I may have forgotten to mention my theme – it is fractals, fractal art, everything fractal up to and including my new book Fractal Dreams! Have a look around my pages and such to see lots more fractals. Also, every Friday I post a FridayFractalFeature (fff, for short) for all to enjoy! Thanks for stopping by and engaging in the A to Z 2013 Challenge! This is my FIRST ever, so I’m pretty excited! So every day I will post a fractal whose title starts with the letter of the day… and perhaps other things fractal related.
T is for….
the fractal for T is: Tears of the Gods
TEARS OF THE GODS
Tears of the Gods is not in my book, Fractal Dreams, which is available exclusively at RedmundPro.
Disclaimer: I am NOT a mathematician, so please forgive the uneducated tone of my definitions. I am an artist, so I try to explain the math of fractals to the best of my (limited) ability.
I think it is a great read and an excellent memoir!
GIRL THE THE IRON LUNG
By Gail Thornton
Reviewed by Janet Russell
To a five year old child, the world is all defined in absolutes. There are no degrees of any feelings, no combination of some of this and some of that, to make life less scary.
Now imagine you have become that child. You see the world through her eyes and all of this awful stuff is happening to you. That’s what happened to me, as soon as I started reading The Girl in the Iron Lung.
IRON LUNG
I became the young child whose limbs would not now do what they are supposed to do. I panicked, trying to get to my parents’ room, because I knew that they would know what to do.
But my parents are afraid too. I can hear it in their voices as they hurry to get coated up for a night drive to the hospital. My parents take me to a large scary building where people dressed in white are looking down at me. Suddenly I’m being rushed down the hall on this rolling bed and taken into a room with many of these big clunky machines. I see little
IRON LUNG
kids heads poking out of these machines, but that is all I see of the kids.
And I was left there in the clutches of this big loud machine that swallows me up. What could be worse?
Well, perhaps the fear that you have become defective and your parents have traded you in for a daughter that works right. That can walk and reach out and show how worthy you are of their love.
You barely have an idea of what life is all about, much less the loneliness, the despair, the fear, the knowledge that you have this awful thing called polio.
Suddenly you are thrust into a world where your parents seem to be afraid and mad at you at the same time. Where other adults display their quirks in doses so large, sometimes you really can’t take it.
Gail relays this true story so well, the story becomes not just about Gail, but about you, as well.
There were nightly exercises that hurt so much, but she knew would make her walk. There were the special clothes she had to wear that helped keep her back straight. Every day she needed the help of Mommy and Daddy to get dressed.
LEARNING TO WALK
Finally came the excitement of preparing for school. After all her hard work, Gail was certain she would be riding the bus to school just like the other kids real soon.
And then more disappointment, as she realized she would not be taking the bus with the other kids. And still more when she would fall at school and even sometimes had to ask for help.
Soon, though, Gail became the triumphant young lady who not only had accomplished so much, but also had learned the skill of looking back and realizing how far she had come!
And that is what makes this book such a compelling read. It’s a coming of age story, not of a young adult. Of a child of 5 who learns real quick, and usually the hard way, what it means to grow up and take charge of her own life.
The author and I are contemporaries, yet I never had to experience any of this terrible sickness of the first half of the twentieth century, polio. Now I realize how lucky I was!
I HIGHLY recommend this book!! Especially to those who might feel the vaccine unnecessary, or
JONAS SALK GIVING VACCINE ON TV WHILE CHILD WATCHES
are wondering if they should give the polio vaccine to their children.
I’m sure glad I got my vaccination before polio got me!! The vaccine only came available in the 50′s, thanks to Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin.
Gail also addresses the international project to eradicate this virus and provides excellent statistics that show the progress of this endeavor.
At the same time, Gail released another book, THE REGRET OF A FLOWER, a book of lovely poetry.
I haven’t read this book yet, but having found her to be skilled as a writer, I am very much looking forward to it!! Below is a link to Red’s interview of Gail relating to THE REGRET OF A FLOWER!
“The Regret of a Flower”
Isn’t that just the most haunting title? That is the title of a soon to be released book of poetry by Gail Thornton.
I have grown to know and like Gail, personally. I read her other book, “Girl in the Iron Lung” (also soon to be released) and I was enthralled from the start.
It is told from the perspective of a 5 year old child. To children of that age, everything is absolute. There is no relativity with which to temper emotions and perceptions. And that is what kept me reading, eyes glued, until the very end.
Even though at first it seems that this can only end badly, by the end of the book, my heart swelled with the pride she must have felt by overcoming challenge after disappointing challenge.
Both trailers are also the creative brainchildren of this artistic and strong woman of today.
I can’t wait to read “The Regret of a Flower”. As near to tears as “Girl in the Iron Lung” brought me, I’m almost certain, I will go far beyond tearing up to full blown soulful crying of emotional depth.
Today is the day (like ANY other day) when GRATITUDE will be at the top of our list of feelings.
Whether we’re grateful for a big hot meal cooked by and shared with family members, or a big hot meal cooked by and shared with volunteers. Or for a friend sharing their “wealth” so we can fill up our tank. Or some new and distant friends that have come and gone (MOSTLY come!) over that past some time. Or for having a roof over our head, be it for one night or many. Or many choices in our life, or even a few.
Or maybe it is 12 straight hours of football with another sport or two during commercials. Or belonging to a network or many of wonderful folks who have come together for usually a common purpose. Or perhaps that Black Friday comes early this year (let’s be sure to thank those who are working so we can shop)!
All of the above involve folks, friends that will stay with us through thick and thin. Folks, friends that we will be there for us no matter what for.
This is my big gratitude. I have met so many wonderful folks, friends, many that have touched my heart in a far deeper way than I ever expected. So much so that when one does leave this world, it hurts so hard, I am surprised someone I never met in person has became so close.
And, like Woody, I think life is just like Alice’s Restaurant. Where strange things happen and we keep on truckin’ and we meet new friends and get confused at times and even wonder what it’s all about. Well, I’m here to tell you, for me it is about all of you! Each and every one of you who are reading this message. Those I have come to know a little or a lot. Those of you who have come to know me a little or a lot.
Whether you knew me way before I began this blog, or have just now stopped in for the first time to see what this blog is. For and to all of you I am forever grateful for the opening of your hearts, minds, ears and time. For sharing your self with me, allowing me to share myself with you. That is my GRATITUDE today and every day.
But since I don’t often say or show it, today is the day I SHOUT it out to all who can hear, that my friends are the MOST important thing to me. What a sad life I would have, without the wealth of your caring, of your acceptance, of your giving spirit, of your understanding nature.
Of course, family comes under that same umbrella, or maybe it is the other way around. Mayhaps friends are now additions to family. All of us giving, sharing, caring and being.
So, this is my wish for you. That you will always have the love of friends, the friends who will love you in spite of your weaknesses. And in spite of your strengths! They just love you, because you are who you are. Sharing the memories, the dreams, the feelings, the joy, the passion, the sadness and the struggles that make up our lives.
From our home to you, Mama, Mimi and I send Thanksgiving greetings and love. (Mama and Mimi gave me permission to speak for them today, as they are busy celebrating Thanksgiving in their own special – sleeping – way.) May you always have the grace to understand, the will to share and the luxury of choices.
This goes out to all of you. Those celebrating their Day of Thanks today. Those who have recently celebrated their own Thanksgiving. And those of you who have yet to celebrate yours.
Such experiments could perhaps lead to new discoveries about treating such things as depression and different approaches to behavioral issues like ADD or ADHD.
This started out a comment to Hobbs‘ post about some pretty serious and basic beliefs from April… when my comment got so long, I could only see my comment box on the screen, I realized it’s time for me to do the same thing she was doing – reviewing options, asking questions, listening to what others had to say, etc, etc, etc.
so, I think I’m just gonna go with that flow… so…
hey, sweetie… I’m late to the party, but that’s just how I roll!!! I couldn’t read all the comments, because it’s all been said. Before. And some of it even makes sense. But your quandary reminds me of myself, now, and as a teen, becoming a truly self aware person who thought it important to do the right thing, above all else. I don’t mean someone else’s right, but what my spirit, my soul, my heart and my brain told me was right. Kind of like selecting someone to vote for when the time came.
Then I got really confused, because, who am I to decide what’s right – I don’t have all the facts, so how can I make an informed decision about what’s right. It took many years of just plain living to help me understand one thing. It’s not about making a decision for me. It’s more a gut, instinctual, perhaps spiritually guided feeling. They say that’s what falling in love is. I guess – I’ve been in and out of love and that’s a whole ‘nother subject, not to mention blog. But once I understood that my spirit totally knew what was right in my eyes, my choice was to do it or not. Never was it based on someone else’s view of right. I mean, like, don’t kill. Except when you have to. Well that’s just plain stupid. Either you do or you don’t. I know, that can be debated, but that’s where my heart/soul/spirit landed. I didn’t decide. I just discovered what was right for myself. So, from that point forward, I hardly ever… kill an insect (had ya going, didn’t I?), unless I do. Which, really hasn’t been, if ever, many times. Either I capture it and release it to “out of my house”, or I leave it alone. Both have their merit. Relocation happens, so that’s not too bad. And if I just leave it alone, I’ll always have the knowledge that next time I see another member of that same family of critter, it’s probably the one I let live, so there’s not so many of them after all. Silly, I know. But I didn’t decide, I just know, then choose my course of action or lack thereof.
So, like they say about being gay, or whatever, it’s not decision or choice (though I’m not sure of that either), it’s about KNOWING who you are and living true to yourself. Believe me, I know that’s not as easy as it sounds. I’ve always had trouble answering questions like “where do you want to be in 5 years?” How the HE double L do I know what my circumstances will be in 5 years. So how can I say X is where I want to be? Or Y? What if something happens that disallows both X and Y? Am I a failure then, because I didn’t reach that spoken goal? Or, back to the metaphysical, how did I know what I would feel in 5 years? Today I like doing crafty things. Or writing music. Or making fractals. Or writing. Maybe I won’t like it in 5 years.
So, for me, that could mean one “truth” today might be another “truth” tomorrow, because of an experience, an idea, a thought, an external occurrence, or even something I thought about recently. And, I realized it’s not a function of the intellect to “decide” what is right or true (for ME), rather it is something that comes from all of the experiences and knowledge and mistakes and successes and observations and stuff that just seem to be part of who I am and I have no idea how it got there. AND it has to be right and true at the moment I make that choice. So I make a choice for now. I don’t mind not knoowing. I know I can go in directions now, for example, like getting a PhD in AstroPhysics, that will make my options way different in 5 years than if I DON’T get that doctorate.
So, God, religion, faith – these are all just words to me. And it’s not in the words I’ll find my truth. It’s in seeking and finding who I really am and what I believe to be right/true for me.
So what does that all mean? Damned if I know, but, that’s how I roll.
I do know that I get annoyed when someone posts a video/song/whatever on YouTube and the commenters take it as an opportunity to espouse their “platform”, make their beliefs known. That might be ok, but what the devil is the reason for name calling and trolling and otherwise being rude and bullyish. I just don’t get it. Like this video I found the other day.
I listened to it, watched, read it. Much of the content was not necessarily part of my belief system, but that did not stop me from appreciating the intent in which it was made, uploaded, shared, etc. I found it to be very kind and compassionate, which are things that ARE part of my truth, part of what I believe is honorable and good.
So, WTF were all the commenters doing debating religion, god, atheism, the bible, etc, etc, etc. I don’t judge. I just don’t get it. In my world, there is definitely a place for those things, but not as comments on a video that some caring person thought would be nice, perhaps helpful to share. Hopefully that person didn’t take all this personally, or as a reflection of how people saw her. But, many did appear to make judgements about her, because of the content of that video. IDK…
And that is where I must end my rant. Is it a rant? IDK. Maybe I see it as a way to work some things out for myself. And, why, then would I turn it into a blog post? IDK. Maybe because I think there might be others working on similar things for themselves. IDK. Maybe, it will inspire to think about these things and discover their own personal truths. IDK.
It comes down to, I blog, therefore I am! And thanks, Hobbs, for writing, publishing and encouraging communication in the comments of that post (and all your posts, really). It all made me think of these things in a particular way, that may help me know myself better today, than I did yesterday. IDK. If not, fine.
Anders Behring Breivik , who was 32 at the time, took his personal Crusade, to the street on July 22, 2011, when he launched his one-man attack/shooting spree during which he killed a total of 77 people.
He had written a 1,500 page manifesto, “2083: A European Declaration ofIndependence”, and created a 12 minute long video about his beliefs, both of which he had prepared for distribution via the intern. Before he began his attacks he emailed his Manifesto to 5,700 people. In this Manifesto, Breveik blamed Marxism and the Norwegian Labor Party, for the increasing immigration of Muslims and the threats implied by such multiculturalism. Breveik called himself “a savior of Christianity” and claimed to be a member of the Knights of Templar. For years, he had been active on anti-muslim internet sites. Fueled by his long time belief that Europe was being Islamized on a major level, Breivik’s targets were leftist individuals and groups, like the kids participating in a Labor Party rally, that Friday afternoon. The victims of his one day terrorist crusade at Utøya Island ranged in age from 15 – 20. Breivik was also responsible for an earlier bombing that day, which killed 7 and wounded 15.
On Friday afternoon, July 22, 2011, about 3:00 pm, municipal workers and civil servants felt the blasts from at least one bomb that shook several government buildings in the office complex of the Einar Gerhardsen plaza, in the center of Oslo. It was a scene definitely reminiscent of Oklahoma City, with glass and debris blasting out of windows and panicked office workers scattering in all directions. The police reported that 7 were dead and at least 15 wounded in what was clearly an act of domestic terrorism.
Within only an hour later, Breveik, dressed like a uniformed police officer, invaded a summer youth camp on the island, of Utøya, about 20 miles northwest of Oslo. His targets were captive on this island, which is not a near swim from the mainland. After he shot several people on the island, he started going after those who were trying to escape in the water.
These attacks stunned the country of Norway, normally known for its peacekeeping and diplomatic activity. Oslo is the city in which the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded.
Police took Breivik into custody shortly after the incident on Utøya island. Breivik had a FB page, according to police, in which he described himself as a conservative Christian. It also identified him as a fan of the RPG’s including World of Warcraft, Modern Warfare 2. George Orwell’s “1984” was one of his favorite books, according to his FB info.
Breivik is attributed with a tweet on the previous Sunday, July 17, 2011, “One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests.”
Living in such a neutral country, for the most part, Norwegians were stunned and felt a heightened sense of vulnerability, after these attacks. Terrorism was immediately blamed for the warlike acts, and Muslim leaders in Norway, strongly and swiftly disavowed any connection to the events.
NAME: Anders Behring Breivik
OCCUPATION: Murderer, Terrorist, Knight of Templar
EDUCATION: Hartvig Nissen High School, Oslo Commerce School
PLACE OF BIRTH: London, United Kingdom
Breveik called the police to turn himself in after the Utøya shooting:
“My name Anders Behring Breivik. I am a commander of the Norweigain resistance movement. Please could you give me the head of Delta? … Yes, I am at Utoya, I am a person who wishes to surrender. Knights Templar is the name of the organisation but we are part of the anti-communist movement. I have just carried out an operation on behalf of Knights Templar Europe and Norway.”
As of today, Breveik’s sentencing has not yet been decided. The worst sentence he could receive is 21 years in prison. Norway does not allow for the death penalty in their courts. Since he has admitted the offenses, the issue pending is his sanity. Depending on the outcome of that trial, his sentence will be handed down.
Good day, dear friends and readers and visitors and everyone else…
Just a note about this piece, before you get to it…
This piece began as an analog work of art (i.e. not digital), maybe as many as 20ish years ago. For some reason, I was able to hold on to it, through several moves (some cross country) and much weeding out of stuff. Now, I realize this isn’t just any stuff, as evidenced by the fact that it survived lo those many years. Now I have the original stored/stashed away somewhere, so good… well, I can’t find it. So, having intended to convert it to digital, considering the fact the original showed the wear and tear of the years, much like myself. Hence, when I was moved to put it into the digital realm, today, I pretty much had to start from scratch. Fortunately, I think my same muse as back then sort of helped me out, and I think most of it is as complete as that one was. The beauty of this one is that it will continue to be a work in progress for me. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible, even if I had the original in hand, because I had run out of room, and I didn’t have the limitless capacity for modification/change/growth that we enjoy today.
But, I will say, I am as proud of this, as I was of the original, all created on a 5×7 piece of cardstock, painted (pretty simply in the IRIE color palette) and then all caligraphed by my own novitiate hand. Just knowing it’s around somewhere, is enough for me.
so without further ado, I present to you (the title was an addition of recent days) THE TAO of TIME…
Thanks so much for visiting, stopping by, passing through, etc…
just so you know, this final (WIP, so sort of final) version has much inspiration from my time here and all the wonderful folks I’ve come to know and love…
But what’s the “Twilight Zone” music gots to do with it? I hear you thinking. Well, T is first for Tagged, which I have been, thanks to the effervescent Lisa from A Gripping Life. I don’t care if they are “duty full”, I love these little community get-to-know-ye things. Now, the second part of T is for… Twilight Zone music (doodoodoodut, doodoodoodut) is because (honest to goodness truth), I was just reading Thypolar’s recent post about her being “tagged” by some wicked (NOT really) lady called Mrs. Sparkly. Probably the questions are different, but, you know, one tag is as good as another tag, right? After I finished reading her post, I returned to my inbox, where all my weekly notifications lurk (and I have LOTS of them, just take a peek at my page awesomeblogsifollow if you dare to doubt this). So, I clicked on the next in line, and there it was – a comment from Lisa, informing of my taggee status. That’s just too spooky.
So, first I most graciously accept this honor and thank the loverly Lisa at A Gripping Life (love her avatar) for thinking of me!
Then, I believe, it’s time to post the “rules”, which I dutifully do:
Rules
1. You must post the rules. check
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged. check
3. Tag eleven people and link to them on your post. check
4. Let them know you’ve tagged them! check
1. If deserted on an island what is the one book, one film, and one album/CD you would request. hmmmmm… book (I grok) would be easy – “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Robert Heinlen. Movie: if I’d seen it, it might be the Swedish version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” – for sure not the diluted American version – but since I haven’t seen it, I will choose “American Beauty” (I’m sure I”ll be able to use Kevin Spacey as an answer in here somewhere). CD is (thought it would be harder to agree with myself on one) “Pathways to Surrender” by Chris Spheeris (these tunes make me weak in the knees and choked up now, just like they first did in 1988) – I highly recommend them all, but “From Where They Fall” and “Walk with Me” are totally sublime.
2. In Heaven, I hope there’s an unlimited supply of Starbucks, hands down.
3. If I could change one body part it would be my colon, because it has been nothing but a pain in the arse!
4.My favorite day of the week is Monday. Because I love looking forward to a full set of weekdays. Answer could be different if I were a working stiff!
5.The person who makes me laugh the most is George Carlin.
6. My dream occupation would be Kevin Spacey’s best friend, or a prolific sci-fi writer or an astrophysicist or a composer of beautiful music. For now.
7.My favorite dream car is a Jaguar XKR-S convertible, because you can’t get one “off the rack”.
8.My most hated Teacher was none -I liked ALL my teachers. Worst class gym (’nuff said).
9. Would you rather be eaten by sharks or eaten by lions? Or, live in a world of mud? (This last option is a family joke, by the way.) Live in a world of mud with Kevin Spacey and no one else!!!
10. My favorite smell is garlic sauteeing in butter.
11.If I had to change my first name it would be Hannah, for one, it’s a palindrome, for two, it’s a beautiful name, especially when spoken.
Now, my tagees:
Before I tag you, though, please feel free to decline to participate. I judge not, nor do I bite.
ok, so I can’t count. One or two of these folks haven’t posted for a while and may not feel well, so I added a couple tagees for good measure. If there is ANYONE I didn’t tag, that would like to be, just let me know and I’ll add you right away.
and your questions are:
1) If you could live in any OTHER time, when would it be and why?
2) What about yourself are you most proud of?
3) Who is your absolute favorite musical artist/group? Movie?
4) What subject was your favorite in all of your schooling? Why?
5) The most important thing I want to teach my children is____________.
6) What three things would you grab if your house were aburning and you knew for sure your family and animals were all safe?
7) Do you have nightmares? Care to share?
8) Coke or Pepsi?
9) Do you believe in the paranormal? Do you have any experiences you’d like to tell us about? Please?
10) My favorite season is _______________ because__________.
11) What one 6 word phrase or sentence best describes you?
(I’ll start you off – for me: “Did I say that out loud?”)
(I believe I owe this idea partly to Lisa, as well, though I’ve done my fair share of 3-4-5-6 word stories and the like.)
