"THE IMPENDING APOCALYPSE"

A wonderful thought, written by Shane Portman (check him out!)...

I believe the world will only end as the result of one of two outcomes:

1.  People completely stop caring about each other and we destroy the Earth and ourselves.

OR

2.  People decide to put an end to suffering-to do whatever they can to make every neighbor happy and secure. The world does not necessarily end in this scenario. But, the world as we know it does.

I believe in making the latter happen. And I believe that it only takes a single person to prevent the former.

I believe in springtime and bandages. I believe in the crack of a smile after panic attacks and heartache, knowing that one day that smile will mature into a giggle and the giggle into an all-out laugh.

I believe that belief in something mixed with action will someday accomplish the goal. And I believe whole-heartedly that these beliefs are not naïve because I know that they are the difference between living in fear of an end and realizing that, with every new day, comes a brand new beginning.

WHAT ARE WE BUSY ABOUT?

"You’re busy. I’m busy. Everyone is busy. Yet, despite all this bustle, we often don’t feel particularly productive from day to day. Whole weeks can flash by in a blur of relatively meaningless emails, meetings, and admin tasks while the “big stuff” goes untended. As the 19th-century thinker Henry David Thoreau wrote, 'It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?'"

 How To Set Smart Daily Goals :: The 99 Percent

  (via Shane Guiter)

THE REASON I CAN CELEBRATE MOTHER'S DAY TODAY :)

TINA FEY'S "A Mother's Prayer for Her Daughter"

Expectant-mom and “30 Rock” star Tina Fey wrote a hilarious and touching prayer for her 5-year-old daugher Alice in her memior Bossypants. Too funny not to share:  
 
First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her:
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.


And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

I WILL NOT REJOICE

I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

(A re-post, thanks to Mary)

NO END IN SIGHT

Upon a strong recommendation from our friend, Vishnu, we watched this very powerful (and upsetting) documentary tonight: NO END IN SIGHT. It's on the Instant Play list - for those of you with Netflix - or you can also purchase it on DVD. The basic overview (taken directly from their website) is below. I highly recommend taking the time to watch it.

The first film of its kind to chronicle the reasons behind Iraq’s descent into guerilla war, warlord rule, criminality and anarchy, NO END IN SIGHT is a jaw-dropping, insider’s tale of wholesale incompetence, recklessness and venality. Based on over 200 hours of footage, the film provides a candid retelling of the events following the fall of Baghdad in 2003 by high ranking officials... as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers, and prominent analysts. NO END IN SIGHT examines the manner in which the principal errors of U.S. policy – the use of insufficient troop levels, allowing the looting of Baghdad, the purging of professionals from the Iraqi government, and the disbanding of the Iraqi military – largely created the insurgency and chaos that engulf Iraq today. How did a group of men with little or no military experience, knowledge of the Arab world or personal experience in Iraq come to make such flagrantly debilitating decisions? NO END IN SIGHT dissects the people, issues and facts behind the Bush Administration’s decisions and their consequences on the ground to provide a powerful look into how arrogance and ignorance turned a military victory into a seemingly endless and deepening nightmare of a war.

NO END SIGHT alternates between U.S. policy decisions and Iraqi consequences, systematically dissecting the Bush Administration’s decisions.  The consequences of those decisions now include 3,000 American deaths and 20,000 American wounded, Iraq on the brink of civil war, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilian deaths, the strengthening of Iran, the weakening of the U.S. military, and economic costs of over $2 trillion. It marks the first time Americans will be allowed inside the White House, Pentagon, and Baghdad’s Green Zone to understand for themselves what has become the disintegration of Iraq.

BIN LADEN - REPORTED DEAD

Osama Bin Laden has been reported dead today - May 1, 2011.
Today is also the 8th anniversary of "Mission Accomplished" - May 1, 2003.