THE ANOMALY OF OPRAH

Oprah's chief gift was her openness and honesty of expressing feelings, or so some would have you believe.  If that were a sole criteria to becoming a billionaire, there would be lots more around, 
Oprah opened previously closed doors for many people; men and women.  Her show brought subjects whispered and gossiped -, now made subjects of pain for so many unless professionals...good ones....were available to them

Despite the vast TV exposure, Oprah was able to maintain a protective setting for those who bared their souls.  She was able to remain gracious and did not let sensationalism seep in to pollute the emotional pathos.

Let's not be too naive.  Oprah did not do this alone.  Yet one must recognize that she chose the people around her wisely, that mark of a great manager.  In all, this lovely woman,  a woman who survived what many others would have given into in total despair, shows the world what luck is really all about:  'Luck is where opportunity and preparation meet.'

There will always be something new in life to interest us even though the new may not be a replacement of what we once had.  I'm sure that it is likely that we will hear about new endeavors on Oprah's part, for all to share.

ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY

photo from BBC site

Egypt hides much beneath its surface.  Prior to this century, one had to dig to find what is beneath the surface.  However, with infra red photography, a whole city below ground has been captured.

Sarah Parcak of the University of Alabama has spotted 17 pyramids, more than 1,000 tombs, and 3,000 ancient settlements usingusing this technique.

For a more complete story, click here.  See Wednesday, May 25, 2011 which appears in the magazine, Archaeology.

OUR PRESIDENT'S UK VISIT

Our President has been doing a magnificent PR job on this tour where he receives far more courtesy and the respect he deserves from the Irish and English than he has gotten from his fellow Americans.

While he gave an inspired speech to The House of Lords today, it seems the US  media thought an insignificant and very minor protocol gaff would be more newsworthy and focused more on it than his brilliant speech.  This shows up how we Americans, those not in the top 1 %, have no  control of our country's media .  The BBC's version.     For the English speaking pages of Al Jazeera, click here.    Fox News asks the question whether we think Obama should quit the tour and come home in view of the tornadoes.  They choose to skip the importance of his mission and write about his 'visiting the Royals'..  EvenChris Matthews on MSNBC showed the gaff and did not mention the speech at Parliament.

Does the media think we are not interested in our President except to pick at his human errors?  For shame!

NY DISTRICT 26

For the first time since many decades, a Democratic candidate has won the Representative's seat from District 26 in NY.  Hopefully the middle class is rising to fight the corporations and big money who clearly believe them to be stupid and unable to think for themselves.

The Republican party at this point is voting with almost complete disregard as to how their constituents  wish them to vote.  It would seem that many politicians seem to think that once they are voted into office, their job is done for those who elected them and they can treat their votes by their own agendas.

One cn wonder whether Speaker Boehner will see this as a wake-up call and how many other districts with Republicans who vote lock-step with their party, despite their own conscience dictates, will do.

If the red states cannot turn blue, perhaps they will be able to lean towards purple.

STUFFING YOUR BRAIN WITH DATA AS YOU AGE

I've written about many things good about being old such as Senior discounts and never having to look for another job.  The other day at a large celebratory gathering,  I realized (being the oldest in a large crowd by at least a whole generation), that there were few subjects that were raised that I didn't know a lot about.  Staring at the sky, noting a bank of very dark clouds, watching which way the clouds were moving, I was able to figure by the time and shadows that the rain was coming from the East and would be upon us fairly quickly.  This discussion  was with a young architect,who clearly did not have correct facts and thought the sun was in the northwest.  Not very tactfully I said, "I guess you were never a Boy Scout".  However, a young biology researcher, used to being in the 'field' agreed totally with my assessment and used the same criteria to arrive at the same conclusions..

We talked about jewelry making, casting, politics, religion, food, cooking techniques, plant growing, global warming, the slow migration of  the upper Canadian permafrost, patterns of weather, current events, pets, computers, silversmithing, and many unrelated topics.  I realized that one of the things I had, which those younger did not have, was all those added years of experiencing and learning.

Only now can I appreciate a good memory and a line spoken by Art Carney many years ago when he was playing the part of a senior who had lost his memory (it turned out it was a reaction to the medications he was taking and he ultimately got cured with his memory returning) when he made the most telling statement:  "You are your memory.  Without it you have no past; you cease to have existed."  The more of life you have tasted and digested,. the richer your life has been as all those bits of information you take in get stored..

FAITH AND ATHEISM CONNECT

As an atheist, I never argue religion but will discuss it rationally with anyone of faith who can do it without proselytizing.  Yesterday I went to a Congregational church vising family members out of state..  Having previously met the minister who knew I was an Atheist he recalled our talks,.many months past.

His sermon was titled "Our Response to God's Word". That title seemed to me unrelated to the talk. None of the way he talked suggested living required a belief in God or Jesus.   He spoke about not looking to place blame but to find your own responsibility if it was there or accept the power of Nature and random human error, as well as some of mankind acting without consideration to their fellow humans.

He preached putting away malice and accepting the differences in others and their beliefs.  It is clear that regardless of religious beliefs, we are similar if we follow the laws around us, behave honorably to our fellow humans and follow the Golden Rule.  Unfortunately, too many religions try to put the fear of God as a reason to behave well.  That offends me because I've had a good life and do not expect to be punished because I do not believe the CEO's of the business called organized religion.

Churches may serve many useful functions for many people, such as fellowship, confirmation of self and beliefs, opportunity to feel a stewardship to those in need, and other altruistic pursuits.  I do not believe those behaviors from people require faith or church attendance  to force themselves to believe when their logic forbids it.  .

DISTORTION

It is amazing to me how differently Republicans and Democrats hear each other.  A republican told me he was pleased that Obama is praising Bush, finally, as having done the best thing ever to have gone into Iraq!  It is certainly not what I heard!  Perhaps it is good, finally, to make a more Democratic country out of Iraq, if that ever really happens, but never has Obama actually said that Bush was right to go into Iraq when and the way he did.

What people must never forget is that whenever the President speaks, it goes through the filtered ears of the Republicans, Democrats, Independents and others who hear him.  But that is only the first step toward distortions as they continue to evolve.

Next they make it through the filters of the media, print, radio, and TV.  Here is where the truth so often gets lost.  Lives there anyone who thinks that Fox Cable News and MSNBC will report everything in the same way?  Compare them both sometime and judge for yourself.  As Groucho Marx said, "Are you going to believe what I tell you or your own eyes?"  Too many people do not use their eyes; they simply believe what they are told.  That's why we will always have conspiracy theories and fools who believe them..