To our niece Nicole and all the other fine young graduates...

"Put Me in the Car,"  Ryan Gosling

Doc Turns Ten!

To the little man of the house, 

                                   

With much love and appreciation,

George, Donna, Misty, and Brisket

Farewells...

                       

Tomorrow, At-Dawn

To Be Or Not To Be Bilingual

                                                  

Why We're Going Bilingual

"...I wish the two co-workers who approached me on my first day of work, and all the other Spanish-speaking Latinos who look down upon me for being English-only, knew all the feelings and history that lie behind my simple response to their attempts at conversation — 'No habla Español.'" 

"Les Roses Noires (Adolescentes, langage et banlieue) - documentaire"

Hélène Milano's documentary Les Roses Noises tells the intriguing story of French adolescents growing-up in the “estate” community of Parisian suburbs, largely comprised of marginalized immigrants.

As products of assimilation,  children are caught between two cultures and shamed for not being good enough for either. Ostracized for even speaking French with a "foreign" accent, for example, these primarily Middle Eastern youth have also lost the ability to speak fluently in their native tongue. So the kids from “les cités” forge their own path to rule a world, fearful outsiders can’t understand and therefore reject.

With communication lost in translation, language has long been the root cause of intolerance and marginalization. Unfortunately, educational systems are complicit in perpetuating inferiority and prejudice.   Schools fail to nurture opportunities of personal, academic, and even professional growth for all students, not just those living on the wrong side of the Métro tracks.

Audience consideration should always be fundamental to speaking and writing.  Most all of us speak and write more formally in certain situations than we do casually "hanging-out" with our friends in-person or on social media, for example. Prescriptive language is highly valued, inadvertently creating a cycle of socio-economic bias and elitism based upon archaic nationalistic standards.

Rather than marginalization, validation of neighborhood slang as a unique and necessary element of the “estate” culture and community would narrow the divide.  To be sure, learning proper French is extremely important.  It's just that both dialects serve different, complex purposes.

Through Les Roses Noires,  the girls describe many other realities of living in the Paris estate “ghettos.” Surprisingly, most if not all have little to do with poverty and racism within the banlieues. In fact, the girls have had relatively happy childhoods regardless of their challenges. It's  the stress from the world outside and the sexism within, creating problems for them as young adults.

Forgotten in the Banlieues

Cry...

       Alvin Ailey's Cry

     

"On Wishes," Mahmoud Darwish

    Mahmoud Darwish

Prayer

Absolution-
A benediction granted

While the greatest suffering
Seemingly ignored, 

Our belief shaken
If not

Shattered.

Random and unfair 

With no terms certain,

Life unfolds

In the midst of

Deafening cries for 
Tender Mercies

Unseen and 
Unheard.

Invocations of
Solace and Strength
Our paths 
Freely determined
By the Unknown yet
All-knowing
Providence patiently
Awaits

“…Lest Faith turn into Despair,”*

For all that was, is, or will be,

Let us pray…

* Romeo and Juliet, 1.5.103

Anthropologist Scott Atran on
Values and Dreams-
Antidotes to Radicalization 

"Advice to Youth," Mark Twain

"...Never handle firearms carelessly. The sorrow and suffering that have been caused through the innocent but heedless handling of firearms by the young!

Only four days ago, right in the next farmhouse to the one where I am spending the summer, a grandmother, old and gray and sweet, one of the loveliest spirits in the land, was sitting at her work, when her young grandson crept in and got down an old, battered, rusty gun which had not been touched for many years and was supposed not to be loaded, and pointed it at her, laughing and threatening to shoot.

In her fright, she ran screaming and pleading toward the door on the other side of the room, but as she passed him he placed the gun almost against her very breast and pulled the trigger! He had supposed it was not loaded. And he was right--it wasn’t. So there wasn’t any harm done. It is the only case of that kind I ever heard of.

Therefore, just the same, don’t you meddle with old unloaded firearms; they are the most deadly and unerring things that have ever been created by man. You don’t have to take any pains at all with them; you don’t have to have a rest, you don’t have to have any sights on the gun, you don’t have to take aim, even. No, you just pick out a relative and bang away, and you are sure to get him.

A youth who can’t hit a cathedral at thirty yards with a Gatling gun in three-quarters of an hour, can take up an old empty musket and bag his grandmother every time, at a hundred...,"Advice To Youth, Mark Twain, 1882.

                       👉Encore:  Val Kilmer as Citizen Twain

Have A Lovely Day!

 

"Lovely Day,"  Bill Withers

"Gracias A La Vida," Violeta Parra

Violeta Parra

"Gracias a la Vida," 
Mercedes Sosa

"Thanks to the Life"-English translation

Infallibility

We live in a “perfect storm."
Our lives full of risk-taking, 

The emerging tempest evaporating 

Into clear blue.

Shielded by our armor of glass, 

We survive to create another ominous cloud;
Grey skies open to a
Forgiving sun.

Until the day there is no saving grace:
In a moment’s breath, darkness prevails.

All we know is gone.

"Le Cancre" de Jacques Prévert

https://parolesinenglish.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/the-dunce/

"I'm a nice dunce who prefers to play marbles instead of 

going to school..."

Another incredible talent joins Heaven's band....

                                                Fly high, songbird, fly high...

  "The positivity is what we need to hang onto. Cornell and I eventually got to the biggest thing he learned from battling those demons – and it’s a great lesson for all men. For him, coming out on the other side of a dark place meant having to open up, not shut down...." .

The scary thing is that the sufferer is not always aware of slipping deeper into the abyss. 

My struggle with anxiety was moderate, attributed more to situational depression. At its worst though, the symptoms were eerily similar. I had no awareness of "shutting down" by isolating myself for days and weeks at a time. 

Falling into a dangerously counter-productive pattern, I subconsciously fled external values and judgments as well as painful losses beyond my control. Escapism as a means of self-preservation was futile, however. The internal struggle always remained. I was desperate to turn-off the relentless negative noise of my own inner voice buzzing unmercifully.

To survive, we must have faith in the kindness of reputable strangers: Suicide Prevention Lifeline .

                 

Doc’s Day Out

On an uncharacteristically cool Texas morning in early summer, Gentleman Doc accompanied me to lunch as well as some of our other favorite, pet-friendly establishments. As usual the dashing and dapper canine didn’t fail to impress.

The first stop was at Point of Origin to pick-out some Father's Day cards and gifts for Monsieur George. All the while, Doc delighted the ladies with acts of propriety, befitting un gentilhomme.

Then it was off to an early lunch at Mesa Rosa. We were seated outside in the shade of the patio. Doc was immediately served his customary cool bowl of water, courtesy of an adorning management. Nearly as soon as we arrived our waitress bid us a fond adieu as it was time to leave for Doc's Pet Smart "Pawdicure."

                                         

Nails filed, teeth brushed, and ears cleaned, Doc was ready to schmooze. At Pier 1, Doc seemed to blush when one of his long-time admirers from puppy hood said that he “made her day.” Another sales associate complimented his choice of bow-ties, “completing the look.” Later Tuesday Morning customers “ooooed” and “ahhhhhhhed” at Doc's sophisticated swagger.

Upon our return chez nous, Doc was greeted by the lovely Diva Brisket with a sniff and a lick, and it was time for both to use the backyard facilities. Misty Kitty jumped on her couch-perch to watch if not partake in the joyful homecoming.

M. George arrived after a long day's work with hugs and kisses while noticing Doc’s lovely bow-tie and overall handsomeness. Settling in for the evening, Doc reflected upon this glorious day and dreamed of other grand adventures to come.

                                     

Natural Healing

All Natural, "Alcohol-Free,"  Deep Muscle Repair Cream

 

Amazing product!   



     

                                    And there's always this.... music that is!

To a friend who has suffered heartbreak

A broken heart can mend in time,

But the scar remains.

It's a matter of endurance and hope,

Unafraid to risk

Being broken again.

For true beauty comes

At the cost of much

Pain.

And so it goes…

"You deserve a love that takes away the lies
and brings you illusion, coffee, and poetry."

http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-13361-rebel-rebel.html