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December 30 2004 The following are accepting donations for aid they or affiliates will provide to those affected by the deadly tsunami in Asia. If you are looking for information on a U.S. citizen feared missing, contact the U.S. State Department at 888-407-4747, or, from overseas, at 317-472-2328. Action Against Hunger 247 West 37th Street, Suite 1201 New York, NY 10018 212-967-7800 www.aah-usa.org ADRA International Asia Tsunami Crisis Fund 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 800-424-2372 www.adra.org There are many others, including: www.redcross.org www.americares.org www.savethechildren.org www.worldvision.org www.christianchildrensfund.org www.crwc.org www.directrelief.org www.doctorswithoutborders.org www.imcworldwide.org www.projecthope.org ---------------------------------  December 21 2004 Here are some of my favorite movies. Some are Oscar winners or Oscar worthy, and others are downright silly but fun. I am probably leaving many movies out that I have liked, but here is a partial list. So if you are looking for some ideas over the holidays, maybe this will help, or maybe you'll get mad at me if you rent one you hate haha what can I say. By the way, did anyone see the band "Heart" on the Ellen DeGeneres show this morning? Amaazing! Ok, here it is... Jo's Movie List! When Harry Met Sally Moonstruck On Golden Pond The Fugitive October Sky Pretty in Pink Fried Green Tomatoes My Dog Skip Here on Earth The First Wives Club My Big Fat Greek Wedding Four Seasons Groundhog Day Under the Tuscan Sun Trading Places Sleepless in Seattle The Pianist Legends of the Fall A River Runs Through It Manhattan Murder Mystery Emma Frankie and Johnny The Age of Innocence Shawshank Redemption Philadelphia Bend it like Beckham Walk on the Moon Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Chocolat Dance of the White Dog The Dead Poet's Society Finding Forrester A Bronx Tale Shall we Dance A Walk in the Clouds First Knight Barbershop The Godfather Arthur Little Women How to make an American Quilt Out of Africa Crocodile Dundee Miracle on 34th Street Mrs. Doubtfire Chicken Run Before the Sunrise Miss Congeniality (So stupid but funny!) Bowling for Columbine A Few Good Men Beaches Jerry Maguire Good Will Hunting Field of Dreams Awakenings November 29 2004 "The Poet T.S. Eliot once made a telling comment about religious writing. He said that most of it fails because the writers don't write about how they really feel- they write about how they want to feel. So true. Many of us shrink from writing or creating truthfully about faith because of a dogged commitment to image management. Image management is all about looking good. It's so you can look mahvelous, dahling. And when you give into the lure of image management, you end up telling your story or creating characters who always choose rightly in moments of temptation, who only say what's wise and noble in stressful situations - who don't battle with lust and greed and self deceptive spirituality. Unlike the great Bible characters we admire. (Thank goodness they didn't have agents)". - Jill Sawyer/ The Art of the Soul ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somebody gave me a CD a few months ago that they thought would help me as I go through my own wilderness. (which i sing about in "Somewhere In Between.") It was a collection of "Praise and worship songs" which I found to be quite dreadful. Frankly, I get more spirituality, more of God, out of listening to my song "Misery" than I did any of that. But the CD was lent to me with good intentions and I was grateful for the spirit behind it. The point is, different things move different people. One thing is not better than the other, or more religious or more spiritual. It's just different. The best stories are the ones that tell the truth. Whether they do so about the writer, or people the writer knows, whether they are observations or one's own experiences, or whether they are symbolic or literal, they still must tell the truth about the human experience on some level. Jill Sawyer writes, " Artists of the soul are creative social activists. They dare to venture into hidden heart corners.....No matter who we are, no matter where we live, we each carry within us the unfulfilled longings of the disabled. We are each crippled, broken, shattered. We each bear sorrow's shared scars of the heart. And, as artists of the soul, we can also help turn one another's scars into art." When I am creating, for a few moments, the chaos has meaning, or at least it is transformed into something beautiful. Beautiful like the rain, like the winter, burnt auburn leaves, or the gentle snowfall on the bare branches. Sometimes it is beautiful like a violent storm and then a rainbow. I think this is what Friedrich Nietzsche meant when he wrote, "Of all that is written, I love only what a person has written with his own blood," or what Picasso meant when he said, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." November 24 2004 Yesterday I was reading the new "Cooking Light" magazine. There is a big article on sugar. In this article, they claimed that Aspartame, Nutra Sweet and Splenda are not dangerous and that they are healthy sugar substitutes. I was totally floored to see this in print. I couldn't believe it. Some people say it is controversial. But here is my take in it....If a food is safe, there is no controversy. You don't see anyone out there arguing about the safety of lettuce, or eating fresh vegetables! There is far too much research out there that says these products are dangerous, for anyone to not think twice. http://www.runwashington.com/features/aspartame.html The Food and Drug Administration has admitted that three-fourths of all its non- drug complaints are for the unwanted ill effects from aspartame use. Some of the complaints include the following: * Anxiety attacks * Bloating and fluid retention * Brain tumors * Chronic Fatigue Syndrome * Confusion * Chest pains and/or heart palpitations * Depression * Dizziness * Equilibrium problems * Exacerbated diabetes and/or hypoglycemia * Headaches and/or migraines * Hypertension * Inability to concentrate * Joint pain * Memory loss * Multiple sclerosis * Rashes, hives, and skin problems * Seizures * Tremors * Vertigo * Vision impairment * Weight gain In addition, reactions to aspartame can mimic the following diseases: fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, lupus, epilepsy, lymphoma, Lyme disease, attention deficit disorder, and other psychological disorders. It is also connected to atherosclerosis, cancer, coronary artery disease, and arthritis. It comes as no surprise that joint pain is a major complaint among aspartame users The chemical breakdown for aspartame is forty percent aspartate, fifty percent phenylalanine and ten percent methanol, a deadly poison (wood alcohol). The Environmental Protection Agency defines safe consumption as no more than 7.8 milligrams per day of this dangerous substance. A one-liter beverage, sweetened with aspartame, contains about 56 milligrams of wood alcohol, or eight times the EPA limit! In addition, aspartame is metabolized by the body into carcinogens or cancer-causing agents and kills brain cells every time it is ingested. In 1998, Ralph G. Walton, MD, a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Northeastern Ohio University's College of Medicine, analyzed 164 studies relevant to human safety questions associated with aspartame. Of those studies, 74 studies had aspartame industry- related sponsorship and 90 were funded without any industry money. Of the 90 non-industry-sponsored studies, 83 (ninety-two percent) identified one or more problems with aspartame. Of the seven studies that did not find a problem, the FDA conducted six of those studies. Given that a number of FDA officials went to work for the aspartame industry immediately following approval (including the former FDA Commissioner), many consider these studies to be equivalent to industry-sponsored research. Of the 74 aspartame industry-sponsored studies, all 74 (100%) claimed that no problems were found with aspartame. 83 Out of 84 Independent Reports Found Problems The aspartame industry-sponsored studies are usually the ones the American public sees cited in news and television reports. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Aspartame (NutraSweet) appears to cause slow, silent damage in those unfortunate enough to not have immediate reactions and a reason to avoid it. It may take one year, five years, 10 years, or 40 years, but it seems to cause some reversible and some irreversible changes in health over long-term use. "Aspartame has a profound effect on mood and cognition....depressed mood, anxiety, dizziness, panic attacks, nausea, irritability, impairment of memory and concentration." Ralph Walton, M.D. The testing of sucralose reveals that it can cause up to 40 percent shrinkage of the thymus: a gland that is the very foundation of our immune system. Sucralose also causes swelling of the liver and kidneys, and CALCIFICATION of the kidney. Note: if you experience kidney pain, cramping, or an irritated bladder after using sucralose in Splenda, stop use immediately. Dr. Janet Starr Hull "I have observed severe intellectual deterioration associated with the use of aspartame products. It was usually manifest as great difficulty in reading and writing, obvious problems with memory and grossly impaired orientation to time, place and person. Many reactions to aspartame were very serious including seizures and death. Other reactions reported included: Headaches/Migraines Dizziness Joint Pain Nausea Numbness Muscle spasms Weight gain Rashes Depression Fatigue Irritability Tachycardia Insomnia Vision Loss Hearing Loss Heart palpitations Breathing difficulties Anxiety attacks Slurred Speech Loss of taste Tinnitus Vertigo Memory loss" H. J. Roberts, M.D. -------------------------------- "In a simple word you would just as soon have DDT in your food as Splenda, because sucralose is a chlorocarbon. The chlorocarbons have long been famous for causing organ, genetic, and reproductive damage. It should be no surprise, therefore, that the testing of sucralose, even at less than the level demanded by FDA rules, reveals that it has been shown to cause up to 40%shrinkage of the thymus: A gland that is the very foundation of our immune system. It also causes swelling of the liver and kidneys, and CALCIFICATION of the kidney.... What you need to know about sucralose is that it is of a class of compounds which places it amongst some of the most dangerous chemicals on earth. The known studies, and science verify this fact. Lies and dissimulations, which have been totally, and inexcusably left unchecked by the FDA, point to gross governmental/corporate corruption, and massive cover up and peril. They say "Oh, It's just made from sugar, what could be more natural and harmless." -James Bowen, M.D. ----------------------------------------- Workers At Splenda Manufacturing Plant Experience Hazards of Making Chemical Artificial Sweetener; McNeil Nutritional Misleads Public That Splenda is Sugar A January 22 Associated Press story ran in the Tuscaloosa News titled Chemical leak at McIntosh sugar plant send 5 workers to hospital highlights the dangers associated with the production of the formulated sweetener sucralose, also known as Splenda. It seems five workers inhaled the chemical compound dimethylamine, which can cause runny nose, coughing, sneezing, burning of the nose and throat, and shortness of breath according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This just points out the dangers associated with chemicals which are used to manipulate sugar in the process of creating sucralose. ------------------------- November 20 2004 I am going to get my hair done today. Big event of the week. Just kidding. Sort of. I figured I can't stay in my pajamas forever, and it might be time to make myself presentable. I helped Dad put up the "Martha Stewart" Christmas tree last night. So many branches to screw in. It sounds tacky, but it actually looks quite nice. Beautiful in fact. Mom and Dad wanted to put it up before I left for NYC, since I won't be home for Christmas. Poor Martha, and she's in JAIL!!!! Sort of absurd when you consider that so many Wall Street guys and big execs have done the same thing, and they aren't in jail, they're out playing golf somewhere. Well, maybe Martha will make everyone Thanksgiving turkey this year in the jail or a special cranberry relish. No, I guess that's not likely. I tried juicing kale and dandelion greens this morning. It was disgusting. I had no idea they were so sour. So much for that. So I had some organic raisin bran instead. Mom is out running errands and will be back in awhile to take me to the salon. The other day, she called saying she might be awhile getting home. There were a bunch of ducks crossing the road, and they were taking their time sweet time. I can just hear my dad breaking into his Ed Sullivan impersonation... "C'mon boy.....you can do it boy....any day now boy.." November 19 2004 Every day is a fresh beginning, Listen my soul to the glad refrain. And, spite of old sorrows And older sinning, Troubles forecasted And possible pain, Take heart with the day and begin again. - Susan Coolidge (1835-1905) November 16 2004 David won the ESPN Dream Job tonite. Yay David!!! Grant did a great job too. November 13 2004 I have finished reading two books which I would highly recommend. One is called, "Standing in the Rainbow." It is written by Fannie Flagg, who also wrote "Fried Green Tomatoes." (Which was made into one of my all time favorite movies). It's an incredibly charming and engaging novel, set in the South from the 1940s on. There are so many funny lines it...."I have not gone addlebrained like my neighbor, Mrs, Whatley, who thinks her grandson Travis is over at Sears instead of where he really is and will be for the next five years unless he gets off for good behaviour..." I laughed out loud many times while reading it. I think I read the whole thing in three days!So much charm....and such a different time and place, a different way of life... The other great book I just finished recently, is called "The Interpreter of Maladies". It is a collecton of short stories written by Jhumoa Lahiri, and it won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000. Great stories. November 10 2004 I have been making this sauce every day and I love it. Wanted to share my recipe! Cilantro has been found to help get heavy metals out of the body and toxicity out. We can get a build up of toxic heavy metals in the body from polluted air and water, aluminum foil and canned foods, toothpaste that is not natural, various non organic and processed foods that have chemicals in them, hair dyes, makeup, diesel exhaust, the list goes on and on. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jo's Detox Cilantro Sauce All measurements are approximate! In a blender, blend: 1/4 to 1/2 cup organic olive oil 1 HUGE handful of fresh cilantro 1/2 c of pine nuts 1 small bunch of fresh parsley 4 large Tablespoons of organic ginger powder 1-2 T fresh organic minced garlic The juice of 1-2 organic lemons 1 t of sugar (I leave this out, so my recipe is slightly sour, but others might want the sugar) Just blend all ingredients and that's it! Keep in a container regrigerated and it should last for several days. You can put it over organic quinoa and refrigerate it to have as a cold salad throughout the day, or use as a salad dressing, or over pasta or veggies etc Quinoa is a grain that is high in protein and tolerated by people with wheat allergies. It is made just like oatmeal. Boil some water, add quinoa, and simmer for 10 minutes. This sauce is great for detoxing heavy metals out of the body and for other toxicity. Take it for several weeks or longer. I am doing it indefinately. November 01 2004 Questions from a fan: 1) I know that Bird in the Sky was written just after 9-11. Is it the oldest song on the CD? I wrote that about a week after 9-11, maybe two at most, don't remember since that time was a bit of a blur, yeah I think it was two weeks after 9-11. My oldest song is Ghost Town.You can hear the original demo of it in a Movie called ALONG FOR THE RIDE with Melanie Griffith. The intro to Ghost Town on my CD is from "Fountain in PAris" from my CD TELL THE STORY. : 2) When did you come up with the title, The Simply Said Sessions? My publishing company is called SIMPLY SAID SONGS. So it is sort of a spin on that. After the "Kiss Me There" CD, I wanted to do something more bare and stripped down, and this title felt perfect.When I wanted to add more instruments, this title also kept me from doing so! : 3)How many songs had already been written when you made the decision to make an acoustic CD? Mmm...Most of them I think. Somewhere In Between was written later on and was the last song I recorded. I have SO many songs that are unrecorded and no one has ever heard them. Boxes and boxes of tapes in my closets. Many of the tapes aren't even labeled which I know is horrible. I write fairly regularly. SOmetimes a few songs in a day or a few in a week. Or whatever. I don't worry about it. No pressure. I write when I have something to say to myself!haha Or something that needs to be expressed.You know, it releases stuff for me, like exhaling I suppose! But I need a bank account just to keep up with recording! : 4) Your diary entry on Jan. 19, 2003 shows you to be very excited about the making of the CD. What were some of the biggest differences between making this CD and Kiss Me There? SO different. I made this CD in just a few weeks total. It was very live. Fewer musicians. Only myself, Steve Rizzo and David Patterson. Much less expensive than KISS ME THERE as well. It felt a little more organic in its making. Although, Rose Colored Glasses and Tonite, were both pretty organic songs from the last record. But this one overall is different. I am not sure I know how to explain that feeling though. Maybe like the difference between a warm spring day and a warm fall day. They might be the same temperature and yet have a completely different mood. : 5) Do you consider this CD to be more of an artistic achievement than your previous work? In some ways yes. It feels a little more mature. I mention Rose Colored Glasses again though, because that will always be a favorite song of mine. And that is from the last CD. But yes, this one, this entire CD feels totally me. The guitars on Red Crayon get me from my toes to my head, they fill me up with this delicious feeling, so sexy and so moody at the same time. And the songs..I really love having the artistic freedom to put all of these slow songs on one collection, all of these moods and classical influences as well as pop influences.... : 6) What are your 3 favorite songs from the CD and is that something that's changed over the time you've been working on it? Yeah it changes. On Glossy Photograph, I love how the chord holds out on the word "summer"...haha such a little thing, isn't that nuts?! but I like that. Too hard to pick songs...I do love Carousel,it is so fun to play, Red Crayon is a sexy song for me in a late night, sensual subtle way,it makes me feel SO good inside thanks to Steve's guitar work especially. I love Misery and SOmewhere in Between, ...Ghost Town..Stop...I was very happy with that even though it is a heartbreaking song! But the overall album is hope at the end...never getting stuck in the mud even when you land in it from time to time (or more than from time to time). Bird in the Sky is a little more pop but I like the chord changes and felt I truly expressed what I wanted to without being cliche, Writing on the Wall is more pop but I like it too...Jenny Bruce sings this one to her baby Felix and it is so cute when she sings...baby it's insane how much I wanna kiss you...hahah One day he was over and he was crying so we started singing it to him and he stopped! I guess as you can see it is hard to pick favorite. Sharon's Song was written for my aunt Sharon who dies of ALS, so that one is special. Oh yeah another thing people might not realize which is fun..on my song "Always for You' my left hand is crossed over my right hand for much of the song. SO if you try to learn it, that's the trick! : 7) Did you have ending the CD with Carousel in mind for a long time? yes : 8) Would you share any interesting stories about how these songs germinated in your mind? Well, SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN is my life right now, so...there's that.... most of the songs on this CD tell stories. I don't want to ruin them by adding too much more! It's all very personal, but I would like it to mean to each person who hears it, whatever they need it to mean for them. : 9) Did the people you were working with always get your vision of how you wanted this CD to turnout? Yeah. I produced some of it alone, and co produced the rest with Steve Rizzo. I was totally in charge of the outcome and the vision of this and at the same time it helped to have someone else in the room. Steve Rizzo is great at pressing the record button and then letting the magic happen. (Or sometimes the disaster) haha. There were songs that I thought would be on this CD that weren't, because in the end they needed to be framed by a band. So having another set of ears helped with that and helped keep it on track. SOmetimes he would even leave the room while I was recording to give me more of a sense of privacy, in a way helping me to make it feel more personal or as personal as it felt when I wrote the songs. We had a good time working together. I also liked working up in Rhode Island. The environment felt very authentic rather than being in a high end recording studio in LA or NY. I think that authenticity comes through, and I played a grand piano for many of the songs. You can't quantize that! WHich is a good thing. : Thanks Jo!! You're welcome! October 29 2004 I received this email today that was forwarded on to me. I do not know who originally wrote it. ---- Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem." The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, how could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die. "Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it." "Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem." October 22 2004 PICTURE music and lyrics by jo Davidson copyright October 22, 20046AM When life turns you upside down and dumps you inside out and with the pieces you have left you try to figure out how to make a picture Somewhere in that place between acceptance and denial Somewhere in between your desperation and your smile You try to make a picture a picture Oh it feels just like this road is at a dead end You grieve for losses that you don't know how to bear and long for yesterday for times when life was easier You miss the outline of the life you use to wear But dreams can change their colors they can change their shape or size when it's hard to see ahead, those dreams can be your eyes and they can help you paint a picture Nothing's ever wasted nothing's ever thrown away even if we do not see the meaning right away In time we'll know the picture Oh it feels just like this road is at a dead end You grieve for losses that you don't know how to bear and long for yesterday for times when life was easier You miss the outline of the life you use to wear But dreams can change their colors they can change their shape or size Dreams can use the broken pieces Dreams can be so wise and they can can help you paint a picture a picture. October 21 2004 My niece Carly, 3, and I had such a great time on Monday. We went to a candy store and a store with crafts and odds and ends, and drove around (mom drove) looking at houses and Halloween decorations and the autumn leaves. Out of nowhere, she said to me, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking? I said, I don't know. What are you thinking? She said, "well, what are YOU thinking?" I said, "I'm thinking that I have had the best time with you today!" Then she said, "Me too! I've had the best time with myself!" Later I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She said a stepmother. She totally cracks me up. ----------------- Sort of going nuts being in Ohio with all this election stuff. Today I hung up on Barbara Bush, no not really. It was her voice on an automated message calling Ohio residents and resassuring seniors.... something about their health benefits... and slamming the dirty politics of the Democratic party. (Like there are no dirty political games going on amongst Rebublicans). I am sure she is a wonderful woman and even George Bush and his wife Laura are probably wonderful people! I am still not voting for him. I just am getting tired of all the automated calls and polls being done here! This morning I also got another call for a survey on the ban on gay marriage. Enough already. THen again later, someone from The Republican party called..third call of the day, at least it was (A real person) to find out if we were voting at the polls or via absentee ballet and for whom. GEESH! So I guess if Bush does win this election, I won't be getting an invitation to The White House anytime soon to perform for Christmas. haha Oh well. I thought this was REALLY interesting, a friend sent it to me today: Who is going to war? Democrats: * Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71. * David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72. * Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72. * Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade. * Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam. * Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII. * John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Hearts. * Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea. * Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam. * Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53. * Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74. * Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91. * Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons. * Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars, and Soldier's Medal. * Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit. * Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart. * Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V. * Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star. * Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57 * Chuck Robb: Vietnam * Howell Heflin: Silver Star * George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII. * Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received #311. * Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy. * Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953 * John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters. * Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg. Republicans -- and these are the guys sending people to war: * Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage. * Dennis Hastert: did not serve. * Tom Delay: did not serve. * Roy Blunt: did not serve. * Bill Frist: did not serve. * Mitch McConnell: did not serve. * Rick Santorum: did not serve. * Trent Lott: did not serve. * John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business. * Jeb Bush: did not serve. * Karl Rove: did not serve. * Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." The man who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism. * Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve. * Vin Weber: did not serve. * Richard Perle: did not serve. * Douglas Feith: did not serve. * Eliot Abrams: did not serve. * Richard Shelby: did not serve. * Jon Kyl: did not serve. * Tim Hutchison: did not serve. * Christopher Cox: did not serve. * Newt Gingrich: did not serve. * Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor. * George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; got assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared from duty. * Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making movies. * B-1 Bob Dornan: Conscientiously enlisted - after fighting was over in Korea. * Phil Gramm: did not serve. * John McCain: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. * Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve. * John M. McHugh: did not serve. * JC Watts: did not serve. * Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem," although continued in NFL for 8 years. * Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard. * Rudy Giuliani: did not serve. * George Pataki: did not serve. * Spencer Abraham: did not serve. * John Engler: did not serve. * Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer. * Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base. Pundits & Preachers * Sean Hannity: did not serve. * Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.') * Bill O'Reilly: did not serve. * Michael Savage: did not serve. * George Will: did not serve. * Chris Matthews: did not serve. * Paul Gigot: did not serve. * Bill Bennett: did not serve. * Pat Buchanan: did not serve. * John Wayne: did not serve. * Bill Kristol: did not serve. * Kenneth Starr: did not serve. * Antonin Scalia: did not serve. * Clarence Thomas: did not serve. * Ralph Reed: did not serve. * Michael Medved: did not serve. * Charlie Daniels: did not serve. * Ted Nugent: did not serve. (He only shoots at things that don't shoot back.) September 30 2004 The debates start tonite. I would love to hear from all of you afterwards and hear what you think. Feel free to post any of your opinions. Today I sent out all the pre ordered CDs of THE SIMPLY SAID SESSIONS! I am so happy to finally have it done. The CD will be up on the site in the next week. For those of you who preordered it's on its way...! I started doing something different a few nights ago. I started reading The Bible. Yes, The Bible. Certain parts of it...the book of Job...it is amazing,I read it in one night, and I read Ecclesiates last night, also very interesting. I love reading it with my heart and MIND, my objectivity, my common sense. I argue with it and wrestle with it and also get mad sometimes at certain things I read. I'll think, how could those people do THAT, or why would they treat women like THIS, or why should we listen to him, look what HE did, or what a stupid rule that was then! hahah I am so interested in it as a history book, as a book of faith that can change people's lives, as something that has endured and been around for so long, and as poetry. There is SO much poetry in the Bible. I think that there are some things in life that hit us at certain times, and at others, we could read them and well, they would not mean anything at all to us. It is almost like we come to our feelings or our conclusions in steps. Each step prepraring us for the next part of our journey. There were things then culturally that would never be accepted now or considered ok. Cultures and times change. Rules change. But there are truths that also do not, the feelings that we all share, the needs we have, are basically the same. SO anyway, I am finding it all rather interesting. I wrote a pretty cool waltz the other night. It's called "Chopsticks Melody." Maybe I will record a raw version of it and post it up here in the near future. September 29 2004 I got this from a friend and thought I'd pass it on... After Sept. 11th, one company invited the remaining members of other companies who had been decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers to share their available office space. At a morning meeting, the head of security told stories of why these people were alive...... and all the stories were just: The 'L I T T L E' Things . As you might know, the head of the company got in late that day because his son started kindergarten. Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts. One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time. One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident. One of them missed his bus. One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change. One's car wouldn't start. One went back to answer the telephone. One had a child that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have. One couldn't get a taxi. The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today. Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone ... all the little things that annoy me. I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment. Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow getting dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated; God is at work watching over you. May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may you remember their possible purpose. Pass this on to someone else, if you'd like. There is NO LUCK attached. If you delete this, it's okay: God's Love Is Not Dependent On E-Mail September 28 2004 Did you Know......... At Burger King, Wendy's, and McDonald's coloring agents have been added to many of the soft drinks, salad dressings, cookies, condiments, chicken dishes, and sandwich buns....... The taste of a french fry is largely determined by the cooking oil. For decades McDonald's cooked its french fries in a mixture of about seven percent cottonseed oil and 93 percent beef tallow. The mixture gave the fries their unique flavor -- and more saturated beef fat per ounce than a McDonald's hamburger. In 1990, amid a barrage of criticism over the amount of cholesterol in its fries, McDonald's switched to pure vegetable oil. This presented the company with a challenge: how to make fries that subtly taste like beef without cooking them in beef tallow. A look at the ingredients in McDonald's french fries suggests how the problem was solved. Toward the end of the list is a seemingly innocuous yet oddly mysterious phrase: "natural flavor." That ingredient helps to explain not only why the fries taste so good but also why most fast food -- indeed, most of the food Americans eat today -- tastes the way it does. Open your refrigerator, your freezer, your kitchen cupboards, and look at the labels on your food. You'll find "natural flavor" or "artificial flavor" in just about every list of ingredients. The similarities between these two broad categories are far more significant than the differences. Both are man-made additives that give most processed food most of its taste.... The flavor industry is highly secretive. Its leading companies will not divulge the precise formulas of flavor compounds or the identities of clients. The secrecy is deemed essential for protecting the reputations of beloved brands. The fast-food chains, understandably, would like the public to believe that the flavors of the food they sell somehow originate in their restaurant kitchens, not in distant factories run by other firms. A McDonald's french fry is one of countless foods whose flavor is just a component in a complex manufacturing process. The look and the taste of what we eat now are frequently deceiving -- by design. ... Man-made flavor additives were used mostly in baked goods, candies, and sodas until the 1950s, when sales of processed food began to soar. The invention of gas chromatographs and mass spectrometers -- machines capable of detecting volatile gases at low levels -- vastly increased the number of flavors that could be synthesized. By the mid-1960s flavor companies were churning out compounds to supply the taste of Pop Tarts, Bac-Os, Tab, Tang, Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, and literally thousands of other new foods. The American flavor industry now has annual revenues of about $1.4 billion. Approximately 10,000 new processed-food products are introduced every year in the United States. Almost all of them require flavor additives. Many of New Jersey's flavor companies also manufacture these color additives, which are used to make processed foods look fresh and appealing. Food coloring serves many of the same decorative purposes as lipstick, eye shadow, mascara -- and is often made from the same pigments. Titanium dioxide, for example, has proved to be an especially versatile mineral. It gives many processed candies, frostings, and icings their bright white color; it is a common ingredient in women's cosmetics; and it is the pigment used in many white oil paints and house paints. At Burger King, Wendy's, and McDonald's coloring agents have been added to many of the soft drinks, salad dressings, cookies, condiments, chicken dishes, and sandwich buns. The federal Food and Drug Administration does not require companies to disclose the ingredients of their color or flavor additives so long as all the chemicals in them are considered by the agency to be GRAS ("generally recognized as safe"). This enables companies to maintain the secrecy of their formulas. It also hides the fact that flavor compounds often contain more ingredients than the foods to which they give taste. The phrase "artificial strawberry flavor" gives little hint of the chemical wizardry and manufacturing skill that can make a highly processed food taste like strawberries. A typical artificial strawberry flavor, like the kind found in a Burger King strawberry milk shake, contains the following ingredients: amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate, ethyl methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone (10 percent solution in alcohol), a-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol, rose, rum ether, g-undecalactone, vanillin, and solvent Adding methyl-2-pyridyl ketone makes something taste like popcorn. Adding ethyl-3-hydroxy butanoate makes it taste like marshmallow Cochineal extract (also known as carmine or carminic acid) is made from the desiccated bodies of female Dactylopius coccus Costa, a small insect harvested mainly in Peru and the Canary Islands. The bug feeds on red cactus berries, and color from the berries accumulates in the females and their unhatched larvae. The insects are collected, dried, and ground into a pigment. It takes about 70,000 of them to produce a pound of carmine, which is used to make processed foods look pink, red, or purple. Dannon strawberry yogurt gets its color from carmine, and so do many frozen fruit bars, candies, and fruit fillings, and Ocean Spray pink-grapefruit juice drink. These sections are from: Copyright © 2001 by The Atlantic Monthly Company. All rights reserved. The Atlantic Monthly; January 2001; Why McDonald's Fries Taste So Good - 01.01 (Part Two); Volume 287, No. 1; page 50-56. To read more, go to http://www.rense.com/general7/whyy.htm September 26 2004 Favorite quote of the month: "Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool." -anonymous ------------------ Moronic Quote of the month: "A Marriage has to be easy...if you have to work at it, it's not going to work." - Donald Trump September 24 2004 Believe Music and lyrics by Jo Davidson c August 31 2004 Day by Day, town by town we'll take this road 'til the sun goes down We're not gonna stay here hurting forever The light will no longer be so dim we'll get outta this fog we're standing in you and I building a new world together We've gotta believe like the sun rises up for another day when it could just give up and grieve so we've gotta believe we've gotta believe Clouds of lace don't leave a trace of yesterday's heartbreaks or mistakes they all move on and drift not fearing the future If I can't run then I will walk If I can't walk well then I will crawl and if that's too much I'll sit here praying a prayer We've gotta believe like the sun rises up for another day when it could just give up and grieve so we've gotta believe we've gotta believe the sun will rise for us no matter what we face or how desperate we become there is love enough for everyone and we're gonna make it make it through Day by Day and town by town we live our lives 'til the sun goes down and do our best in each and every moment We've gotta believe like the sun rises up for another day when it could just give up and grieve so we've gotta believe we've Oh we've gotta believe like the sun rises up for another day when it could just give up and grieve so we've gotta believe we've gotta believe. September 16 2004 I am reading one of the funniest books I have ever read. It's called "There's No Toilet Paper....On the road less Traveled." The Best of Travel Humor and Misadventures. I can't stop laughing! I highly recommend it! September 12 2004 DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE music and lyrics by Jo Davidson copyright Sept 11 2004 I've been driving through hell not doing so well The lights have all been blinking I looked up tonite to the star filled sky It's all that keeps me from sinking I dream the impossible dream I dream the impossible I greet a parade of thoughts night and day which I try to align with my intentions Those wishes fulfilled seem so far away but still through the dark I go their direction And I dream the impossible dream I dream the impossible I dream the impossible dream I dream the impossible The promised land feels so far away Will i see it in my lifetime 'cause what I see now is sand in the desert But no matter how it might look from here I dream the impossible dream I dream the impossible I dream the impossible dream I dream the impossible - jo davidson September 10 2004 I LOVE this idea. This is a letter just posted on my message board.I am going to add it below. If you are reading this, at any time now or in the future, I invite you to write a story, a paragraph or even a line on the message board....stories from you of miracles, healing, or simple things that made you smile. Observations, personal experiences, etc. I will post some of them up on the diary page here after asking for your permission. Your stories and thoughts can help others and can help me. ----------- Hey Jo and everyone~ First of all, I would like to send out love and positive vibes to Jo and anyone who is reading this. I pray that all biotoxins, bacteria and negativity be released to the white light of the Holy Spirit to dissolve forever and be replaced with the happiest, healthiest most vibrant energy and infinite love! I would also like to know everyone's experiences with prayer and miracles. If you don't mind posting stories about your life and physical, mental, emotional and spiritual healing, that would be great! I think we all are inspired and uplifted by each other's experiences. Life is tough at times, but I know it always gets better. For all of the bad things that happen to devastate us, the great things are waiting for us right around the corner! With patience and faith, the wonderful gifts will be here SOON for us all. Lots miracles are here today and many more are on the way. happiness to all~ September 06 2004 I walked around for about 20 minutes last night at the fair. The ferris wheel and merry go round were in full action and there was also a line for the scrambler and those flying swings.... what do you call them?!!! There were stalls nearby filled with pigs, Belgium horses, ponies, goats and other animals, sponsored by local 4H clubs. There were John Deere tractors for sale and there was a booth with information on banning gay marriages. There was a booth selling patriotic CDs to send to soldiers. There were groups of junior high aged girls wearing too much makeup and eyeshadow, looking around for boys. There were older women dressed in frilly old fashioned skirts for square dancing. There were sparkly booths where people were selling caramel apples, cotton candy, apple fritters and huge mounds of fried, and I mean fried onion rings. There were Italian sausages, coneys, ice cream sundaes, rootbeer floats and lemonade stands. A woman walked by me who was missing her two front teeth, and behind her was a man with a long beard and oversized belly sticking out of his stained jeans. There were all sorts of people, every shape and size. I looked over to a concession stand and found myself staring at the plates of a few of the people who were sitting down at nearby tables, to eat what looked like a fake version of mashed potatoes and stuffing drenched in instant gravy. Sometimes this world seems so beautiful and so weird all at once. -------------------------- August 29 2004 When someone dies unexpectedly, someone you did did not know...... oh you might have known some of their music or perhaps they were so young and that strikes you, or in some way they were a bright star shining in this world....but suddenly you read that they are gone, you find yourself with tears in your eyes..... I just read that the singer Laura Branigan died on Thursday. She was only 47!!!!!!!!! She had a brain aneurysm in her sleep. What a shock to everyone. Although I did not know her, I knew some of her music, and I just feel very sad that she is no longer here. It doesn't make sense to me for a person to be here one minute, gone the next, without even time to say goodbye or time for anything at all. Such a hard reality to face. Apparently she was complaining of a headache for two weeks, and then one night, gone. How can that be and why does that happen and how do the people closest to her cope? http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/entertainment/article.adp?id=20040828214309990004 August 27 2004 When women are depressed, they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It's a whole different way of thinking. --Elaine Boosler hahaha this made me laugh August 25 2004 This is a link I am putting up for anyone to has themselves, OR knows anyone else dealing with Lyme Disease, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia. This is VERY important information here, and it can be quite helpful. www.chronicneurotoxins.com August 24 2004 Some artists I was checking out last night on Music Choice.... mindysmith.net vocally sort of like Shawn Colvin or Alison Krauss, beautiful voice www.12stones.com Rock, great male energy, spiritual lyrics Album: Potter's Field An amazing pianist named Claudio Arrau, he died in the early 90s I believe I loved his performance of the Sonata in B Minor by Liszt wow! (I didn't know that Franz Liszt became a priest at age 48 http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?a=b&;name_id=15722&;name_role=2 Gorgeous instrumental music by Roger Eno www.starsend.org/rogereno.html Oscar Peterson and Benny Green Great jazz music, it made me miss NY even more Danny Heines www.dannyheines.com a gifted guitarist, instrumental Neil Young Album: Harvest Moon August 22 2004 Has anyone seen the movie "A Civil Action" starring John Travolta? I rented it yesterday and watched it today and liked it. It's based on a true story. Speaking of environmental issues, there are some great articles on this site http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord/health.asp: August 19 2004 Craaaaaaaaaaaazy day in the house today. My niece and nephew have SO much energy and it is nonstop 24/7! My niece, age 3, loves playing my guitar. Instead of using a pic, she strums it with a penny or a dime. I don't mind, the guitar is old and has some bumps and bruises.I use it to write all of my guitar songs.It works! Today she was singing into my mic while I played chords. She started making up a song and it ended up being about a horse who pooped on someone's head. haha I was recording her. SO when she is 15 or 16 I will definately be able to bribe her. She also loves getting into my makeup, lipsticks, lip gloss, lotions, jewelery, you name it. My nephew,6, has recently discovered a new game. He says to me, "Look under." I say, "Under where?" Then he says, "I made you say underwear hahahahah." This seriously cracks him up. :) Today I was trying to have just one normal conversation on the phone with someone, and my friend was laughing at how loud it was in here. Then Carly came right up to the rocking chair I was sitting in and pushed it really hard. The entire thing tipped backwards and then did a back flip, and i fell completely over and i was left still in the chair with my floor on the back and I was stuck. Mom and I were laughing so hard and I had to hand her the phone while I yelled at my friend to wait a minute! Then she had to help me get out of the chair and we put it back upright again. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ------------------------- Last night there was a really loud thunderstorm. The lightning and thunder woke me up. The weird thing is, this morning when I woke up, I realized I had been seeing colors in sync with the sound of the thunder and the lightning. The strongest ones were violet, or more like a deep plum color, and orange. I was half asleep but the colors were very strong and very real. What does that mean? I don't know. But I felt there was some healing in the colors, and they flashed in my dreamlike state along with the sounds of the storm. My CD is officially in full on production as of today. Finally finally finally. August 14 2004 I wanted to rent a movie that was light so I rented Intolerable Cruelty. I think it was about one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I had to keep fast forwarding through it. I also rented "It Runs in the Family." I really liked it alot. It was good for some laughs! I went out today for a little while. Stopped at a used clothing store and got a really funky tank top for only $4 August 12 2004 Has anyone seen the movie "Weeping Camel?" It is such a beautiful move, and the photography is spectacular. I saw it tonite at The Palace Theatre in Ohio, which is a beautiful theatre that was built in 1926. Silent Movies were shown there, and George Burns as well as Count Basie performed there. They still have an organist that plays before every movie. It's very cool. August 11 2004 I love playing classical music! Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven... I was just playing for awhile and it feels so amazing. In my mind I dance and I dream and I forget about my worries and troubles. I go to a beautiful place where anything is possible. I want to arrange some music for violin and guitar as well as violin, cello and viola. How fun that would be.I must do that for myself. As a gift to myself. I always wanted to go to Juilliard. Perhaps I could take a piano class there or study privately with someone? Speaking of music...music is in the wind, in nature, in the notes and the silences, the breeze, great food, in an honest conversation, the smile of a friend, it's everywhere. This was one place where I experienced that sort of music that makes me feel alive... http://www.coonamessettfarm.com Here I had one of my favorite summer memories ever. It woke me up, cut right through the fog I had been in and I felt like a flower opening up after a long winter.This is a farm out in Cape Cod where they have a great vegetarian buffet on weekends, and the night I was there, some very cool music. A woman playing a violin and a guy on guitar. Old Time Appalchian music. It was all so real and authentic and gorgeous. I felt like I was in a movie. It is not often I get to eat wonderful fresh food overlooking gardens on a farm, surrounded by animals, blueberry bushes, flowers and cool music. That's the life. That IS life! July 11 2004 Questions from a fan! Tim: Do you consider your lyric writing to be a more personal expression than the music you write? Or is that whole process a lot more equal for you? Jo: The whole process is equal for me I think.The lyrics are perhaps a little more important for me, but I usually write music and lyrics hand in hand, so....both matter Tim: For an excellent lyricist like yourself, how do you decide on making a song an instrumental? Is that something that you just know or do you have to play with it for hours before deciding? Jo:I always know when a song is an instrumental. It is usually a completely different style musically.Songs like "Venice" or "Bridge in the Fog" from TELL THE STORY...I love those pieces and would never ruin them by putting lyrics over them! Although there is one rare instance...on the new CD there is a song called "Always For You" that is actually written over parts of a song called "Spring Cleaning" from my instrumental CD TELL THE STORY. I have never done that before, but it came together that way so I followed it.On that song, the secret is, my left hand is crossed over my right, in case any of you listen to it and want to try and learn it! Tim: What were some of the factors that went into making your new CD so bare? Did you just tire of all the over-produced CDs that are out there? Jo:Everything is starting to sound the same out there! And most producers play it so safe, creating the big lush productions we are all so use to hearing. Nothing wrong with that at all. Just thought I'd try something different. I was originally going to make The Simply Said Sessions quickly as a project in between band records. Then I realized that in a way it was much harder to keep the songs bare and arrange them so sparsely. Of course I can hear all the other instruments I could have added and the possibilities. But I purposely left the songs exposed. They are bare and stripped down just as my life is at the moment. Tim: I see a certain unity in your work. I'm not sure if that's tied together by the uniqueness of your vocals and piano playing or if it's in your writing as well. Lord knows, you've written about a wide variety of topics from Shampoo Boys to All the Worlds Religions! Do you feel like their is a clarity of vision that runs through all your work? Jo:I think the clarity comes in that I am open to what flows through me, that I do not judge it or try to make it fit into a category. I write about things that are real.I do not use faith or cliches to sugar coat life nor do I make it worse than it is either. I am sincere, authentic and always exploring with an irritating amount of curiousity. I am also very hard on myself and have almost impossibly high standards at times....... Making The Simply Said Sessions was about the songs, bare and simple, leaving out some of the gloss I might have wanted to add, but I was doing the best I could in spite of making this entire record while dealing with a chronic illness, the limitations that that alone imposed on me were so uncomfortable and painful. Being willing to leave things raw, that was hard and yet good for me. And also that no matter how I might sound during a certain moment or song, there is, (in the end of the big picture), an optimism and hope that I cling to regardless of whatever thing I am feeling or going through. Sometimes my songs know more than I do, I think. Tim: Do you ever start to work on something and think, nah, that's not the kind of thing I write and sing about? Yeah like a few weeks ago. For the first time in many years I wrote a song with overtly Christian lyrics and it freaked me out, because I do not usually write those types of songs. I like to be more subtle, and I don't know, I guess I don't like pushing things on people and in a way I even felt like the song was pushed even upon me! How funny is that?!! But no, it really wasn't, it was me searching for faith and trying to figure out all of this stuff, and this song just appeared. How could I not let it, when "I am open to what flows through me and do not judge it or try to make it fit into a category?" If I would have said, NO! Then I would have been denying the flow. Trust me, that is not a good thing to do when you're a writer. I'm not always the boss, and Thank God for that! I try to be so perfect sometimes. Try to have the perfect faith, think the perfect thoughts so that I will have the perfect health that I think I deserve, try to eat the right diet or do the right things. I mean just read all the "healing" books out there. They make you think that you can make life exactly what you want it to be all dependent on your thoughts. Do we really think we are in control of EVERYTHING? Every time I "fail" to create the outcome I desire, I really beat myself up even when I do not mean to. I feel so discouraged almost every single day for at least moments of the day because of various things I am facing in my life. Then I often feel like a failure just for being discouraged. Newsflash, Jo Davidson is not perfect and never will be! ooh it felt weird to write that, I didn't like it. How funny.But whhhhhhy can't I be perfect? hahahaha So there, let The Simply Said Sessions be imperfect, let it be raw and emotional and let it bare its soul! Bruises and all. You know, we all do our best. And if we keep an open mind, and keep striving to be better people, to learn, to grow,to care about others and to look to God for help and answers as well as to want to know God,(Not just use God as a vending machine to dish out answers and help) then that is enough... It doesn't mean we will be free of depression or illnesses or that we will never be hurt or hurt anyone by our actions or words. But hopefully I can do small things and/or large things while I have time here on earth, to learn and help others and myself as well. And I pray (are you listening God?) for the strength to keep going and not give up. I pray for grace. And I truly hope that there will be some people who hear the CD and it reaches them right where they are in this messy world, and they can say, yeah I get what she feels like or what she is singing about...and then maybe we can, together, go further and grow into new and better places. There are great moments. Like the other night, July 4th, when I sat outside with my family and watched fireworks. The breeze was perfect, it was warm but not hot, there were kids and families everywhere and a "normal" type of environment that just doesn't exist in city life. But it was very cool. And I could feel parts of my inner self, memories and warm feelings that made me feel good all over. It was a perfect night. And today? I am alive. I was able to walk 15 minutes tonite before getting dizzy and totally panicked. 15 Minutes.Not near enough. What the heck is GOING ON????? But 15 minutes... That's something, right? Yeah. Keep on keepin on. Make the music you were meant to make. Whether it's with a piano, a pen, a word of encouragement or an afternoon spent with children. Nothing is wasted. July 09 2004 "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." - C.S. Lewis July 04 2004 Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. - Robert F. Kennedy June 29 2004 Today we put up a few clips from THE SIMPLY SAID SESSIONS on the music page...check it out! jo June 28 2004 A Short History of Medicine 2000 B.C. "Here, eat this root." 1000 B.C. "That root is heathen, say this prayer." 1850 A.D. "That prayer is superstition, drink this potion." 1940 A.D. "That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill." 1985 A.D. "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic." 2000 A.D. "That antibiotic is artificial, eat this root." - author unknown June 08 2004 I found this very inspiring -----------. Creative Ways to Transform Challenges: Healing the Wounded Selves Uniting your many parts by Sanaya Roman You have many parts within you, one saying one thing, and always a part that says the opposite. Resolving these two sides allows the higher self to come through. One of the ways you can do this is to let the two parts carry on a dialogue. If you have a situation in your life in which you are going back and forth, saying with one part of you "This is the answer, handle it this way," and another part saying "No, it should be done this way," then you can look at it as if the two parts of you are in conflict. Imagine one of them in each hand, and create a dialogue between them. Let each of them express what good it is trying to do for you. Let each side talk to the other side, and explore a compromise that would work for both. Show them mentally what you are trying to accomplish with your life and ask them to help you with your important goals. Every single part of you has a gift for you and is there as your friend. There is no voice within you that does not have the intent to help you. It may be that it does not have an accurate picture of what you want, or it was set up many years ago and is still operating from an old program. The part of you that experiences fear, for instance, may be trying to protect you in the best way it knows. Your journey in this lifetime is to bring all those parts up into your higher vision and purpose. Learn to love each of yourselves, for as you love them you begin the process of uniting them with your higher self. From Living with Joy: Keys to Personal Power and Spiritual Transformation by Sanaya Roman, H.J. Kramer, Inc., Tiburon, CA, 1986, pp.78-80 May 13 2004 I want to share something that the Dalai Lama says in one of his books. I think it might be one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. "May I in all time, temporarily and ultimately, become a protector for those who are without protection. May I become a guide for those who have lost their path. May I become a ship for those who want to cross huge oceans. May I become a bridge for those who want to cross rivers. May I become an island for those who are troubled or in danger at sea. May I become a lamp for anyone who needs light. May I become a habitation for those who are looking for shelter. May I become a servant for those who need one." May 08 2004 There is the tinest little bug crawling on my computer screen. It's red, so small you can barely see it. I was going to kill it but now I am fascinated by it. How can something so small be alive and moving. And then what about all the bugs that we can't see with human eyes, only under a microscope. Sometimes I get this sense of how awesome and amazing this world is and how many layers of life exist all at once. I think I have a handle on life, or even understand it, and then I realize I understand it about as much as a fish knows what it is to live outside of the water. That's what I mean, in each of our minds, our realities are "The" reality. But think how close that fish is to dry land and yet knows nothing about the world outside of the water. Think how close we can get to water, and yet really know nothing about what it would feel like to live in it, deep in the ocean. This is why I never did drugs. hahaha I already can get way out there without any outside help ------- i am reading a book called Vital Energy, by David Simon, M.D. It's a great book! I highly recommend it. Oh, there's that bug again. mmm..... here are some thoughts from the book. "Novelist Tom Robbins wrote that there are really only two mantras in life: "yum" and "yuck" "We ingest the world through our digestive tract, our breathing passages, and our five senses. If the sounds, sensations, sights, smells and tastes are nourishing to our body, mind and soul, we are more likely to transform the energy of our environment into vital energy. A sensory environment that is harsh and abrasive offends our sensibilities, and we experience rawness and fatigue..... If you are feeling chronically fatigued, pay attention to the sounds thta surround you. On a regular basis, go to places where the only sounds you hear are sounds of nature....." ------------------------------------ Great book, I just started it yesterday. Got it at a store in the East Village right next to Quintessence, which is a raw food restaurant on E 10th I think . I am thinking seriously thinking about leaving NYC for a little while. I LOVE this city. But I am not sure that the environmental pollution and noise pollution is healthy for me. Where else would I go? I have no idea. I almost want to disappear for a few months up in Maine somewhere or.....Hawaii or maybe the Berkshires....or California? No, that would be strange. Cape Cod? No, that doesn't feel right. I think I would miss the culture of NYC. Where could I go to be more in touch with nature and to also be creative and around other creative people? I like being near the water. I love old houses with character. I love the sound of trains. I love small little towns. I also LOVE the city though. Love being surrounded by the creative pulse of NY. Love the opportunities here. I Don't know yet.......I just don't know. May 04 2004 I am reading a book by Andy Rooney called Common Nonsense. It's a collection of 154 essays. So funny. Why do we get so excited to get the mail sometimes? Am I the only one who gets the mail hoping maybe there will be a check for me.....? hahaha Under Part 1/ Daily Life in America He writes: "Further proof of the fact that hope springs eternal is everyone's anticipation that the mail will bring something wonderful even though it almost never does." May 03 2004 I found out something that really surprised me. Just goes to show that artists never know just how they affect people, when, where, how many...etc, and true success is not something you can measure in dollars or in sales. How sad for artists to make such a difference and yet not know it in their lifetimes! We must follow our hearts and our paths and trust that our gifts can and do change people's lives whether we know it or not. Emily Dickinson, considered one of the most important Poets in US History, had only a handful of poems published in her lifetime (all without her knowledge) and the few she actually submitted were rejected. - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life. - Wu-men, the Taoist Philospher from "The Enlightened Heart", edited by Stephen Mitchell May 01 2004 I am finding out some new things about myself. Just when you think you know and understand yourself and are starting to get it, along comes an angel to open a window and shed light into important rooms previously left unexplored. And maybe that is a fitting analogy, since over the last few years, I have had a reoccuring dream of this huge old house. I have not had the dream in many months, but I use to have it often. In my dream, there is a beautiful house. It is so old, and has such an authentic inspiring soul. It is a place with roots and history, a place with many stories. I do not know its stories though, even though for some reason, I feel they are close to me. Maybe they are the stories of my ancestors? I am living in part of the house, and then one day stumble onto a door that leads to an upstairs that is gigantic. It is SO big, there are so many rooms and even a sunporch/deck. The furniture is gorgeous, most of the things are antiques from another era. There are chairs with dark mahogany arms and upholstered flowered seats. There are many couches and tables and end tables.The weird thing though is that most everything is covered up and a little dusty. LIke someone had left it, planning to return, but never did. There are cobwebs in a few corners. The rooms have been deserted for years and years. And in my dream, I can't believe I have been living in this house all this time not even knowing the rooms were there. That is, until now in my dream when I find them and explore, wandering through them. Wondering who lived there in the past and what she was like and what parties she had or what she wrote. Who was she? Or who is she? or who are they? Are these the rooms left behind by the generations before me? Or by me? Or both? A friend and I were talking today, and I think it was worth about 20 therapy sessions. She said that "If you want to know who someone is, you can't just ask them, 'who are you". (Usually when asked that question, we respond with adjectives to describe ourselves), but you learn who someone is by their biography, by their story". Suddenly I started telling her stories about my life from around age 15 til now, and I couldn't believe the things coming out. Mostly I was surprised by not only what I said, but by what I left out. I got to the root of some of my issues so quickly by telling a concise story, by telling the things that had really shaped me. I got a glimpse of a clearer picture of why I have been struggling with certain things. Now I feel scared a little bit. Excited. Scared. Excited. Scared. Uncertain. Even before this conversation, I have been feeling like a shirt being squeezed and wrung out, going through the rinse cycle in the washer. So you can imagine how I feel now. What is next? April 21 2004 I don't know which is louder, this city, or my thoughts. I have been trying to sleep for almost four hours now, and here I am. March 12 2004 Some great new music I have discovered. Beautiful... www.aleximurdoch.com www.loricarson.com March 12 2004 I am sick of all this endless talk of gay marriages. It's everywhere in the papers and on tv. If two people who are committed to each other and love each other, want to spend their lives together, they deserve to have the same tax rights and legal rights as married people. Call it what you will, marriage or civil unions, but they deserve to be able to have a legal ceremony of some sort, a celebration. Bush is making this into a huge issue only because it is an election year. He is seeking to re-write the constitution. You must be kidding me. There are worse things going on. For one, take the onslaught of national tv. All these reality shows are lowering the national IQ, please somebody make them stop, make them STOP!!!!! Yesterday I stumbled onto one where a girl was sobbing to her boyfriend on the phone, apologizing that she has totally made out with another guy in a hot tub. He saw her on tv doing it. She's either an "actress" or an idiot. Probably a mix of both actually. Please make these shows go away, and take Jerry Springer with them on the way out!!! What is wrong with people? Bush is using the subject of gay marriage to fuel hate and anger and to draw up support from conservatives, and in the long run, to divide this country. I believe that Bush is using this issue as a smokescreen to divert our attention from issues such as the national deficit being at an all time high, to divert our attention from the sad state of education, the destruction of the environment that this administration has supported, etc etc. He claims to be a Christian, but destroying the environment and not making education a priority are some of the most "Un-Christian" things one could do. Bush spoke last week at the National Assoc. for Evangelicals at the national convention in Colorado. According to the New York Times in an article written by Carl Hulse, "One of the few discordant notes at the convention came from Robert Schuller, a televangelist and senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California., who delivered an address gently criticizing some conservative evengelical Christians for acting as if they know the only possible route to salvation" ...."What upsets me about religious leaders of all faiths is that they talk like they know it all, and anybody who doesn't agree with them is a heretic." Mr. Schuller said he did not know enough about the proposed amendment banning same sex marriage to express a view. But he suggested that politics could be a distraction from more important matters. "Politics is a force that pulls answers towards mediocrity. That is why when issues are politicized, I am gone." -------------- I couldn't agree more. March 10 2004 There is no hot water again. It keeps happening. It's driving me nuts! The other day I was in the shower and for the first minute it was lukewarm, then of course the minute I had shampoo in my hair, everything went ice cold. Not fun. I am really excited for spring to come. My parents were just visiting my sister in North Carolina, and they said it was amazing to see flowers and leaves on the trees and green grass. Of course, spring is so great precisely because the winter is so cold. It's the contrast that makes spring so amazing on the east coast. I am going to a retreat for three weeks where i will be doing yoga and meditation as well as various therapies and eating an all raw food organic diet. No meat, sugar, wheat , or cooked foods, just organic fruits and vegetables and I am assuming beans and whatever else for protein. I am sure I will have alot to write about when i come home. I just put together the final order for The Simply Said Sessions. When I get back into town, I will be doing some photos and the graphic design with friends, and as of now, it looks like it will be out in May. I know I keep saying one date and then it becomes another...I guess that's the way it goes sometimes with making music. I was surprised today just listening to it all, it feels very intense. Is it too much? Too dark and reflective? But I love every song. Each one is a photograph of a moment in time. And just like a photograph, it doesn't begin to tell the whole story. March 3 2004 Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday. His given name was Theodor Geisel; some of his famous books include: "Cat in the Hat," "Green Eggs and Ham," and others. He would have been 100 today. Here are just a few quotes, from the legendary Dr. Seuss: "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." "I like nonsense - it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope... and that enables you to laugh at all of life's realities." "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. / You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. / And you are the one who'll decide where you'll go. / Oh the places you'll go."  March 2 2004 I saw "The Passion of Christ" this afternoon. About a week ago, something happened that is personal, i won't share it online, but it was something that changed me a little bit, slightly changed my course, and it was a reawakening of faith. It was a major thing for me, because it was not something I could explain intellectually but it was a feeling i had, and 100% without a doubt it was not coming from me. It was being given TO me. I have been sort of digesting the meaning of this shift for a week. One person told me, out of nowhere, that there is a light in my eyes that was not there before. A few other people mentioned to me that I seemed a little stronger. Regarding the movie I just saw, one could write an entire book on the experience of God, or religion, or interpretation. What I can say, is that I thought it was an incredible movie, I am so glad Mel Gibson made it, and it touched me, I also want to say that the first 20 minutes or so made me doubt my faith. But that is not unusual for me, because I doubt it on a fairly regular basis off and on, from an intellectual standpoint. I do not see that as a bad thing. I mean, looking at the beginning scenes of a movie, you totally can understand how people would say he was a prophet maybe, but no more. Come on, if I knew someone from growing up and knew his brothers and sisters and parents and then suddenly he was this healer, how would I take it? And then on top of it if he started claiming to be the son of God, what would I think? I'd think he was nuts. So in the beginning of the movie, that is what I was thinking. Feeling how it looks and sounds to people who don't believe in Jesus. I like that I can feel that and see that and experience it. It is in allowing oneself to doubt that one can find a stronger faith. Pretending to always be so sure of everything, ignoring contradictions and questions, well that to me does not create faith. Isn't that why it is said... "Love God with all your heart and MIND...." If I doubt, it is because I am able to see how the story of Jesus's life might be interpreted by someone who believes he was a prophet and no more. And I can understand that belief. Even if it were not true that he rose from the dead, even if the resurrection was not true, he still would have lived an amazing life, taught amazing lessons and no doubt been inspired and directed by God. Not to mention being the most influential human being to ever walk the earth. But I feel his prophecies were SO astounding, his healings SO miraculous, and his wisdom so deep, that it would not make sense for him to be a liar. And if I were not to believe in why he came, why he claimed he came, then I would be saying he was a liar. And I do not think that someone who is a prophet can also be a liar. So that is why I believe. The other reason is not intellectual. It is because there have been a few times in my life when I have felt myself surroundeded by an overwhelming presence of God, as if a person was with me, it was that strong and that real. On a purely human angle, one thing this film shows is the love between a mother and her child. The other thing I found interesting is how religious leaders have often persecuted those who do not agree with their religion, and how wars are waged because of differing religious beliefs. How people hurt each and destroy each other over fear. This seems to run completely against what God would want. If the meaning behind Christianity is loving others (Which I fall incredibly short of, I say I get it right 50% of the time...but I want to be and do better, I do...).... If love is really the only commandment, the one thing to learn, then it seems to me that regardless of all our opinions on issues, we would be in a much better place if we just focused on that one thing. If each one of us were to do that, then maybe many of the issues would evaporate. February 15 2004 My eyes are burning from crying. I just watched what I think is the most moving thing (for me) that I have ever seen on tv. "Iron Jawed Angels" aired on HBO tonite. I think it airs again this week. If anyone reading this missed it tonite, don't miss it again. WATCH IT. It was about the suffrage movement and what women went thru who fought for the rights we have, the right I have today. Rights that I take for granted. "It seems so unfair that anyone should have to die in a fight that shouldn't even be a fight." These are the stories we must all hear, see and know. Every woman, man, child, should know about the oppression of people throughout history. We must open our eyes and ears and hearts to hear about these horrific things women went through in jail, the force feedings, the brutal treatment, the public humiliation, the picket lines, the way their husbands, the government and the "society" abused and mistreated them and viewed them as unequal. I am SO grateful to the women who went before me and paved the way. Oppression is happening today in the United States only in different ways and in less obvious ways. The sexual oppression of women is bizarre. You can't go topless on a beach without being harrassed and stared at nor is it acceptable to breast feed a baby in public, and yet there are Playboy magazines on every newstand and naked women in most movies and don't get me started on the double standard that the ratings board holds. Just go into any movie store and look at the covers of the video rentals. Women are used like objects. What about our desires? What about mine? What about a world for us where the men are the ones who exist for our pleasure? WHAT ABOUT THAT? How about the fact that women still make less money then men in many workplaces today and yet do the same jobs or even more than their coworkers? How about the subtle ways that men treat women in the music business. the male musicians, producers and engineers with their big fragile egos, the guys at the record companies who harass you, the promotion guys and radio guys at top radio stations who joke about you doing lap dances on their tables all the while doing the whole payola thing with the record company under the table while you're supposed to dance on top of it? (I don't Dance)..i think i already wrote that song.... How about the way our society puts down female prostitutes and puts them in jail and yet does not punish the men who go to them. That's like saying drugs are illegal but the people who use them are not guilty of a crime. I have an idea. If the government really wanted to make prostitution illegal, they could start putting away all the guys who pay for sex INSTEAD of the women who make money from it. Or we can all sit around and watch a movie like "Pretty Woman" and pretend that it resembles the real world of prostitution, in which some woman who is trying to make ends meet gets desperate enough to be with some huge dirty sweaty disgusting stranger who hasn't bathed in a week. Oh yeah, I'm sure that's really the life she always dreamed about. It is my hope that in my lifetime and SOON, a woman is President. I hope it is Hillary Clinton. Not that it would fix everything. But it would be a great thing for this country to have someone like her as President. One of the most interesting choices about "Iron Jawed Angels" was in the music. It was the coolest music, something I could hear myself writing and getting into. I loved the grooves and the guitar tracks, all very "now" and yet it was placed over this time period happening in the early 1900s until 1920 when women got the vote. The music, amazing as it was, did not match the scenery or the times and it felt off. Mismatched completely. In my mind, I knew I was watching women in the early 1900s and yet I couldn't wrap myself around it while that music was playing. I have never seen anything like that on tv, the visual of one time period mixed with the music on another, (almost) 100 years later. It made no sense and yet it made perfect sense. Because it made the absurdity of the situation even more real. These were not women in some black and white old movie speaking in tones or in ways so different from us. These woman were beautiful and strong and courageous. They were and are us. The idea of women not being able to vote didn't make sense then anymore than now. Just as the idea of slavery didn't make sense AT ALL. Who the hell were the people who thought otherwise and how did they get away with such stupidity? Is it fear that drives people to oppress others? Fear and maybe evil as well? I feel sad that women had to fight for a right already theirs. Already ours. We are powerful. On a much lighter note, tonite was the second to last episode of "Sex and the City." It was on right before Iron Jawed Angels. Next Sunday is the last show ever. Say it isn't so!!! I think "Carrie" is going to come back from Paris to NYC and end up with "Big"...I only knew he would come back into the picture because they were filming a few weeks ago in the village. (My friend Julie saw them and talked to Sarah Jessica Parker for a minute). I was so surprised when Julie came back to my apartment and said that in the scene being filmed, Big was there in his limo calling out to Carrie. Never expected that one. I think that was the scene that aired last night. I am sad that this show is ending. Curious to see what happens next week......She has to come back to NY! ---------------- Speaking of endings, my favorite magazine closed operation last year. It was called VICTORIA, and every single month I looked forward to it. It had the most gorgeous photos, and was such a feminine magazine. Featured everything I love, places to travel to, places to have tea, Issues on Paris as well as England, gorgeous photos of flowers, houses, rooms, various outdoor scenes, famous romantic quotes. It was a magazine that totally supported women owned businesses. I can't explain it, but it was the perfect magazine. The worst part was that I had recently thrown all of mine out in an effort to stop being a pack rat. But If there is anything I should have saved, it was those mags. SO I managed to get all the issues from my mother and my grandmother. They are like gold to me! I never felt that was about a magazine before. If I could start it up again and run it I would. I wrote a new song yesterday called "Every Woman." I can't get it out of my head. I can hear alot of artists doing it from Celine Dion to Trisha Yearwood or Shania Twain, Christina Aguilera, or Sheryl Crow. It's one of those songs that crosses genres. The Simply Said Sessions is done, just need to master it and do artwork. Probably will be actually pressed up by the end of April.  February 12 2004 So far these songs are done for The Simply Said Sessions.... Bird in the Sky, Sharon's Song, Glossy Photograph, Red Crayon, Writing on the Wall, Misery, Stop, All Around Me, Trafalgar Square, Let it Hurt, Ghost Town, Always for You, Carousel. This is the order for the CD. I am also going to finish "Why Isn't that Enough" as well as two more and see if they fit. Don't have a cover for the CD yet. Considering a few ideas. I wrote a new song last night called "Every Woman." I really love it. My other new songs are "Butterfly," "God Give me Strength," and "Somewhere in Between." February 9 2004 Funny quote.... "Don't stay in bed, unless you can make money in bed." - George Burns (1896-1996) "It was that time, during the Sunday morning service, for the children's sermon. All the children were invited to come forward. One little girl was wearing a particularly pretty dress and as she sat down, the pastor leaned over and said, "That is a very pretty dress. Is it your Easter dress?" The little girl replied, directly into the pastor's clip on mic "Yes, and my mommy says it's a bitch to iron." February 8 2004 A friend sent me this. It's pretty amazing and funny: Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae.The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm.Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, butthe wrod as a wlohe. Fcuknig amzanig huh? January 20 2004 These thoughts were forwarded to me today by a friend of mine who is struggling with a horrible disabling illness called Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction (CFIDS). We send each other interesting notes back and forth sometimes, things we have heard, read, thoughts, etc etc. I think this following excerpt is interesting. I don't agree with every single thing here, but much of it is great. I try to remember, thoughts and theories written in books are just thoughts and theories! They are meant to be questioned and examined and argued with and agreed with and everything in between and more. Sometimes I have looked to other writers for wisdom instead of looking within myself. Having said all that though, there are many things I find inspiring and many writers who provoke a certain type of thinking, perhaps opening a door or a window onto some new idea.... there are some really great ideas here! So I thought I would post a portion of this email and share it.... Whatever happens around you, don't take it personally. As soon as you agree, the poison goes through you, and you are trapped in the dream of hell. What causes you to be trapped is what we call personal importance. Personal importance, or taking things personally,is the maximum expression of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about me. Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. All people live in their own dream, in their own mind; they are in a completely different world from the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world. January 14 2004 I heard a great song yesterday called "Outta Time" from artist Dana Parish. Check it out @ www.danaparish.com January 12 2004 Food for Thought This from The Sierra Magazine January/February 2004 Issue www.sierraclub.org Percentage of women of childbearing age with dangerous levels of mercury in their bodies according to the EPA: 8% Percent increase in Mercury (above the amount allowed by the clean air act) that Bush's "Clear Skies" initiative would let power plants emit by 2010: 520% - - - - - - - - - - September 11, 2001 The White House told the EPA to downplay environmental concerns at Ground Zero. Reports later showed that the air contained asbestos levels thousands of time higher than normal. "EPA is greatly relieved to have learned that there appears to be no significant levels of asbestos dust in the air in New York City." - Christie Whitman, then-EPA administrator, September 13, 2001 (My take on this? I lived through it, saw the towers fall from my window, smelled the horrible smells for months and could even taste it in my throat, in my mouth, it was awful. When I was uptown I did not smell it so much, but downtown, it was nauseating. While they were telling us the air was safe, I could not even go outside without covering my face. Does that sound like safe air? If our government lies to us about something so obvious, imagine how many other things they are lying to us about. ) - - - - - - - - - - More Food for Thought FROM NEWSWEEK DECEMBER 8 2003 In A.D. 591. Pope Gregory the Great gave a sermon in which he combined several Biblical women into one, including Magdalene and an unnamed sinner who anoints Jesus's feet. Although the Vatican officially overruled Gregory in 1969, the image stuck until quite recently. Most people today grew up believing Mary Magdalene was a harlot saved by Jesus. The Bible never says that. Some scholars think Mary Magdalene was defamed because she was a threat to male control of the church. Mary Magdalene was the first to encounter the risen Christ. January 11 2004 I saw something disturbing on CNN. Apparently the KKK wants to "adopt a highway." Should the KKK be allowed to get a sign and "Adopt a Highway?" NO WAY. Was free speech meant to be a cover for groups which promote violence and hate? How is the KKK any different than the terrorist groups we are fighting against? What use is it to wage war against terrorism in other countries if we are going to allow it within our own? January 4 2004 Books I Read in 2003 and loved: Must read fiction! December 9 2003 I got this book of poetry by Hafiz which has been translated by Daniel Ladinsky. It is called The Gift. I am so in love with this stuff I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and then some. YOW!!! One in particular made me laugh so hard...this is only the first paragraph but it is my favorite part: You are November 11 2003 This is a PRIVATE sale for my friends & fans! MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YORK is a collection of 17 traditional Christmas songs, which I recorded on my 1929 Steinway grand piano. It sells for $15... but you can Order 5 or more CDs in NOVEMBER and get each CD for the low price of ONLY $8 INCLUDING shipping & Handling! Makes a great gift for teachers, friends, co-workers, and family. This is a one-time offer -- Good ONLY for the month of November, so take advantage of it while you can. To order, send a check payable to FRAGILE TOUGH GIRL RECORDS for $8 per CD (minimum order of 5 to get this low price) Please send all checks to: The Umbrella Group 135 Wooster Street Sixth Floor NY, NY 10012 "Listening to this disk makes you wish you had taken your piano lessons more seriously." -The New York Post November 10 2003 Last night was a surreal night of CBS and "The Elizabeth Smart Story" versus NBC and "The Jessica Lynch story." I am curious to know more about the Iraqi lawyer who risked his life to let the American soldiers know about Jessica. To me, that is the ultimate courage. I know the movie was not entirely true. I know that scenes were added, exaggerated, created for dramatic affect. It bothers me that I do not entirely know which ones. But then again, I thought the movie was done well, and most importantly for me, it gave me a glimpse o |