Let It Be

Sunday often ends with a musical ponder. In keeping with civil rights, a topic weighing heavily on my mind as the 50th anniversary of America signing the first Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964 approaches – a short clip from Across The Universe.

Across The Universe – directed by Julie Taymor, released in 2007, Oscar nominated for best musical (lost to Sweeney Todd) – not just my favorite musical, it rates as one of my top movies of all time. On the surface a love story based on music of the Beatles, set in the era of Vietnam and Civil Rights protests. What it delivers – a razor sharp statement on war and civil rights, as relevant today as in 1968. A link to the full movie….

Olympic Power

In the spirit of July 2 marking the 50th anniversary of America’s first signed Civil Rights Act , on the heals of last night’s pondering of those rights – I’m re-posting “Olympic Power”. I can’t watch this clip without becoming emotional. Take 4 1/2 minutes out of your life to watch and ponder. All I ask is that you try to find the absurdity of hatred, fear, and exclusion based on the colour of your skin.

notestoponder

Fresh off  closing ceremonies at Sochi, still smiling from the exhilaration of Canadian men and women’s hockey taking gold, I find myself pondering another Olympic moment.

The courage of Tommie Smith and John Carlos exemplifies the civil rights movement. I’m not going to explain why – take 5 minutes out of your life to watch a snapshot in time, a moment in history when  Olympics’ sacred line was crossed, when damn the consequences ruled over “tow the line”. Smith and Carlos managed to define injustice without uttering a word.

I often write of protest; specifically my dismay at society’s screwed up priorities – our spoon fed, cult of celebrity, gun toting, fundamentalist, reality television, someone else’s problem world. For those too young to understand the optimism, hope and determination of people who believed they could make a difference, I wish I could roll back time. When coffee shops and campuses burst under the weight of collective purpose…

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July 2, 1964

On July 2, 1964 American president Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. Discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, national origin and gender were outlawed – America officially recognized the rights of all citizens. In August, three black civil rights workers working in Mississippi to register African American voters, were found murdered by the KKK. That October, Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The following year Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – literacy tests and poll taxes aimed at southern blacks became illegal.  Legislation sparked by a tumultuous year that witnessed Malcolm X’s assassination and “bloody Sunday” – Alabama State Troopers using tear gas, whips and clubs to send 50 peaceful protesters to hospital as they crossed a bridge.

1966 – Huey Newton and Bobby Seale form the Black Panther Movement, the term “black power” immortalized in 1967 by Stokely Carmichael of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Seattle. President Johnson appoints Thurgood Marshall as the first black Supreme Court Justice. The court rules in Loving v. Virginia that prohibiting interracial marriage is unconstitutional.

April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. A few days later President Johnson amends the Civil Rights Act to include racial discrimination in housing sales, rentals and financing. Democrat Shirley Chisholm of New York becomes the first black female Representative elected.

It would take pages to properly document the American civil rights movement.  Rosa Parks of Montgomery, Alabama refusing to sit at the back of the bus in 1955 would shudder at the 1972 Tuskagee Syphilis Experiment (a 40 year U.S. Health Dept. program, from 1932 intentionally infecting black men with Syphilis) or Rex 84 (a plan penned by Oliver North in 1984 laying out plans to inter 21 million African Americans in the event of civil unrest),  to the abysmal behavior of pin headed “patriots” (terrified, petulant children quaking in their boots because Obama tried to drive the bus).

Pondering 50 years since signing of America’s first Civil Rights Act is depressing. Narrow minded nincompoops may be wise to the illusion of equality, becoming adept at politically correct facades is second nature. Don’t kid yourselves – inclusion, equality, education, housing, fair wages – they all impact the bottom line, civil rights are bad for business. Racial equality screams foul from every courtroom, prison, ghetto, housing project, and school in America.

A few days from now, the 50th anniversary of a momentous civil rights act coincides with Fourth of July flag waving hoopla. At some point between all the fireworks, BBQ’s and marching bands – I propose a moment of silence for courageous Americans forced to suffer the stigma and inequality of race.

A thank you to the inspiration for this ponder….

http://larryjben.wordpress.com/

civilrights.uga.edu

Monumental Canadian Land Rights Decision

Today’s announcement of a unanimous 8-0 ruling by The Supreme Court of Canada in favor of the Tsilhqot’in first nations land claim appeal – nothing less than astonishing. Aboriginal leaders wept, overwhelmed by the unexpected victory ending a decades old dispute.

The ruling settled aboriginal claim to 440,00 hectares of land near Williams Lake in the B.C. interior. Tsilhqot’in First Nations people took a 2012 B.C. Court of Appeal decision (one giving rights to hunt,trap and trade in traditional territory provided they name specific places their people once lived) to the Supreme Court, arguing their people were “semi-nomadic” and the Court of Appeal decision ignored centuries old tradition.

The decision written by Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin recognized semi-nomadic land claim titles, removing “continuous occupation” as a requirement, giving First Nations people the legal right to use and profit from traditional lands. In future, this decision will apply to all disputed Aboriginal land titles. A three point test will be used to determine claims – occupation, continuity of habitation of the land and exclusivity in the area.

The second part of the decision heralds truly momentous changes in terms of economic development. As of today, mining, logging, pipeline construction – not so fast, you have some explaining to do.  Cool your jets, satisfy one of the two following conditions, or take your project someplace else.  For the first time in history, aboriginal people must give “consent” to development of traditional lands. No consent? You can take a run at the second rule – plead your case to the government, convince them of the dire, pressing and substantial importance of your plans to become even wealthier. As of today the government has a legal obligation to justify development on aboriginal land, but who knows – you might get lucky.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tsilhqot-in-first-nation-granted-b-c-title-claim-in-supreme-court-ruling-1.2688332

Kudos Supreme Court of Canada, congratulations Tsilhqot’in and all First Nations people, condolences Enbridge, suck it up resource sector. The high court has spoken – ponder the enormity of a decision not only righting historical wrongs, but taking steps to protect our environment from the pillage of a greedy few.

ctvnews.ca

Varosha, Cyprus

Our world is littered with abandoned “sites’, for the most part archeological treasures worthy of scientific scrutiny. Ancient riddles, often without reference points or defined origins – physical evidence void of mainstream historical pigeon holing, Stonehenge, the Great Pyramids – well known tourist meccas, not entirely understood yet duly noted on historical timelines. Puma Punku, Gobekli Tepe – never so much as whispered in classrooms, despite irrefutable scientific proof they blast historical timelines to smithereens.

Pondering “sites” led to this conclusion – we dismiss anything we haven’t been taught in school (with tendencies to peg the unfamiliar as bat shit dribble), embrace familiar lessons as definitive truth, and never bother to consider modern “sites” as something with historical value. In short – the very old and relatively new – completely overlooked in favor of predictably dusty bedtime stories.

I’ll concede – ancient, ancient history, the history responsible for my passionate enthusiasm towards civilization lost may be hard to swallow. I see the eyes roll, the blank stares as you say “how interesting”, knowing full well it means “she’s run off the rails”. I don’t hold it against you.. We live in a world where absolutes are comforting, skepticism greets new information, and mainstream (textbook history) rules supreme.

All history is relevant – if we can’t wrap our heads around the distant past, how about looking at something easier to fathom. The world is littered with surreal “sites”, created within the last 100 years – places we can explain yet choose to ignore.

Varosha, Cyprus comes to mind. Famagusta was an exotic resort destination on the island of Cyprus. The Varosha district, a playground for the rich and famous until 1974 when Turkey took exception to a Greek coup, invading and dividing the island into a Greek south and Turkish occupied north. Thousands of residents fled the city, they never had a chance to come back. Turkish army enclosed Varosha in barbed wire – 40 years later, uninhabited, utterly forsaken, beyond repair. A “petrified urban museum, enclosed, boarded up, frozen in time”.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/03/world/europe/cyprus-resort-varosha-remains-sealed-off-to-visitors.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Varosha, Cyprus is is an archeological site, a place of historic importance. Our one advantage – we know who, how and why it became a “site”. We possess absolute, irrefutable knowledge yet it languishes in the realm of inconsequential. The tough work is done – we don’t have to squabble over who built it or why it was abandoned. Places like this fit politely into historical timelines – few outside the immediate region have ever heard of it. Much like the Prora Hotel…

https://notestoponder.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/prora-hotel/

We should alter our thinking to include such places in historical mindsets. Nothing would make me happier than hearing an enlightened educator used them to ignite classroom discussion. Sigh.

 

 

 

Ponder a Day In My Life

For over 30 years the food and beverage industry has paid my bills. Years spent operating my own catering company, running back stage and suites at the stadium/arena, F&B management at a major hotel. The last 5 years, making parties fabulous for a major catering company. No two days alike, no two parties the same – I thrive on little more than “thank you” for a job well done.

Top dollar for exemplary service, attention to detail, problem solving and my undivided attention. So much more than food – we take success seriously. Bat shit expectations, unrealistic timelines, “little Miss know it all” executive assistants , hysterical brides, in your face hot heads – all walk away with smiles on their faces, skillfully dealt the appropriate measure of expertise and common sense.  Hospitality has taught me to more about Psychology than years of schooling ever could.

Much as I enjoy what I do, at times I shake my head in astonishment. Next time you’re at a party, think about a day in my life.

Take a look around – every table, chair, tablecloth, fork, candle, bar, morsel of food – came from someplace else. We began hours ago, loading trucks with heavy equipment. unloading and hauling it into place. We didn’t have time to whine over the blocked loading bay nobody bothered to tell us about – we had a party to pull off. Never letting on how monumentally behind schedule we were, finding a painfully arduous and slow load in – all with a smile on our face. Why should it be any of your concern the rented china, glassware and cutlery languished on the wrong floor of this one elevator building because the event rental people messed up. We’ll deal with them later, we have a party in an hour – get to work.

Tables set for 250 people, bar open, buffet ready to go, a free drink ticket each plus a bottle of red and white wine on every table – enjoy yourselves, the food is lovely – what a great way to end your conference. For the 40 Vegetarian and Vegan guests – don’t worry, we’ve prepared lovely meal options for your dining pleasure – please identify yourselves at the buffet and one of my staff will plate your dinner. Hold on a moment, I’m confused. You stipulated your lifestyle choice, we went out of our way to make sure you had a spectacular dining experience, but you were hedging your bet? The chicken and salmon look pretty good so you switch teams and load your plates with proteins meant for your associates? Didn’t cross your mind this might create a problem? Quick calculation as I eyeball the buffet line – only 10 “special meals” taken, 30 inconsiderate guests now scarfing down dinner meant for someone else – we made plenty of food but 30 lifestyle imposters has taken a toll. I wonder if you even noticed the tables still at the buffet line – did it cross your mind they might not be thrilled to eat your Vegan meal?

No I can’t “slip” you another bottle of wine – your host paid for 2 bottles per table and your free meal. This is the third time you’ve asked me, please stop embarrassing yourself. Time to go home now – the bar is closed, no I won’t make an exception. 25 tables to roll out, 250 chairs to stack, a one ton truck to fill, drive back to our headquarters, unload a one ton truck, write a report, and finally limp home.

I need my head examined – like childbirth, if able to remember the pain I’d never do it again. Miraculously, my mind resets, I wake up ready to take on the next party – a spring in my step and smile on my face.

 

Sunday Night Musical Ponder

Sunday evening often brings a musical ponder. All I ask – a few minutes listening to one of the shadow people you scurry past every day. Rendered invisible, inhabiting a realm outside our comfort zone – we avoid eye contact, pretend to look at our phones, or brace our delicate sensibilities until well beyond their presence.

Drug addiction, mental illness, violence, poverty and circumstance – not easy to solve. I’m not asking for, or expecting acknowledgement as the magic wand capable of wiping it away. All I could hope for is a fleeting moment of realization – a moment when compassion allows us to see people hidden in the shadows.

Light Pollution

Watching this time lapse video by Mike Flores – 4 years ago in Baja California – illustrates ancient civilization’s keen understanding of the cosmos. Ponder a world unfettered by light pollution – imagine this on the “big screen” every night – galactic awareness would become second nature.

This graphic sums up modern reality – a majority of Earth’s citizens live within the spectrum of the first two night skies. All but a handful of the brightest objects hopelessly lost to light pollution. I’ve used the 1994 Los Angelos Northridge earthquake example on many occasions – when the city lost power, frantic citizens called 911 and the Griffith Observatory, terrified by the appearance of a “strange, giant, silvery cloud” – it never occurred to say hello to the Milky Way.

I’ve often asked myself if modern indifference towards the natural world stems from fading reminders of our place in the cosmos. Ancient people built mythology around celestial observations – cosmic shifts and alignments dictated planting, harvest. Elaborately woven lore binding earth and sky. The world made sense because nothing was taken for granted.

We’ve lost the one perspective able to put us in our place – the ability to look up and see we’re part of a very big universe. It may not be possible to find a corner dark enough to see the universe as ancient people did – watching Mike Flores video is a great place to start.

http://vimeo.com/mikeflores

Global Wind Map

Every so often I stumble upon an app or site capable of reducing me to a child cut loose in a toy store. OK, so I’m a weather nut, no shame in that. Nor surprising my toy store is an interactive map of global winds and ocean currents.

Weather is humbling – despite technology, scientific advances and satellite tracking – we’re powerless to stand between our lives and a bad storm. Rarely given the respect it deserves, blissfully unaware nature doesn’t care who you are or where you live, blinded by a bloated sense of entitlement – weather resides in the land of local forecasts and grade school felt board representations. Smiley suns, puffed blowing cheeks of grumpy looking clouds – weather reduced to robotic statistics following sport reports.

Weather can’t be dismissed as “local” or “national” – weather is global, an intricate symphony of cause and affect. The top ten feet of oceans hold as much heat as the entire atmosphere. Ocean currents move and redistribute heat. Hurricanes form only when surface water reaches 79 degrees Fahrenheit – the tipping point where evaporation meets rotation of the earth – unstoppable, inevitable and indiscriminate.

Wind carries upwards of 200 million tons of “mineral dust” from the Sahara into the atmosphere every year.  Transported thousands of kilometers in the upper atmosphere, mineral dust deposits fuel plankton blooms (resulting in increased fish) reduction of ocean temperatures (fewer hurricanes), rejuvenated Amazon rainforests, and stunted growth of coral reefs in the Caribbean. Unpredictable, impossible to anticipate – at the mercy of natural forces we can only stand back and witness.

When I stumble upon a tool to observe nature in all her glory I go slightly bonkers. The first link below is to a page highlighting the virtues of an interactive global wind map. You can watch global wind or ocean currents, adjust settings for specific countries, atmospheric height or chuck wind and focus on ocean currents. The second link takes you directly to the interactive site – one I hope you find time to play with after wetting your appetite on the overview.

http://io9.com/this-real-time-global-wind-map-will-completely-devour-y-1482867032

http://earth.nullschool.net/#2014/06/23/0600Z/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-91.64,46.36,256

earth.nullschool.net

Oh Vega

Oh Vega, seeing you tonight reminded me of a side lined idea to write about wonders of the night sky. Calling it “baby steps”, and seen as my way of sparking others to gaze at the sky – I remain hopeful a cosmic signpost or two will cast eyes upwards. I can’t force cosmic awe or expect my enthusiasm to resonate with anyone not inclined. Daunting probability of success never stopped me before – if a single person reads this and takes it upon themselves to locate Vega, that’s good enough for me.

https://notestoponder.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/another-perspective/

Vega is my favorite summer star.  5th brightest in the Northern Hemisphere – dependable, comforting and easy to find. In early evening look to the northeast, Vega jumps at you, unhindered by four faint companions making up constellation Lyra.  More noticeable are Deneb and Altair who join Vega to make the “summer triangle”.

Greek mythology spoke of constellation Lyra as the harp played by Orpheus. When Orpheus played, no mortal or God could look away. Vega is often called the Harp Star.

Vega might not be the brightest star – a distinction held by Sirius – but it’s one of the easiest to spot. Finding Sirius requires a little orientation – setting eyes on Orion’s belt and drawing a downward left line. Vega needs no introduction, it simply pops out of the sky, politely reigning over the horizon.

Nothing would make me happier than knowing someone somewhere noticed Vega and thought “I know you – your name is Vega, pleased to make your acquaintance”.

 

astrobob.areavoices.com