Dilemma

 

 Since I am editing one of my paranormal, Tucson romances, I should not be paying attention to world news, but it's hard not to check in and then go uh oh, or whatever I end up feeling, with so much of what happens on the world stage impacts us little folks far below it.

My immediate thought, when I awoke one morning this week, was definitely an uh oh. Not so much for what I read but what it meant for the world, little and big countries. After a sip of vodka (never mind that I am off of alcohol). I felt up to writing something about it. Maybe...

The world is not evenly divided. This is not just about wealth but about resources, like water. It never has been from the time humans became humans.

Resources are more than the land and what it holds. It's also the kind of people, who live there and what they can and will do with their own resources. Exactly how the earth worked out that way, who can know.

First of all, with natural resources, when humans first figured out they could exploit such, is that how we settled where we did? Climate probably controlled a lot of it, easy to live there and oh boy. The next thing humans looked around to find what might not be where they lived, but where they could bring usable products to their homes. In short, they wanted what had grown or could be grown above ground-- basically food. They also continued to hunt for animals where their pelts or bodies could be used.

Then came a search for fossil fuels, like coal, iron, oil, etc. Much of the earth was not and still is not as rich with such things. Wars could then be fought to attain what a more powerful tribe or country might want. Humans also wanted slaves as not all of them seemed suitable for such uses. 

Does any of that sound fair? Cross 'fair' out of your vocabulary where humans, of all colors and races, were concerned or are concerned. Humans took what they needed and wanted whether that was desirable minerals, like diamonds, or what would fuel their lives. To the victor went the spoils and to a degree, that still goes on.

Is that bad? Does that mean humans are the bad mammals? Maybe, but again and again, it goes back to that quote-- to the victor go the spoils. It is how it has always gone.

So, for those who find fault with that and try to take it away from the victors, check out how that ends up, where that comes to wealth and yes, that means charitable... supposedly organizations. Do those who run it or support it end up with the funds or does it go where it was intended?

Where does that leave us 'pawns'? What can we do about it in today's supposedly more civilized world?

The future fight and and contests are more likely over what is needed for technology-- rare earth minerals. These are often in places no one had seen of having value. But now, want to use your computer or technology, those minerals are the key. They turn up often in what are seen as poorer countries or regions within a country. If those populations can't exploit that wealth to mine their own 'in-the-ground' wealth, like, lithium, coltan, cobalt, titanium,etc. you can bet others will try to. 

So, poor countries should get wealthy, right? Not how it seems to work out with the human species. Again, are we evil or bad? Not really. Just mammals. 

It is the age of the mammals. Will it stay our age? Not likely given the nature of evolution. Should the mammals who have found the riches, exploit them, then help others that have none? A few claim they should, but they barely do it themselves. If you have two coats, do you give one to someone who doesn't have one. Some do... Very few.

What do we do as humans, who have a compassionate nature (at least how we feel inside)? Donate a few dollars? Feel righteous? Or find a real answer to the imbalance of life on this earth? If the latter is the answer, it doesn't appear to have been the answer, so far. 

Wars have been fought over taking above and in ground resources. Might happen again. We could hope not, but history offers no reassurance. 

The photo at the top gives you a clue how it works in nature-- with no guilt. It's our front yard here in Arizona. For years, to us, the saguaros looked like they were growing equally. Turns out not where it came to the resources they needed. Not fair how it worked out. Is life fair? If you think it is, I do not think you've had much experience. 

To the victor go the spoils. That doesn't require wars. It's just who is strongest, and empathy doesn't appear to weigh in-- sad as that might be to say. Is that fair? If a greater power intervenes, guess who ends up with that desired wealth. The only real thing we can count on is that life is not all physical. There may be spiritual consequences. Not very comforting for those suffering in the here and now.

A culture's impact

 

While I should be concentrating on the next book coming out, from a series of eight, my real thinking is how the culture in which my characters lived impacted them. That's not very romancey , but it is what has driven all of my books (30 so far) as I set them into a situation where romance is important, relationships matter a lot, but also into their cultural time frame. For some people, the culture in their world works fine for them. What about when it does not?

Book 1, which is already out, Beyond the Broken Road, is about the couple, but also what is the broken road for them. We are born into a time and often that culture either helps or damages our next choices as we reach the age for such options.

To me, the broken road is a broken culture for these lead characters. It's the the other side of what could be, but often is not, for those, growing up in the same time span. I could go into that for our time, but the book, and those to come, are not about our time-- though we do bring our own insights to it. 

For Sam and Abigail in Beyond the Broken Road, both are much impacted by their culture but in very different ways, which does not make the road less broken.

This book begins with showing the difference between the two sides of one culture. Abigail is standing outside the office where she works. She is feeling stifled by the world in which she lives. She hears raucous laughter from the down the street where the freedom seems greater. Then a man rides out on a powerful horse, showing all the power she had never felt over her own life. To her shock, he stops to watch her for a long moment. She wonders what he sees but has no way to know. When he rides on, she is left with the lack of freedom she feels.

That's just the first chapter with two people with no clue what the other side of a current cultural set of norms means for their lives. The book is about what they find.

Each of my books and that means even the contemporary look at this cultural divide, which I think is still a big thing today. 

 If a book with more than a hot romance is of interest, it's the book for you to explore. It's not simple with how life outside of ourselves can impact us. But I believe it is reality and to get the life we want, we need to be aware of those outside influences. 

Second book comes out the 19th, with different problems, but no less a cultural divide. I'll link to it here when it's live. These books are both wide but no paperbacks yet.

Beyond the Broken Road

manipulation

 

Something stirred my interest this week (though, it should not have) and finally I realized I had to write about it or it'd not let me go lol. I tend to be that way with a lot of things. If they are on my mind, I can finally go on, once I do whatever the feeling had me needing to do... even when I had other things to do that 'I' regarded as more important.

This one related to a 'trans' group in Norway that decided Aretha Franklin's song, Natural Woman was offensive to trans and they wanted it taken off Spotify, etc. For reasons beyond my understanding, the media picked up the story from what I gather was a 'new' group. The group doubtless knew that and hence tweaked it. The media is so easy to manipulate. I have no idea what Spotify, etc. did about it, but I know what they should have done-- ignored it.

Whether you are sympathetic to trans causes, are trans, this should have been ignored as it's not about trans at all-- not in its message or its timing (came out in 1968). I think they pushed it to get their group known. Maybe it worked and maybe not but wish it would not and wish our media would be less gullible.

I had to listen to the song again as though I remembered the melody, I'd forgotten the words. If that is your case, here's a link to hear it on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jCFzreP1ng

Listen to those words and do you hear anything about a man becoming a woman? You do not, as back then it was far less a 'cause' than it has been recently. But if a man wants to become a woman, does he not want to be a natural woman? 

What the song speaks to is this woman finding someone who makes her feel all she hadn't felt before. She has found the one who brings out the female in her. Could not a trans-woman also feel that way when they had the 'right' person come along? It's about an emotional reaction to loving the right person and what it did to the writer's heartstrings. 

A feminist might disagree with that message-- feeling we should not need someone else (notice song never said male or female lover) to feel all our own inner strength and being. We should do it for ourselves as most recently Miley Cyrus sang about in her new song-- Flowers. I can do it for myself was her message. It is probably the strongest way to be when we don't need someone else, but when we do, is that bad when it's the right person? When other people bring out the best is us, isn't that a good thing?

What to do? What to do about anything?

 

The following article was on someone's post on Facebook. I spent some time looking for other sources regarding Universe 25 Experiment. They are mostly in scientific journals like Smithsonian. It is food for thought and possibly the mainstream media didn't pick up on it because it's uncertain how it applies to human cultures. Still worth considering what it might mean for us today and into the future.  

The only change I made to the text was to insert paragraphs to make it more readable. I don't necessarily agree with all its interpretations but am still ruminating on it for what I know of the world today where I live. If it does apply to humans, what can or should we do?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The "Universe 25" experiment is one of the most terrifying experiments in the history of science, which, through the behavior of a colony of mice, is an attempt by scientists to explain human societies. The idea of ​​"Universe 25" Came from the American scientist John Calhoun, who created an "ideal world" in which hundreds of mice would live and reproduce. 

 

More specifically, Calhoun built the so-called "Paradise of Mice", a specially designed space where rodents had Abundance of food and water, as well as a large living space. In the beginning, he placed four pairs of mice that in a short time began to reproduce, resulting in their population growing rapidly. However, after 315 days their reproduction began to decrease significantly. When the number of rodents reached 600, a hierarchy was formed between them and then the so-called "wretches" appeared. The larger rodents began to attack the group, with the result that many males begin to "collapse" psychologically. 

 

As a result, the females did not protect themselves and in turn became aggressive towards their young. As time went on, the females showed more and more aggressive behavior, isolation elements and lack of reproductive mood. There was a low birth rate and, at the same time, an increase in mortality in younger rodents. Then, a new class of male rodents appeared, the so-called "beautiful mice". They refused to mate with the females or to "fight" for their space. All they cared about was food and sleep. At one point, "beautiful males" and "isolated females" made up the majority of the population.

 

According to Calhoun, the death phase consisted of two stages: the "first death" and "second death." The former was characterized by the loss of purpose in life beyond mere existence — no desire to mate, raise young or establish a role within society. As time went on, juvenile mortality reached 100% and reproduction reached zero. Among the endangered mice, homosexuality was observed and, at the same time, cannibalism increased, despite the fact that there was plenty of food. 

 

Two years after the start of the experiment, the last baby of the colony was born. By 1973, he had killed the last mouse in the Universe 25. John Calhoun repeated the same experiment 25 more times, and each time the result was the same.

 

Calhoun's scientific work has been used as a model for interpreting social collapse, and his research serves as a focal point for the study of urban sociology.

We are currently witnessing direct parallels in today’s society..weak, feminized men with little to no skills and no protection instincts, and overly agitated and aggressive females with no maternal instincts.

The thing is, humans do tend to cluster into pods for sustenance, jobs, good location for beauty or water, entertainment, etc.-- hence overcrowding. That might be where we most see this played out. My husband added that it would be good if more studies were done by other species similar to ourselves. Not sure they have been as mice and rats seem most like us for many experiments.

 

but never mind

by Rain Trueax

We are told to be peaceful. We are told that nothing is going on and that the demonstrations are peaceful. Those who stick to mainstream cable news probably believe it. If they get all their news from the left and that includes public radio and television, they probably believe it. If they go for more diverse sources, local news, online magazines, and personal accounts, they know it's not that simple. Yes, the entire country is not on fire. Not all of Portland, Oregon has riots. But where they will be, nobody knows except maybe the ones coordinating, that which is not supposed to be organized.

Again, I am giving a break before I go onto cultural issues, which I know some don't want-- besides, not all who read here come from the US. So if it's not of interest, come back another day. 

Me Too

by Rain Trueax

March Sunset from our desert home

Before I start on MeToo, I wanted to let readers here know that I have a free book at Amazon for Kindles. This is one of the benefits of making my books exclusive to Amazon (as well as that it can be borrowed for Kindle Unlimited members). So, if you have never tried a mystical realism novel, this is your chance for free-- Dangerous Match. It is supposed to show up free Saturday and Sunday but be sure it is before you hit buy.

~~~~~~~~~~~

While I no longer watch MSNBC for news, I used to have it as my go-to source. Even then, I wasn't fond of Chris Mathews. Something about his style of reporting turned me off. Still, when I read that he was forced out of his job there due to the MeToo movement, I read more about what exactly had happened.

by Diane: New Decade/ New Year's look at my life as an artist

 Before considering my resolutions, this decade, this year, I question my life as a practicing artist. In my current stage of life going on 77 years of age in 2020, I consider my age and the changing of our living location or remaking our home to suit our needs - an expected soon to be reality.  Plus all the conditions of the world around me need to be considered. Putting aside immediate issues for awhile, I consider some hypothetical possibilities far from my reality.
      How would I practice art if I was a Yellow Hat Tibetan Monk? Will such an improbable question stimulate an enlightened goal?


What is missing from the monk's painting paraphernalia?
 No rags? No large container of water to clean brushes?
No container of many brushes?
Only a thermos for his tea and another for water to add to his paint?
Only stir sticks in paint pots to keep paint at the exactly right creamy consistency.
Are the sticks in each color pot tipped with a brush head down in the paint?
Do I remember a few hand made brushes?
 If he uses a different brush for each color, the purity of his colors would be maintained
without contaminating cleaning water or rag. He will not contaminate the environment.
His method insures no waste of precious mineral colors.
Can a brush remain in a gouache type paint without ever being cleaned?
Did he paint with sticks?
Do I see a receptacle for scraping off and collecting excessive paint before applyication?
Knowing his exact working method does not matter.
I have an idea of how I can change my work space process.
 

      I remember my first impression of the artist monk August 13, 2002, at the Drepung Monastery in China, Tibet. Seeing his fascination with my sketches and pen, I handed him a brush pen that I was using. He wanted to try it and I gave it to him for keeps. In my sketch book he drew a self portrait. Later at home I painted Pintolanden ( my poor phonetic spelling of his name). I clearly remember my impression because when I came home, I painted him. His studio was rich in color. I was impressed how cozy he was in stark contrast to the desolate landscape outside. Above all I wanted to work from color pots like his.

The monk's drawing of himself.
 I never explored the meaning of his pose.
Or the meaning of his Buddhist name.

My painting reflects how suited his work space was
to making Thangkas. It should be an ideal space
for meditative, spiritual painting
but I saw this space was impacted
by the world of soda pop and clutter of
plastic bags from recent shopping.
Over his robes he wore a sweater
and under his robes - sweat pants.
He had Western style running shoes.
 On the floor was an open paperback book.
Possibly a corrupting novel?
 

        Historically monks painted meditatively soothed by repeating the same traditional details with minimal need to make independent choices. All their colors were spread out in little pots so they could paint continuously without interruptions to prepare the next color. So impressed, was I that I found a couple of clam shell plastic boxes in which I put  a quarter cup of each acrylic color. I grouped colors that I often mix together. Spritzing them with water whenever they start to dry, these colors remained workable for months. Now I see much more that I can use from the monk's art process.

       On a deeper level, I was impressed in 2002 by the impact of the world on the Tibetan painter, "Pintoladen". He was not isolated from the world.  Tourists like me must be interrupting his work rhythm. He was making thangkas not just for the monastery and local Buddhists but for tourists who may or may not be on a Buddhist spiritual journey. The sale of his work along with other spiritual items made at the monastery supported the monastery in today's world driven by money. Today's world is not perfect.  Neither would returning to a theocracy be better. In by gone ages, the peasants provided for the the ruling monastery.Now it is moneyfrom maybe the Chinese government and tourists.

        At home in 2002  I failed to think of our core similarities and differences until now when I watched a film about a Buddhist convert. Next Wednesday's post will be a review of "A Buddhist with a Camera".

In the next couple of Wednesday posts,
 I will update what kind of art and how I make my work space
comfortable and workable.

    

by Diane: Humbled by research into the ch'i in Chinese painting

Swallows, oil, 11' x 14"
Movement in a painting is not enough to have ch'i

My research on the principle of ch'i in painting awoke me to my ignorance.  Compositional movement is not enough to have ch'i. To achieve ch'i, I would need complete focus meaning just one role in life as a scholar. To keep the ch'i flowing I would be painting in the lotus position or standing on my knees for maximum spirit moving  from my core to arms and fingers. During the act of painting I would not be observing and learning, but I would know the flight of the sparrows, not just in my mind, but in my muscles too.

         In the painting of swallows the two trees in the background is a Western devise for perspective. The trees are too much. The color of the flowers in the foreground is too much. Chi needs simplicity. Swallows with little environmental cues, swallows dominate in the picture would be more revealing of  the energy of life in the swallows. To have ch'i, I need to know and emulate paintings of swallows by Chinese painters from ages past. No can do! I depend on vibrant color.

  

          My goal is revised. I am not going to achieve ch'i but just let some of the principles of Chinese painting inform the development of just one painting,"Swallows". Specifically I am employing simplicity in my revision!

Removed all that distracted from seeing swallows first so their flight flows.

Please comment on which you prefer the energy of the colorful "Swallows" or the restrained one ?

My research details:
 After thinking about George  Rowley's book, PRINCIPLES OF CHINESE PAINTING, I realize ch'i is more than the simple translation, spirit of life.



I researched my own books to find as much as I can on the ch'i principle.

I am humbled by the realization that I was pompous to think I can pursue ch'i as a goal in my painting. I got a big head from being complimented by an admirer of my paintings who said my landscapes had chi. Reviewing my books I now understand that every aspect of  Chinese painters' lives fed their ch'i yun. " the way in which spirit (ch'i) manifests itself in their style.  (Page 14 in Rowley's  book.)

I am enthralled by this statement; Painting should be the playful pastime of a scholar, even though one should prepare to paint  "as if to receive an important guest."  Without diligence, painting will lack completeness so that Kuo Hsi advised working as if "guarding against a strong enemy".  Could this be a reference to the disciplined martial art of Tai Ch'i?  In Tai Ch'i  every change of pose in the continuous flow keeps the body in the best possible balance. Keeping all joints relaxed and unlocked allows the life force ch'i to flow.  Never over extending allowing an opponent to grab the arm and pull one off balance. Ch'i is applicable to Chinese brush painting and doesn't work so well in traditional oil painting as I was attempting in "Swallows."  I need my oil paint creamy and buttery to have control. To achieve the flow like Chinese watercolors the brush could be stiffened with rice starch while the Chinese watercolor would be the consistency of chicken broth. I will never have that skill.

..one should prepare to paint "as if to receive an important guest."  Infrequently I have the pleasant experience of my painting flowing as though a guest is directing me in all the right moves. A preparation is practice, practice, practice as in Chinese brush painting with traditional movement to become muscle memory.
     I am hoping that one of the side effects of practicing the martial art of Tai Ch'i I will develop a greater awareness of where my body is in space as well as the meditative focus that will carry over to my painting without setting a superficial intent from another culture.
      Below is a passage from George Rowley's book that I have from time to time studied over the years.

PRINCIPLES OF CHINESE PAINTING, page 14.

Aging-- gracefully or not

by Rain Trueax

 Image from Stencil. 

No, it's not me but isn't that a great old face as she looks at a barren and dried up world. All she's experienced is seen through those eyes-- maybe,as she's getting closer to it, also what she sees of the other side.

There are reasons I come back to the topic of aging-- sometimes it's a lifestyle change, but it can simply be looking in the mirror. As people move into old age, some try to hide the numbers. I guess, that's fear of being devalued for being old. This is a cultural thing as it's not that way everywhere or even years back in my own culture.

The word elderly has its own connotations. I remember reading articles where the 'elderly' person in it was 63 or so. When does elderly begin? I would guess by 75, my age, or is it more than a number? I went looking and found varying opinions for elderly. This article on NPR seemed pretty good-- if you want to be politically correct about it. [An Age-Old Problem].

reality versus how we might wish it was

by Rain Trueax

For this blog, I tend to write articles ahead of time, as ideas come to me. I had one planned for today and changed it after my friend, Diane, wrote her piece about her own experiences with sexual abuse. I felt her bravery, and yes, it takes bravery to share such things, meant I needed to change my own plans to address some thoughts on what has been traumatic for our whole country.

Here is not where I want to write about the recent hearings, guilt or innocence of anyone involved in them, but rather the subject of sexual abuse, ramifications on a life, my own experiences, and how thinking about the subject and its impact on adults led to one of my books.

questions where I don't have an answer

We've all seen them. They can be on street corners or in doorways. Sometimes they ask for money. Sometimes they just watch as we go by. Some seem unaware of what's around them. In the United States, when we are just leaving two major holidays, and in the cold season for most of the country, there have been multiple articles on our problem of growing homelessness. This is just one such article.

Death and a Dumpster

What do we do about this? It's not new, but it's growing more significant for multiple reasons. I've seen many articles in the last months. Most blame us as a people-- suggest it's a problem of corporate or personal greed. Is it?

Is this the fault of our culture and we are heartless? 

Is it a product of many who don't fit into a modern world where jobs, even service jobs, require some strength or skills? 

Have some chosen it as they don't want to follow rules? 

Is it mental illness? 

Is it an influx of those from other cultures where they don't know how to fit in ours-- or don't want to? 
How much is PTSD from wars?

How about believing society owes everyone a living and if they don't get it, it's society's fault--  hence the fault is someone else's? 

Would a reverse income tax, where money is transferred from those who work to those who do not-- would that fix it or make irresponsible living worse?

When is irresponsible living a product of an irresponsible society? 

These are only a few of the questions from both sides of our partisan and cultural divide. I can come up with more possibilities but the idea of someone dying in a dumpster to get food is heartbreaking to me. If the food was left on the streets, which evidently France has been requiring, will that lead to more rats or spoiled food that sickens someone leading to lawsuits? 

My concern on the homeless being allowed to live on the streets, defecate wherever they want is historical memories of cholera and other diseases that come from not having sanitary systems. When cities allow tent camps, who maintains safety and sanitation in those facilities-- or is it maintained? If food is left to rot, rats flourish leading to plague. Does anyone seriously believe people today are immune to plagues, when we return to practices that led to so many of them?

One town has threatened, with a criminal charge, a church for providing free, home-cooked meals for the homeless. The local government charges that it encourages them to be there. If not there, where?

When I am in large cities or even our local towns, I see the homeless, some on bicycles provided to help them get around. They often have packs with them-- or their bike is filled with stuff they have scavenged. Vividly, I remember some of my experiences where the people were clearly mentally ill or high on some drug. That usually is not threatening. I've had a few times where it was. 

What leads someone to end up like the man in the article? What can we do about it in a country that has considerable wealth-- but with a valid question to be asked: what really helps? Currently, many of our cities have decided the answer is to allow homeless camps. Those are not new for those of you too young to remember them. I recall going to my grandmother's home in Portland and seeing the fires from the encampment down along the rails in a nearby valley. Those were the years where the men rode the rails and their encampments were not downtown. Today it's different.

Despite what some might think, this is not a partisan issue. It's a cultural one. What can be done-- dumpsters with lighter tops allowing anyone in them to get out even if sick or weakened? Tiny homes with the hope that whoever lives in them will clean up their act, with a real address, and get work? Many things have been tried-- what works? The blame game does not if it's not accompanied by some real solutions. I don't have them. Do you?

downsizing

My fascination lately has been with simplified living, tiny homes, and RV living. Although we have a vacation trailer, I can't imagine getting everything I value in my home/homes into it. How would I store the books? How about the art? My gosh, the art would have to go, and how could I get rid of paintings I love so much? How about the Navajo rugs, the Hopi pottery, the rocks my parents collected that take up so much space? 

Yet, there is this appeal at the idea of simplified living especially with a trailer and being able to boondock (live off the grid) with solar panels. For me, I like to stay connected in terms of the Internet and be able to write using my computer. I bought a fold-able desk to use next time out. We use HotSpots to connect wherever there is enough cell signal (some places there is not). 

I hear about some who desire to live in planned, senior communities and to me that sounds like hell on earth. Yet, how would I feel about not owning anything but a trailer and truck? I don't know, but those who do it fascinate me, and I watch some of them on YouTubes to learn how they live. 

Couple Living in an Airstream

That video is on a YouTube channel by a guy I check up on every now and again, Cheap RV Living, where he posts RVer interviews and what he's learned about how to make it work when you don't live a life like everyone else. He's done some good interviews with women who have chosen this life for assorted reasons. 

Fearless retired woman

Solo Woman Joyfully Living

Well, actually, on YouTube channels, there are quite a few women sharing their lives that way. Most are positive, but I've seen a few like the next link. 

 Scary experiences also happen

We have done trailer and van camping over many years and have had a few scary events also. Be aware is my advice. What she did is what we have done-- leave, even in the middle of the night, when it doesn't feel safe.

Still, most is good. It's not all about old folks these days. Some might be forced out of a stick and brick home, but there are those who want no mortgage or just the freedom to travel. Full time RVing is not new as I remember when our kids were young and a magazine called Trailer Life had a regular feature on those where their rigs were their homes.

Van Life-- Our Custom Van

While I don't see myself doing it at this point, I find the cable shows and videos fun to watch. I used to be a fan of the home remodeling shows, but now it's more tiny living or YouTube for those who have put aside the regular life for one that is unconventional. I am interested in why they made the choice and how they expect to live. I am interested in how it might change a person to live this way. 

Reflections on what society has become

I've thought of it always as something I could do if the economy turns disastrous. It's not for me right now other than as a voyeur.

Some of that and my own experiences with trailering inspired me to write a novella that I first called Red Hawk Christmas but more recently changed to Diana's Journey. It might actually end up with a yet different title, as it's hard to get across a book that isn't really a romance as such and yet is about a romantic journey that a woman makes not to find 'the' man, but to find herself when life has changed for her. 

It was intended to be first in a series of women starting over, with not all involving an RV; but I got sidetracked by the paranormal books and so that put that series on a back-burner for someday. (It also is the one that got a very negative review that literally killed its sales-- reviews can do that.). Still, I like the story and was able to share a lot of my own experiences where I've camped and spent time in the West.

Diana's Journey

I think it's had a problem with not being a romance and yet it kind of is. Cross genre books have this problem.

Imbolc

Calendars often have Imbolc on slightly different days, from February 1st to as late as the 3rd. This year I read that it is the 1st, while Groundhog's Day is the 2nd... not sure where that puts Candlemas and St. Brigid's Day. It probably doesn't matter a lot. It is celebrated as the midway point between Winter Solstice and spring equinox. It is when the lambs come, and the grass begins to green. Buds are swelling on the bushes, and soon the crocus will be up.

Exactly how imbolc is pronounced is debated except one point-- the b is silent. The word means ewe's milk-- and that's exactly where we are here at the farm, with new life everywhere.

 Imbolc

Enjoy Imbolc however  or even if you celebrate it. [Some Wiccan ideas for that]. One simple idea is to light candles, which represent the flame of Brigid. And make wishes for yourself, family, and friends. Candles are great for meditating by staring into the flame. But don't leave burning candles unattended and be particularly careful with those that can burn part way down and fall over. That has led to some very nasty home fires.

Apropos, considering this is a season of change, I am into it for the blog. From now on, with each of these Celtic/Pagan/Wiccan seasonal celebrations, I plan to change the header to one fitting the coming season with the images (mostly) coming from Stencil. I may play around with different options, but this is my plan-- for now.

And, for now, I plan to add a photo from my life, representing its spring, summer, fall, and winter. When I write, I call upon what I've learned from all those years. After all, they are still me-- just buried under age and unfortunately-- fat ;). 

Looking through our albums had me trying to decide which helps positive energy, which is what a banner is about. It sets the tone for the blog-- much like its cover does for a book.

For changes coming to the blog roll-- check back Saturday.

economics

Economics is a tough one to write about. Economic inequality is discussed a lot but usually without solutions to issues that involve fair taxation, good jobs, and fair trade policies. Poverty is a cause of many other problems. If you look at it from a world perspective, it's impossible to get your head around how so many must live.  In terms of income inequality, while poverty has not lessened or even grown, CEOs have had astronomical increases in their pay even when they fail. Fairness is a word used a lot in such discussions...

Causes of Poverty

US Poverty Levels

In the United States, numbers don't really reflect how someone impoverished lives, as that varies with parts of the country. So a couple who earn $15,871 a year might live fairly well if they already own their own home in rural areas where they heat with wood they cut, hunt, fish, and grow a garden-- that is if property taxes aren't too high and they have no medical disasters. City dwellers don't have so many options to supplement their dollars with foraging. 


To help the poor, there are programs like SNAP, heating assistance, and Medicaid. All the helps have problems attached in getting them. I had a friend who lived in government housing, which meant every year she was inspected to be sure she was maintaining her home properly. That's demeaning. If she got a tiny increase in Social Security, the other agencies reduced whatever aid she was getting. There is no way up with that kind of system in place.

While all racial groups are impacted by poverty, some suffer more.

 
When I began voting was in 1964, and it was Goldwater vs. Johnson. Johnson began a war on poverty. Think about that. Over 50 years ago and a war on poverty. What has it accomplished?  22 trillion dollars has been put toward the problem but to what result? [the war on poverty after 50 years]

Would raising the minimum wage help as some claim? It might not as some of the companies using low wage workers are already switching to robots for some jobs. Besides ending wages, that saves them insurance and sick time. Evidently, a trucking company is trying out a computer driven truck with a trucker riding with it-- for now.

The argument is made that income inequality can be evened out by taking more from the richer and handing it to the poorer. Some countries have gone to a minimum income whether someone works or not and it's given out by a reverse income tax. The argument against that goes along the lines of if people don't have to work, some will choose not to. Is this kind of a system enabling lack of responsibility?

Paying better wages that involve the government paying part of the salary is another possible solution that is suggested. This has the advantage of having those capable of working out there, feeling good at what they can do, but still having a living wage.

In all the solutions, if the money used is not paid for by higher taxes on the income earners and is instead borrowed, the solutions are temporary. It is not possible for a country to borrow forever. This is especially true since the borrowing has to come from countries who may be suffering their own economic readjustments. An even worse temporary fix is for the country to start printing money with nothing behind it. That makes a dollar worth less and less until it's a bad joke. that becomes a cruel tax on the poorest.

Trump says he knows how to bring jobs back that are in manufacturing where the wages had been better for those not having a college degree. He would do this by making it less profitable for companies to go overseas, where they pay extremely low wages with no environmental controls or rules regarding working conditions, and then ship the products back here. Now raising the cost of the products, like clothing, will again hurt the poor as often while it cost them jobs, it lets them buy things much cheaper. Whether he could even do what he's suggesting with renegotiating or ending trade agreements is being debated. 

Clinton was for the Trans Pacific trade deal before she was against it when she ran against Sanders. Her Veep candidate said that all might change once they win. Sanders and Trump say that's a terrible deal for the US as was NAFTA and other pacts that helped oligarchs but not our workers. Her economic suggestions involve higher taxes on the rich (not sure where rich would start), a higher death tax, and government jobs as a way to deal with unemployment. When she implied those who hadn't contributed to the government weren't contributing to the society, it's clear that her solution is government oriented.  

If we had a tax on stock trades, even a small one, it'd bring in a lot of money and reduce some of the hedge fund gambling that has made some people fortunes and cost others their retirement income. Currently, it makes the stock market go up and down on whims. So, if we did that, how would we spend that money that had a chance of actually improving the lives of the poor?

Black Lives Matter wants reparations for years of slavery and Jim Crow. Would they want that money handed out to each black person or would they take it and use it to set up programs... involving higher salaries maybe for the administrators. If the money was handed out in a lump sum, how much difference would it make in the long run? I grew up when we saw that happen with a payout to Native Americans for land taken. It temporarily was a boost to the local economy, but the end result of changing lives wasn't so hot. The casinos have done a better job of providing jobs for those tribes able to have them. That is obviously not a solution for every poor. 

I wish I had solutions. Jesus said the poor you would always have, and we certainly always had. In our country poverty is nothing like it is around the world-- which doesn't make those who have so little feel good about it. While most poor still have television, computers, food to eat, and a roof over their heads, that's not a lot of consolation when they see others who have so much more, when they have to worry from day to day whether the money will stretch far enough. 

Personally, I have never known poverty but did grow up with a father who was out of work sometimes for strikes or other problems and where I considered secondhand clothes a good deal, where I never ate at a nice restaurant until I was long grown and even then it worried me for fitting in, where a treat was a Dairy Queen sundae, and doctor visits were paid by the visit without insurance-- but those visits were affordable back then.

Growing up in a lower economic level home, I came to believe you had to work for what you wanted. Also that you cannot take so much from the rich that you end up taking away their incentive. I worry that when you hand out money, you have to be sure the person really cannot work. That life is lived better with some responsibility for yourself and others. I also know after over 50 years of trying to defeat poverty, we haven't gotten it done. Frankly I don't see either of the candidates running for President with a viable plan that would now.