tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45217266915171763482024-03-05T20:51:53.414-05:00t h i n k w e l l s p r i n gThink. Think well. Inkwells source thinks in glorious spreading colors, cryptic drips and drops, shallow crystal reflecting pools, and fathomless wellspring depths. What think will spring today?Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-29098724394622013242015-02-03T11:25:00.000-05:002015-03-04T14:09:18.389-05:00Tap. Tap. Tap.<div>
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So, I'm at the grocery store putting pears in the provided thin bag, when I feel something against my foot. The bag had ripped and I had just been dropping pears on the floor. I swooped them up and got a new bag, then continued down the fruit aisle. It occurred to me that my teenager would have been mortified, thinking everyone saw her drop the fruit. I smiled to myself in nostalgia for the days I was that young. Yeah, maybe a kid saw and giggled, but truthfully no one cares diddlysquat that a bag broke.<br />
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Tap. Tap. Tap.<br />
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What if someone did care? I set the bananas down in the cart, and leaned lightly on its handle. I could picture myself seeing a woman standing at the pears, dropping pears, putting one back and re-bagging the rest, walking away.<br />
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What next? I am still inside the mind of my imaginary observer. I walk to the pears. I pick up the pear she returned. I hold it. She had touched this pear. I smell it. It smells sweet, like her. I put it in my coat pocket. It's mine, now. I turn and keep following her.<br />
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Don't worry, I'm not a stalker. Just a writer. Kinda creepy how easy it is for me to put myself in a stalker's shoes, though, isn't it?<br />
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That's what writers do. We can see a story in just about anything, no matter how mundane. I can find foreshadowing in the tying of my sneakers. I can see evil in a couple of dropped pears. I can recognize romance in a penny on a sidewalk.<br />
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I know I'm not normal. I can walk past the penny or pick it up, just like anyone, but as I'm walking away, there will be this little tapping at the back of my mind. This little "what if" thought that's asking for my attention. If I'm not in the middle of anything - like driving - then I'll take out my notepad and jot it down. I have bags of scrap pieces of paper with thoughts jotted down. And boxes. And little wicker baskets. But I digress.<br />
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When I'm writing for a client, I steer the "what if." A restaurant's "what if" involves a person walking in and ordering something. It's my job to make that everyday occurrence appealing. A nonprofit's "what if" involves donations. It's my job to make that annual report informative and compelling.<br />
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I couldn't write it, any of it, without that little ...Tap. Tap. Tap.Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-70952113836273845372014-08-06T17:33:00.002-04:002014-08-06T18:31:28.150-04:00Breaking the Laws of Physics<br />
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<a href="http://www.hawking.org.uk/" target="_blank">Stephen Hawking</a> has a story that is begging to be told, and I would have given the proverbial arm to have the privilege of writing it. But he's not the only great story - I see one in the face of every person I meet. What is behind the shy hesitancy of my mail carrier's daily greeting? Why does the Starbucks clerk tug his earlobe before counting change? Where does the Capitol building security guard go in such a hurry at 10:30am sharp every day? Questions like these often lead to an interesting story, and it is up to the writer to turn interesting into compelling. That takes trust.<br />
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Writing a biographical story, whether fictionalized or not, requires a ghost to delve into deeply personal aspects of the subject's life, developing an intimacy and trust powerful enough to pull even the most reluctant client's secrets into study. Unlike a psychologist or a bartender, a ghost almost <i>becomes </i>the other person, settling into his psyche like two individuals impossibly occupying the same time and space.<br />
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It's breathtaking. I find myself treasuring the temporary feel of this other soul's life. And then I think and write, and think and write again, carefully choosing how to repackage the story to reveal only that which the subject is willing to share publicly, but told with such depth as can only be achieved by falling into that infinite black hole of his sorrows and shames, by traveling in his history, by hearing him sing in quantum strings of joy, by surrounding myself in the spatial fabric of his truth.<br />
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The personality of the tale - not the facts - is what makes a story compelling. There's nothing so rewarding to me, as a ghostwriter, than being able to earn my subject's trust enough to briefly break the laws of physics. I don't know about you, but I cannot wait until New Year's to see how Hawkings' story is told.Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-68995893773258647922014-07-29T13:54:00.002-04:002015-03-04T14:16:13.730-05:00Finding Source Documents<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image rights http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21845/lot/19/</td></tr>
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I trudged up the back wooden stairway behind my client, who pushed up on the ceiling above us, revealing a door that creaked with disuse. We poked our heads up through the floor of his attic, taking a quick glance before our feet carried us the rest of the way into the oppressive heat and dust. I wasn't prepared for the sudden drops of perspiration climbing out of my skin, but I quickly forgot my discomfort as my eyes fell upon a huge book laying closed upon a Victorian-era book stand.<br />
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The sound of my client's voice, unnecessarily apologizing for the state of his attic, faded. I held my breath, hoping, and moved toward the dusty covers of the thick tome, noting the broken cobwebs trailing around it where my client's fingers must have been when he re-discovered it recently. My own fingers, made brave by my sturdy garden gloves, wiped gently at the title.<br />
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It was an old family bible, probably handed down through generations. I gently lifted the cover and searched carefully for the publication date. 1769, Office of the Queen's Printer. My client needed a book dealer, not a ghostwriter, and preferably one who could recommend a talented preservationist.<br />
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He reached around me and casually flipped open the bible to reveal several letters folded within its pages. Clearly, this is what I was here for. I opened the first piece of yellowed parchment. Within the first few lines, I knew this was going to be one of my favorite biographies ever.Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-51223713173629675952014-07-28T14:01:00.001-04:002015-03-04T14:25:27.818-05:00Be the Page<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2625862463/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LLgAYK_YRV95H3ZGQbJC0ALhYyUTIgRGeG47DNftj0-QitZxqf057fInntii0N2cMCo8Bonzr3mls6DzenGgbm3pAXOfWrugMDctAzEM4BOCSx3iHz0UYXfefRazE72MyDsUbG-hR9A/s1600/virtual+handshake+lumaxart+greyguy023.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2625862463/" target="_blank">Art credit to https://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2625862463/</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Social
Media has brought businesses ample opportunity to engage their clientele in
more depth than before, garnering loyalty that draws
them from online to brick-and-mortar. How? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Personality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Business
owners, nonprofit managers, and politicians know that personal engagement does
more for sales, donations, and votes than any other type of communication.
People trust where they can look in the eye, reach with a handshake, and personally measure character. And - people spend money where they trust.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A social media page is an extension of your business, your mission, your message. Just like networking at a chamber function, your page is the place where you share what you are excited about; say thank you to the people who have helped you; ask for suggestions; support your causes; and explain what you do and why. The best social media pages let the personality of the organization shine like a confident look and firm handshake. They showcase the organization's character. They build respect first, then trust, then customers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If
an engaging, active social media page can do all that, what do you think a
blank one does? You are your page, or so the social media audience thinks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Need help with your blank page? Hire an</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/ghostwriting" target="_blank"> e-ghost</a>.</span></div>
Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-67398474328245312182014-07-09T13:49:00.001-04:002015-03-04T14:26:14.881-05:00Why Watch Disaster Movies<i>"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men - as a whole - experience it."</i> - Helen Keller<br />
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Recently, I've been filling my entertainment time with disaster movies. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1649419/" target="_blank">The Impossible</a>. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1190080/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">2012</a>. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Titanic</a>. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598778/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1" target="_blank">Contagion</a>. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407304/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">War of the Worlds</a>. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117998/" target="_blank">Twister</a>. And, of course, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469641/" target="_blank">World Trade Center</a>.<br />
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Helen Keller was right. The world is not a secure place. It never has been. I have always been drawn to those stories that acknowledge that fact and put ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances; stories that show how people respond in the face of frightening, impending danger and to tragic, multitudes of loss.<br />
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In times of disaster, a person must suddenly draw upon his innate pioneering spirit and break ground in unknown territory without the choice and preparation of our pioneer forebears. She must step up to the plate, with no practice swing, and pray for a hit or suffer a miss. Nothing prepares you for a tidal wave, a mugging, a twenty-car pile-up, an earthquake, a terrorist attack, or a broken limb as you miss your footing down a flight of stairs. Somehow, we get through it, and are indelibly changed when we get to the other side.<br />
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As Mark Twain once said, spirit has fifty times the strength and staying-power of brawn and muscle. Whether that spirit arises in response to disaster, or by choice as we pioneer into space and other new ventures, I draw comfort knowing that in an insecure world, we can count on the human spirit in times of emergency.<br />
<br />Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-8668429568774980162014-07-03T13:57:00.001-04:002015-03-04T14:29:17.293-05:00A Bed Only a Mother Could Love...A bed left unmade for 16 years and surrounded by trash sold at Christie's yesterday for <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/01/us/unmade-bed-art/index.html" target="_blank">$4.3 million</a>. The artist who slept in it for four days felt that it was a true representation of heartbreak, surrounded by ashtrays, empty liquor bottles, and dirty laundry. Take a look at it <a href="http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/artpages/tracey_emin_my_bed.htm" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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There's no question, it certainly tells a story of sleepless nights filled with chain-smoking re-hashed conversations, numbing fiery booze, tear-stained pillows, and angrily-kicked sheets. Most humans who have loved and lost have had their beds look similar at some point in their lives. So, who would buy this object of commonly shared misery? The lost love, out of some sense of guilt (or even pleasure) at having caused such pain? The artist herself, to boost PR on her other work? A Spock-like soul who surrounds himself with emotional works to express what he cannot?<br />
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I'm inclined to think it was a mother, who can't bear to see a child's pain, and bought it to make the bed, tidy the mess, kiss the hurt with toiling hands, and make it all better.Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-834186431098674292013-08-22T11:17:00.002-04:002013-08-22T11:17:50.443-04:00Dear daughters, a word before you leave the nest...Like the Phoenix, everyone has repeated "burning days," and repeated new birth from ashes. The best lesson learned is that life is messy, exhilarating, painful, sweet, frustrating, frightening, amazing - and just as it should be. Too often, people try to avoid the burning days that come with being human, and the more they try to avoid, the slower and more tortuous the burn when it finally comes. Like deferred maintenance in buildings and cars. Or not paying down debt when we have the chance. Avoiding pain is nothing more than a lost opportunity.<br />
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We are meant to grow and stretch and push boundaries. We are meant to make mistakes, learn, and try to do better next time. The Ostrich, on the other hand, (and we've all known head-in-the-sanders), tries to deny human nature, afraid of the burn, unable to comprehend the joy of the new life on the other side. A true Phoenix chooses the burn, walks into the fire with her head held high, ready to be cleansed of mistakes and impurities, and walks out a new woman, forged with balance and strength and wisdom, ready to begin her next cycle with a firm step and accomplishment in her eyes.<br />
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If you ever feel like an Ostrich, come home and I will take care of you for as long as you need to be safe and heal. There are times when it is important to let someone else be the Phoenix for awhile.<br />
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I know you will always try to do the right thing. I believe in you, and I love you forever,<br />
MomNorreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-39545909046548800312011-11-03T06:22:00.000-04:002011-11-03T06:22:54.518-04:00DWx: Poets Speak Loud, October 24<div>Newest blog I am following - I just love hanging with other writers. They are very special people. </div><div><br /></div><a href="http://dwlcx.blogspot.com/2011/10/poets-speak-loud-october-24.html?spref=bl">DWx: Poets Speak Loud, October 24</a>: Another raucous evening at McGeary's with Mary Panza as host. The featured poet was Anthony Bernini , debuting his new book, Immediate Worl...Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-59109593467034828492011-01-09T11:19:00.000-05:002015-03-04T14:32:38.216-05:00To Congresswoman Gifford's Staffers, From a Staffer<div class="MsoNormal">
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It is the randomness that shocks me. <a href="http://giffords.house.gov/">Congresswoman Gifford</a> was not the type of elected official who inspired anger and hatred. Quite the opposite. The unstable person who committed mass murder <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/us/politics/10giffords.html?_r=1&hp">yesterday</a> just happened to be someone physically in her locality. He could have been here in New York, or Missouri, or even Rhode Island and would likely have committed the same crime. But he was in Arizona and shot a good woman who was doing her job, unlike other elected officials I know. And he took the life of a child, a judge who had just showed up on a whim, and several other innocent people.</div>
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We can ask all day why that particular day, in front of that particular grocery store, at that particular elected official’s event. But there’s no point. These unstable people do exist. And what sets one killer into action and keeps another killer at home is completely random. A series of coincidences that lead to opportunity for one, and the prevention or inaction of another. This killer gained access to a gun. Some other was shown the door by a gun seller. This killer sent out signals that were ignored. Another may have gotten mental help.</div>
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I worked for a senator who did inspire anger and hatred in some of his constituents. Former Senate Majority Leader Pedro <a href="http://www.nysenate.gov/senator/pedro-espada-jr">Espada</a>, Jr. One day last spring, I was sitting with the senator and other lead staff in a meeting in his personal office. Out of the blue, there was a cacophony of loud voices from the outer office. We are used to crowds, so we simply shut the door so we could continue the meeting. Then (and the linked <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSLjI9S-uBw">video</a> doesn't show this) there was an insistent banging on the door, like several pounding fists, and we could hear obscenities being shouted along with the senator’s name. We were all startled for a moment, and then the pounding stopped. There was a pause, then a loud heavy thump, over and over again, like a linebacker was putting all his weight into breaking the door down. </div>
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Our chief of staff leaped for the phone to call the outer office and make sure the staff out there was okay. The office manager told him that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSLjI9S-uBw">over a hundred people</a> were trying to squeeze into the office, that they were standing on her desk and spilling out into the hallway. No one had threatened or hurt her or the other staffer, they were mostly calm and orderly, but there were a few of them that were all riled up, clearly targeting the senator. She had already called security. </div>
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Two hours and six uniformed troopers later, the outer office was clear and the door to the hallway shut. It was lunchtime. We were hungry, shaken, some needing the bathroom, but those protesters were still outside that main door. We couldn't know if they were dangerous or not. We doubted for no other reason than that one or two people who were trying to break down that inner office door. If someone would do that, what else would they do? So we waited. The law allows protesters to be present in the halls of the State Capitol. They camped out there with the press, shouting, chanting, daring the senator to step outside that door. At least we could access our desks again and get some work done. When in doubt, work. One of the staffers who was from the district office in New York City said knowingly, “Their bus back to the City will likely leave around 3 or 4pm, so they’ll be gone by then.” He was right.</div>
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Constituents have a right to let their views be known. If they are angry with an elected official, they should say so. But I'm not physically afraid of a hundred people who are chanting peaceably, which is what you mostly see in the video. I am worried about just that one person, an unbalanced person, who would not know how to control himself in such a scene. One of those angry protesters, possibly the guy trying to break the door down, could be someone unbalanced enough to want to shoot the senator and all the staff around him who are just trying to earn their daily bread, feed their families, and be good public servants. Why didn’t he? Maybe he wasn't unbalanced - maybe he (or they) just got too wrapped up in the spirit of the protest. Or, maybe he was unbalanced but knew enough that you can’t get a weapon past security in the Capitol. Sitting in the back office with the senator and hearing that door having a heavy weight thrown against it, I assure you, not one of us didn't wonder whether there was a gun out there. As impossible as our logical brains said that would be, that question did arise.<br />
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But what happened in Tucson could easily have happened in the senator’s district. (God forbid!) He also moves about in public, including crime-known areas, to meet and greet constituents. Violent crime happens in New York City every day. And he did inspire deep-rooted anger among a certain section of his constituents. But yesterday's mass murder didn’t happen in the Bronx, with a gunman rising from a crowd of angry people. It happened in the district of a personable and well-liked congresswoman by a single unstable person rising from a crowd of generally happy, everyday people. </div>
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I repeat. What happened in Tucson happened because a series of coincidental events, over years probably, led to the opportunity for it to happen. No stronger gun laws or increased mental health support can change that. Maybe those things would have stopped this killer, this time. But no way can we predict everything, foresee every circumstance. </div>
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Make the stronger gun laws. Expand mental health programs. Dial down the violent rhetoric. Those are all smart, common sense things to do. But know this. Someone, somewhere, will always slip through the cracks. So as someone who has served as staff to public officials, and as a parent, I have to ask myself. Would it be better to avoid this kind of work or to continue in public service, knowing it could happen to me or any of us at any time? Well, this level of tragedy hasn’t happened to me, and I can’t live my life always looking over my shoulder. I want my children to understand and witness courage. Not foolhardiness – some level of protection is always appropriate. But as Ben Franklin once said, people who will give up their freedom in exchange for safety don’t deserve to be free.</div>
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To the staff of Congresswoman Gifford: thank you. Thank you for your public service, for the sacrifices you have made to devote time to a bigger cause, and thank you for springing into action when the worst fear of any staffer happened – an assassination attempt made on your elected official. Right now, in the aftermath and surrounded by your loved ones, you may be deciding whether to continue in service or to stand down. Well, you have already given up your safety in the cause of a free democracy. You have served your country in the face of severe danger, and no one has any right to ask any more of you. Whatever your decision, I and this country fully support you. It’s our turn to step up and protect your freedom. My heartfelt sorrow and prayers for all of you, especially those of you who died in the line of duty. You are all heroes. You make me proud to be a public servant. </div>
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And please God, let that assassination attempt remain just that, an unsuccessful attempt. We are all pulling for Congresswoman Gifford’s full recovery. God bless you all.</div>
Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-33341128330015704062011-01-08T14:30:00.000-05:002015-03-04T14:35:48.409-05:00Keep Up Keep Up Keep Up Keep Up<div style="text-align: left;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://taxy.deviantart.com/art/Keep-Up-91185774" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyOGAXOV7Ci2-RN4V7dTehZXLeVWcwym84nUHnxZuLLiby5kpCjiTPfTVAgZLYN0HCx3EMG8qkN7cUZdX2vvpAKlhLPB006ySB3JtlFuhrhfOyPfE-IGL6fB58rDW2ncPBvvLaZAZEzQ/s1600/KeepUpKeepUpKeepUp.jpg" height="320" width="264" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://taxy.deviantart.com/art/Keep-Up-91185774" target="_blank">Artwork by Melissa Severson</a></td></tr>
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It's not apathy. Advocates and elected officials and people actively trying to make change in the world often feel frustrated by the apathy of the very people they are trying to help. They're wrong. It's not apathy.<br />
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We, the People, are just trying to keep up. A wrong charge appears on a credit card bill. Drop everything and spend six phone calls and three repeat faxes to fix someone else's mistake. The county misfiles a form and we have to refile three more forms in triplicate to fix the government's mistake. The kids run mud through the freshly cleaned rugs an hour before guests arrive. Drop everything and fix the kids' mistake. The wrong quantity is shipped to a client because of sloppy handwriting. Spend hours and dollars fixing our own mistake.<br />
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That's just the sliding backwards work that We, the People, must manage. Then there's the moving forward work: taking that extra class once a week to maintain a license; research roofing contractors before there's a leaky roof next spring; interview senior centers for our parents; interview babysitters for our kids; swallow a cup of coffee while watching morning news - yup, got a new governor - okay time to warm up the car. Drop in a load of laundry before leaving the house, make a mental note to get those bottles to the recycling at the grocery store, and oh, God, we forgot to drop off the drycleaning - what the heck are we going to wear for the interview?<br />
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God bless those non-profits activists and elected officials that are trying to save the environment, create jobs, establish a new agency, fix social security, and think of all those things We, the People will eventually need. But if you really want us to participate, get rid of the triplicate forms. And we don't just mean paper.Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-9368582533189390232011-01-01T11:08:00.000-05:002015-03-04T14:37:53.499-05:00Man vs. Moon. What's Next?<div style="text-align: left;">
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Just finished watching The Right Stuff. I wanted to bring in the New Year with something inspirational that I hadn’t seen already. It was inspirational all right. I couldn’t help but compare it to today. Our national economy can’t support the kind of space race witnessed back in the ‘60’s. I can’t help but wonder, though, if our national spirit would bolster if we did enter into the drive to push the envelope, to stretch human engineering and physical endurance even more, to do what no one has ever done before. </div>
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It’s hard to justify pouring money into a national project like the space race, given the current blow to our middle class and the increasing slide of those on the edge into poverty. But should Washington D.C. find a way to increase monies to experimental programs that inspire the public to be proud to be Americans,inspire adults to push the envelope, inspire children to be all they can be? </div>
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The closest modern thing I think of to the space race effort was the race to map the human genome, and that was a private enterprise. That held the public attention for about a year, really, even though the project was much longer. Perhaps we should just leave it to the private world to inspire our nation, but it seems to me that our national government has put so much money into defense that it must have tremendous research resources at its disposal – the kind of resources private entities could only wish to have. Isn’t there a way to apply those resources to catapult scientific advances in physics, biotechnology, nanotechnology and more into the next level of achievement? What else is out there that is just beyond the human grasp that would excite the public psyche as a national goal? We put man on the moon and stopped. Isn’t there something next?</div>
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The movie was a bit too long at just over 3 hours and ended with a sudden wrap-up that left pilot Yeager as a loose end, as if the director realized he couldn’t add a fourth hour. Nevertheless, the acting was above par and so were the cinematography, special effects, stunts and everything else. If you haven’t seen it in awhile, it’s worth wading through some of the long sequences. It made me consider my personal challenges. Have I taken enough risk? How much further can I stretch? Who out there is taking real personal risks, really stretching, and really catching the public’s eye for doing it? All I can think of is sports. Thank goodness for the Olympics. But we put a man on the moon. Surely there’s something next?</div>
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Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-57609502713371773672010-12-10T14:23:00.000-05:002015-03-04T14:38:46.556-05:00Elisabeth, Butterflies, and the Empty Chair<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Sp2JwOV-Ou4lGUOIWJ0IiulfxTRExyMVjZPmtPnfDGp4VXliRXfa-kTv06xh04Y7eT1fEx_mLKbhBSLnjDc5AqcOYEUpmh45o1ivelV9deS1az2LQQ0kOJDlJZdQ4E2ng7gOtWleVR8/s1600/Elisabeth_K%C3%BCbler-Ross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Sp2JwOV-Ou4lGUOIWJ0IiulfxTRExyMVjZPmtPnfDGp4VXliRXfa-kTv06xh04Y7eT1fEx_mLKbhBSLnjDc5AqcOYEUpmh45o1ivelV9deS1az2LQQ0kOJDlJZdQ4E2ng7gOtWleVR8/s1600/Elisabeth_K%C3%BCbler-Ross.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross</span></td></tr>
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I felt a heavy weight in my heart as I watched the news Tuesday on the various Pearl Harbor Day remembrance events. It is difficult to imagine all those families at the time, happily preparing for the holidays, not knowing that tragic day would leave empty chairs at many dinner tables. <br />
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As much as I love this time of year, I know it can be difficult for families who have lost loved ones. For me, I have found the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Kubler_Ross">Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross</a> inspirational and healing in times of grief. Her legacy includes foundational work in hospice care, bereavement, and the Kubler-Ross model, what we know as the five stages of grief. <br />
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Elisabeth spoke of the end of life with quiet strength and truth. She has helped countless families overcome the empty chair. Some of her most profound interviews involved her work with children during the Holocaust. She understood, in a seemingly visceral way, that death is a natural process – and even tragic death can eventually be understood with healing and acceptance in time. In these interviews, she described the prison walls of the Nazi camps as being covered with drawings of butterflies, drawn by children who felt hope and peace in those happy images. <br />
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Butterflies, like dolphins and dragonflies, are symbols of the transition from life to the next point on our spiritual journey. Those children didn’t know that, yet butterflies were everywhere. I feel confirmation in that bittersweet story, proof of the spiritual connection we all share. As difficult as it is for the heart to hear, I do encourage you to take the time to listen to her <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kubler-ross&aq=f">interviews</a>. Her words are simple, honest, healing, and life-changing. She helps us embrace the empty chair and fill it with memories and butterflies. A true gift at this time of year.<br />
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<i>"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassions, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”</i> – <a href="http://www.ekrfoundation.org/">Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross</a></div>
Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-80317774606174258962010-02-24T07:31:00.000-05:002011-01-07T14:57:58.393-05:00NYS Latinos in 2050: Looks like NYS is failing us!I'm looking at the demographic trends of where Latinos are now and where they are heading, and I can see some serious issues for NYS ahead if we don't do something - if we don't make our leaders do something. I'm a Puerto Rican mom with two Latino daughters - I want to know what kind of future NYS will give them. And I'm telling you right now, it's not pretty.<br />
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The majority of Latinos in NYS are currently in the service and retail industries. Yes, there are many in the professions (doctors, lawyers, etc.) and a rising number are entrepreneurs. But the majority are in occupations that don't require a college degree. <br />
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Okay, so maybe that's because of baby boomers and other generations who didn't have the opportunities Latinos and people of color generally have today. So, I look at college demographics.<br />
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Yep, rising population of Latinos heading to college - but, not graduating at the same rate as whites. Hmmm. The State University of New York will soon be at 25% Latino students, but only 6% of faculty are people of color. That can't be right - I'd better make a few calls and check those numbers. But if that's true - no wonder grad rates aren't as high for students of color at SUNY. Where's the support???<br />
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All right, let's look at elementary and high schools. Again we have few Latino teachers, rising numbers of Latino students, and creeping numbers of graduation rates, and creeping numbers of high school grads going to college. From day one when a student of color enters kindergarten, there should be an assumption that that child is going to college. Every teacher, parent, principal, support service provider, cafeteria server, janitor, and coach in that student's entire educational career should be saying "of course you're going to college" every day. And NYS needs to give schools the support to make those words come true.<br />
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But the numbers are there. It doesn't look like it's coming true. Well, it is, but the rates of growth of high school to college transitions are creeping for Latinos compared to whites.<br />
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In 2050, there will be more people of color in NYS than whites. Will the State's economy shift to a population that is so heavy in service and retail industries that the State's financial, health, and legal professions/industries falter? Innovation, technology - will the economic and innovative strength of our country be centered in white states?<br />
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Until NYS's educational systems can meet the unique needs of Latinos and other people of color, NYS is facing terrible trouble in 2050. We must get our people into the sciences and technology, we must have them graduating from law and medical schools, we must have them on Wall Street.<br />
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But NYS is still stuck in a primarily white-based educational system, both in regular education and in higher education. And - NYS is still not doing near enough for Minority and Women Owned Businesses. <i><b> </b></i><br />
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<i><b>The kids entering kindergarten today will be our State's primary working population in 2050. What kind of work will they be doing? How will the State prepare them for the work needed in 2050?</b></i>Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-9969182289770220262009-11-17T11:52:00.000-05:002009-11-17T11:52:51.667-05:00Green and Clean for the Holidays<div style="color: #990000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><strong>Thank you, Illinois Chapter of Sierra Club, for emailing me the following great tips:</strong><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #003300;"><strong style="color: #38761d;">Green and Clean for the Holidays</strong><br style="color: #38761d;" /><i><span style="font-size: 90%;"><span style="color: #38761d;">No doubt will you be cleaning before your guests arrive. Try mixing up these simple green cleaners that will leave both your house and conscience clean.</span></span></i></span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #003300;"><i><span style="font-size: 90%;"><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span> </span></i></span><strong></strong><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 90%;"><strong>All-purpose green cleaner</strong>: Combine 2 cups white vinegar with 2 cups water in a spray bottle. You can scent with a few drops of essential oil. As with all acidic solutions, do not use this on marble. It will destroy the finish and can even etch the surface. Another option is 3 tablespoons baking soda dissolved in warm water in a spray bottle.<br />
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<strong>Vinegar:</strong> it naturally cleans like an all-purpose cleaner and also works well as a deodorizer and disinfectant. It is safe to use on most surfaces and has the added bonus of being inexpensive. Improperly diluted vinegar is acidic and can eat away at tile grout. Never use vinegar on marble surfaces. You shouldn’t worry about your home smelling like vinegar because the smell disappears when it dries.<br />
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Lemon Juice:</strong> is another natural substance that can be used to dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits. Lemon juice combined with salt is a great substitute to clean and shine brass and copper. It also can be mixed with vinegar and/or baking soda to make cleaning pastes.<br />
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Baking Soda:</strong> can be used to scrub surfaces in much the same way as commercial abrasive cleaners. Baking soda is a great deodorizer when placed inside the refrigerator and freezer to absorb odors. Put it anywhere you need deodorizing action.<br />
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<strong>Salt:</strong> perfect for cleaning grungy ovens, this natural abrasive is also great for soaking up fresh carpet stains such as red wine, coffee or ink.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 90%;"><b>Cloth, not Paper:</b> Think about trading paper towels for cloth rags (old tshirts, socks) that can be reused. </span><br />
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</div><span style="font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For more great ideas to help your home and family be healthy and planet-friendly, visit </span><a href="http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ThanksGreening_Tips" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Sierra Club Illinois Chapter</a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">.</span><br />
</span>Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-77579958887457258972009-11-16T12:16:00.000-05:002009-11-16T12:16:31.067-05:00Terrorist TrialI never saw the War on Terror as an actual military action between countries. Rather, it is using our military to fight civil disobedience that has stretched to the most violent end of the spectrum, insidiously sneaking over borders and around the world.<br />
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This must be a civil trial. Terrorists attack civilians, and civilians have every right to face the accused, and the accused must be forced to look into the faces of those families they've devastated.<br />
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And...the world is watching. This is a "do unto others" opportunity. We know how we want Americans treated in foreign courts. Let's show the world that we will treat foreigners in our nation with the same justice we require Americans be treated overseas. We must show that no matter how heinous the crime, American justice works.<br />
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I support President Obama's decision to have the 9/11 terrorists tried in New York City.Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521726691517176348.post-70519707665587441052009-10-24T19:31:00.000-04:002009-10-24T19:31:59.959-04:00The Ostrich and the Phoenix went to sea...Like the Phoenix, everyone has repeated "burning days," and repeated new birth from ashes. The best lesson learned is that life is messy, exhilarating, painful, sweet, frustrating, frightening, amazing - and just as it should be. Too often, people try to avoid the burning days that come with being human, and the more they try to avoid, the slower and more tortuous the burn when it finally comes. Like deferred maintenance in buildings and cars. Or not paying down debt when we have the chance. Avoiding pain is nothing more than a lost opportunity.<br />
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We are meant to grow and stretch and push boundaries. We are meant to make mistakes, learn, and try to do better next time. The Ostrich, on the other hand, (and we've all known head-in-the-sanders), tries to deny human nature, afraid of the burn, unable to comprehend the joy of the new life on the other side. A true Phoenix chooses the burn, walks into the fire with her head held high, ready to be cleansed of mistakes and impurities, and walks out a new woman, forged with balance and strength and wisdom, ready to begin her next cycle with a firm step and an accomplished sparkle in her eyes.<br />
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The New York State Legislature is about to embark on some rough seas of serious decision-making regarding the State's $3.1 billion budget gap. The Governor has been clear - this time is going to be even more painful than we can possible imagine. Cuts will be made, and each cut dollar will impact someone...many someones. It takes a Phoenix - someone who has known pain, has made tough decisions for better or worse, who understands consequences and has been there personally - it takes that cleansed-through-fire person's point of view in order to chart the State's pea-green boat toward thoughtful solutions and safe harbors. <br />
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Something to think about.Norreidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260777526275712189noreply@blogger.com0