Honoring the WASPs

Honoring the WASPs

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 08:48 AM PST

I was driving into church this morning when I heard the most fascinating, compelling and lovely story about the WASPs during the Second World war, women who flew military aircraft in a variety of capacities back here in the States, freeing up men to go into combat.

If you have eight minutes and fifty nine seconds to listen to it, I heartily recommend you do. There's a print text as well. Go here for both.

As one might expect if hoping for something better, they were not well treated. Trained on their own dime, worked long and dangerous hours, and when one died had to kick in on their own to pay to send the body home.

The story was triggered by the fact tomorrow, the surviving WASPs are all receiving the Congressional Gold Medal, a bit late, but still, needs to be done.

At no extra charge, here's a two part Youtube video I found about them. (it takes a bit more than a minute for the audio to kick in...)




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Avatar: A Film Review

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 07:48 AM PST

Well, we finally succumbed to the hype and went to see Avatar. A friend had told us she had heard it was "anti-American." No worries on that score. I see it as profoundly American in its depiction of the perennial battle within the American soul between the individual and the collective vision, between self-interest and idealism, between the avid pursuit of material gain and ecstatic transcendentalism. If there are, on the one side, the abject creatures of American capitalism, the other side is led to eventual triumph by a quintessentially American Marine.

The film is American, also, in its inextricable muddle of myths, most of them deeply Romantic--from that of the Noble Savage to the Enchanted Forest, from the Arthurian knight to the Savior of Mankind. The hero's transformation from agent of the capitalist exploiters to hero of the oppressed embraces the saving of a Damsel in Distress and a spectacular initiation rite that involves hand-to-hand combat with his personal dragon (read, perhaps, inner demon, or "shadow"), harnessing its power, and riding it to freedom. All this takes place in a gorgeous Garden of Eden governed by the spirit of an all-powerful, animist deity envisioned as an energy (or "Force"!) which unites all beings, whether flora or fauna.

My quarrel with the film has nothing to do with its "politics," then, but rather with its essentially juvenile and hackneyed vision of the eternal struggle between Good and Evil, and its reinvention of the old myth of apocalyptic violence as its necessary outcome. It's Armageddon revisited, for the zillionth time. Eventually, perhaps, our human species will tire of its fascination with the spectacle of the clash of titans, whether down here on earth or in outer space. For now, we watch it re-enacted in a new and necessarily yet grander fashion, and with the same dreadful fascination.

That said, there remains much about "Avatar" to recommend it. The landscapes it envisions--vast mountains, floating in space, lush forests--are truly awesome. The flora and fauna of this alien environment are created with wonderful imaginative attention to the detail of color and design, movement and scale. From the tiniest, most delicate insect to the massive, lumbering creatures of land and graceful dragons of the air, the beings that inhabit this planet entertain us with their charm or their terror; the forest is peopled, too, with vegetation that delights both the eye and the imagination. It's a richly envisioned world, reminiscent enough of our own to convince, yet different enough to be wonderfully strange and exotic.

Ah, yes, and those special effects... kind of breath-taking, in 3-D. You take your ride down the sheer face of a bottomless cliff on the back of your speeding dragon. You stand on a vertiginous mountain top and survey the endless depths and distances below. You are shaken by the roar of space fighter engines, the thunder of missiles. Great forests explode... You can't help but be taken in by it all. It's not exactly a "willing suspension disbelief," but rather an assault on the senses which your senses are simply powerless to resist. They are invaded, conquered, and occupied.

Okay, it's all an adventure. Subtlety is not this film's strong point. Did I mention the "love interest"? No? Well, there's romance to be had here, too. Might as well simply give in and enjoy for what it is.


Rules of Engagement

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 10:08 AM PST

I was in an exquisite retirement community yesterday.  They were having an extra busy morning.  Phones were ringing, people were hurrying to and fro.  There was an elderly man who missed his bus, heading back to the elevator.  He seemed in good humor about the whole matter, but the management was so overwhelmed at the [...]


Loren Eiseley & Milan Kundera : Consciousness & Mystery

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 01:15 AM PST

Loren Eiseley (1907–1977) was a prairie child growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska, son of a hardware-salesman father and a deaf mother, his parents living together but estranged. Something in their relationship made a tortured artist out of Eisely, a professor of anthropology, for in his books there is a quest, a haunted imagination of eternity and the infinite, all of it filtered through the long


small things

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 07:28 PM PST


saucer, the one the tea cup sat on that i drank and kept me awake all night! canon 350d

i adore this blog to pieces, katie with all her creativity (and cat named moo). go watch her latest video! so sweet! it'll sure to cheer you up!

I Think Mr Beck is Crazy, But Perhaps He'll Interest You in Going to Church

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 11:58 AM PST







A friend just forwarded me a story that recounts how television talking head Glenn Beck decries churches that call for social justice, revealing how such are either covert Communists or Nazis.

He really is a nutjob.

My ongoing concern is that he appears to have a very large following.

I wonder if people believe this stuff and bother, or just find him entertaining in a creepy sort of way.

I fear some take him seriously. And what a sad universe they live in...

On the other hand, perhaps there are those who read of his rant about churches that care for people and think perhaps in fact their churches are not sufficiently involved in matters of justice.

Could that be you?

Possibly you're looking for a church that holds the individual as precious and knows that each individual exists only woven out of each other person and the world itself.

And maybe want a church that takes these insights into what we are and thinks it should inform how we treat each other and the world.

If that's your case, and you live in the neighborhood of Providence, you might check us out.

Or, if not, you might go here for pointers to a church in your area that likely has a significant social justice lean...

opening up to you

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 12:28 PM PST

it's 4:00am and i'm still wide awake! it's the tea i had at lunch.

latest energy progression that i am feeling and sensing at the moment is that the energy is pushing everything out, anything unpleasant and anything that is no longer functional that has been swept under the carpet. time to deal with them, one by one.

relationship is taking center stage, relationship with spouses, co-workers, family members, friends and even relationship with self.

trying to hold things together with super glue of untruth, denial and avoidance will not work anymore, it will just fall apart, and sometimes falling apart is just what its needed, to release the old that no longer works in this new energy field. sometimes falling apart helps us start again. fresh. with even greater possibilities of deeper, more truthful and meaningful ties.

when one reality dies, a new one begins. the cycle of birth and death.

i got this quote from a friend, " the power of truth and living honestly is liberating" - clay aiken

found this inspiring TED talk, for me at least, the evolution of a personal journey in art and in life.

Venus in Aries: March 2010

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 11:28 AM PST

Venus rules Libra, the sign of partnership and marriage. In this sign, Venus learns to express itself by the give and take that is necessary for a relationship to survive. In Aries, the sign opposite Libra, Venus is said to be in her detriment. Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, constantly cries, "Me! Me! Me!" That kind of attitude is great if you're into exploring your individuality, but it isn't the best way to cultivate a relationship with another person.

When I think of this placement, I'm reminded a high school friend who is über Aries. Many girls are coy when it comes to flirtations and love, but not this daughter of Mars! Direct, honest and passionate she'd go after the man she wanted and she'd get him, too. So was it all happily-ever-after for her? Well, not exactly. The road to romance is rocky no matter where you Venus is, but the Venus Aries faces some special challenges. They'll drown you in their passion if you've caught their heart, because they love you. You're an object of their affection. Their most prized possession. It can feel great. Initially. And then you start noticing that it's mostly about them. They're upset that you can't take them to the party because you have to work overtime. They're accusing you of abandoning them because you want to spend an evening with your friends. You get the picture.

Are you still reading this? Good, that means you're confident about dealing with this high-powered placement. Since you have demonstrated your good faith, let me tell you about the pros of Venus in Aries people. If you want a loyal and courageous partner who will stand by your side and help you fight your battles, then you have a winner here. You will find out what it means to have someone who's always on your side, whether you are right or wrong. That kind of loyalty is a gift when you receive it. And not everyone does. So if you have it, then cherish it, because you can build a lifetime on such a sturdy foundation.

Venus in Aries seeks fun and adventure and brings with it a sense of freshness in its approach to life and love. This spirit is reflected in a quote from Cate Blanchett, who has both her Venus and Moon in Aries, "If I had my way, if I was lucky enough, if I could be on the brink my entire life – that great sense of expectation and excitement without the disappointment – that would be the perfect state."

Venus moved into Aries on 7 March, 2010 and will stay in the sign of the Ram till 31 March, 2010. The ingress brought Venus in contact with the retrograde Mars in Leo. Frustrated desire, anyone? It doesn't get any better over the next two days because of the opposition with retrograde Saturn in Libra. The heart may desire, but circumstances may thwart your wishes. All of this is exacerbated by Venus's tense square to Pluto in Capricorn that stays in effect till 13 March. Expect to battle against jealousy and possessiveness and watch out for strains of obsession in yourself and others. So is there no good news this month? I wouldn't say that. The last weekend of March see Venus sextiling Neptune and Chiron in Aries. A time to dream a little and to heal. Perhaps also a time of forgiveness. How can we heal unless we shake off the dead past and move on? So shake it off because things get sensual when Venus moves into Taurus on 1 April, 2010. You wouldn't want to miss that, would you?