Saturday, September 06, 2008

Travel Where?

I've been thinking.
I've kind of decided "what." Now seems like a good time to consider "where."
Being awake, alive, alert as I follow my nose or toes is a way. I've enjoyed and learned that way.
It's not the way I have been thinking of.
Recently I have been thinking of attractive ways of looking for a home. That has led me to think of Thailand. Thailand is a place of helpful, beauty loving people, who respect their elders. They give value for value. The food is tasty and wholesome. One may find an elephant in ones alley or ones seat in peculiar temple. The dollar goes far and there a lots of fine things to learn. I enjoy the wide variety of interesting people one can find there.
Looking for a home has also led me to think of Uruguay. Uruguay is a land of farms and ranches and people willing to let you be. They are also willing to help when asked and they speak pretty good Spanish. There is plenty of fresh air and clean water there.
They have lots of meat, plenty of vegetables, and they're mostly organic. It has a compact stately, bright, cosmopolitan capital. I like the hot water spas there.

More recently, I have been thinking or Europe. I admit that the thought of the prices there brings a film of perspiration to my brow. Still there have have been reasonable flights to London from NY. I remember one very inexpensive flight from NY to Luxembourg via Iceland. Took a very nice layover in the unspellable capital of that country.

I could go to Portugal from England and from there on to Holland and up to Denmark. If the weather seemed warm enough I could head on to Norway and from there to Russia via Finland. If the weather were turning cool when I got to Denmark I could heat to East Germany and from there rapidly south to Turkey and beyond.
I'd like to check out a lot of old Prussia and a lot of the hot water health spas of Eastern Europe. With days in hot water I could handle cold weather.
If the weather were already getting cold when I got to Portugal I could head to Morocco and then overland to Egypt and then on south as far as necessary.

Ah, well.


Women

This is how a man might imagine a man clothed and out of the kitchen.
































































Women

This is a hint about how a man might imagine a woman clothed and out of the kitchen.





































































In My Opinion

It's a trip.
It's good.
It's not easy to describe.
I'm preparing to "go walkabout."
It's a purification that necessitates purification.
It's about freedom and discovery.
It's about looking for a home.
It's something like "I'm on the road again."
Of course it also means I might stay at home doing at home things.

I'm not sure why I feel a need to define what I have done so often, sometimes three or four times in a year, other times for two or three years at a time.
I want to share "it" with you.
Last year I did it at 70. This year I may do it at 71.
Sounds like life.
This defining and describing is part of a purification process.
Purification includes personal honesty and a step beyond the acceptance of reality.
I want it to include love and generosity.

I'm preparing to leave home.
It's something like " runninging away from home."
It's something like "running off to the circus."

It's being willing to take one step beyond the step beyond.
It's more like stepping than running. It may be vagabonding. It is wandering. It is sauntering, stalking, slouching, leaping and gliding. These days it is often an experimenting of a variety of vessels and vehicles.

I'm calming myself and finding serenity as I prepare for approaching adventure.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Sailing, Sailing

Which Arabs traveled to India during the Roman Empire? Did they take Jesus or any of his disciples to India? Did you know that Arabs sailed around India to the southern tip of South East Asia to meet Chinese and Malay merchants there?

How many Arab or Semite civilization existed during the the times of the Greek and Roman empires? What might we learn by looking at their history? We might learn how they sailed farther than he than Columbus more than 1500 years before he sailed.
What did Columbus learn from them? How did he do that? What did those Arabs contribute to the Greeks and Romans by transporting inventions and thoughts from the Far East to them? How did the people of Ur of the Chaldese use sea routs Arab seaman used? From whom did the people of Ur learn their seamanship? Who did they teach? What do you care?

Okay. Why did the Seleucid army in Syria have elephants while the Ptolemies had none? How did their elephant technology differ from Hannibal's? How might we benefit from knowledge of those technologies? How might elephants benefit?

How have seagoing merchants differed from Pirates? How did seagoing English merchants handle the opium trade? the slave trade? How have we handled the banana trade?

Okay. Why didn't Anthony and Cleopatra complete their planned escape to India via the Red Sea after their defeat at Antuim? Who benefited by learning from their experience?

Thursday, September 04, 2008

World Trade Center

In pre-Islamic times, Nabataean merchants and seamen did business with Chinese merchants and seamen in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka was an important trading center for a thousand years. It was a trade that included Mediterranean civilizations (including Rome), Persia, Arabia, India, China, mainland and island South East Asia (including The Spice Islands).
Sri Lanka added gems, spice, religious philosophy, wisdom, and business know how to that trade.
In more recent years North African Arabs, Portuguese, and the Dutch followed the trade routes via Sri Lanka which had been pioneered by Nabataeans, Chinese, and, perhaps, certain Malay's.

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

I Guess it is Magic that I Will Never Learn

How can I notify a blog aggregation service that I have published a post to this blog?

How can I add code for a specific widget to this site? I haven't been able to find an area which accepts code.

Do I have a site map on this site? Is it working?

How can I make a portion of post text into a hot link?

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Mary J.

My father's paternal grandmother was a Carroll. Thanks to the genealogical detective work of my sister, Gerry Hook, I can now be quite sure that my paternal grandmother was born in Ireland in about 1841, and that she died in Iowa on December 8th of 1902. I can also be pretty sure that her mother Margaret married her father, Martin Carroll in Ireland about 1840. She was called Mary J. Carroll. She Married M. William Sheehan in Iowa on November 27th of 1860. They had nine children, among them, my father's father.

Martin Carroll, Mary's father was born in Ireland in about 1810 and died in Iowa in February of 1881. As he is the earliest Carroll we have found, Id like to commemorate the start of his life by reviewing a few of the world happenings of those years.

In 1810 Napoleon was at his Zenith and Simon Bolivar was emerging as a figure in South American politics. Goya was working in the engravings "Los Desastres de la Guerra."

In 1811 Paraguay became independent of Spain and William Henry Harrison, before he became president, defeated the Indians under Tecumseh at Tippecanoe, Indiana. "Tippecanoe and Taylor too." At about the same time "Luddites" destroyed industrial machines in the North of England.

1811 and 1812 was the time of the tremendous New Madrid earthquakes in Missouri, Tennessee, and beyond. The topography was changed greatly. In 1812 earthquakes and after shocks felt in California were Strong enough to be called dreadful by priests at Buenaventura and Capistrano Missions.

I'm running out of time and space and I still haven't written of: the million Irish men, women, and children who starved to death; why we might sing "Its a long way to
Tipperary;" "desert Indians" attacking San Bernardino, California; the founding of the Fenian Society; or an infinity if other happenings.

The earth was hotter than usual during this period.

It's hard to stop when I know that in1813 the waltz was conquering Europe; a Grand Freemason Lodge was being founded; Mexico declared itself independent; Giuseppe Verdi was born; and on and on.

Things just keep happening.


Internal Exercise, with thanks to aunt Virginia

Crane, turtle, toe wiggling, strengthening, and healing each refers to "Internal Exercise" of Tao. Tao is great and we may say that the Tao is one, but the words that follow center on a Tao of "Internal Exercise," "the I Ching," "Sexology," and "Diet."
More specifically they are intended to focus on the "Internal Exercise"


Its the Tao that describes the I Ching as being divided into three studies: astrology, philosophy, and techniques of forecasting. It describes the I Ching as being a study of symbols or signs representing the phenomena of endless changes occurring throughout the universe; changes governed by exact laws defined by the various branches of mathematics. A study of social philosophy and transactional psychology. as represented using the 64 hexagrams. A study of predicting happenings.

It describes its "Sexology" as helping people to enjoy sexual play without depleting themselves. It explains how to strengthen the sexual organs and how to use sexual energy to cure specific aliments.

Its system of "Diet" includes principles of of using natural and unprocessed foods for nutrition and healing, of using herbs for health and longevity.

Its system of "Internal Exercise" is designed to energize, balance, and promote effective functioning. Posture for longevity and energy is taught. Exercises for glandular balance; for strong, smooth functioning organs; for relaxing and controlling the nervous system are laid out. Meditation, as a way of consciously integrating body, mind, and intellect is included in the exercise. Correct breathing to is taught as part of the exercise.

With enough energy and longevity I will write a bit about this "Internal Exercise."

Help of Old

The intelligent pursuit of wisdom may be said to proceed through levels.
Purification directs to freeing truth.
Attend to the great teachers and to their words of one and many.
Young and strong of wide mind, approach number in an experimental manner.
Think of science as an investigation of principles. Observation is a good start.
Curiosity leads to relating one phenomenon to another.
Find beautiful order in motion.
Aptitude for music is golden. There is healing there.
Smell the roses. Contemplation of beauty is well paid.
Purification is a true way.
Hear high principle and meditate.
There is a bit of the flaming Pleiades in every blade of grass that blows.

Analysis by function, morphology, order, content, structure is useful. However, the most beneficial analysis of man may be by motivation.

Alive and Lively

Being well motivated helps.
Loving helps.
Sharing helps.
Understanding helps.
Honoring helps.
Faith, hope, and charity help.
So does a pure mind in an active body

Monday, September 01, 2008

Thoughtful Christian


Don't give up your effort to make sense of non-Biblical ancient history.

A harmony with nature, a coordination of natural and social forces seems to increase your chances for success.

Consider a wider nature of "thou."

Be a bit more willing to secure a harmonious balance.

Greater Good

We have covenants, contracts, agreements, understandings.

What is to be learned from the experience of organized labor and collective bargaining?

What is the process of agreement?

How does a group come to an understanding?

How does one group come to an understanding with another group?

I know war and force have been useful, but neither tend to lead to win/win situations.

What is a process that tends to a peaceful prouctive understanding among people?

Sunday, August 31, 2008

What in the World Was Going on During the Life of ...

M. William Sheehan, 1839 -1912.
His birth was a point where all of the past met all of the future.

I'll note some happenings and goings on in the year of his birth, 1939.

There were Indian uprising in California. Men from the "States" were plotting to take the Spanish Southwest from Mexico. Stephen W. Kearny, the future Military Governor of California was about 45 that year. The "Rancho Era" of California was in full swing.

The Oregon Trail was opening to Emigrants. Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, son of Sacagawea was traveling the West. He was probably 34 that year. Do you remember a song about Sacagawea? Seems I remember words like "flower of Shoshones race."

Twain's family moved to Hannibal, Missouri and "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Poe was published.

Uruguay declared war against Argentina and the First Opium War between Britain and China broke out.

Goodyear made possible the commercial use of rubber by his development of the process of 'vulcanization.' Live long and Prosper. Carl Gustav Mosander discovered the metallic element lanthanum to add to the Russian's Periodic Table. The Swiss-German chemist, Christian R. Schonbein discovered and named ozone.

Doubleday is said to have started baseball that year. Seems he did popularise the name. The Scott inventor, Kirkpatrick Macmillan probably constructed the first bicycle. The French political leader, Louis Blanc, popularised the phrase and idea. "to each according to his needs, from each according to his abilities" Prussia restricted juvenile labor to a maximum of 10 hours a day.

The American marathon walker, E. P. Weston, completed a 3895 mile walk from New York to California at the age of 70.

Would you like me to say a few words about the world happenings in each or the 73 years of his life?


















Seven Sheehans

The guys in the photo are probably Sheehan's, right? Do You know anything about the photograph?

To add to the confusion I mention that in 1983 Susan Sheehan won a Pulitzer Prize in the
nonfiction category for writing "Is There No Place on Earth for Me?"
I haven't read it, have you?

Cardinal Lawrence Sheehan was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Baltimore from 1961 to 1974. He was born in 1898 and died in 1984.

Neil Sheehan won a Pulitzer in nonfiction for his 1989 book,
"A Bright Shining Lie." I haven't read it, have you?
Posted by Picasa

About Me

My photo
Colombia
I discover, get understanding, enjoy myself, and take care of business.

My Blog List

Blog Archive