poetry built around them... YES!!! I do write poetry... again something I gave up when work began to take up more and more of my energy... ok, so there you have it... will have two sets of blogs, the personal for Family, to keep in contact, and this set, for expressing myself to the blogsphere at large...
and if a butterfly comes fluttering by, this is a howdy do... ;)

Faith vs Obligation

this is something that I have wanted to post on for some time, and that is the difference between Faith and Obligation in the Christian Life... I suppose it applies to many aspects of any belief system, but I am approaching it from the Christian perspective...

there are a lot of denominations that preach a seed and harvest type of message when it comes to giving... that being 'the tithe' and 'offering'... two separate items... many times I have been in meetings where a pastor, missionary, or just a plain deacon/elder, has given a message based on seed time and harvest time... and yes, it is a Biblically sound doctrine... it is in the bible... no doubt about that... however, there is an emphasis on the 'obligatory' nature of giving from the pulpit, as if to say, if you 'don't' give then you have no faith... so in many cases people give what they cannot afford... like a man or woman at the slot machines or black jack table, betting more than they can afford... the same principal applies... their faith is abused...

I have come to the conclusion, that giving beyond one's ability is not sound doctrine or dogma from a Christian perspective... miracles did happen in the bible... old testament... as in when Jesus fed the 5000... and I am not denying that miracles happen today... having worked behind the scenes at a church, I can bear witness that they do happen... but, and that is really BUT... they are not the norm, even in a revivalist church... and most are small, baby steps if you will... not the grand blind seeing or the lame walking... so when I talk about money here, and how it is given, to receive a miracle in return, I am talking from some experience...

if you give to a ministry, say, your rent money, or your kids epileptic medicine money... and have no way of getting enough on time to buy more, then you are stepping into a realm of faith, that is on par with the feeding of the 5000... you are gambling that you will receive back enough or more to cover those bills or a healing that will astound even the medicine men of our day... we all have faith, but it is like a muscle that needs development... and too many times I have seen people give more than their faith can support, on the basis of a powerful sermon...

my favorite phrase is, 'I'm going to win a lottery, but I don't have to buy a ticket!' which astounds many people... why, because as a Christian I am not suppose to gamble... so how can I win a lottery... by FAITH... now do I have enough faith for that... maybe, and maybe not... but should I find a ticket on the road or in some way, without me buying it and it turns out to be a winner, then I can say that God has blessed my faith... but the problem is that a lot of Christians play that game every Sunday and Wednesday, or at Conferences... especially at Conferences... they ante up to win a miracle, be it cash, a healing, a new car, a husband or wife being saved, or even to get married and having babies... you name it and they gamble for it... thousands... this is no different than me and my believing that I can win a lottery without buying a ticket...

other than the fact, that I haven't put any money out... my faith is still the same as theirs, but it is a faith based on the Spirit of Faith... not a work of man, to buy off God... and that is the difference that I am trying to get across here... Faith has to be of the Spirit, not by works... we can not buy God... we can not own God or bring Him to an Obligation to do something for us... and that is where I feel we have gone wrong...

if we have extra, money, time, or possessions; in short if it is something we can do without and not suffer for it in some way that would be detrimental to our well being, then God would love us to give... He wants us to be givers, and yes He will give back, perhaps not in the way we expect, but He is a giver... our giving should be as He gives, out of love... but be honest... don't go trying to buy Him off... He wants our Love first, and last, not our possessions, or our money...

when we can give with a clear conscience and not out of fear or obligation, but real love, then we are in the place that He wants us... a safe place, a secure place, where we can know Him and He will acknowledge us... NB I realize that this is not quite as clear as I would like it to be, but I have had it on the back burner for some time, and feel that even in this form, should be out there... I will return to it, from time to time to re-work it...