To Change the World

As we go through life we will be faced with many decisions and paths to take.  Today it seems like so many have lost their way, making choices that only hurt themselves and others.  In a world beset by the evils of ISIL, the misguided pride of men like Vladimir Putin, and the greed of financial titans,  perhaps we could use a little reminder of what it really takes to make this world a better place.

I can think of nothing more eloquent then this:

Never ring the bell.

No songs needed today.  :)

An Ember

In my travels through comments sections over the years I have run across people who have mentioned the treatment by the United States of the people who lived in this land before European settlement.  Their comments were full of anger and reproach, and for the most part rightly so.  In the annals of history there have been many people whose abilities and value as human beings have been swept aside.  So I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge what is perhaps a little known, but vital, contribution made by a people whose lives were turned upside down.  Without it our nation would not be what it is today.

The Six Nations

In North America at that time, they took an ember, they took a light from our fire, and they carried that over and they lighted their own fire and they made their own nation.  They lighted this great fire, and that was a great light at that time of peace.


Seminole Wind

Cherokee People

Refuge

Petes has kindly invited me to guest blog here periodically.  *raises a glass of Guinness in toast*  Since he has not specifically decided to focus this blog on any one thing I am going to feel free to post random thoughts or links on various subjects.

As I was struggling to come up with a topic the other day I discovered that I actually think better when I am asleep.  Go figure. :p  With so many things going on in the world today you would think it would have been a piece of cake, but no.  The topic, as you can see from the title, is refuge.

When darkness deeper than the night swallows the light, a place to come to for safety, respite, relaxation, and simple kindness can be an oasis in a troubled world.  I thought it appropriate because there are so many people in this world today who are seeking it in one way or another.

This blog will be that refuge for those of us who wish to make it so.  We can discuss current events, share our ideas, and our interests.  So my first post is an open invitation to our friends and any lost souls out there to stop by and read or leave comments.  Of course, for those of us who are interested in a good debate, there will be that to be had as well, I'm sure.  :)

A few random tunes for your listening pleasure:

Wayward Son
Joy
Superstition
We didn't start the fire.

Some chips and salsa would be good. :)

And now for something completely different.

A "rubber ducky in space" was the first reaction of mission controllers when the ESA Rosetta spacecraft got its first pictures of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from within a few thousand kilometres. Rosetta has been chasing down the comet for ten years, and six billion kilometres, and this month finally moves to within less than 100 km.

The odd shaped object may have been sculpted by the solar wind, or could be the result of a merger of two bodies. By my rough calculations, two such bodies would be just within the limit of being gravitationally bound, given 67P/C-G's rotation period of 12.5 hours. Hopefully the comet won't fall apart (oops!) when Rosetta drops its Philae lander on it in November!

"The rise of Isis is rooted in a mix of politics, a Sunni sense of isolation and a shakeup in Salafist doctrine. Here, an analyst whose Syrian home has seen some of its bloodiest excesses, explains its dramatic surge"

More from The Guardian ...

What's this blog all about? I'm not quite sure yet. Maybe for fans of Zeyad's Healing Iraq blog, just while that one's acting a little, uh, weird.