Rainbow

Getty Images has 82 pages of rainbows so the choice was hard but very enjoyable.  

When I lived in Santa Fe there was one in the western sky each day around 5 pm above Los Alamos in the Jemez Mountains. Sometimes there was a pair. But if you want to read something poetical about the beauty of a rainbow you're in the wrong place. My nature is more scientific, so here you'll get as brief an explanation as possible.

A "rainbow" occurs when sunlight shines on and interacts with drops of water. The keys are that . . .

• Rain and sunshine must be in different parts of the sky, 
• The observer is between the rain and the sunshine, and 
• The angle of light hitting the raindrops is between 40 and 42 degrees. 

When those requirements are met each raindrop will be refracted to produce one color, slightly different from all the rest. Together those millions of raindrops produce a rainbow in its well-known cascading shades.  That's all there is to it.

Growing Our Food: P Is For Peas

Growing Our Food: P Is For Peas - an AtoZ First

I just visited this interesting blog on AtoZ. It offers something I've not seen before: a way to post its address to my own blog. I tried it and this is the result.

Quetzalcoatl

The feathered serpent of ancient Mexico was a main god in Mesoamerica for most of the 15th century. But when the first Spaniards arrived in 1519 their leader Hernan Cortes, in his shining armor and plumed helmet, looked like the Mexicans had imagined their god. So they revered him and welcomed his army, thus sealing the fate of their civilization. 

Here is how the ancient Aztecs carved Quetzalcoatl in stone.



This is how we imagine him today from descriptions the ancients left us.

Knowing the story of the god and the sad mistake by the ancient Mexicans I was eager to visit Chichen Itza when in Mexico to see the famous Mayan pyramid and surroundings. Despite a miserable ride in a bouncing bus and the relentless heat I was not disappointed: 

The history and myths are too long and complicated for this post. So if you are not familiar with them I suggest a little internet research. I guarantee you will enjoy the journey to ancient times and culture.

Wikipedia has a very nice summary to get you started:  Wikipedia on Quetzalcoatl  I recommend this because so many sites about this myth are meager or have copyright requirements. This one has lots of good information and splendid pictures.

Enjoy! 

Parliamentary Procedure or Prior Authorization - Your Choice

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

Did you know that many decisions about our public lives are made with the help of this complex set of rules? That's because most governing bodies have something called "bylaws" - from the US Congress to giant corporations, from state and city governments to school boards, charitable organizations and even volunteer groups. If fact, they couldn't get anything done without them because they set out the procedures or "rules of order" by which they run all their meetings.

Those "rules of order" are known as "parliamentary procedure". They describe in exhaustive detail how to discuss issues and take action, and as we all know "the devil is in the details"- hundreds and hundred of details in this case. The few people who know many of them and how to quickly look up the rest are called parliamentarians. They serve as consultants at many meetings and conferences, and at very important gatherings they are paid well.

Why did I choose this topic? Because I belong to an organization that studies parliamentary rules and how to use them. It also prepares members to become Registered Parliamentarians or even Professional Registered Parliamentarians, the highest level of certification.

The next question is "Why did I join"? To learn how to be a better contributor when I serve on a committee or a board. I am often in those situations and always realize I don't know enough about the procedure to do a good job. I have even refused leadership roles where I might have done some good because I felt so inadequate.

So when I moved to the Detroit area I reconnected with an old friend who belongs and she suggested I might like it. I took her advice, and after two years I have learned a lot but cannot say I have improved much. The body of knowledge is incredible, and I still feel like "a stranger in a strange land". I contribute to the group in support positions: I managed the purchase and sales of educational materials and maintain our webpage and Facebook page. I even set up a Twitter account. All that may be useful but it's just what I already know how to do. Plus, I enjoy these things and improve at them and I'm appreciated because few people want to take them on.

The surprising result: Although I have made little progress with parliamentary procedure I have made peace with who I am. I have learned to be content as one who "leads by supporting". Meanwhile I continue to work on becoming a parliamentarian. Perhaps I'll even find a new way to lead.

PRIOR AUTHORIZATION

Here's an opportunity for some advocacy and/or activitism involvement. Remember my first post? Take a look if you are new here or need a refresher:  A is for Activisim and Advocacy

Now check out my lonely blog on Prior Authorization:  PA Issues  Notice the start date: August 2013. That was many months ago, and the only response is so suspect that I may delete it. The lack of interest is probably because I'm a novice blogger, which tells me I should upgrade my blogging skills if I want to make a difference as an advocate or activist. (That's why I joined AtoZ Challenge. )

Here's my suggestion for you:

• If you have ever had to fight a Prior Authorization to get a prescription filled I'd love to have you share your experience on my blog.  
• And if you would like to join me in trying to fight that system, let me know. 

Oligarchy

phawker.com/tag/koch-brothers/ 

Oligarchy: Government by a small group of people, 
usually wealthy. 

Now that is a broadly descriptive term!

By itself it is neither positive nor negative. It is simply a statement of fact - or is it? Start defining the words. Then compare them to our US Constitution and Bill of Rights, and you may start to wonder: Who has the real power? Is that good and lawful? Does it improve our lives?

Does the word just restate an old adage "Money talks."? It appears to buy public office, as in "Whoever can afford the most TV ads usually wins the election." That makes it a handy epithet in a political dog-fight. Or maybe it's more than that. Perhaps it describes a situation that needs to be changed.

Cartoonists have loved the word in the past, and the current political situation in the US seems to offer an opportunity to revive it.

   zerohedge.com                          

Think about the word and the coming mid-term elections. Is there any relationship? And don't forget, the presidential race is just two years away with the incumbent ineligible for re-election. 

Northville, My Home Town

This village of 2,500 people in sourthwest Michigan is located in huge Wayne County which also contains Detroit. Northville's first "land patent" is dated in 1823, placing it 30 miles from Detroit - a journey of three days. Now it takes a half hour for my son to drive from his Northville bakery to suppliers in Detroit.

Great Harvest Bakery Northville, my son's busines.

I moved here 3 years ago after 10 years of visiting from my home in Ohio. I could not resist the double lure of the town's old-fashioned charm and my growing family, so I found an 1893 house just ten minutes' walk from my son's bakery in the tiny "down-town".

Northville is in the northwest corner of Wayne County, the largest in Michigan. It covers 614 square miles, 2/3 the size of Luxembourg at 998 square miles. (It is larger than six other European countries including Vatican City.) It holds several townships, each containing other suburbs, as well as Detroit Metro Airport which covers 11 square miles according to the 2010 census - likely more today. 

For some wonderful tours of Detroit and the area click here: Video Tours  And for more personal views of Wayne County and some current issues you can visit another of my blogs: Mary in Michigan

To whet your appetite, here are some great stills:        

                                             

                      Part of Detroit's Reality Today: Ambassador Bridge to Canada       

            

          

International Freedom Festival, June 2008

I did not realize when I came to live here that my two feet would would be firmly planted in different eras, with 200 years between! Our news contains a jumble of information about Detroit's looming bankruptcy and related lack of public services, the auto industry's resurgence, third-world conditions in the "inner city", and exciting programs of the arts and culture. Not to mention weekly community events from concerts to marches to races, all usually with fireworks over the river.

It's a fascinating place to live, in the middle of "the action" yet as far from it as one can get. For details and pictures of some of it I invite you to visit my personal journal at MARY in Michigan. 

Meditation

Life does not last forever. It's a gift I took for granted when I was young, then struggled through during busy adult years. Now in retirement I am learning to appreciate it. I have tried many approaches and I found the right one just a few years ago. It is based on the style of meditation taught in Shambhala Buddhism, but it does not require that one embrace Buddhism itself.

When I stumbled onto this "practice" as it is called it seemed at once to be sensible and well suited to life in today's difficult and complex world. Instead of "study" I absorb guides for living called Slogans, focusing on one or more each day. It's a lifetime journey with no urgency and no expectation of reaching some goal. There is no punishment for failure nor limit to the times one can start over. It's a simple yet profound way to "get along with other people" as a prominent contemporary teacher puts it.

Another way I remind myself how to deal with life is to listen to this chant. It never fails to focus me when things get messy and I don't like myself, maybe because music is so important in my life.

If you have time to listen to even a part of this, do read the words - at least on the first few frames. It takes some effort because the print is fuzzy, but they are clear in later frames and bring the chant to life. They illustrate beautifully the "loving kindness" that is the meditation's goal.