One thing is to read statistics: "One out of every three French farmers has problems finding a partner", or "20% Of the French say their pessimism towards the future economy prevents them from having any children."

Another thing is to cycle from the Netherlands to Stes Maries de la Mer and see it all for yourself. Having left Luxembourg and its posh behind, we faced sheer emptiness. Thousands of acres of maize fields give way to even bigger fields of wheat, sometimes sunflowers to break the dull. In between little villages; five, six houses around a church.   Read more...

Circumstances can seem to run the show in our lives. This happens so that happens. That happens so I do this. Circumstances can also supply the gift of boundaries to us.

My thesis project in college involved directing a play. As a senior, I had first dibs on whatever space I wanted to use. I was offered a black box theater that I could arrange any way I wanted. It could have been proscenium, three-quarter, in the round. I was paralyzed by the choices.   Read more...

Who knew there was a merchant association for purveyors of peace-related paraphernalia? Not me. I found it on the Bark for Peace site and it made me laugh out loud with delight. Check out their members: www.peacemerchantsassociation.org

I found ribbons, magnets, mugs, t-shirts, bumper stickers, soaps, books, buttons and more. The genuine more isn’t more stuff though—it’s more people like me who have and are realizing day by day that what we all [all, no exceptions] want is peace. It’s a universal goal. We may not all agree on how to get there, but we can figure that part out. We are figuring that part out daily.   Read more...

Rent-a-cop runs but has all the odds against him as W pushes off for extra speed, then pops his tail and plants his skateboard on the handrail. Backside smithgrind, slightly tweaked. Rent-a-cop sees a combination of private and public transgressions. W thanks his predecessors for sanding off the skatestoppers. As the board slides, the trucks grind and sends up a beat. Too bad there’s no fisheye to capture this. Sponsors pay good money for close encounters.

Curve corner, clear gap and he’s back on track. Some claimed that his reputation as a skateboarder would flip into a disadvantage in the field. But group dynamics are tricky to ride. You need image of self, or at least a cloke.   Read more...

In Asia the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion is an integral part of daily life. Most often she is called Kwan-Yin in China, Avalokitesvara in India, or Kannon in Japanese, but there are other names as well. Sometimes, too, this divine being takes on masculine expression. But no matter the form, this beloved entity always shows deep, unconditional love for all manifestations of life.

She comes in many images, the most captivating of which has a halo of 1000 arms fanning out from around her body. This multitude of appendages makes a perfect circle of all embracing Love radiating out from the Heart center of the divine. No one or nothing is ever left out, no matter how imperfect they may be.   Read more...

The video which appears below was posted on a friend’s Facebook page. It features British filmmaker Jeremy Gilley and his extraordinary journey to create one calendar day a year for peace. That day has been established as September 21st.

Watch Jeremy and then I’ll share my observations:   Read more...

BarkForPeace.com is about people and their pets. It’s a sweet, whimsical website that serves as a tasty reminder of the absolute fact that there is no such thing as a small act of peace. Here’s some of their copy.   Read more...

I rejoiced at the news that former Colombian Presidential Candidate Ingrid Betancourt had been released after being taken as a hostage by FARC rebels more than six years ago.

Ingrid was abducted in February 2002 while she was campaigning for president as the candidate for the Colombian Green Party. Prior to her run for the Presidency Ingrid has been elected to the Colombian Chamber of Representatives and Senate, campaigning against corruption and for peace and social justice. Her first campaign distributed condoms, with the motto that she would be like a condom against corruption.   Read more...

Do you know the difference between a harper and a harpist? How about a fiddler and a violinist? If you did not know before, you have probably figured it out already. A harper and fiddler play traditional tunes, whereas a harpist and violinist play orchestral music.

Such interesting tidbits I learn from my friend Markio, who is an Irish harper. She is only in her early 30’s, but is finding herself in a budding career that she never dreamed of.   Read more...

I’m a believer in broadcasting my message. That’s part of the reason all my Ode posts are peace-themed. This week someone sent me an invitation to link to his air shoes site. Air shoes? I checked it out and found the image above. Ah. Peace sneaks. That I can do. Here’s what he says about them:

“Vans recently released the “Peace Pack,” which features a Sk8 Hi, Slip On, and a Old Skool. This pack may remind you of their “Hippie Pack” from last year. But the “Peace Pack” is all about the peace sign logo.   Read more...