Wonder Women

"Human beings the world over need freedom and security that they may be able to realize their full potential. We want to empower our people; we want to strengthen them; we want to provide them with the kind of qualifications that will enable them to build up their own country themselves." ~Aung San Suu Kyi

"There was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other." ~Harriet Tubman

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."

"They say it is better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable, but how about a compromise like moderately rich and just moody?"

"People think that at the end of the day a man is the only answer. Actually, a fulfilling job is better for me." ~Princess Diana
 

“All our problems, all our disputes, all our disagreements can be resolved quickly to mutual satisfaction if we address the question”  "You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea." ~Benazir Bhutto

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him. If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! ~Sojourner Truth

 

There are countless women to honor on this 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, Women from every country, every culture, every imaginable background, who used their lives to make a significant difference not only in the lives of other women in their own days, but in the lives of all people in the time that followed them. I've selected a few to represent the masses who changed the world.  Thank you! For the young women just growing up today, and for those to come in years ahead, you have a mantle to carry, lifted with strength and dignity by the ladies who came before you, bear it well.

Nobel Peace Price

Our most sincere and delighted congratulations to

Liu Xiaobo for winning the Nobel Peace Prize this year!

Our most sincere and heartsick sorrow to Liu Xiaobo that the Chinese government has charged him with 'inciting subversion' and imprisoned him for 11 years. This stems from his work to change China's communist ideals.

The price of freedom is high, but there is nothing that those who want it won't sacrifice to get it; history has shown us this time and time again.

The Chinese government has called Xiaobo's Nobel win "an attack on its political and legal system" and a "political farce", as they view the (massive world wide) support of Xiaobo in an extremely negative light. His wife, Liu Xia has been under house arrest since the Nobel committee announced Xiaobo's win.  No one will be allowed to accept his prize for him, unfortunately. 

The Nobel committee will honor this imprisoned hero by representing him with an empty chair at the presentation of the awards.  He may not be there to accept it physically, but his absence will make him more powerfully present than anyone else who is there.  It will speak volumes to the world, and hopefully, to the leaders of China.    

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said,

"The Nobel committee has to admit they are in the minority, the Chinese people and the overwhelming majority of people in the world are against this.  The decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee does not represent the wish of the majority of the people in the world, particularly that of the developing countries... This is not an issue of human rights; it is an issue of interference of internal affairs...  Liu Xiaobo broke Article 105, a crime of instigating the subversion of state power. He went beyond general criticism of the state..."

I believe that she is wrong, and I am not alone in that opinion.
Almost 100 protesters marched on the Chinese Embassy in Oslo with a petition containing more than 100,000 signatures demanding Liu Xiaobo be released from prison, crying "Freedom to Liu! Freedom for China!". 

Leaders from many nations all over the world including President Barack Obama and his wife have called for his release as well, and China's leaders in Beijing have only grown more furious over the requests and demands for Xiaobo's freedom.  The Chinese Foreign Ministry has blocked all media and internet coverage and all information about the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Liu Xiaobo. 

President Obama stated,

"Mr. Liu reminds us that human dignity also depends upon the advance of democracy, open society, and the rule of law. The values he espouses are universal, his struggle is peaceful, and he should be released as soon as possible."

The chair is only empty of a physical body... it is filled beyond measure with faith, with ideals, with dreams, with the support of those who have freedom and of those who believe in it and dream of it every day.

These are the struggles that bring us to freedom in the days to come. Liu Xiaobo, we believe in you, and in what you stand for. Keep the faith. Peace be with you.



Chris Andrews Photography http://www.cja-images.org.uk/index.html

One Night With The King

Maybe it's luck. 

Maybe it's charm, grace, or an Egyptian blessing from the boy king himself.

Tonight will find me photographing the King Tut gala and exhibit opening at the Denver Art Museum.

I am nothing short of ecstatic about this opportunity.

The board presenting this gala have decided to call it "Flappers and Pharaohs Bash" and tie in a roaring twenties theme complete with flappers, gangsters and Tommy guns galore to coincide with Harold Carter's 1922 discovery of King Tut's tomb. 

I can't really see the connection between a rough and tumble dangerous party era and one of the most fascinating and mysterious ancient kings in the history of mankind... but it's going to be a lot of fun!

What do you think... Flappers and Pharaohs? Do these images show any resemblance to each other?

Think Al Capone knew how to walk like an Egyptian?

The chance to photograph King Tutankhamen's artifacts and listen to Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, speak about him, will be one of those special life experiences that I never forget.  The fact that they're letting me photograph it is one of the great highlights of the night for me.  One night with the King. I can hardly wait!

Mike The Headless Chicken

I really wish I was kidding about this one.

Let's go back to September 10th, 1945 in the very small rural town of Fruita, Colorado.  Lloyd Olsen's wife, Clara, sends him out to kill a chicken for dinner.   Lloyd fells the axe on the chicken's neck.  The head comes off and the chicken, oblivious to the loss of his head, keeps right on going about his bird business.  When Lloyd found him alive and well, sans head, the next morning, he decided to let the bird live and fed him with an eye dropper to keep him going.  

They named him Mike and Mike became so famous that for the remaining 18 months of his headless life, he hit celebrity status; he even wound up in both Time and Life Magazine.

 

That celebrity status became legend and now there is an annual Mike the Headless Chicken festival in Fruita, during the third weekend of May.  The festival features a lawn mower race, chicken dance contest, eating contests, chicken games (like pin the head on the chicken and an egg toss), 5k run, a car show and a 'Good Egg' award, among several other interests.   

If you would like to know more about it, he has his own website:

Mike's website.

Alternate titles for this post:
the afterlife of a chicken
it just wouldn't die
and in other news... chicken defies death

axe me again

life after death

stranger than fiction

The Day Of Dreams ~ Dream Of Change

It is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a day that I look forward to every year as 'The Day of Dreams'. Every year I write a message that is sent out to many. I write about life, dreams, hope, perseverance, faith, and love.

This year, we look to the future. "Dream of Change". It's poignant for many reasons. We've put a black man in the oval office; he dreams of change. He's doing his best to make that happen, but it's a long, tough road. It will come, but not overnight. Not in a year. It will happen, though. I believe that.

When I dream of change, it is on every level. I look for change in my own life, day to day, as I strive to become what I want to be. I look for change in those areas of my life in which I have some personal touch or effect. I watch the horizon for change in my community, my city, state, and this great nation. I pray for change in the world.

I posted Dion's "Abraham, Martin & John" today. It’s such a beautiful song; one worth singing, if you believe what you sing. These men believed in change, and worked hard to bring it about. Mahatma Gandhi believed that we must be the change that we wish to see in the world. Mother Theresa changed the lives of many thousands of others, through her work & faith. The history of humanity is interwoven with the lives of people whose mission in life was to change the world we live in, because it is not what it should be, it is not at all the place that it could be if we all only tried like these few brilliant and peaceful guiding lights did.

On every level, every day, we have the opportunity to change this world, to change the way we live, the way we allow our society to live, and to make it right. We have the chance to love, every day.

These very good, strong people who've come and been taken away from us all too soon, are giants upon whose shoulders we stand. They've given all of us a better world, better in small pieces, in some places, and they've given us ideals to build upon and improve. They are the brightest stars in the dark night of the worst of humanity, and by reaching beyond what we believed; they have shown us what we could be, if we wanted to change. They have given us hope for something better than what we know.

We turn away from the chance to love others and change ourselves and our world much too often. We do not take up the torch that has been passed to us, that was so hard won. Would Dr. King be proud of where we've gone with his legacy? His dreams? I don't think so.

Racism is still rampant throughout the world. Hatred. Violence. Intolerance. War is still waged. We will never find peace if we do not act in love. Nothing else can bring it about... nothing else will make it change.

Dr. King's dreams are much more of a reality than they were, not because he fought with anger or violence for them, but because he protested in love and honesty; with integrity and righteousness. We all have that capability, if we so choose to live it.

I ask this of you: find the change in yourselves, and make it a lifestyle. Continue to love what is right, what is good, what is equal and strong, what grows and blesses all of us. Do not speak or act out of anything but love. Treat those around you with kindness and compassion; always. We can make this dream of change, this dream of a peaceful, fair and equal humanity, our own reality, if we choose to have it so.

Peace be with you.

A Little Kindness

"In nature there's no blemish but the mind; None can be called deformed but the unkind." ~Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

This also from Twelfth Night, as was the Passport Stamp that Viaggiatore and I posted recently, on Twelfth Night. There is a tender sweet irony, a relevancy to this wonderful work of Shakespeare's, and the celebration for which it is named. Twelfth Night is the eve of Epiphany; the day Christians celebrate the magi, or three wise men, finding and worshipping the Lord Jesus, twelve days after His birth.

This line from Shakespeare's comedy is a true and solemn thought to consider. "None can be called deformed but the unkind." The wise men were very kind indeed to Jesus and His family; giving gifts of frankincense, myrrh and gold. One could reflect on the whole of the story and with some introspect, we find quite a bit more than just the kindness given.

We find faith. These men traveled vast distances, guided by a brilliant star and their unswerving faith that they would find an infant King. That faith brought them safely through a brief visit with the wicked King Herod and caused them to return to their lands via a different route so as to avoid further interaction with Herod.

We find hope. They were filled with such a strong hope that it compelled them to travel so very far from their homes to see with their own eyes the miracle that they believed had been given them, and the world. I believe that the only thing stronger than hope is love.

We find humbleness. Three wise men. Three kings. Three men of high estate, whatever their true titles may have been... kneeling to an infant of poor means. There is much to be said for that; wisdom in knowing that station does not define self, and that there are greater things around and about us which may come in unexpected forms- things that we might miss if we believe ourselves too great.

This brings us back to kindness. What is the cost of a kind word, a gentle sincere smile, the warm touch of a hand or an arm about anothers shoulders when the world is heavily laden with itself? It is nothing spent and priceless given. It is the herald of love.

It is in short supply, too, I think. Viaggiatore and I ask this of you, if you've read this, to give an unexpected kindness today, as many times as you are inspired to do so, for we believe that if you see the good it has done the first time, you will desire to experience that again, and we encourage you to do so... spread it. Like the warmth of the sun, let it flow from you without ceasing into the lives of anyone you meet, especially when it is done to answer an unkindness. Especially then.

If you can find no kindness to give, then let silence bind your tongue and stillness hold your expressions, actions and reactions so that an unkindness does not escape you.

It is a new year, a beginning; again, an opportunity to reassert to ourselves that we can be the people we want to be. It's really so very easy to do, and each step makes it easier and more delightful as we go.

May this Twelfth Night be the star that lights your way this year; a year filled with faith, hope, kindness, humbleness and above all, love.

Veterans Day

Thank You, Veterans

Wandering Into A Bath ~ Destination Thirteen

Congratulations Vanilla! She won the latest point in the Wandering game! Excellent work!
We were indeed visiting the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, and if you haven't checked this haunted ruin of a graveyard out, it's well worth a look!

Current points:

Michelle: Bleeding Espresso 4 points
Rel: Under The Microscope 2 points
Hearts: Guilty With An Explanation 2 points
Lee: Dancing Crow 2 points
Vanilla: Absolute Vanilla 1 point


As soon as Vanilla found us, we were off again!
Viaggiatore and I have turned and gone in the opposite direction, to go have a very special bath!

Destination Thirteen~

Between the Ankh and the Crescent, a former capital city where every ruler built his own palace.
The bath of the first is now filled but once a year.
Once an emporer's bath, it is now a shrine.

What have we gone to see?

Wandering Into Sand & Sea ~ Destination Twelve

We are wandering off again!

Congratulations to Lee of Dancing Crow, who won the last point! Great job! That was a tough one. The scores now stand as follows: Michelle (Bleeding Espresso) has 4 points, Heart in SF (Guilty With An Explanation) has 2 points, Rel (Under the Microscope) has 2 points and Lee (Dancing Crow) has tied them with 2 points! Fantastic work everyone!

If you haven't started playing then join in! We have a long way to go and right now the possibilities are wide open! Viaggiatore (the lion on the beach at the top of the page) and I are wandering around the world throughout the year 1893. Everything that we are seeing will either have been invented, discovered or existed by that year. At the end of the journey, whoever has the most points (earned by guessing where we are or whom or what we've gone to see) will win The Wanderer's Treasure Bag!

Viaggiatore and I love the sea. But we're not quite there yet... where have we gone now?

Destination Twelve ~

By an ocean of water and still it is sear.
A cemetery of ships too far from the waves.
A very deep beach.

**extra hints**

We are south of Angola... and it is very dangerous here. There is but one way into these foggy gates of hell and no way out.

Good luck!

Wandering South ~ Destination Eleven

Welcome Lee of Dancing Crow (go check out the photos; they are fantastic!), and well done on winning the latest point! Keep trying and give these fine folks a run for the prize! Michelle at Bleeding Espresso has 4 points, Heart in SF at Guilty With An Explanation has 2 points, as does Rel at Under the Microscope - 2 points, and Lee of Dancing Crow now has one. Great job, everyone! There is more to be done...

We've left the Mediterranean, and now Viaggiatore and I are heading south, just a little, we will be wandering across a great continent! Now we are looking for a common thing the world over, but in a very special and specific place.

Follow the clues and find out where we've gone to now! Earn the point and you're one step closer to winning The Wanderer's Treasure Bag!


Destination Eleven ~

"And from the belt of the world, you shall bring from the highest mountain of fire, that which calms a fever"


What are we seeking?

Wandering Through History In Medius Terra ~ Destination Ten

Congratulations to Heart in SF! She won the latest point in the Wandering Game! The score is now as follows: Michelle at Bleeding Espresso; 4 points, Rel of Under The Microscope; 2 points, Heart in SF of Guilty with an Explanation; 2 points! Great work everyone!


If you haven't played yet, get in the game! We've got many places to go and things to see!


Viaggiatore just loves knowledge (see his book there in his photo?), so we will make one last stop in this region, before going south. Where have we gone now?

Destination Ten ~



1. The tales were rolled

2. They burned and destroyed them

3. Temples of knowledge and knowledge in temples



Best of luck!

Wandering In Medius Terra & Euripus ~ Destination Nine

The Wandering Game continues... positions have shifted a bit; Michelle at Bleeding Espresso has four points, Rel at Under The Microscope has two and Heart in SF at Guilty With An Explanation has one.
See if you can catch up! The winner (after several stops around the globe) will be awarded with The Wanderer's Travel Bag! Details about that are in the first Wandering post.
Come along and play with us! Try to figure out where Viaggiatore the Shameless Lion and I have gone off to this time!


Destination Nine ~

~Dug a long ditch for a shorter sail

**HINT**
...Sue is here.

Wandering Into Medius Terra ~ Destination Eight

Viaggiatore and I have wandered away to one of our most favorite places on the globe. We'll be in this area for a few stops.

The Wandering game has really taken off! Michelle at Bleeding Espresso now has four points, HeartinSanFrancisco from Guilty With An Explanation and Rel from Under the Microscope are tied with 1 each and 2 steps behind the mask has made several concerted efforts, for which Viaggiatore and I are quite delighted. The owners of these three blogs, by the way, are excellent writers and photographers, all three, which is one of the myriad of reasons why Viaggiatore and I love them so much. It would be worth your time to wander off to their pages to read a little, and I'd bet you'll be so glad that you did.

Life is too short to lurk. If you are reading but not playing, you are missing out. Get in the game! We've got a whole world to see, and plenty of time for everyone to make their mark! We are racing for a wonderful prize, The Wanderer's Treasure Bag! It's very special, there is only one of them in the world and we are giving it away to the winner!

So come along then, and play with us! Don't miss out!

Now then...

Destination Eight~

Sometimes as land
Sometimes as sea
Survival played out
For the entertainment
Of Emperors

Best of luck!

Wandering High & Low ~ Destination Seven

My goodness! What a journey, and we've barely begun it!

If you haven't started playing this game, GET GOING & START! There's plenty of time! Here's the gist of it:

Viaggiatore and I are wandering around the world in the year 1893. Everyone, everything and every place we are visiting will have existed up to or in this year.

Everyone is competing for the Wanderer's Treasure Bag! See the first Wandering post for the wonderful surprises within it!

Michelle at Bleeding Espresso is hot on our tails! She has 3 points, Heart in SF and Rel from Under the Microscope have 1. Get in the game and see what you can come up with!

Viaggiatore and I saw the Black Prince's Ruby in the UK... now we've wandered just a little ways south, and UP!

Destination Seven ~

1. The high crossroads, as on the hinge of an oyster...

2. Titled to two yet governing itself

3. Three valleys granted by Charlemagne's charter


....and an extra hint, because this one is tricky...

~Near the mountainous home of a mountain of a dog...

Good luck!

Wandering Westward ~ Destination Six

The game is afoot! Michelle of Bleeding Espresso has 2 points, Heart in SF has 1 and Rel from Under the Microscope also has 1! Very exciting thusfar!

Viaggiatore and I have left the Taj Mahal and have headed west! Please remember that we are wandering throughout the year 1893...

What in the world have we gone to see now?


Destination Six~

1. A ruby that isn't, for a king who never was

2. Lost and found,

3. Now displayed in Great State


Good luck!!

**EXTRA HINT**

We are in Great Britain... what special thing have we gone to see?

Wandering Through India ~ Destination Five

The game is on! Michelle of Bleeding Espresso is currently in the lead with 2 points to her credit, and Heart in SF is right behind her with 1. Let's see what changes! If you haven't played yet, get in the game!

Viaggiatore and I are off again, to our last destination in India. We've made it a little more challenging this time... to find the clues, you have to complete the crossword puzzle. Once done, the words in the puzzle will lead to you our location!

Where in the world have Viaggiatore and I gone?

Down:

1. Devotion of heart

2. 3rd rock

3. Tribute

Across:

1. Amazement

2. Sleep

3. Harmony

4. Tomb

**A word of caution**

You must provide the location ~with~ all the words in the puzzle to win this point!

Good Luck!!

Wandering Photo Album

Wandering the world is getting exciting! The game continues...

The next destination will be up a little later today! Come back, read the clues and see if you can figure out where Viaggiatore and I have wandered off to now!

You must remember that we started in the year 1893....

A quick look back at where we've been so far:

We stopped to visit Jack London while he was in the Yukon looking for gold!

We headed north into Canada to see this wonder of transportation, the Featherstonaugh Car; the first electric automobile.

Sadly, this 1893 original was the first and last of its kind for a *very* long time.

We trekked to the Holy Cave of Amarnath

to see this: ice Shiva Lingam which waxes and wanes with the phases of the moon!

Then we visited Potala Palace, which is the true home of the Dalai Lama, although he hasn't lived there since 1959. It is an incredible place!

Wandering In India - Destination Four

The sojourn continues, as Viaggiatore and I leave the Holy Cave of Amarnath and head off to our next destination. So far, the game is tied; HeartinSanFrancisco and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso have each gotten one point towards winning the Wanderer's Treasure Bag!

There are many stops along this journey, and many opportunities to win! Come and play!

Use the clues to discover where Viaggiatore and I have gone this time!


Destination Four~

1. Masterless monastic brothers abode

2. The Ocean Teachers true sanctuary

3. Nestled among a triumvirate of guardians


Where have we gone to now?

Wandering Off To India ~ Destination Three

The game continues! Viaggiatore and I have left Canada and are now headed off to India! Use the clues to find out where we have gone, and earn a point towards winning the Wanderers Treasure Bag!

For more details on the game, take a quick peek at this post.

Destination Three:

1. Shravan has come and the sojourn begins

2. In lunar cadence does the rime wax and wane

3. Divergent paths through mountain and valley converge at the heights of heaven

...and an extra hint, because this one is tricky:

Shrine of the cold triumvirate, beyond the five rivers...


Good luck!!

The Esprit de Corps of Muses

It is Viaggiatore's 2nd birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIAGGIATORE!!

My goodness, has it been two years already? My how time flies.

Two years ago, Seamus offered up 48 lions for adoption; an act that made both the adopter and the lion, members of The Shameless Lions Writing Circle. So began a journey of friendship, writing and travel for Viaggiatore and I.

Viaggiatore is my muse, my inspiration, and always my delight. He has never failed to bring a genuinely happy smile to my face every time I see him. We have written quite a bit, traveled so many places and met several wonderful friends. Time is continually improving our bond, moment by moment.

He is, to me, the 10th Muse.

There were nine, originally, according to ancient Greek mythology. He's in the good company of these ladies:

Calliope: she is the muse of epic poetry, her emblem is the writing tablet.

Clio: is the muse of history, and her emblem is the scroll.

Erato: who is the muse of lyric poetry, symbolized by the cithara.

Euterpe: the muse of music (which is also the etymology of that word), and whose emblem is the aulos.

Melpomene: the muse of tragedy; she carries the tragic mask.

Polyhymnia: the muse of choral poetry, whose symbol is the veil.

Terpsichore: she is the muse of dance, and her emblem is the lyre.

Thalia: the muse of comedy who carries the comic mask.

Urania: the muse of astronomy, whose emblems are the globe and compass (she is our favorite of the nine, of course).