My Italian Holiday, Etc., etc.

Egads! I have been away from my blog site in sooo long. My apologies to the three readers that I have (LOL!!!!). One stated that I've been away so long the dust on my site is getting kinda thick. Hahaha! Thanks, TrueBlue. I just needed that nudge to get me back on track. I started writing the post below in July after I rested a bit from my trip the month before. I don't exactly know what happened but I never finished my entry...life is funny that way. Anyway, here is what I started to write and wanted to post in July (Yikes, it's OCTOBER!).

Hubby and I went on vacation to Italy (Milan, Como Lago, Brunate, Venice) last month. One of the things I love about travelling is to see how the other people live, eat, have fun, etc. And, of course, to try speaking another language. Milan IS the shopping capital of the world. I don't care what Beverly Hills denizens believe, Milan is IT when it comes to high-fashion and shopping. The girls were just so well-dressed and full-on fashionistas (made me feel down-right dowdy). I was in awe as I watched them walk in their stilleto heels on those cobbled pavements that European cities are so renowned. I wondered if they went to school to have that talent. I wore 1/2 inch heels on my sandals and still managed to trip-up on those uneven walkways they have. I also wondered how their make-up didn't just melt (like mine did) under the hot sun. Do these women even sweat? That question was answered when we rode around the trams and buses in the city...peeyew! TAXI! Some of those chicks needed to take lessons from the French on how to cover up some of that odorous stuff. Another thing I noticed and wondered about was how the Italians could afford to live in those high-end cities. EVERYTHING was expensive! The US dollar has slipped so low behind the Euro that I was having a hard time swallowing (literally) its affect on my pocketbook. The poor greenback just isn't cutting it these days against the foreign currencies. Sigh. But, I was on my European vacation and I am going to effing enjoy it! So my mantra was, DON'T CONVERT. Gulp. GERONIMO, CHARGE!!! (And that was all I wrote back in July. Like I said, I never finished my entry.)

I'm sure I had some other things that I wanted to mention back then, but somehow it just doesn't seem that important now...The one thing that I wanted to share with you, and that I got a great chuckle from, was graffiti in Venice. The rest of my Italian photos I'll post on my Family album later. Here's that photo I took while on a stroll in Venice:The Italians HATE Bush, too! I knew I liked Italians.....

Imagine Peace

This song came to mind when I was thinking about all the atrocities in the world caused by civil war in Darfur and the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world. This, on top of the effects of global warming. Can you just imagine what we could achieve for the planet if we stopped thinking about "ME" and started thinking about "WE"? Can you imagine if we could let go of the individual ego and embraced humanity and true brotherhood?

Imagine

Lyrics by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one .

Happy Memorial Day

Memorial Day to some people marks the start of summer and all the fun things that summer brings; sun, beach, barbecues and vacations. It is a three day holiday that people look forward to with great anticipation, it is the gateway holiday to all things fun---but is it? OK, we all get the three day holiday but do we even stop to realize the significance of the day and why we celebrate it? As you fire-up the grill for the week-end barbecue, will you stop and think about the men and women who are in Afghanistan and Iraq who are getting shot at by hostile enemies? As you drink that ice-cold beer at the park/beach or where ever you park yourself this weekend, will you think about the dead and wounded soldiers? How about the live US soldier hunkered down avoiding the bullets zinging past his head, parched and wishing he could be home to join you for that iced cold brew? I wish you would. We celebrate the holiday to honor the brave men and women who have sacrificed life and limb so we can all live in a free society. We memorialize their bravery. We honor their service to our country. It is a shame that there will be people out there somewhere in the US of A this week-end that will be enjoying freedoms they would never have if it were not for the armed forces, and yet won't even give these brave souls a nod of respect and acknowledgement earned.

Today I would like to honor these guys. I want to say Thank You.

Thank you to their families who are left to grieve. Thank you to the injured soldier who's life will never be as it was and who will continue to suffer the pains of war. A million Thank yous to you guys in the battlefield who stoically fight on. I may not support the Bush Administration but I support the troops 100%!

Today in the war torn countries where our soldiers are, the body count continues to climb. Here is the latest count per Anti-War.com (last updated 5/27/2007)
Since war began (3/19/03): 3455 total deaths and 25,549 total wounded

So, go on and enjoy that barbecue, but please, remember the soldiers!

What Defines a Patriot?

We've often heard George Bush or his Administration call those who oppose their views as "irresponsible and unpatriotic". The word UNPATRIOTIC has been used as a shield and/or a sword against anyone who calls into question the reasons for the Iraq war, the maltreatment of prisoners of war that are held in Guantanamo, Abu Ghareb and other unnamed "secret" prisons. When patriotism is impugned, common sense, truth and fact are thrown out. The media is not allowed to expose the truths about the lies and reasons for going into war; the daily cost of lives and dollars to continue this war; and how the war has made Americans less secure around the globe and in our country, that would be "irresponsible and unpatriotic" to the Bush Administration.

To be a patriot are we supposed to remain silent about the misdeeds that go on in these so-called "secret" prisons that alledgedly go against the Geneva Convention? To be a patriot are we supposed to blindly follow this Administration no matter where they lead us, like lemmings off a cliff and into the sea to drown? Are we supposed to disregard the Writ of Habeas Corpus because the administration has coined a label for the detainees other than "prisoner"? The Founding Fathers of this great nation of America wrote the Declaration of Independence to the King of England in July 1776. An excerpt of of this document states the following:

"He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within."

Eerily, the things that the Founding Fathers have accused the King of England back in 1776 can apply to the Bush administration of today.

Going back to the original question of what defines a patriot, there is a short article in the Los Angeles Times page 13 about Lt. Cmdr. Matthew M. Diaz. He is a Navy lawyer who served in Guantanamo Bay and is on trial for sending a valentine card to a human rights lawyer with the names of the detainees and the intelligence about them. Lt. Cmdr. Diaz must have seen something that just didn't sit well with his moral compass. He must've known that the things that are happening inside those prison walls go against everything that America and the Founding Fathers stood for. Even though he knew that he would probably get in trouble with the armed forces, be villified by the Bush administration and their lawyers he went ahead and mailed out those names for the world to know. Lt. Cmdr. Diaz is a true patriot by sticking to his beliefs no matter the cost. He is one definition of the word PATRIOT and I salute him. People like Lt. Cmdr. Diaz is what made America great and respected throughout the world.

Go Away Paris Hilton

Ok, there are far more serious events in the world that the media can devote time to but time and again I keep getting confronted with this ditzy bimbo's run-ins with the law. This girl is the poster child for truly bad behavior and her mother, Kathy, is the clear winner for the Enabling Mother of the Year award.

Just in case you've been living in a cave, Paris Hilton is a no-talent hotel heiress who's biggest claim to fame is a reality show and a sex tape she made with her-then-boyfriend (she's had quite a few). She parties hard, gets arrested for drunk driving and has her driver's license suspended. She totally disregards the rule of the land and continues to drink and drive; gets caught again and is sentenced to 45 days in jail and must report to the Lynwood jail by June 5. The whole Paris camp thinks that the judge was too harsh on the poor princess. AND Paris has gone so far as to write a letter to the California governor to ask for a pardon! She's lucky she hasn't killed anyone while driving drunk. I don't care how rich she is, I don't care who and or where she comes from, these people need to learn that they have to live under the same rules that we all do.

And to think that Mother Hilton had a show called "Who Wants to be a Hilton?" ! Hmm, no thanks. There are enough dysfunctional people in the world without the Hilton's assistance. So Paris, after your jail sentence perhaps you should go away to Africa or someplace where they don't know who you are, volunteer in an orphanage or an AIDS hospice and just see how the truly needy people live. It might just make you stop whining about poor old you. Oh, bring your mother with you...

"Get Toyota to bring its hybrid minivan to America!"

(I grabbed this from Care2 Petition Site. I really, really want this mini-van so PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION!)
Ask Toyota to deliver more fuel-efficient hybrid choices to America!

"Toyota has a fuel-efficient hybrid minivan named the Estima that boasts approximately 35 miles per gallon. Unfortunately, we can't get this clean, fuel-efficient, family vehicle here in America, it's only available in Japan! In America, unfortunately, more and more hybrid models are being introduced that focus on increased power rather than mileage.Toyota aims to sell about 8,400 Estimas in Japan this year. Let's show Toyota how much demand there is in America for fuel-efficient family vehicles. As the summer driving season and higher gas prices approach, Americans face another year where minivan options, even the Toyota Sienna, give families pain at the pump. Hybrid technology has the potential to play a major role in giving consumers fuel-efficient, low pollution options in every vehicle class - but only if the technology used to boost mileage, not muscle. Toyota sells more vehicles in Japan than it does in America. So a petition surpassing their expected Estima sales numbers in Japan would send a strong signal that the U.S. market truly wants greater choices in fuel-efficient hybrid models."

Sigh* Regular gas at my local station is at $3.50 a gallon today. Boohooo. C'mmon, Toyota, I'm beggin' ya, pleeeeaaazzze bring this mini van to America!

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Birthday Mother and Happy Earth Day Mother Nature! Yes, April 22nd is mom's birthday (click here to view the celebrant and guests). We celebrated her birthday a couple of days earlier (on the 20th) by taking her out for dinner at a new favorite, Buffet City in West Los Angeles. Real yummy sushi and, of course, the girls favorite, crab legs.

But never mind the food, this post is about our Planet Earth and how we celebrate the planet that sustains us. We really should step-it up a bit by celebrating everyday. What are you doing for Earth Day? The World Wild Life organization has a conservation action network where you can speak out for wildlife and wild places around the globe.

One need not be a complete "Tree Hugger" to join in on the fun. You can do simple things around the house like changing a regular light bulb to one of those compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL). Energy Star web says, "If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR (CFL), we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars." Here are more eco cool tips from Global Stewards.org. (Click on link)

Exactly why are we doing this you say? For me, I do it so my children, and my children's children can continue to enjoy a healthy planet just as I did when I was growing up. So take your pick. I gotta go change some light bulbs that hubby bought today. It's our gift to the celebrant, planet Earth.