Captain Chesley Sullenberger is expected any moment at Starbucks at Blackhawk Plaza, and I wait there, half-expecting the American hero to zoom down from the heavens, like Superman. Nearby, four teenage girls share an after-school moment, three brandishing iPhones, and one, perhaps defining underprivileged youth in Blackhawk, making due with a plain old cell phone. A large painting of Lance Armstrong on one wall says "Man Becomes What He Thinks About." We are in the East Bay land of achievers.
Soon after Sully pulls up - driving a dark red Lexus - he makes it clear his house isn't in this gated community on the fancy side of the road. He's a plain guy who's lived in Danville for 15 years, with his wife, Lorrie, and their two daughters, Kate, 16, and Kelly, 14. "I am a man of routine," he writes in his new memoir, "and there's a precision to my life."
He's tall, slim, blue-eyed, white-mustached, recognizable. Would he like to sit in a corner, so people don't approach to greet him? No problem, he says, he'll deal with it. From Jan. 15, the day he landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, to Oct. 7, the day before he was to fly to New York to begin a national tour for the book out today, "Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters," Sully has been dealing with it.
Furthermore, as demonstrated by the subtitle, he's been intent on using his newfound fame to promote his own code: Doing things well, doing them right, the way he did the day he used "a lifetime of knowledge to find a way to safety," his written description of the feat of flying those 150 passengers to safety.
If you had to wear a T-shirt describing yourself, would you rather it said "Competent" or "Hero"? I ask, midway through our conversation. He flicks aside the question: "I wouldn't wear the T-shirt." In fact, he's dressed in a plain knit shirt, no logo visible, no symbols except the ones on his Air Force Academy ring, no indication of his likes or dislikes or what he thinks is clever or amusing.
First time in the sky
He's 58 years old, and he grew up a shy boy in Denison, Texas. His dad was a dentist, his mom a first-grade teacher who took him along to a statewide PTA convention when he was 11. It was his first time in the sky, fulfilling a wish to fly he'd had since he was 5. At 16, he made his first solo flight, a thrilling moment, the point at which he knew "this would be my livelihood and my life."
Surely, that was about the rush, the power, the exhilaration of speed. So what kind of driver are you? I asked, gesturing to the car. "I'm a pretty conservative driver," he says. "I appreciate the risks. I work very hard to never be surprised. ... I pay attention."
Even at 16, he writes, "I realized that flying a plane meant not making mistakes." Although in conversation he admits he participated in a few non-plane-related youthful escapades - "an occasional skipping out" - "I wasn't a huge risk-taker. When I would take a risk, I would think about it beforehand. I had fun, but it wasn't with reckless abandon."
More than 40 years later, during which "I ate my vegetables, I did my homework," he is sure that the landing of Flight 1549 "didn't just happen. It was the result of decades of hard work."
Moral mantle
He's a guy who is most comfortable redirecting heaped praise to others, his flight crew for example. But he has also assumed a sort of moral mantle, and in keeping with the subtitle of his book, he's eager to share what he's learned about living, "the more general human issue," in his phrase, and in particular, work. "Finding one's passion as early as possible," is good for the individual, he says, but also "good for society," because it breeds professionals.
Does he apply his own high standards to colleagues? "I work with professionals who like me have dedicated their lives to their professions," said Sully. As to whether anything makes him blow his stack, he jumps beyond his professional life to his worldview: "Injustice, people getting hurt. That makes me mad, when the world isn't fair. ... But maybe that's just reality."
In the aftermath of Flight 1549, "I accepted a management pilot position," a promotion that means a "flexible schedule and also the opportunity to help with safety issues." When the plane lost power, for example, First Officer Jeff Skiles reached for a manual that provides emergency procedures. Those manuals once had tabbed pages that made applicable sections available instantly. Cost cuts eliminated the tabs; Sully's book describes Skiles taking a few seconds to find the right place.
Asked about this, Sully emphasizes that it's no big deal and that he wants to make it clear he's speaking for himself and not for his employer. "US Air is very safe," he says, his only concern "how to make it better." He had complained about those tabs before Flight 1549.
A union man
In keeping with his willingness to question authority, he's also been an outspoken union advocate. "One of the benefits of a union is that it levels the playing field. No one person can stand up to management. It's only through the union that collectively we can have a voice and express grievances that will reach management."
I express surprise at the strength of this assertion, in a time when unions are regularly dissed. Sully's ideal is "a culture at work where employees are valued as partners. There is a cost to every company when you don't have these cooperative relationships." Does he make these views known at US Airways Inc.? "Yes," he says. "I'm a known quantity."
Second only to the thanks of passengers, says Sully, what's touched him most since Jan. 15 has been "the words of our peers. ... They're proud of us and they thank us not only for the outcome, but in some small way helping to restore the lost respect this profession has had." One of the "unintended consequences" of the safety stats of airline travel is that no one thinks it's a big deal anymore. "I think this profession has lost some of its cachet."
Safety records have been so good that passengers have forgotten the challenges of flying "7 miles above the Earth's surface, at 80 percent of the speed of sound." Cheaper seats have led to reduced services, and "people are down on the whole thing. They've forgotten what's really at stake."
Capable person
A big part of the book is about people's response to the rescue, "what it was about this event that made so many people feel the way they do about the crew and me." Taking the long view - in an almost ministerial way, Sully gravitates to philosophical homilies - "people are searching for good news," trying to figure out whether "all the things we believed in were not true after all. There are a lot of distractions, but we still have people who are capable." With no bravado, Sully definitely puts himself into that category. But not (here's where I asked him about "competent" vs. "hero") a wearer of T-shirts.
He has heard from a huge number of people (10,000 e-mails, for instance). "This event caused them to reflect on their own lives," including a correspondent who told him "I had lost my faith, and you, sir, gave it back." And of course, there was an outpouring of commercial offers; he won't discuss particulars.
He turned them down, but "for 8 1/2 months, no one has ever said 'no' to me, including the president of the United States." President-elect Obama had invited Sully to his inauguration; Sully said he would go only accompanied by the rest of the Flight 1549 crew. And so they did.
"I'm on a sprint," he says of the respect with which he's regarded. "I don't want to overdo it and lose my voice prematurely." So he won't go on "Dancing With the Stars"? He breaks out laughing. "They haven't asked me. Besides, you wouldn't want to see me dance."
Family time
As to his celebrity vis-a-vis his family, "They're still teenagers," he says of his daughters. "They still like us most of the time." Their real wish, he says, is that he would be home more. His wife would like him to be less used up by the public when he is home.
As to the community, now that he is recognized, has he had to rethink the amount he leaves in tip jars? Sully has high regard for workers. "I tip really well," he says with a solemn smile.
Outside, as he poses patiently while his picture is shot by The Chronicle, a stranger whips out his cell phone and politely asks if he can take a picture, too. Sure.
"Celebrity must be hard," says the man. "It's my new job," says Sully.
_______________________
Leah Garchik - sfchronicle
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Water on Rocks
The plants were hidden in abandoned jars
Beneath obscene piles of rocks
Invisible by those of vacant stares
Except to one who knocks.
With careful tending, the plants grew tall
Giving thanks to those who care
Now the beauty is seen by all
The plants won first prize at the fair.
"Whose are these plants?", said pasersby,
I told them they were mine
Oh, no, said wrinkled faces sly,
You did not pay a dime.
The neighbors took the plants and ran
Dropping them along the way
I gathered them softly in a pan
To bloom another sunny day.
Beneath obscene piles of rocks
Invisible by those of vacant stares
Except to one who knocks.
With careful tending, the plants grew tall
Giving thanks to those who care
Now the beauty is seen by all
The plants won first prize at the fair.
"Whose are these plants?", said pasersby,
I told them they were mine
Oh, no, said wrinkled faces sly,
You did not pay a dime.
The neighbors took the plants and ran
Dropping them along the way
I gathered them softly in a pan
To bloom another sunny day.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Senator Edward Kennedy
Senator Kennedy was kind to me at a very difficult time in my life and I sincerely appreciate his attention to situations that might have resulted in unfortunate outcomes had I not been suppported by his attention to detail. There are others who I would like to thank also, and I think they knew who they are. In the meantime, I wish to thank the Kennedy family and their friends for kind thoughts and prayers too numerous to mention.
Senator Kennedy Senator Edward M. Kennedy died Tuesday, August 25 after a battle with brain cancer. Earlier this month his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, passed away. Although Eunice Kennedy Shriver died, her spirit lives on. Of the nine children of Joseph and Rose Kennedy only Jean remains.
Following in the footsteps of his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Edward Kennedy made his mark in politics. Haunted by personal mistakes, he remained in the senate and continued to serve until his death.
In a statement released by President Obama said, "Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time".
Thank you to a unique family who has contributed so much including Mrs. Victoria Kennedy, Jean Kennedy Smith, and all of the members of the Kennedy family.
In a statement released this morning President Obama said, "Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time".
Thank you to a unique family who has contributed so much including Mrs. Victoria Kennedy, Jean Kennedy Smith, and all of the members of the Kennedy family.
Senator Kennedy Senator Edward M. Kennedy died Tuesday, August 25 after a battle with brain cancer. Earlier this month his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, passed away. Although Eunice Kennedy Shriver died, her spirit lives on. Of the nine children of Joseph and Rose Kennedy only Jean remains.
Following in the footsteps of his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Edward Kennedy made his mark in politics. Haunted by personal mistakes, he remained in the senate and continued to serve until his death.
In a statement released by President Obama said, "Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time".
Thank you to a unique family who has contributed so much including Mrs. Victoria Kennedy, Jean Kennedy Smith, and all of the members of the Kennedy family.
In a statement released this morning President Obama said, "Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time".
Thank you to a unique family who has contributed so much including Mrs. Victoria Kennedy, Jean Kennedy Smith, and all of the members of the Kennedy family.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Supernova Discovered from 11 Billion Years Ago
PARIS (AFP) – Astronomers on Wednesday said they had found the farthest supernova ever detected, a giant star that ripped apart around 11 billion years ago.
A new technique enabled the cosmologists to make the find, which should help advance knowledge into these rare phenomena and their role in generating other stars, they said in a report published by the British journal Nature.
A supernova occurs when a massive star runs out of fuel, collapses in upon itself under the force of its own gravity to become a tiny, ultra-dense object called a neutron star.
The star then explodes, sending out a shock wave that reverberates around the galaxy.
The blast distributes elements that are heavier than oxygen, such as iron, calcium and silicon, and enriches the molecular clouds that over the aeons cluster together and form new star systems.
The ancient supernova was found after astronomers compared several years of images taken from a portion of the sky, enabling them to look for objects that changed in brightness over time.
The universe is believed to be 13.7 billion years old, so the supernova marks the death of one of earliest stars in creation.
The previous supernova record was an event that happened around six billion years ago.
A new technique enabled the cosmologists to make the find, which should help advance knowledge into these rare phenomena and their role in generating other stars, they said in a report published by the British journal Nature.
A supernova occurs when a massive star runs out of fuel, collapses in upon itself under the force of its own gravity to become a tiny, ultra-dense object called a neutron star.
The star then explodes, sending out a shock wave that reverberates around the galaxy.
The blast distributes elements that are heavier than oxygen, such as iron, calcium and silicon, and enriches the molecular clouds that over the aeons cluster together and form new star systems.
The ancient supernova was found after astronomers compared several years of images taken from a portion of the sky, enabling them to look for objects that changed in brightness over time.
The universe is believed to be 13.7 billion years old, so the supernova marks the death of one of earliest stars in creation.
The previous supernova record was an event that happened around six billion years ago.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Michael Jackson's Doctor Sought
From Times Online June 26, 2009
Los Angeles police are searching for Michael Jackson's personal physician today to question him after allegations that the star received a potentially fatal dose of the painkiller Demerol before his death.
News of the manhunt broke on the well-connected celebrity gossip website TMZ.com, which was the first to report the star's death, and came as an LA County coroner began an autopsy.
Earlier reports suggested that Jackson might have been given a large dose of the drug to help deal with pain after rehearsals for a series of 50 comeback concerts in London.
Los Angeles police spokeswoman Karen Rayner says that police had towed a BMW owned by one of the singer's doctors from Jackson’s house.
She said: “We have not been able to interview the doctor yet. His car was impounded because it may contain medications or other evidence that may assist the coroner in determining the cause of death.”
Ms Rayner added that the doctor was not under criminal investigation but coroner’s investigators wanted to contact him.
Jackson, 50, collapsed at his rented mansion in the Holmby Hills area of the city yesterday afternoon. Paramedics were called to the house at 12.21pm local time to respond to a "50-year-old male" who was "not breathing at all".
He was rushed to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, but doctors were unable to revive him and his death was confirmed at 2.26pm (10.26pm UK time).
Family members told TMZ that Jackson had received his daily shot of Demerol at 11.30am, but the dosage was "too much".
As thousands of shocked fans gathered outside the UCLA hospital, detectives from the LAPD's Robbery Homicide division conducted an initial search of his house at the behest of city police chief William Bratton before sealing it off as a crime scene.
Jackson's death had been confirmed by his brother Jermaine, who told reporters and TV crews at the hospital: "We believe he suffered a cardiac arrest at his home, however the cause of his death is unknown until the results of the autopsy are known."
He added: "The personal physician who was with him at the time attempted to resuscitate him."
The star's death shocked the world of music and entertainment and left millions of fans around the world shattered. Elizabeth Taylor, a close friend, was said to be "devastated" while the singer Madonna said: "I can't stop crying over the sad news."
By any reckoning, Jackson was the King of Pop, a former child star with the Jackson Five who went on to create the world's bestselling album with his 1982 release Thriller, which sold up to 57 million copies.
Among those paying tributes was Jackson's ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley, whose father Elvis Presley met a drug-induced death in 1977 at the age of 42. Ms Presley said that she was "sad and confused with every emotion possible" and "heartbroken" for the singer's three children.
Sir Paul McCartney described Jackson as a "massively talented boy-man with a gentle soul", while the British TV journalist Martin Bashir said the world had "lost the greatest entertainer it’s probably ever known".
Bashir's 2003 documentary Living with Michael Jackson was a PR disaster for the singer, who ended up facing child molestation charges after telling the reporter that sharing his bed with a boy was "a beautiful thing". Jackson was eventually acquitted in 2005 and Bashir said today that while his lifestyle had been unorthodox, "I don't believe it was criminal".
Last night Jackson's body was flown by helicopter to the coroner's office, where the autopsy began this morning, conducted by Dr Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, who was the medical examiner during the OJ Simpson murder case and testified more recently in the trial of Phil Spector.
But officials warned that a final verdict would not be possible until toxicology test results are confirmed, which could take six to eight weeks.
On Wednesday night, Jackson had attended a rehearsal at LA's Staples Center arena - home to the LA Lakers basketball team - to prepare for his comeback dates at the O2.
Jackson was said to have missed all but two or three of 45 rehearsals for the show but Patrick Woodroffe, a lighting engineer working at the LA arena, said that he had finally recovered some of his old magic in the past few days.
He told the BBC: "He came on stage at 9 o’clock in the evening and we all looked at each other and there was something that said that he really had it.
"Last night particularly, he came on stage and he was electric. It was like he had been holding back and suddenly he was performing as one had remembered him in the past."
Brian Oxman, a Jackson family lawyer and spokesman, told CNN that Jackson had been struggling to cope with the after-effects of various performance injuries, including a damaged vertebra and a broken leg, which had been interrupting scheduled rehearsal for the London dates.
He went on to accuse those around Jackson of letting him slip into dependency on prescription drugs and painkillers.
"I can only tell you that this is not something which has been unexpected," Mr Oxman told CNN from the LA hospital as family members came to terms with the news from doctors.
"This family has been trying for months and months to take care of Michael Jackson. The people who have surrounded him have been enabling him: if you think that the case of Anna Nicole Smith was an abuse, it is nothing to what we have seen taking place in Michael Jackson's life."
He added: "I can tell you for sure that this is something I warned about. Where there is smoke there is fire."
Jackson’s reputation as a singer and moonwalking dancer was overshadowed in recent years by his increasingly abnormal appearance, and bizarre lifestyle, which included his friendship with a chimpanzee named Bubbles and a preference for the company of children.
He named his estate in the central California foothills Neverland Valley Ranch, in tribute to the J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan stories, and filled it with amusement park rides and a petting zoo.
Jackson was twice accused of molesting young boys and was charged in 2003 with child sexual abuse. He became even more reclusive following his 2005 acquittal and vowed that he would no longer live at Neverland.
Facing a battered reputation and mountain of debts that authoritative estimates put at up to half a billion dollars, Jackson had been forced to agree to the unprecedented residency at the O2.
Despite reports of Jackson’s ill-health, the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson had passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors.
Los Angeles police are searching for Michael Jackson's personal physician today to question him after allegations that the star received a potentially fatal dose of the painkiller Demerol before his death.
News of the manhunt broke on the well-connected celebrity gossip website TMZ.com, which was the first to report the star's death, and came as an LA County coroner began an autopsy.
Earlier reports suggested that Jackson might have been given a large dose of the drug to help deal with pain after rehearsals for a series of 50 comeback concerts in London.
Los Angeles police spokeswoman Karen Rayner says that police had towed a BMW owned by one of the singer's doctors from Jackson’s house.
She said: “We have not been able to interview the doctor yet. His car was impounded because it may contain medications or other evidence that may assist the coroner in determining the cause of death.”
Ms Rayner added that the doctor was not under criminal investigation but coroner’s investigators wanted to contact him.
Jackson, 50, collapsed at his rented mansion in the Holmby Hills area of the city yesterday afternoon. Paramedics were called to the house at 12.21pm local time to respond to a "50-year-old male" who was "not breathing at all".
He was rushed to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, but doctors were unable to revive him and his death was confirmed at 2.26pm (10.26pm UK time).
Family members told TMZ that Jackson had received his daily shot of Demerol at 11.30am, but the dosage was "too much".
As thousands of shocked fans gathered outside the UCLA hospital, detectives from the LAPD's Robbery Homicide division conducted an initial search of his house at the behest of city police chief William Bratton before sealing it off as a crime scene.
Jackson's death had been confirmed by his brother Jermaine, who told reporters and TV crews at the hospital: "We believe he suffered a cardiac arrest at his home, however the cause of his death is unknown until the results of the autopsy are known."
He added: "The personal physician who was with him at the time attempted to resuscitate him."
The star's death shocked the world of music and entertainment and left millions of fans around the world shattered. Elizabeth Taylor, a close friend, was said to be "devastated" while the singer Madonna said: "I can't stop crying over the sad news."
By any reckoning, Jackson was the King of Pop, a former child star with the Jackson Five who went on to create the world's bestselling album with his 1982 release Thriller, which sold up to 57 million copies.
Among those paying tributes was Jackson's ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley, whose father Elvis Presley met a drug-induced death in 1977 at the age of 42. Ms Presley said that she was "sad and confused with every emotion possible" and "heartbroken" for the singer's three children.
Sir Paul McCartney described Jackson as a "massively talented boy-man with a gentle soul", while the British TV journalist Martin Bashir said the world had "lost the greatest entertainer it’s probably ever known".
Bashir's 2003 documentary Living with Michael Jackson was a PR disaster for the singer, who ended up facing child molestation charges after telling the reporter that sharing his bed with a boy was "a beautiful thing". Jackson was eventually acquitted in 2005 and Bashir said today that while his lifestyle had been unorthodox, "I don't believe it was criminal".
Last night Jackson's body was flown by helicopter to the coroner's office, where the autopsy began this morning, conducted by Dr Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, who was the medical examiner during the OJ Simpson murder case and testified more recently in the trial of Phil Spector.
But officials warned that a final verdict would not be possible until toxicology test results are confirmed, which could take six to eight weeks.
On Wednesday night, Jackson had attended a rehearsal at LA's Staples Center arena - home to the LA Lakers basketball team - to prepare for his comeback dates at the O2.
Jackson was said to have missed all but two or three of 45 rehearsals for the show but Patrick Woodroffe, a lighting engineer working at the LA arena, said that he had finally recovered some of his old magic in the past few days.
He told the BBC: "He came on stage at 9 o’clock in the evening and we all looked at each other and there was something that said that he really had it.
"Last night particularly, he came on stage and he was electric. It was like he had been holding back and suddenly he was performing as one had remembered him in the past."
Brian Oxman, a Jackson family lawyer and spokesman, told CNN that Jackson had been struggling to cope with the after-effects of various performance injuries, including a damaged vertebra and a broken leg, which had been interrupting scheduled rehearsal for the London dates.
He went on to accuse those around Jackson of letting him slip into dependency on prescription drugs and painkillers.
"I can only tell you that this is not something which has been unexpected," Mr Oxman told CNN from the LA hospital as family members came to terms with the news from doctors.
"This family has been trying for months and months to take care of Michael Jackson. The people who have surrounded him have been enabling him: if you think that the case of Anna Nicole Smith was an abuse, it is nothing to what we have seen taking place in Michael Jackson's life."
He added: "I can tell you for sure that this is something I warned about. Where there is smoke there is fire."
Jackson’s reputation as a singer and moonwalking dancer was overshadowed in recent years by his increasingly abnormal appearance, and bizarre lifestyle, which included his friendship with a chimpanzee named Bubbles and a preference for the company of children.
He named his estate in the central California foothills Neverland Valley Ranch, in tribute to the J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan stories, and filled it with amusement park rides and a petting zoo.
Jackson was twice accused of molesting young boys and was charged in 2003 with child sexual abuse. He became even more reclusive following his 2005 acquittal and vowed that he would no longer live at Neverland.
Facing a battered reputation and mountain of debts that authoritative estimates put at up to half a billion dollars, Jackson had been forced to agree to the unprecedented residency at the O2.
Despite reports of Jackson’s ill-health, the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson had passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors.
The Shocking Bridge
Culture shock is leaving Lombard Street in San Francisco on the Golden Gate Bus and arriving in Corte Madera in Marin County where people tell you things instead of asking questions.
If you are knitting something, before you arrive at the Golden Gate bridge, there might be a question from the passenger in the seat next to you such as "What is it?"
Once you arrive in Marin County, someone will probably say, "Oh, it's pretty, I like it!" Or someone might say "I'm from here", if they say anything at all.
If you continue on the bus to San Rafael from Larkspur or Corte Madera, there is mostly silence.
It is enlightening when someone tells me something instead of asking questions. Most often, while travelling, one can anticipate the questions of other passengers.
Perhaps the reason people in San Francisco ask questions and in Marin County people tell you things is because of the bridge from one culture to another.
If you are knitting something, before you arrive at the Golden Gate bridge, there might be a question from the passenger in the seat next to you such as "What is it?"
Once you arrive in Marin County, someone will probably say, "Oh, it's pretty, I like it!" Or someone might say "I'm from here", if they say anything at all.
If you continue on the bus to San Rafael from Larkspur or Corte Madera, there is mostly silence.
It is enlightening when someone tells me something instead of asking questions. Most often, while travelling, one can anticipate the questions of other passengers.
Perhaps the reason people in San Francisco ask questions and in Marin County people tell you things is because of the bridge from one culture to another.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Five Ways to Improve the Environment
FIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT
1. Recharge your batteries
Batteries contain mercury and cadmium, major sources of hazardous contamination.
Use rechargeable batteries, recycle alkaline batteries.
2. Stamp out Styrofoam
Styrofoam is polystyrene foam made from the carcinogen benzene converted to styrene and then injected with gases.
Polystyrene form is non-biodegradable and is deadly to marine life. It floats on ocean surfaces, breaks up into pellets resembling food, styrofoam clogs the systems of turtles and other sealife, and its buoyancy keeps them from diving for food.
Avoid foam packaging in egg cartons, disposable picnic goods, etc. Ask for paper take-out plate at restaurants.
3. Recycle your motor oil
Used motor oil can contaminate drinking water supplies and create a poisonous oil stick. One quart of motor oil can pollute 250,000 gallons of drinking water.
You can avoid this by checking at gas station to be sure it will be recycled, inquire if there is an oil-changing outlet that recycles their oil for a small fee.
Most recycled oil is reprocessed for ships and industrial boilers. Millions of barrels of oil can be saved by refining motor oil.
4. Avoid incandescent light bulbs
Compact fluorescents last longer and use about 1/4 of the energy of an incandescent bulb. Substituting a compact fluorescent light for a traditional bulb will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb.
5. Hazardous toxins
Billions of dollars are spent every year on hazardous toxins. Oven cleaners, no-iron bed linens, air fresheners, mothballs, permanent ink pens, and baby powder may contain dangerous toxins.
Use baking soda instead of oven cleaner, herbal mixtures or vinegar with lemon juice and orange zest instead of air freshener, cedar chips instead of mothballs. Air fresheners may contain harmful chemicals like xylene, ethanol or naphthalene. Mothballs contain paradichlorobenzene.
1. Recharge your batteries
Batteries contain mercury and cadmium, major sources of hazardous contamination.
Use rechargeable batteries, recycle alkaline batteries.
2. Stamp out Styrofoam
Styrofoam is polystyrene foam made from the carcinogen benzene converted to styrene and then injected with gases.
Polystyrene form is non-biodegradable and is deadly to marine life. It floats on ocean surfaces, breaks up into pellets resembling food, styrofoam clogs the systems of turtles and other sealife, and its buoyancy keeps them from diving for food.
Avoid foam packaging in egg cartons, disposable picnic goods, etc. Ask for paper take-out plate at restaurants.
3. Recycle your motor oil
Used motor oil can contaminate drinking water supplies and create a poisonous oil stick. One quart of motor oil can pollute 250,000 gallons of drinking water.
You can avoid this by checking at gas station to be sure it will be recycled, inquire if there is an oil-changing outlet that recycles their oil for a small fee.
Most recycled oil is reprocessed for ships and industrial boilers. Millions of barrels of oil can be saved by refining motor oil.
4. Avoid incandescent light bulbs
Compact fluorescents last longer and use about 1/4 of the energy of an incandescent bulb. Substituting a compact fluorescent light for a traditional bulb will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb.
5. Hazardous toxins
Billions of dollars are spent every year on hazardous toxins. Oven cleaners, no-iron bed linens, air fresheners, mothballs, permanent ink pens, and baby powder may contain dangerous toxins.
Use baking soda instead of oven cleaner, herbal mixtures or vinegar with lemon juice and orange zest instead of air freshener, cedar chips instead of mothballs. Air fresheners may contain harmful chemicals like xylene, ethanol or naphthalene. Mothballs contain paradichlorobenzene.
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Horse Race
The galloping horses stopped in their tracks.
What they saw, I really don't know.
Their eyes were wild, they dropped their packs,
And they put on quite a show.
People of all sorts stood three in a line
To see the herd kick up dust.
I watched from a stairway sign nearby
That said "We Plan to Win or Bust".
It seems the horses once ran a race,
But betting was not now allowed.
And habits slumber at a slow pace,
So some lost esteem they borrowed.
More horses appeared from hills here and there
To form a camp and decide.
Their goal was to protest and share
Opinions about where to abide.
Because rumors shot over their heads about storms,
They sought to find places to stay,
And frightened the neighbors who set their alarms
And managed to stay away.
They locked their doors and hid in places
Until the herds of horses got tired,
And somehow disappeared and quit the races.
They suddenly all retired.
What they saw, I really don't know.
Their eyes were wild, they dropped their packs,
And they put on quite a show.
People of all sorts stood three in a line
To see the herd kick up dust.
I watched from a stairway sign nearby
That said "We Plan to Win or Bust".
It seems the horses once ran a race,
But betting was not now allowed.
And habits slumber at a slow pace,
So some lost esteem they borrowed.
More horses appeared from hills here and there
To form a camp and decide.
Their goal was to protest and share
Opinions about where to abide.
Because rumors shot over their heads about storms,
They sought to find places to stay,
And frightened the neighbors who set their alarms
And managed to stay away.
They locked their doors and hid in places
Until the herds of horses got tired,
And somehow disappeared and quit the races.
They suddenly all retired.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
City and County of San Francisco Says Church Trying to Skip Taxes
According to San Francisco's tax assessor, the Archdiocese of San Francisco has moved the ownership of various assets to a new nonprofit organization in order to shield the properties from being seized or sold for potential lawsuit payouts.
The church has refused to pay the taxes for transferring the 232 properties, Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting said. The tax bill, which the church has appealed, could reach $15 million - one of the largest in city history.
Nonprofits are exempt from property and federal income taxes but subject to property transfer taxes, which are collected if they sell or transfer properties.
At issue is whether the church is moving those San Francisco properties from one Catholic nonprofit organization to another, was transferring the assets to a separate entity, as the city argues, or simply undergoing internal reorganization, as the church contends.
The properties in question include some of the diocese's most famous, such as Mission Dolores, Old St. Mary's Cathedral, and St. Francis of Assisi, as well as empty lots and commercial land throughout the city.
At the upcoming hearing, Ting plans to argue that the church moved 232 properties into a new nonprofit created expressly to protect the archdiocese from losing those assets,
The diocese has sold other peoperties in recent years to help pay out more than $40 million in settlements related to dozens of sexual abuse lawsuits, but church official strongly rejected Ting's accusation.
Ting compared the practice to a private business creating a limited liability company or corporation in order to protect owners from bankruptcy or other legal judments. He said the move is completely legal but that the church cannot have the asset protection and also escape the tax bill. The case could have wide-ranging implications for other churches and nonprofits who decide to reorganize their holdings. Tuing said he has received calls from other religious organizations "who are thinking about doing similar things and are looking eith quite a lot of interest at what happens in this case."
A city appeals board - made up of the city controller, treasurer and head of the real estate division - will hold the hearing on June 16 to determine whether the church owes the taxes. If his office is successful, Ting estimates the arachdiocese could owe between $3 million and $15 million in taxes.
___________________________
The above was based on article by Marisa Lagos,
Chronicle Staff Writer
The church has refused to pay the taxes for transferring the 232 properties, Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting said. The tax bill, which the church has appealed, could reach $15 million - one of the largest in city history.
Nonprofits are exempt from property and federal income taxes but subject to property transfer taxes, which are collected if they sell or transfer properties.
At issue is whether the church is moving those San Francisco properties from one Catholic nonprofit organization to another, was transferring the assets to a separate entity, as the city argues, or simply undergoing internal reorganization, as the church contends.
The properties in question include some of the diocese's most famous, such as Mission Dolores, Old St. Mary's Cathedral, and St. Francis of Assisi, as well as empty lots and commercial land throughout the city.
At the upcoming hearing, Ting plans to argue that the church moved 232 properties into a new nonprofit created expressly to protect the archdiocese from losing those assets,
The diocese has sold other peoperties in recent years to help pay out more than $40 million in settlements related to dozens of sexual abuse lawsuits, but church official strongly rejected Ting's accusation.
Ting compared the practice to a private business creating a limited liability company or corporation in order to protect owners from bankruptcy or other legal judments. He said the move is completely legal but that the church cannot have the asset protection and also escape the tax bill. The case could have wide-ranging implications for other churches and nonprofits who decide to reorganize their holdings. Tuing said he has received calls from other religious organizations "who are thinking about doing similar things and are looking eith quite a lot of interest at what happens in this case."
A city appeals board - made up of the city controller, treasurer and head of the real estate division - will hold the hearing on June 16 to determine whether the church owes the taxes. If his office is successful, Ting estimates the arachdiocese could owe between $3 million and $15 million in taxes.
___________________________
The above was based on article by Marisa Lagos,
Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Prayer of Franklin D. Roosevelt on D Day, June 6, 1944
This is the prayer originally entitled "Let Our Hearts Be Stout" written by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as Allied troops were invading German-occupied Europe during World War II. The prayer was read to the nation on radio on the evening of D-Day, June 6, 1944, while American, British and Canadian troops were fighting to establish beach heads on the coast of Normandy in France.
The previous night, June 5, the President had also been on the radio to announce that Allied troops had entered Rome. The spectacular news that Rome had been liberated was quickly surpassed by news of the gigantic D-Day invasion which began at 6:30 a.m. on June 6. By midnight about 57,000 American and 75,000 British and Canadian soldiers had gotten ashore. Allied losses on D-Day included 2,500 killed and 8,500 wounded.
My Fellow Americans:
Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.
And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:
Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.
Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest -- until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.
For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them -- help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.
Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.
Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.
And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keeness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment -- let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace -- a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen.
Franklin D. Roosevelt - June 6, 1944
The previous night, June 5, the President had also been on the radio to announce that Allied troops had entered Rome. The spectacular news that Rome had been liberated was quickly surpassed by news of the gigantic D-Day invasion which began at 6:30 a.m. on June 6. By midnight about 57,000 American and 75,000 British and Canadian soldiers had gotten ashore. Allied losses on D-Day included 2,500 killed and 8,500 wounded.
My Fellow Americans:
Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.
And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:
Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.
Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest -- until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.
For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them -- help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.
Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.
Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.
And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keeness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment -- let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace -- a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen.
Franklin D. Roosevelt - June 6, 1944
Monday, June 1, 2009
Air France Jet Feared Lost on Flight From Brazil to Paris
PARIS — An Air France passenger jet traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris disappeared after its electrical systems malfunctioned during a thunderstorm with heavy turbulence on Sunday evening, and officials said Monday that a search had begun for the wreckage in a vast swath of the Atlantic Ocean.
Relatives and friends waited on Monday at Galeão - Antonio Carlos Jobim airport in Rio de Janeiro to receive information about flight AF 447.
“We have received no news from Flight AF 447,” an Air France spokeswoman in Paris, Brigitte Barrand, said Monday.
The plane, an Airbus 330-200, was carrying 216 passengers, nine cabin crew members and three pilots, the airline said.
It took off from Galeão Airport in Rio de Janeiro at 7:30 p.m. local time (6:30 Eastern time), and its last verbal communication with air traffic control was at 10:33 p.m., according to a statement from the Aeronautica, the agency in charge of Brazilian air space. At that time, the flight was at 35,000 feet and traveling 520 miles per hour.
About a half-hour later, the plane encountered an electrical storm with “very heavy turbulence,” Ms. Barrand said. The last communication from the plane was 14 minutes later — a series of automatic messages indicating that the aircraft had suffered an electrical-system malfunction, Air France officials said in Paris.
The chief Air France spokesman, Francois Brousse, said “it is possible” that the plane was hit by lightning, The Associated Press reported.
“A completely unexpected situation occurred on board the aircraft,” Pierre Henri Gourgeon, the Air France-KLM chief executive, told France’s LCI television.
Brazilian officials said the plane disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean between the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, 186 miles northeast of the coastal Brazilian city of Natal, and Ilha do Sal, one of the Cape Verde islands off the coast of Africa. It is a huge area of ocean three times the size of Europe, officials said.
The Brazilian Air Force sent two planes to search for wreckage, an air force spokesman, Col. Henry Munhoz, told O Globo television in Brazil, and three ships from the Brazilian Navy were sent out. A French Air Force plane joined the search from a base in Senegal, Africa, as did a Spanish plane, news services reported.
The head of investigation and accident prevention for Brazil’s Civil Aeronautics Agency, Douglas Ferreira Machado, told O Globo that he calculated that, given its speed, the plane must have left Brazilian waters by the time contact was lost.
“It’s going to take a long time to carry out this search,” The A.P. quoted him as saying. “It could be a long, sad story. The black box will be at the bottom of the sea.”
The incident took place in a zone known to sailors and pilots as the ‘horse latitudes’ — an area of inter-tropical convergence close to the Equator particularly susceptible to storms and violent wind changes, said Julien Gourguechon, who has been an Air France pilot for a decade.
In the area, thunderstorms are possible at altitudes of up to 55,000 feet. Weather reports from the time of the incident indicated high clouds and isolated thunderstorms, CNN reported.
The plane was flying beyond the reach of Brazilian and Senegalese radar when it went missing — a gap that always occurs for aircraft on long trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific flights.
The automatic messages, which were possibly triggered by a number of alarms on the aircraft, were therefore likely received by satellite by the Air France maintenance system, Mr. Gourguechon said. He added that the cause of the plane’s “clearly exceptional” disappearance, apparently with no distress signal, was unlikely to be purely meteorological.
“Lightning alone is not enough to explain the loss of this plane,” he said. “Turbulence alone isn’t enough to explain it. It is always a combination of factors,” he said.
All jets are built to withstand severe turbulence, especially at upper flying levels, as well as to withstand lightning strikes. The missing aircraft was relatively new, having gone into service in April 2005. Its last maintenance check in the hangar took place on April 16, 2009, Air France said in a statement.
Pilots are trained to try to avoid flying directly through thunderstorms, and instead try to find an opening in a storm front through which to guide their plane. Ms. Barrand said that the pilot of the missing jet was very experienced, having clocked 11,000 flying hours, including 1,100 hours on Airbus 330 jets.
Air France's chief executive Pierre Henri Gourgeon spoke to reporters at the airline's headquarters, at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on Monday.
The plane disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean near the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha, Brazilian authorities said.
Planes have been brought down by lightning strikes in the past, though it is rare. In 1988, a twin-engine turboprop FA-4 was struck by lightning in the skies over Germany and crashed, killing all 21 people aboard. In 2006, a plane carrying Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, was struck by lightning and had to land, his spokeswoman said at the time.
Flight AF 447 was scheduled to arrive at Paris’s Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport at 11:10 a.m. local time. Stricken relatives, weeping or hiding behind dark sunglasses, descended on terminal 2D at Charles de Gaulle airport where the airline on Monday established a dedicated crisis cell, plus another in Rio. A black robed priest could be seen making his way past hordes of police, passengers and media to comfort relatives at Paris airport.
Air France did not release a passenger list, but said that the passengers were 126 men, 82 women, seven children and an infant. The French president, Nicholas Sarkozy, said that there were about 40 French on board. Maria Celina Rodrigues, the Brazilian consul general in Paris said there were 44 Brazilians on board, along with 21 Germans and a host of others nationalities, including Chinese.
One man at the airport in Paris, Luis Carlos Machado, 40, a policeman from Criciuma, Brazil, was waiting to take an Air France flight to Rio which had been delayed by the disruption. One of his colleagues, Deise Possamai, 34, was on the missing flight. He said he had been indirectly in contact with her parents and said they had given up all hope.
“It’s a really strange feeling to have to fly this route now,” he said.
French and Brazilian aviation authorities are expected to lead the investigation, but the United States National Transportation Safety Board may be involved if the plane had American-made engines or had any American passengers on board.
The A330 jet, which carries about 250 passengers, is a workhorse of long-distance aviation, used on routes where passenger demand was not big enough to warrant the use of the larger Boeing 777.
No Airbus 330-200 passenger flight has ever been involved in a fatal crash, according to the Aviation Safety Network, though the seven-person crew of a test flight died in a June 30, 1994, crash near Toulouse, France, where Airbus is based. The test was meant to simulate an engine failure at low speed with maximum angle of climb.
In October 2008, an A330 operated by Qantas on a flight from Singapore to Perth had to be diverted for an emergency landing near the Australian town of Exmouth after suddenly losing altitude. Dozens of passengers and crew members were injured.
Air France said that people in France seeking information about the flight could telephone 0800-800-812. For those calling from abroad, the number is 33-1-57-02-10-55
__________________
The New York Times
Caroline Brothers reported from Paris, and Sharon Otterman from New York. Reporting was contributed by Alexei Barrionuevo from Buenos Aires, Micheline Maynard from New York, Brian Knowlton from Washington, and Andrew Downie from São Paulo, Brazil.
Relatives and friends waited on Monday at Galeão - Antonio Carlos Jobim airport in Rio de Janeiro to receive information about flight AF 447.
“We have received no news from Flight AF 447,” an Air France spokeswoman in Paris, Brigitte Barrand, said Monday.
The plane, an Airbus 330-200, was carrying 216 passengers, nine cabin crew members and three pilots, the airline said.
It took off from Galeão Airport in Rio de Janeiro at 7:30 p.m. local time (6:30 Eastern time), and its last verbal communication with air traffic control was at 10:33 p.m., according to a statement from the Aeronautica, the agency in charge of Brazilian air space. At that time, the flight was at 35,000 feet and traveling 520 miles per hour.
About a half-hour later, the plane encountered an electrical storm with “very heavy turbulence,” Ms. Barrand said. The last communication from the plane was 14 minutes later — a series of automatic messages indicating that the aircraft had suffered an electrical-system malfunction, Air France officials said in Paris.
The chief Air France spokesman, Francois Brousse, said “it is possible” that the plane was hit by lightning, The Associated Press reported.
“A completely unexpected situation occurred on board the aircraft,” Pierre Henri Gourgeon, the Air France-KLM chief executive, told France’s LCI television.
Brazilian officials said the plane disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean between the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, 186 miles northeast of the coastal Brazilian city of Natal, and Ilha do Sal, one of the Cape Verde islands off the coast of Africa. It is a huge area of ocean three times the size of Europe, officials said.
The Brazilian Air Force sent two planes to search for wreckage, an air force spokesman, Col. Henry Munhoz, told O Globo television in Brazil, and three ships from the Brazilian Navy were sent out. A French Air Force plane joined the search from a base in Senegal, Africa, as did a Spanish plane, news services reported.
The head of investigation and accident prevention for Brazil’s Civil Aeronautics Agency, Douglas Ferreira Machado, told O Globo that he calculated that, given its speed, the plane must have left Brazilian waters by the time contact was lost.
“It’s going to take a long time to carry out this search,” The A.P. quoted him as saying. “It could be a long, sad story. The black box will be at the bottom of the sea.”
The incident took place in a zone known to sailors and pilots as the ‘horse latitudes’ — an area of inter-tropical convergence close to the Equator particularly susceptible to storms and violent wind changes, said Julien Gourguechon, who has been an Air France pilot for a decade.
In the area, thunderstorms are possible at altitudes of up to 55,000 feet. Weather reports from the time of the incident indicated high clouds and isolated thunderstorms, CNN reported.
The plane was flying beyond the reach of Brazilian and Senegalese radar when it went missing — a gap that always occurs for aircraft on long trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific flights.
The automatic messages, which were possibly triggered by a number of alarms on the aircraft, were therefore likely received by satellite by the Air France maintenance system, Mr. Gourguechon said. He added that the cause of the plane’s “clearly exceptional” disappearance, apparently with no distress signal, was unlikely to be purely meteorological.
“Lightning alone is not enough to explain the loss of this plane,” he said. “Turbulence alone isn’t enough to explain it. It is always a combination of factors,” he said.
All jets are built to withstand severe turbulence, especially at upper flying levels, as well as to withstand lightning strikes. The missing aircraft was relatively new, having gone into service in April 2005. Its last maintenance check in the hangar took place on April 16, 2009, Air France said in a statement.
Pilots are trained to try to avoid flying directly through thunderstorms, and instead try to find an opening in a storm front through which to guide their plane. Ms. Barrand said that the pilot of the missing jet was very experienced, having clocked 11,000 flying hours, including 1,100 hours on Airbus 330 jets.
Air France's chief executive Pierre Henri Gourgeon spoke to reporters at the airline's headquarters, at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on Monday.
The plane disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean near the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha, Brazilian authorities said.
Planes have been brought down by lightning strikes in the past, though it is rare. In 1988, a twin-engine turboprop FA-4 was struck by lightning in the skies over Germany and crashed, killing all 21 people aboard. In 2006, a plane carrying Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, was struck by lightning and had to land, his spokeswoman said at the time.
Flight AF 447 was scheduled to arrive at Paris’s Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport at 11:10 a.m. local time. Stricken relatives, weeping or hiding behind dark sunglasses, descended on terminal 2D at Charles de Gaulle airport where the airline on Monday established a dedicated crisis cell, plus another in Rio. A black robed priest could be seen making his way past hordes of police, passengers and media to comfort relatives at Paris airport.
Air France did not release a passenger list, but said that the passengers were 126 men, 82 women, seven children and an infant. The French president, Nicholas Sarkozy, said that there were about 40 French on board. Maria Celina Rodrigues, the Brazilian consul general in Paris said there were 44 Brazilians on board, along with 21 Germans and a host of others nationalities, including Chinese.
One man at the airport in Paris, Luis Carlos Machado, 40, a policeman from Criciuma, Brazil, was waiting to take an Air France flight to Rio which had been delayed by the disruption. One of his colleagues, Deise Possamai, 34, was on the missing flight. He said he had been indirectly in contact with her parents and said they had given up all hope.
“It’s a really strange feeling to have to fly this route now,” he said.
French and Brazilian aviation authorities are expected to lead the investigation, but the United States National Transportation Safety Board may be involved if the plane had American-made engines or had any American passengers on board.
The A330 jet, which carries about 250 passengers, is a workhorse of long-distance aviation, used on routes where passenger demand was not big enough to warrant the use of the larger Boeing 777.
No Airbus 330-200 passenger flight has ever been involved in a fatal crash, according to the Aviation Safety Network, though the seven-person crew of a test flight died in a June 30, 1994, crash near Toulouse, France, where Airbus is based. The test was meant to simulate an engine failure at low speed with maximum angle of climb.
In October 2008, an A330 operated by Qantas on a flight from Singapore to Perth had to be diverted for an emergency landing near the Australian town of Exmouth after suddenly losing altitude. Dozens of passengers and crew members were injured.
Air France said that people in France seeking information about the flight could telephone 0800-800-812. For those calling from abroad, the number is 33-1-57-02-10-55
__________________
The New York Times
Caroline Brothers reported from Paris, and Sharon Otterman from New York. Reporting was contributed by Alexei Barrionuevo from Buenos Aires, Micheline Maynard from New York, Brian Knowlton from Washington, and Andrew Downie from São Paulo, Brazil.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Lumber in the Skies
The train chugged up the hill with a load of coal. Suddenly, the brakes broke loose and three freight cars full of coal derailed, jumped the tracks, and rolled into a pile of lumber.
Five degrees below zero in Montana and three freight cars and lumber were snowed under.
Spring arrived. The coal, lumber and three freight cars covered by an avalanche and formed into a cave-like substance much like found in Carlsbad Caverns, here sparkling bright, there pastel with dents, bulges, smoothness, rough edges, and heavy rocks gathered in the transformation process.
Plant life, moss, ferns, and a feeling of soft coolness prevailed with an aroma of lilies of the valley.
July solidification took effect, the mud became stony and cemented into evenly formed smooth shapess creating the impression of magnified honeycombs dropped by a giant bee.
A September cocoon formed, and instead of a butterfly turning into a caterpillar, the objects, including the freight cars, logs and coal reshaped themselves in the dry autumn wind, slowly emerging into one massive web, gradually disintegrating as a giant cloud suddenly lifted them up over the mountain surrounded on all sides by space.
Five degrees below zero in Montana and three freight cars and lumber were snowed under.
Spring arrived. The coal, lumber and three freight cars covered by an avalanche and formed into a cave-like substance much like found in Carlsbad Caverns, here sparkling bright, there pastel with dents, bulges, smoothness, rough edges, and heavy rocks gathered in the transformation process.
Plant life, moss, ferns, and a feeling of soft coolness prevailed with an aroma of lilies of the valley.
July solidification took effect, the mud became stony and cemented into evenly formed smooth shapess creating the impression of magnified honeycombs dropped by a giant bee.
A September cocoon formed, and instead of a butterfly turning into a caterpillar, the objects, including the freight cars, logs and coal reshaped themselves in the dry autumn wind, slowly emerging into one massive web, gradually disintegrating as a giant cloud suddenly lifted them up over the mountain surrounded on all sides by space.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Commentary Regarding Homeless In Marin County
While the current shelter system apparently provides services for the unhoused and unemployed, and considering the fact that funds for such services are often allocated to the County of Marin, the funds are often spent for overhead instead of providing housing and job training and/or employment.
Subsequently, the places and agencies receiving considerable funds and who claim to resolve social dilemmas while exacerbating the situations create a revolving door for homelessness.
Instead of being subjected to control, selfish interests and manipulation, the disenfranchised need a voice in their pathway to "normalcy" required by the management of the current shelter situation.
Since the church community has become involved in providing temporary housing for Marin County men and women, there has been improvement in the morale of the displaced persons, and there needs to be a continuation of respect and sincere interest in that regard.
The safety and health concerns for those who are at risk is considerable, and in addition to other suggestions in this proposal, there needs to be private study areas and a library as well as telephone and computer facilities for job seeking and also a recreational area for games such as card games and billiards.
Also, an issue that has not been previously addressed that exists in Marin County is the number of unemployed who loiter on the street corners creating a nuisance and illegally absorbing the resources that are intended for American citizens.
Perhaps there could be a re-evaluation of the funds for various causes instead of creating additional disbursement agencies.
Subsequently, the places and agencies receiving considerable funds and who claim to resolve social dilemmas while exacerbating the situations create a revolving door for homelessness.
Instead of being subjected to control, selfish interests and manipulation, the disenfranchised need a voice in their pathway to "normalcy" required by the management of the current shelter situation.
Since the church community has become involved in providing temporary housing for Marin County men and women, there has been improvement in the morale of the displaced persons, and there needs to be a continuation of respect and sincere interest in that regard.
The safety and health concerns for those who are at risk is considerable, and in addition to other suggestions in this proposal, there needs to be private study areas and a library as well as telephone and computer facilities for job seeking and also a recreational area for games such as card games and billiards.
Also, an issue that has not been previously addressed that exists in Marin County is the number of unemployed who loiter on the street corners creating a nuisance and illegally absorbing the resources that are intended for American citizens.
Perhaps there could be a re-evaluation of the funds for various causes instead of creating additional disbursement agencies.
The Cost of Illegal Immigration to the American Taxpayer
http://kevincolby.com/2008/07/27/the-cost-of-illegal-immigrants-to-the-american-taxpayer/
Talk Show Hosts Urged to Defend Michael Savage
By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
A well-known right-leaning radio firebrand whose face has become a staple on cable TV news shows has vowed to speak out against the U.K.'s blacklisting of Michael Savage – and he's demanding that the nation's talkers join him.
Bill Cunningham, Cincinnati host of 700 WLW who replaced Matt Drudge on the Sunday night Premiere Radio Network talk show, is best known for being scolded by John McCain after he referred to President Obama as "Barack Hussein Obama" during the presidential campaigns. He pledged Sunday to talk about Britain's ban every week on his live show, aired in more than 200 markets, until the U.K. removes Savage's name from its blacklist.
"If the kings and queens of talk radio do not arise and stand with Michael Savage, they're going to start picking us off one at a time," Cunningham told WND. "If we don't stand with Michael, there'll be no one left to stand with each of us when the FCC or the British government or the American government comes after us. I see it as personal because if Michael Savage falls, who are they going to pick on next?"
Cunningham pledged, "Every Sunday between now and the end of time, I will talk about Michael Savage, support Michael Savage and encourage boycotts of everything British until they free Savage from this fatwa that was issued by the British government."
Tell your government to stay away from censoring talk radio and manipulating news coverage: Sign WND's Petition to Block Congressional Attacks on Freedom of Speech and Press now!
U.K. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith defended her decision to ban Savage Tuesday, saying, "In his radio broadcasts, Mr. Savage has spoken about killing 100 million Muslims, and he has spoken in violent terms about homosexuals."
The U.K. list also includes Hamas leader Yunis Al-Astal, former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Stephen Donald Black, neo-Nazi Erich Gliebe and radical American pastor Fred Phelps, known for his virulent anti-gay protests at funerals. Phelps' daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper also is on the list. But Cunningham said he believes it is outrageous to link Savage with members of the Ku Klux Klan and radical Islamists.
"Michael Savage in his life has never committed a violent act against anybody. He doesn't encourage or incite violence," he said. "All Michael Savage does is make me think. The thought police, whether in Britain or in America, should leave free-thinkers like Michael Savage alone."
Cunningham said he wishes the kings and queens of talk radio would speak up for Savage because he believes the British government or the FCC will target them next.
Asked why he thinks the nation's talk radio hosts haven't already voiced their support for Savage, he replied, "I think there are two reasons: One is competition. Maybe they think that if Michael Savage leaves the airwaves it'll give them more time clearances on more stations. I think that is short-sighted. Secondly, Michael Savage is a bit radioactive, and they don't want to engender commercial boycotts of their own shows."
But Cunningham said Fox News' Sean Hannity is a good friend of his, and he fully intends to address the issue with the radio and television host.
"The next time I talk to Sean, I'm going to ask him why he hasn't spoken up for Savage," he said.
While Cunningham said he hopes the Obama administration would be courageous enough to come to the defense of Savage, he doesn't think it will happen.
"I guarantee that if the British government had issued a fatwa against left-leaning politicians, if it had banned Ed Schultz who sits in the front row of Obama's news conferences, I bet the Obama administration would get the ban lifted," he said.
"But because it's Michael Savage, who's on the opposite side of the political spectrum as Obama, they keep their damn mouths shut."
He said the "Clintonistas" and the "Obamamaniacs" are working together to marginalize talk radio, and regardless of Savage's appeal to Hillary Clinton to call on the British government to withdraw the ban, the secretary of state is unlikely to act.
"That is a voice crying in the wilderness because Hillary and Obama want people like Savage to shut up," he said. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if before they did this, somebody in Gordon Brown's administration contacted Washington and told them, 'Hey, we're about to do this to one of your talk-show hosts,' and they said, 'Go get him. Let's see if it works. Let's see if the talk radio community will shut up.'"
On his website, Savage is appealing to his listeners to contribute to his legal fund as he considers action against the home secretary. Cunningham said listeners should also boycott Britain. He and his wife had planned to go to London in September, but they canceled the trip after the blacklist was released.
In the meantime, Cunningham will continue to demand an apology from Jacqui Smith and the U.K. – every Sunday on his show until the ban is lifted.
"I don't agree with some things Michael Savage says, but I will fight to the death for his right to say it," he said. "That's the essence of the First Amendment. He may say some things that I wouldn't say, but damn it, he's got the right to say it."
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
A well-known right-leaning radio firebrand whose face has become a staple on cable TV news shows has vowed to speak out against the U.K.'s blacklisting of Michael Savage – and he's demanding that the nation's talkers join him.
Bill Cunningham, Cincinnati host of 700 WLW who replaced Matt Drudge on the Sunday night Premiere Radio Network talk show, is best known for being scolded by John McCain after he referred to President Obama as "Barack Hussein Obama" during the presidential campaigns. He pledged Sunday to talk about Britain's ban every week on his live show, aired in more than 200 markets, until the U.K. removes Savage's name from its blacklist.
"If the kings and queens of talk radio do not arise and stand with Michael Savage, they're going to start picking us off one at a time," Cunningham told WND. "If we don't stand with Michael, there'll be no one left to stand with each of us when the FCC or the British government or the American government comes after us. I see it as personal because if Michael Savage falls, who are they going to pick on next?"
Cunningham pledged, "Every Sunday between now and the end of time, I will talk about Michael Savage, support Michael Savage and encourage boycotts of everything British until they free Savage from this fatwa that was issued by the British government."
Tell your government to stay away from censoring talk radio and manipulating news coverage: Sign WND's Petition to Block Congressional Attacks on Freedom of Speech and Press now!
U.K. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith defended her decision to ban Savage Tuesday, saying, "In his radio broadcasts, Mr. Savage has spoken about killing 100 million Muslims, and he has spoken in violent terms about homosexuals."
The U.K. list also includes Hamas leader Yunis Al-Astal, former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Stephen Donald Black, neo-Nazi Erich Gliebe and radical American pastor Fred Phelps, known for his virulent anti-gay protests at funerals. Phelps' daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper also is on the list. But Cunningham said he believes it is outrageous to link Savage with members of the Ku Klux Klan and radical Islamists.
"Michael Savage in his life has never committed a violent act against anybody. He doesn't encourage or incite violence," he said. "All Michael Savage does is make me think. The thought police, whether in Britain or in America, should leave free-thinkers like Michael Savage alone."
Cunningham said he wishes the kings and queens of talk radio would speak up for Savage because he believes the British government or the FCC will target them next.
Asked why he thinks the nation's talk radio hosts haven't already voiced their support for Savage, he replied, "I think there are two reasons: One is competition. Maybe they think that if Michael Savage leaves the airwaves it'll give them more time clearances on more stations. I think that is short-sighted. Secondly, Michael Savage is a bit radioactive, and they don't want to engender commercial boycotts of their own shows."
But Cunningham said Fox News' Sean Hannity is a good friend of his, and he fully intends to address the issue with the radio and television host.
"The next time I talk to Sean, I'm going to ask him why he hasn't spoken up for Savage," he said.
While Cunningham said he hopes the Obama administration would be courageous enough to come to the defense of Savage, he doesn't think it will happen.
"I guarantee that if the British government had issued a fatwa against left-leaning politicians, if it had banned Ed Schultz who sits in the front row of Obama's news conferences, I bet the Obama administration would get the ban lifted," he said.
"But because it's Michael Savage, who's on the opposite side of the political spectrum as Obama, they keep their damn mouths shut."
He said the "Clintonistas" and the "Obamamaniacs" are working together to marginalize talk radio, and regardless of Savage's appeal to Hillary Clinton to call on the British government to withdraw the ban, the secretary of state is unlikely to act.
"That is a voice crying in the wilderness because Hillary and Obama want people like Savage to shut up," he said. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if before they did this, somebody in Gordon Brown's administration contacted Washington and told them, 'Hey, we're about to do this to one of your talk-show hosts,' and they said, 'Go get him. Let's see if it works. Let's see if the talk radio community will shut up.'"
On his website, Savage is appealing to his listeners to contribute to his legal fund as he considers action against the home secretary. Cunningham said listeners should also boycott Britain. He and his wife had planned to go to London in September, but they canceled the trip after the blacklist was released.
In the meantime, Cunningham will continue to demand an apology from Jacqui Smith and the U.K. – every Sunday on his show until the ban is lifted.
"I don't agree with some things Michael Savage says, but I will fight to the death for his right to say it," he said. "That's the essence of the First Amendment. He may say some things that I wouldn't say, but damn it, he's got the right to say it."
Marin County Grand Jury Gives a Nudge on the Homeless Issue
THE MARIN civil grand jury's call for the county to do more to provide emergency shelter for the homeless represents a strong and independent assessment of a critical shortcoming in local government's response to a growing need.
The grand jury's recommendation couldn't come at a better - or more economically urgent - time.
Supervisor Steve Kinsey said the county is reassessing its homeless strategy.
Such an assessment is overdue.
The county's emergency winter shelter was housing 60 people when it was closed last month for lack of funding. Those 60 people were left to fend for themselves - making a compelling case for the need for more beds for the homeless in Marin. The county's other shelters already were full.
The grand jury report, "Marin's homeless - The 'invisible' problem that won't disappear," urges the county to shift its strategy and create a full-time coordinator of homeless services to provide the leadership needed to effectively address Marin's growing homeless problem.
The report also recommends that homelessness be one of the board's five top priorities.
Marin is not doing enough - "not even close," the grand jury says, especially when compared to other Bay Area counties.
The grand jury is right: There is poverty in the paradise known as Marin, and pretending the problem doesn't exist is just wrong.
The number of homeless is evident from the local shelters that turn people away because they don't have enough space.
Posted: 04/27/2009 12:08:29 AM PDT, Marin Independent Journal
The grand jury's recommendation couldn't come at a better - or more economically urgent - time.
Supervisor Steve Kinsey said the county is reassessing its homeless strategy.
Such an assessment is overdue.
The county's emergency winter shelter was housing 60 people when it was closed last month for lack of funding. Those 60 people were left to fend for themselves - making a compelling case for the need for more beds for the homeless in Marin. The county's other shelters already were full.
The grand jury report, "Marin's homeless - The 'invisible' problem that won't disappear," urges the county to shift its strategy and create a full-time coordinator of homeless services to provide the leadership needed to effectively address Marin's growing homeless problem.
The report also recommends that homelessness be one of the board's five top priorities.
Marin is not doing enough - "not even close," the grand jury says, especially when compared to other Bay Area counties.
The grand jury is right: There is poverty in the paradise known as Marin, and pretending the problem doesn't exist is just wrong.
The number of homeless is evident from the local shelters that turn people away because they don't have enough space.
Posted: 04/27/2009 12:08:29 AM PDT, Marin Independent Journal
Monday, May 11, 2009
Alone
Like winds in flight,
A strange delight,
My world is real and so is yours,
We hear a different tune.
I notice flutes, you notice voices
I see the moon, you count the stars,
The world is full of choices.
I stand alone, you stand alone,
We enjoy our aloneness.
Two people enjoying their aloneness together.
And yet we are bold to say,
We are alone.
A strange delight,
My world is real and so is yours,
We hear a different tune.
I notice flutes, you notice voices
I see the moon, you count the stars,
The world is full of choices.
I stand alone, you stand alone,
We enjoy our aloneness.
Two people enjoying their aloneness together.
And yet we are bold to say,
We are alone.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Forward Through the Past on a Beautiful Afternoon
Some time ago, I was privileged to visit Village North, an elite community near the sea, and a friend invited me to his yacht.
We enjoyed a lovely afternoon preparing our lunch, hoping the lobster and onion salad would deter the competing seagulls.
Another yacht captain invited us to join him and his crew for a voyage around private islands, and we returned at sunset.
Many choices,
Few Choices.
We were where we wished to be instead of dreaming of somewhere else because the place was better than the dreams.
Fresh air felt like an angel's kiss.
Suddenly, we were in the light again.
Quiet shadows observed the feathered sky.
We awoke from the daydream and heard the veil of ocean on the sides of our yacht with the soft promise of afternoon.
Golden threads wove through time.
We stood still.
Time stood still.
We moved on.
We enjoyed a lovely afternoon preparing our lunch, hoping the lobster and onion salad would deter the competing seagulls.
Another yacht captain invited us to join him and his crew for a voyage around private islands, and we returned at sunset.
Many choices,
Few Choices.
We were where we wished to be instead of dreaming of somewhere else because the place was better than the dreams.
Fresh air felt like an angel's kiss.
Suddenly, we were in the light again.
Quiet shadows observed the feathered sky.
We awoke from the daydream and heard the veil of ocean on the sides of our yacht with the soft promise of afternoon.
Golden threads wove through time.
We stood still.
Time stood still.
We moved on.
Thank You For Now
This poem is a celebration of the present moment, remembering the best of yesterday and gathering pearls of wisdom for tomorrow.
We need to try to forgive ourselves
When loved ones are gone.
We don't really miss them,
We miss loving them,
We saw them as a reflection of us,
Not as they were.
Sometimes we feel angry
Because we didn't really like them.
Society says we should,
So we create another image.
We were blind to their imperfections
And kind ways.
Now we see them as God sees them.
We are afraid to change,
To forgive,
Hoping positive images will find us.
Those we loved,
And time surrounded by space,
Helped to form our character.
When I am alone in a beautiful mansion,
Or in an abandoned cabin in wooded hills,
I live in the now,
When you were here,
I lived in the future,
Hoping we would soon be together.
I really don't know you.
I thought I did.
The telephone doesn't ring,
And I am grateful for the times
You thought I loved you for you.
Thank you for now.
We need to try to forgive ourselves
When loved ones are gone.
We don't really miss them,
We miss loving them,
We saw them as a reflection of us,
Not as they were.
Sometimes we feel angry
Because we didn't really like them.
Society says we should,
So we create another image.
We were blind to their imperfections
And kind ways.
Now we see them as God sees them.
We are afraid to change,
To forgive,
Hoping positive images will find us.
Those we loved,
And time surrounded by space,
Helped to form our character.
When I am alone in a beautiful mansion,
Or in an abandoned cabin in wooded hills,
I live in the now,
When you were here,
I lived in the future,
Hoping we would soon be together.
I really don't know you.
I thought I did.
The telephone doesn't ring,
And I am grateful for the times
You thought I loved you for you.
Thank you for now.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Death Left a Box
Escaping unspoken promises,
The landscape moves on,
Like a dying actor,
Its mask is gone.
The mask dipped in blood
Of deep despair
Becomes a mosaic window
Reflecting life's glare.
Disappearing behind stones of feathers
Of brilliant hue,
Appearing to rescue
While giving revenge its due.
Courting fantasy and fiction,
Juggling notice and mystique,
An honest hypocrite of folly,
Leaving the landscape bleak.
Death is like a folded box
Containing treasures we hold dear.
Move it gently by the window,
I will look another year.
The landscape moves on,
Like a dying actor,
Its mask is gone.
The mask dipped in blood
Of deep despair
Becomes a mosaic window
Reflecting life's glare.
Disappearing behind stones of feathers
Of brilliant hue,
Appearing to rescue
While giving revenge its due.
Courting fantasy and fiction,
Juggling notice and mystique,
An honest hypocrite of folly,
Leaving the landscape bleak.
Death is like a folded box
Containing treasures we hold dear.
Move it gently by the window,
I will look another year.
While Good Men Sleep
One by one, they nod and listen,
Waiting for eternal bliss,
Waiting for the final moment,
Like vultures on the sharp abyss.
Sleeping, dreaming, good men awaken.
Shadows melt the morning sun.
Who was here?, the good men ponder.
Someone touched me, I must run.
Run to fields or find a reason
Why the shadows seem to fall,
Leaving shadows on the doorstep,
Slightly turning when they call.
I'll be back, I whisper softly.
Knowing it is not really true.
In the minds of ghosts and shadows,
It is all that I can do.
Waiting for eternal bliss,
Waiting for the final moment,
Like vultures on the sharp abyss.
Sleeping, dreaming, good men awaken.
Shadows melt the morning sun.
Who was here?, the good men ponder.
Someone touched me, I must run.
Run to fields or find a reason
Why the shadows seem to fall,
Leaving shadows on the doorstep,
Slightly turning when they call.
I'll be back, I whisper softly.
Knowing it is not really true.
In the minds of ghosts and shadows,
It is all that I can do.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Simplicity, Art, and Culture
Simplicity, Art, Culture, and Education(From a speech by Frank Lloyd Wright, San Rafael, 1957).
By being simple, one is sensitive to the trees, to the birds,to the mountains, to the wind, to all the things which are going on about us in the world. Most of us live on the upper level of our consciousness; there we try to be thoughtful or intelligent, which is synonymous with being religious; there we try to make our minds simple, through compulsion, through discipline. To be simple in the total process of consciousness is extremely arduous; because there must be no inward reservations, there must be an eagerness to discover, to inquire into the process of our being, which means to be aware of our fears, of our hopes, and to be free of their bondage. Only when the mind and heart are really simple are we able to solve the many problems that confront us.
Knowledge alone will not solve our problems. You may know, for example, that there is reincarnation, that there is continuity after death. You may know, but life is not necessarily changed by your theory, information, or conviction. It is much more mysterious, much deeper, much more creative than that.It is only through direct experience that our problems are solved, and to have direct experience there must be simplicity, which means there must be sensitivity. Only mind that is capable of adjusting itself to the present can meet the power influences and pressures constantly placed upon us by our environment.It is only when a mind is sensitive, alert, aware and capable of receiving that there can be happiness. However complex our problems, we shall be able to see them in a new perspective if we approach them with simplicity.That is why it is so important to be aware, to have the capacity to understand the process of our own thinking, to be cognizant of ourselves totally; from that there comes a simplicity, a humility which is not a virtue nor a practice but a state of being.Maturity is a road, not a destination. The gate is narrow, and simplicity is the key.
Culture and education are two very different things. Culture is the developing of the idea by way of itself, and education is informing, teaching, telling the individual. It is only by a natural growth that you can attain culture, but you can return from school conditioned instead of enlightened. Education today doesn't mean culture. Sometimes men are educated beyond their capacity. Education today is not even on speaking terms with what we should call culture. We need culture more and education less. We acquire it through a new sense of what constitutes humanity under harmonious conditions. There is a tremendous reflection.When you reach the higher spiritual realm that we call art, you begin to look for things that are creative rather than just repetitive. There is where you are in the realm of culture, rather than education.Culture is not for the crowd. Culture is an individual thing. And that is what our forefathers said when they declared that the individual is sovereign. The sovereignty of the individual. That means a certain aloneness to begin with. A certain rejection of the common man as common, but insisting on his privilege to the uncommon that exists in every human soul today and this is the country that declares it.
How do we become true, good, happy genuine, joyful and free? Never by magic, never by chance, never by sitting and waiting, but only by getting in touch with those who are good, true, happy, and genuine,only by seeking the company of the strong and the free, only by seeking spontaneity and freedom from those who are themselves spontaneous and free.
By being simple, one is sensitive to the trees, to the birds,to the mountains, to the wind, to all the things which are going on about us in the world. Most of us live on the upper level of our consciousness; there we try to be thoughtful or intelligent, which is synonymous with being religious; there we try to make our minds simple, through compulsion, through discipline. To be simple in the total process of consciousness is extremely arduous; because there must be no inward reservations, there must be an eagerness to discover, to inquire into the process of our being, which means to be aware of our fears, of our hopes, and to be free of their bondage. Only when the mind and heart are really simple are we able to solve the many problems that confront us.
Knowledge alone will not solve our problems. You may know, for example, that there is reincarnation, that there is continuity after death. You may know, but life is not necessarily changed by your theory, information, or conviction. It is much more mysterious, much deeper, much more creative than that.It is only through direct experience that our problems are solved, and to have direct experience there must be simplicity, which means there must be sensitivity. Only mind that is capable of adjusting itself to the present can meet the power influences and pressures constantly placed upon us by our environment.It is only when a mind is sensitive, alert, aware and capable of receiving that there can be happiness. However complex our problems, we shall be able to see them in a new perspective if we approach them with simplicity.That is why it is so important to be aware, to have the capacity to understand the process of our own thinking, to be cognizant of ourselves totally; from that there comes a simplicity, a humility which is not a virtue nor a practice but a state of being.Maturity is a road, not a destination. The gate is narrow, and simplicity is the key.
Culture and education are two very different things. Culture is the developing of the idea by way of itself, and education is informing, teaching, telling the individual. It is only by a natural growth that you can attain culture, but you can return from school conditioned instead of enlightened. Education today doesn't mean culture. Sometimes men are educated beyond their capacity. Education today is not even on speaking terms with what we should call culture. We need culture more and education less. We acquire it through a new sense of what constitutes humanity under harmonious conditions. There is a tremendous reflection.When you reach the higher spiritual realm that we call art, you begin to look for things that are creative rather than just repetitive. There is where you are in the realm of culture, rather than education.Culture is not for the crowd. Culture is an individual thing. And that is what our forefathers said when they declared that the individual is sovereign. The sovereignty of the individual. That means a certain aloneness to begin with. A certain rejection of the common man as common, but insisting on his privilege to the uncommon that exists in every human soul today and this is the country that declares it.
How do we become true, good, happy genuine, joyful and free? Never by magic, never by chance, never by sitting and waiting, but only by getting in touch with those who are good, true, happy, and genuine,only by seeking the company of the strong and the free, only by seeking spontaneity and freedom from those who are themselves spontaneous and free.
Twelve Cardinal Rules
The following are twelve rules I wrote. I realize these rules may seem somewhat controversial and judgmental, however, I believe they include the necessary guidelines for maintaining friendship.
Twelve Cardinal Rules (Retitled How to Play in My Sandbox)
By Elizabeth Gerringer
1. Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you, but don't expect that because you are nice to others, they will be nice to you. If we are kind to someone, someone will be kind to us, but not just because we are seen being kind before others. If we do a favor for someone, do not expect gratitude, and do not remind or ask them if they appreciated the favor. Wait for them to tell you.
2. Warn your friends if they are in trouble or in danger, or warn anyone before they are attacked, which means to warn them before and not after. A sense of fairness means I need to be told something is wrong before I am accused of doing something wrong. This does not mean disobeying laws or imposing morality. It only means others have no right to assume a unilateral decision over our lives.
3. I need to keep my promise. This does not mean that because another person says we agree to something that we do agree, or because we are listening to someone, we agree with what they say. It only means that we are trying to understand their point of view, even though their view may be different from ours.
4. It is as blessed to receive as to give. Sometimes people need to give but this does not mean we are entitled to receive what another person has unless he gives it to us. If someone gives me something based on some assumption of favor and the favor isn't rendered, or I was not told it was based on the assumption of favor, he has no right to ask for it to be returned. If you borrow something from me and loan it to someone else, you should tell them it belongs to me, especially a book I may have written, and I have a right to ask for the money from profits gained from it.
5. If someone asks me to work and I work and they are not happy with the work, they should pay me or return the work.
6. If you invite me to your house as a guest for a couple of days, you have no right to charge me money unless you tell me in advance and I agree to pay you.
7. If you are a guest in my house and are in an accident, I am responsible. If I am a guest in your house, and I am in an accident, you are responsible.
8. People have no right to assume that others have a problem just because they want to know something someone else knows, and people have no right to assume that if we have accomplishments and are of a certain gender, that others of the same gender or another gender are entitled to the same thing.
9. It is wrong to punish good and to reward evil. Given a choice between rewarding good and punishing evil, it is best to reward good. We should forgive others, but this does not mean that our forgiveness gives them the right to commit the error a second time. We could forgive any number of times, but forgiveness should not be taken for granted.
10. People who violate laws should not be deciding on their own jury. Violation of the law means to be advised it is a law, to disregard the law, to be apprehended, tried, and convicted by a jury of at least nine, and for the case to be subjected to all available appeals.
11. A person who associates with a person who is a suspect or accused of a crime should not be considered guilty of anything as a result of friendship with that person.
12. When a person confesses a sin, then the person to whom the confession is made is not obligated to reveal the sin to anyone who could cause harm to anyone. A crime is different from a sin because a crime is harm to others and a sin is harm to ourselves.
Twelve Cardinal Rules (Retitled How to Play in My Sandbox)
By Elizabeth Gerringer
1. Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you, but don't expect that because you are nice to others, they will be nice to you. If we are kind to someone, someone will be kind to us, but not just because we are seen being kind before others. If we do a favor for someone, do not expect gratitude, and do not remind or ask them if they appreciated the favor. Wait for them to tell you.
2. Warn your friends if they are in trouble or in danger, or warn anyone before they are attacked, which means to warn them before and not after. A sense of fairness means I need to be told something is wrong before I am accused of doing something wrong. This does not mean disobeying laws or imposing morality. It only means others have no right to assume a unilateral decision over our lives.
3. I need to keep my promise. This does not mean that because another person says we agree to something that we do agree, or because we are listening to someone, we agree with what they say. It only means that we are trying to understand their point of view, even though their view may be different from ours.
4. It is as blessed to receive as to give. Sometimes people need to give but this does not mean we are entitled to receive what another person has unless he gives it to us. If someone gives me something based on some assumption of favor and the favor isn't rendered, or I was not told it was based on the assumption of favor, he has no right to ask for it to be returned. If you borrow something from me and loan it to someone else, you should tell them it belongs to me, especially a book I may have written, and I have a right to ask for the money from profits gained from it.
5. If someone asks me to work and I work and they are not happy with the work, they should pay me or return the work.
6. If you invite me to your house as a guest for a couple of days, you have no right to charge me money unless you tell me in advance and I agree to pay you.
7. If you are a guest in my house and are in an accident, I am responsible. If I am a guest in your house, and I am in an accident, you are responsible.
8. People have no right to assume that others have a problem just because they want to know something someone else knows, and people have no right to assume that if we have accomplishments and are of a certain gender, that others of the same gender or another gender are entitled to the same thing.
9. It is wrong to punish good and to reward evil. Given a choice between rewarding good and punishing evil, it is best to reward good. We should forgive others, but this does not mean that our forgiveness gives them the right to commit the error a second time. We could forgive any number of times, but forgiveness should not be taken for granted.
10. People who violate laws should not be deciding on their own jury. Violation of the law means to be advised it is a law, to disregard the law, to be apprehended, tried, and convicted by a jury of at least nine, and for the case to be subjected to all available appeals.
11. A person who associates with a person who is a suspect or accused of a crime should not be considered guilty of anything as a result of friendship with that person.
12. When a person confesses a sin, then the person to whom the confession is made is not obligated to reveal the sin to anyone who could cause harm to anyone. A crime is different from a sin because a crime is harm to others and a sin is harm to ourselves.
Monk's Morning
The Monk decided to hide in his cave of gray.
He lived in a village and then went away.
He lost his fair love and lived in he hills.
Where he was awakened each morning by spry whipporwills.
He stared at a far mountain and wished he was there.
Walking and talking with his maiden so fair.
She played a flute to lure him back.
One morning he decided to pack.
And walked several miles toward the tune.
Before he realized it was really a loon.
So he turned around back to his cave.
Yes, indeed, he was very brave.
He lived in a village and then went away.
He lost his fair love and lived in he hills.
Where he was awakened each morning by spry whipporwills.
He stared at a far mountain and wished he was there.
Walking and talking with his maiden so fair.
She played a flute to lure him back.
One morning he decided to pack.
And walked several miles toward the tune.
Before he realized it was really a loon.
So he turned around back to his cave.
Yes, indeed, he was very brave.
Save the Dance
In June one sunny year after graduating from high school, feeling betrayed by my high school friend Julius who asked me to dance who then laughed as I stood up and said, "Do you really think I would dance with you?", I boarded a train to San Francisco at Clinton, Iowa, sailed past Treasure Island after studying postcards of movie stars and eventually visited the homes of celebrities along the green tree-lined hilltops of Santa Catalina Island.
I saved my money from weed-salvaging and corn-detassling to pay for my transportation. Dad gave me a healthy allowance for my work in the farm fields.
Mother and Dad saw me off on the train, waved slowly, tears of pride shining from their eyes.
Aunt Miranda couldn't join us to the station, she was in a wheel chair with a crocheted shawl drawn across her knees, but she smiled brightly and pressed a green velvet ribbon into my hand, green, she once told me for prosperity and hope.
Aunt Miranda once told me the best advice she could give me was to look everyone straight in the eye, to answer truthfully, and to smile slightly. Every problem can be interpreted in terms of three, she once told me. Three primary colors, red, blue and yellow. Three in religion, father, son, and Holy Ghost, and three in ourselves, past, present, and future. Think in terms of three and you will find your way in life, she once told me.
Symbols of childhood raced across my eyes, thoughts of mother as she ironed my dresses in the morning before school and prepared my lunch with great care and of Dad who took me to town for ice cream when it rained in the summer fields.
After several weeks work in my uncle's store, I returned home briefly with hat and gloves as I was trained to do after completing finishing school to be met with questions of where I might be from by local neighbors, and then when in San Francisco again, dressed as I was taught, meeting new questions of where I might be from.
At fifteen, I looked nineteen, rather plain, with a mind like a many-spoked wheel and several interests, each arrow pointing outward while moving to the next as the hands of a clock marked the time as though it never began and would be in tune with the universe forever.
Years later, when I lived in Pacific Heights in California facing a lovely view of the ocean I painted pictures and wrote poetry, worked part time for an engineering firm and attended some post-graduate classes through an extension division of U.C. Berkeley.
City life in San Francisco was not like riding horseback on the farm or wandering dreamily through the meadows in springtime seeking daffodils or baby yellow meadowlarks.
San Francisco, a favorite of dreaming idealists where diversified culture is accepted as casually as the brisk ocean fog, arguing seagulls and flocks of unwanted pigeons. One must remember to respect the saints, to attend religious services, and not to be surprised to learn some churches in San Francisco teach political theories instead of religion like on the farm communities of Wisconsin.
In Wisconsin, one can leave their screen door unlocked while visiting a neighbor for a cup of sugar, but in the city, one quickly learns the visitors are identified as pushovers by more experienced travelers and newcomers should try to remember their childhood training and not talk to strangers.
Based on a thesis about Watergate, I received a scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley, a prize I treasured almost more than the memories of a happy childhood on the Wisconsin farm.
At Berkeley, I studied nuclear physics, was told it was a secret, but children learn fast, and there is theater in most of us.
I hoped to continue to study music, paint, and create beautiful dreams for others to follow, to remember the best of the past and look forward to a bright future.
My teacher at U.C. Berkeley, Miss Virginia, met me at the Faculty Club as she promised, the exclusive building sheltered in a ravine behind a bridge, just hidden from view.
The walls of the campus dormitory of Cheney Hall were brightly painted with diagonal lines. The Museum of Art was a delight to the eye with large sculptured rectangles, as though placed from above, resting on one another in perfect balance, with the sunlight gleaming through in afternoon glory. Brightly colored paintings by Hans Hoffman greeted visitors, abstracts, pen and ink drawings, and molded chairs were placed facing each other side by side, as though conversations were just completed.
Who walked these halls, where are they now, the artists, teachers, and attorneys? Are they crying, are they happy, did they learn while they were here? Will I find new friends here? Where is the bookstore? When will the campus bells ring?
While I was pondering the relationships between the arts and sciences and my good fortune at winning a scholarship, I recognized the outline of someone who resembled Julius and he walked over towards me.
But he was not Julius, although he resembled Julius. I thought of Julius everywhere and eventually learned to dance professionally and taught ballet and the Latin dances.
During early years in California, I met many surprising situations due to my perceived knowledge of nuclear physics, but I hoped that when the eventual opportunity presented itself, if I saw him, if he could dance, and if he asked me, I would say to Julius, "I would love to dance with you."
I saved my money from weed-salvaging and corn-detassling to pay for my transportation. Dad gave me a healthy allowance for my work in the farm fields.
Mother and Dad saw me off on the train, waved slowly, tears of pride shining from their eyes.
Aunt Miranda couldn't join us to the station, she was in a wheel chair with a crocheted shawl drawn across her knees, but she smiled brightly and pressed a green velvet ribbon into my hand, green, she once told me for prosperity and hope.
Aunt Miranda once told me the best advice she could give me was to look everyone straight in the eye, to answer truthfully, and to smile slightly. Every problem can be interpreted in terms of three, she once told me. Three primary colors, red, blue and yellow. Three in religion, father, son, and Holy Ghost, and three in ourselves, past, present, and future. Think in terms of three and you will find your way in life, she once told me.
Symbols of childhood raced across my eyes, thoughts of mother as she ironed my dresses in the morning before school and prepared my lunch with great care and of Dad who took me to town for ice cream when it rained in the summer fields.
After several weeks work in my uncle's store, I returned home briefly with hat and gloves as I was trained to do after completing finishing school to be met with questions of where I might be from by local neighbors, and then when in San Francisco again, dressed as I was taught, meeting new questions of where I might be from.
At fifteen, I looked nineteen, rather plain, with a mind like a many-spoked wheel and several interests, each arrow pointing outward while moving to the next as the hands of a clock marked the time as though it never began and would be in tune with the universe forever.
Years later, when I lived in Pacific Heights in California facing a lovely view of the ocean I painted pictures and wrote poetry, worked part time for an engineering firm and attended some post-graduate classes through an extension division of U.C. Berkeley.
City life in San Francisco was not like riding horseback on the farm or wandering dreamily through the meadows in springtime seeking daffodils or baby yellow meadowlarks.
San Francisco, a favorite of dreaming idealists where diversified culture is accepted as casually as the brisk ocean fog, arguing seagulls and flocks of unwanted pigeons. One must remember to respect the saints, to attend religious services, and not to be surprised to learn some churches in San Francisco teach political theories instead of religion like on the farm communities of Wisconsin.
In Wisconsin, one can leave their screen door unlocked while visiting a neighbor for a cup of sugar, but in the city, one quickly learns the visitors are identified as pushovers by more experienced travelers and newcomers should try to remember their childhood training and not talk to strangers.
Based on a thesis about Watergate, I received a scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley, a prize I treasured almost more than the memories of a happy childhood on the Wisconsin farm.
At Berkeley, I studied nuclear physics, was told it was a secret, but children learn fast, and there is theater in most of us.
I hoped to continue to study music, paint, and create beautiful dreams for others to follow, to remember the best of the past and look forward to a bright future.
My teacher at U.C. Berkeley, Miss Virginia, met me at the Faculty Club as she promised, the exclusive building sheltered in a ravine behind a bridge, just hidden from view.
The walls of the campus dormitory of Cheney Hall were brightly painted with diagonal lines. The Museum of Art was a delight to the eye with large sculptured rectangles, as though placed from above, resting on one another in perfect balance, with the sunlight gleaming through in afternoon glory. Brightly colored paintings by Hans Hoffman greeted visitors, abstracts, pen and ink drawings, and molded chairs were placed facing each other side by side, as though conversations were just completed.
Who walked these halls, where are they now, the artists, teachers, and attorneys? Are they crying, are they happy, did they learn while they were here? Will I find new friends here? Where is the bookstore? When will the campus bells ring?
While I was pondering the relationships between the arts and sciences and my good fortune at winning a scholarship, I recognized the outline of someone who resembled Julius and he walked over towards me.
But he was not Julius, although he resembled Julius. I thought of Julius everywhere and eventually learned to dance professionally and taught ballet and the Latin dances.
During early years in California, I met many surprising situations due to my perceived knowledge of nuclear physics, but I hoped that when the eventual opportunity presented itself, if I saw him, if he could dance, and if he asked me, I would say to Julius, "I would love to dance with you."
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