And In Today's News ...

Here are a few of the headlines in today's newspaper:

• Guardianship firm ex-CEO admits stealing $4 million 
• GOP considers tax-hike trigger if revenue short 
• Gun retailers enjoy blockbuster Black Friday sales 
• Supreme Court refuses gun case (in which a gun advocate sought a constitutional right to own a semiautomatic assault rifle)
• Trump takes another crack at Warren at event to honor Navajo
• Franken apologizes for conduct
• Religious conservatives on wrong side of sex scandals (opinion piece)
• Signs the U.S. is hungry for pre-Black Friday values (opinion piece) 

These are just some of the headlines in one small newspaper in one town in one state. New Mexico as been described as being 'purple' -- a mix of politicians in high office of both parties. We have a two-term Republican governor, but both houses of the legislature have Democratic majorities. Both US senators are Democrats, and representatives from the northern half of the state are Democrats, but the sole representative from the more rural southern part of the state is an ultra-conservative Republican. Albuquerque's outgoing major is a Republican, but the incoming major is a Democrat. Rio Rancho has a Tea Party Republican major. Voters in the state narrowly voted for Hilary Clinton in the last presidential election.

To me, these headlines accurately represent the current state of politics in America and highlight the deep divides facing our country. Greed, sex scandals, verbal insults and racial slurs by the president, battles over the 'right' to own semiautomatic assault rifles, tax reform and dismay at the lack of morals in the country -- these are indeed the challenges we are facing as Americans. Red, blue or purple -- regardless of the color of a given state, the challenges are pretty much the same.

There are no easy answers. Sexual harassment and assaults are NEVER appropriate, whether the assaulter is an average Joe or the president of the United States. Those guilty of such actions need to be punished, including removal from office if they are elected officials. Stealing from the elderly and the disabled (and anybody else) is NEVER OK. Using racial slurs against anybody, US senator or not, is NEVER OK. NO ONE --religious conservative, liberal or anybody else -- should stand up in defense of those charged with sexual assault. What makes a recent case even more troubling is that the accusers were teenagers when the claimed assaults occurred, and some of the defenders are religious leaders.

I read a newspaper every day when I'm home. Some articles I read from beginning to end, while others I simply scan. I have never noticed how accurately the newspaper captures the essence of the major issues facing our country. 

In all honesty, these headlines scare and worry me. The moral fabric of our country is so torn it may not be repairable. The political and racial and ethnic divides are the size of the Grand Canyon. There is little, if any, middle ground. 

This makes me sad, very sad.

Christmas Present

I don't like the modern version of Christmas.

It sounds good, doesn't it? A season of joy, goodwill, family and giving to the less fortunate among us. But the reality of Christmas these day is far, far different.

The non-profits use this season as a reason to ramp up appeals for money, sending out endless piles of sorrow-filled letters, complete with a convenient form and unstamped return envelope, so we can mail in our donations. But that's just the beginning: Once we send money, we are immediately added to a list to be hit up for more and more money via mail and e-mail. I am still getting appeals for funds from a group I donated to ONCE more than 20 years ago! I got something in the mail recently with the always-present form on which to check the amount I wanted to give, starting with $500 and decreasing to $100.

The Christmas shopping season, which previously began the day after Thanksgiving, now starts in August, when the first decorated trees begin to appear in stores.Television commercials breathlessly scream about the "lowest prices of the season," "doorbusters" and cars for lease for "only $699/month." And don't forget the search for "the perfect gift." Black Friday has now become Gray Thursday or even Gray November as the push to buy, buy, buy begins ever earlier each year.

Malls are insanely overcrowded as people push, shove and fight to get the hottest 'must have' toy or electronic gadget. People rush around mindlessly as they spend money they don't have on things others don't want or need, all in the name of Christmas. Recent videos showed throngs of crazed shoppers pushing, shoving and tripping others, with some people literally being knocked down and at risk of being trampled.

STOP the madness for a minute and think about this season. It isn't about finding "the perfect gift" or putting oneself into debt that will take months to pay off. It isn't about stressing our minds and bodies as we strive to host the perfect family gathering or prepare an unforgettable meal. Forget those happy family gatherings where everybody smiles and has a good time. Do you know families like that? I don't! Think about the real meaning behind Christmas. 

Besides, it's hard to get into a celebratory mood when this year has brought still more mass murder by gun-toting men, when the Congress remains firmly in the grip of the NRA and therefore refuses to do anything about the increasing gun violence in our country, and when the country itself is ruled by a mentally ill man-child more interested in his golf game than in addressing the problems facing America. Let's not forget the Republican-led attacks on our wildlife and wild places, all in the name of greed. There is absolutely nothing to celebrate.

Once upon a time, when I was a child, Christmas was about spending time with the family. It was about watching the kids' faces light up on Christmas morning. It was about going to church as a family. It was about surprising family members with something they'd been wanting, and not going into debt to do so. It was about sharing with those less fortunate. My family, in addition to donating to church, also always sent a check to the children's shoe fund sponsored by the local newspaper.

Black Friday shoppers have less control than this herd of stampeding wildebeest..

One doesn't have to be religious or Christian to celebrate the meaning of this season. But somehow I think pushing, shoving, shooting someone and going into debt as we search for "the perfect gift" or the "must-have' item is not what this season should be about.

 
My Christmas celebration gets smaller each year. I have given my artificial tree to my daughter and son-in-law, along with nearly all the lights and many decorations and other holiday items. I will donate to my favorite charities, as I do every year, but not to those that bombard me with incessant demands for money. I will do a small amount of holiday baking, and if the opportunity presents itself, pay for groceries for someone in line at the store. 

Don't be one of the herd this holiday season. Slow down. Be kind. Be patient. Be generous with your time and your resources, no matter how limited. Volunteer your time. Spend time and spend holiday spirit rather than spending so much money. 

Go see the neighborhood Christmas lights. In Albuquerque, you can visit the River of Lights at the zoo and be awed by the magical creatures and plants created of colorful lights. Don't be another member of the herd rushing around mindlessly.

Thanksgiving 2017

Thanksgiving is just one day away. 

This has been another rough year for me. I have had three retina surgeries this year, but I am thankful that I live in an area that has not one, but several, very skilled retina surgeons. Without them, I would be facing a life of blindness. And I am grateful to my friend who has driven me to eye doctor appointments more times than I can remember when I am unable to drive safely with two dilated eyes.

I have had some housing issues this year, including a leaking roof that caused damage to the ceiling in my pantry. But I am thankful that the minor repair was covered by the roofing company's warranty, and that the small hole was repaired quickly and easily. (The drywall in the ceiling hasn't yet been repaired).

My air conditioner, which is only 4 years old, has had ongoing problems and finally was destroyed by a lightning strike. I'm certainly not thankful for that, but I am grateful that this happened in late September, after the worst of the hot weather had passed.

I am thankful that  my dogs, for the most part, have remained healthy this year. Layla suffered a bou of colitis, but medication and a soft diet for a few days cleared it up. And I am thankful that Bailey has decided that Benny is OK and a good playmate for her.

I am thankful for my friend in South Carolina, who is always there with an encouraging word or advice when I need it most.

I am thankful for the travel opportunities I have enjoyed this year, with trips to Yellowstone National Park, Cuba, France, Kenya, Utah, Morocco and Joshua Tree National Park.

I am especially thankful for my travel companions from England and Scotland that made our three-week trip to Kenya so special. And I am thankful for the wonderful wildlife sightings during that trip, the best ever during my five trips to Africa. I am thankful for the people I have met during my travels with whom I am still in contact. I now have friends in Kenya, Ireland, Scotland, Russia, Germany, England, Turkey, France and other countries.

I am thankful for having clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. So many people, even in the United States, don't have these essentials. And I am thankful for our nation's natural beauty -- the mountains and forests in particular -- that give me so much pleasure. I am so thankful for the individuals and organizations that fight to protect our wilderness and our wildness, and to protect our air and water from those who want to destroy them in the name of profit.

I am NOT thankful for the current state of the American nation, nor for the current administration. But I remain thankful to live in a free country.

I am grateful for my house and my car, and for never having to worry about having clothes to wear or food to eat. 

Despite life's challenges -- and we all have them -- we are better off than the vast majority of people in the world. We do have much for which to give thanks. For me, Thanksgiving is not just a speed bump on the race to Christmas. It's isn't about 'Black Friday' or 'gray November' or staring the search for 'the perfect gift.' Thanksgiving deserves its own holiday and its own special recognition.

I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with warmth, joy and a spirit of sharing.

Is This the End?

All great civilizations eventually lose their power and grandeur, and.then they collapse.

Ancient Egypt. Ancient Rome and Greece. China. The Mongols. All eventually lost their power to other, more powerful, civilizations.

The US, it seems, it just the latest in a long line of world powers that is on the verge of becoming a once-great nation. Already some are calling Germany, not the United States, the leader of the free world. China's economy is now the second greatest in the world. The US has a tremendous deficit as it continues to spend more than it takes in. We have trade deficits with every country with which we trade. Our country has never in recent history been more divided politically, economically and racially. 

The current administration is doing everything possible to undo the legacy of former President Barack Obama. The latest attacks are on the environment -- rolling back protections to keep our air and water clean, to shrink the size of several national monuments, to allow the shooting of hibernating bears, and to allow mighty hunters to bring into the United States the heads, feet and other body parts of elephants from Zambia and Zimbabwe. With elephants facing extinction due to the insatiable Asian demand for ivory trinkets, this action will further the decline of an already shrinking population of elephants. Why? So Drumpf's kids, Donny Jr. and Eric, can pursue their sick passion for killing endangered animals?

Roy Moore, who is running for US Senate from Alabama, is a well-known (albeit unconvicted) pedophile who preyed on teenage girls when he was in his 30s. Yet his supporters remain steadfast in their desire to see him elected. Like-minded people voted for Drumpf despite his long history of sexual assaults on unwilling women and girls. Many of his supporters call themselves 'conservative Christians,' something they most certainly are not. Their words and actions couldn't be more unchristian.

The much-touted Republican tax reform bill, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, not only will add trillions to the national debt, but it will actually raise taxes on Americans earning less than $70,000 per year. Who gets the tax cuts? Who else but corporations and the very wealthy.

Overspending on the military, government corruption and political instability, ineffective and inconsistent leadership, and the loss of traditional values have been cited as some of the reasons for the collapse of the Roman empire. Drumpf is proposing a huge increase in military spending. His administration is the most corrupt in recent history. His 'leadership is ineffective and inconsistent. And traditional American values have largely been replaced by a 'me first, whites only' mentality. Urban crime is rampant, and gun violence grows more common by the day. 

The rich get richer. The poor and middle classes struggle just to survive. The environment is under attack by those who want to use it for profit regardless of the damage done. The voice of the 'little guy' is ignored. Voters blindly follow their party allegiance and often vote against their best interests. Millions of Americans feel unheard and powerless.

I have little hope -- baring a major uprising and demand that elected officials actually listen to their constituents -- that America will not continue its decline. I'm just glad I won't be around to live my life in what until now has been a great country and a beacon to the world.

What Has Happened to Us?

What a world we live in.

Consider these recent events in the news:

• In Spain, police beat voters in Catalonia who showed up to vote in an independence referendum opposed by the Spanish government. 
• The US territory of Puerto Rico, decimated by a category 5 hurricane, is visited by the American president, who complains about the cost of helping the devastated island recover. Meanwhile, the people continue to go without housing, food, water, electricity and medical care.
• In Las Vegas, a man possessing 49 weapons, some of them semi-automatic rifles converted into machine guns, fires for nearly 10 minutes on a concert crowd, killing 58 people and wounding 500 others. 
• In Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), half a million Rohingya, a Muslim minority, have fled persecution and attacks by Myanmar authorities. 
• The US Congress is working hard to remove designations that protect several national parks and national monuments, opening the areas to mining and other extractive operations that will destroy those areas.
• The Endangered Species Act is under attack by Republican members of Congress.
• Despite frequent mass shootings in the country, the Congress is so deeply in bed with the NRA that it refuses to even consider passing laws to help curb gun violence. This is not about taking guns from people, but rather, passing legislation to prohibit the sale of devices that make it possible to turn semi-automatic rifles into machine guns.
• Poachers throughout Africa continue to decimate elephant, rhinoceros and lion populations to satisfy the superstitions of the Chinese, Vietnamese and other Asian countries.
• A US senator who has received money from the NRA is now blaming the victims of the shooting in Las Vegas for not "taking precautions" and "getting small." What kind of precautions were these concert-goers to take, don a Kevlar helmet and bullet-proof vest? This clown is typical of the state of American politics. 
• Neo-Nazis and the KKK held a rally in Virginia, carrying Nazi flags and chanting Nazi slogans against Jews and blacks. 
• Scientists are warning that we are facing the sixth mass extinction of plant and animal species. 
• Increases in the Earth's temperature threaten low-lying coastal towns. The current administration's response? Label it 'fake science."
• A gunman with a semi-automatic rifle enters Sunday morning church services in rural Texas and slaughters 26 people, nearly half of them children.

Rather than being advanced in our thinking and in our stewardship of Mother Earth, we seem to have reverted to our pre-human ancestors' way of thinking. Take what you want, and when you are finished with it, just toss it aside. 

I have already lived the majority of my life, and for that, I am grateful. I do not like what our world has become -- overpopulated and lacking a moral compass. The only thing that seems to matter is money. We can't eat money when the farmland is gone. We can't drink money when our water sources are too polluted. We can't breathe money when the air is too dirty to breathe. We can't enjoy magnificent wildlife or forests when they are gone forever.

Aren't we humans better than this? Are we really willing to let greed and hatred take over our world? Have we not learned that there are ways other than killing to solve disputes and disagreemens? Do we still not realize that we humans are much more alike than different? Have we learned nothing from the centuries of war and destruction? Sadly, it appears we have not.

For Sale -- Your Personal Information

I'm a big user of the Internet. I shop online. I get directions and business reviews online. I compare prices online. I have an online blog that features a weekly photograph, and I offer photos for sale online.

But lately, I have felt that my personal space is being invaded just a bit too much. If I search for a new camera lens, for example, an ad for that lens will soon appear on my e-mail and Facebook pages. My new Samsung phone now includes an e-mail section called 'promotions' that is nothing more than ads of Web sites I have visited (but never provided any contact information to). jI get e-mails from businesses that claim that I 'opted in' to receive their spam e-mails -- something I never do. I always uncheck the box that has conveniently been pre-checked for me that says I want to receive ads and other information from the company. But that doesn't matter; I still get spam from the company.

Not too long ago, I spent many hours scouring the Internet for information about myself. I did this after I found one site that included far too much personal information about me, including my name, street address and even a map showing the location of my house. So I started checking sites that offer to sell personal information -- name, address, age, phone number, e-mail address, previous places lived and possible relatives -- about anybody. I contacted each company by e-mail (there usually is a way to contact the company, although it isn't always easy to find), and stated that the company had no right to publish, sell, barter, trade or give away my personal information, and to take it down at once. Every company did. And now when I search for myself, I find only references to my blog and my Facebook page. 

Nobody should have the right to sell my personal information. It isn't about the money these companies make. I realize it's all about money, no matter the wishes of the customer. It's about their collecting my personal information, including my unlisted phone number for which I pay an extra monthly fee, and selling it to anybody for any purpose. With identify theft running rampant, why would I want so much personal information to be available to anybody who wants it? 

And consider this: the Republicans have passed -- and Trump signed -- legislation that allows internet service providers to collect and sell an individual's personal browsing history without consent or notification. Here is a link to the story:. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-signs-measure-let-isps-sell-your-data-without-consent-n742316

There is nothing bad or embarrassing in my browser history. But I strongly object to the information about what I do on my computer -- unless the government has indications of a threat to security -- being shared with others who have no right to it. I am tired of personal information about my, my Web browsing habits, where I shop online and which pages I visit, being offered for sale without my consent.  

I contacted my ISP to ask what its policy is regarding distribution of its customers' browsing history. In response, I was sent a link to a lengthy document that appears to say that the company, while making vague promises about protecting personal information, can share the information with other companies for marketing and business purposes. The document never directly answers the question about browsing history.

I suppose there is nothing anybody can do about this, especially this sell-outs in Congress have decided to reward their masters in business and ignore the rights of individual citizens to keep their personal information just that ... personal.

Seeking Beauty

I spent yesterday working on a flower calendar because I need to replace the hatred and negativity that is everywhere with something beautiful. 

Following my third retina repair surgery since spring, I am facing the possibility that vision in my right eye may never be the way it used to be. While I can 'see' with that eye, I only see shapes and colors, with no details. I am unable to read with that eye, even with a magnifying lens. And my tar and gravel roof has started leaking, resulting in damage to the ceiling in the pantry. So times have been a bit rough for me lately.

So I decided to focus on things of beauty -- flower photos. I put together a calendar that is now for sale for $22, domestic postage included. Proceeds will go to the Elephant Crisis Fund to combat elephant poaching and the trafficking of ivory. As I looked at these photos, several of which I took last year in Costa Rica, it was as if I saw them for the first time. The colors seemed so vibrant!




This morning, I awoke to news of the slaughter of 58 people and the wounding of more than 500 others in Las Vegas.

With all the ugliness and anger in the world, I find myself turning more and more to nature for comfort.

"Nature is not a place to visit. It is home," wrote.Gary Snyder. And right now, we need more nature, more beauty, more reflection, more peace. 

I find peace and relaxation in nature, whether walking along a river, hiking in the mountains, sitting on my patio or photographing wildlife in Africa or in Yellowstone National Park. Nature is where I go when the worries and fears of the world threaten to overwhelm me. 

Wherever you find peace and beauty, I hope you visit often. Find what brings you peace, whether it is music or literature or through the lens of a camera. Find it, cherish it and make it an important part of your life.