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This is a short video of the transformation of the garden into a defacto Snow Garden. The video is accompanied by a spirited, Jazz and Blues track from Google's canned music library. Please take a look and a listen, and see if the experience lifts your contemplative spirit!

By the stress of living in even two separate ages.  One of the past, which their host, the people of their 'new or second home' have progressed from.   But which still imprisons the intellect and worldviews of the immigrant who is repulsed by the 'modernity' of their host country.  Which is why the reluctant immigrant, driven by the desire to secure his/her economic livelihood.  Might find themselves so reluctant to 'let go of  parts of themselves.'  Which they need to do, in order to be able to take on core aspects of the mainstream society and cultures of their 'reluctant new home.'  So that they can become, yes, more identified with, and integrated and assimilated into it. Providing their mainstream hosts promote them doing so.   In the meantime, the immigrant, like a person hedging his/her bets, by not giving up their present job until they secure a new one, holds fast to their preferred world, in case they lose it.  The w

And, as you look around you today, on this day which has been decreed to be Women's Day, the chances are that you will find that it is really not so.  The evidence of your eyes, your ears and other senses will tell you that, today, like all the other days, are really Men's Day.  It is the men who are in charge today, like they are on the other days.  It was a man who, purportedly acting on behalf of country's machoistic religion and culture and apparently male god, who condemned that and other courageous Iranian woman to imprisonment.  For no other 'crime' than to have the audacity and courage to dared to literally show her face in public.  To do so, when, the version of Islamic law which Iran is still attached to, decrees that women, females, should remain faceless in public; unlike men. And, does Women's Day mean that no young girls will be ritualistically raped and tortured with female genital mutilation Today?  Or that women will

Similarly, FSM has to accept that it can only assume and maintain power and be able to transform Italian society, be first becoming a part of 'the establishment', and, if it is successful, become 'the establishment.'  Not the one that it opposes and want to replace, but 'the new establishment'; the, hopefully, unblemished and 'purist', the uncorrupted 'establishment. So, the problem or challenge is not really one of not becoming part of 'the establishment.'  Not when becoming a part of it is a necessary condition for transforming both it and Italian society.   The real problem or challenge for leaders of FSM is for them to become a part of it and be able to change it more than it is able to change them.  Like the process of evolution, FSM might not even be the ultimate transformer of the Italian establishment and society which they aspire to bring about.  But they could become the foundation, the key link of the evolutionar

It would also be indicative of the stress both children were experiencing, that, the year, 1999, leading upto the January 2000, when their favourite uncle, Mjomba Maalum, died. Both of them, not surprisingly, were showing marked evidence of the adverse emotional impact of the looming and tragic event. Mzaliwa was showing signs of low mood, whereas Kazaliwa had, on the same day, 14/10/1999, became very upset and was crying during the night. When his dad would ask him what was the matter, Kazaliwa would tell him that he “had to deal with it himself,” and could not tell him what was making him sad.  Following a great deal of gentle persuasion, Kazaliwa would tell his dad that “it is his life”, and about him being of a certain colour. That these are the things which were the cause of his distress. Kazaliwa would go on to telling his dad that he was also sad because of his behaviour and his school work, and referred to one of his teachers, Mrs Ingram, whom he desc

So, today, the 8th day of the month of March, 2018, like it is every day of each year, has been declared " International Women's Day .  Yes, and what; where do we, men and women, boys and girls, tomorrow's generations, go from here? Is today a joyous day for Women?  Does it mean that Today, the women of the world will be able to have an off day?  An off day during which they will not have to work, or work as hard as they have been doing and have to do for the rest of 2018?  Does it mean that men, whether strangers or members of their families and friendship network, will not abuse and or exploit them today?  Does it mean that Women's partners, families and society will have a lesser expectation of them Today; will go easy on them?  Or that many women will, today, be given some flowers, and/or some wine, champagne and chocolate, in gratitude and acknowledgement of services rendered to men, to their families and to society? Does International Women

This seems to me to be a rather soothing and relaxing video of some frequent visiting birds having an enjoyable time in the garden. Please take a look and a listen and see how it might enhance your contemplativity.

The person who has always lived in the country in which they are born, do not have a past or other life which is demanding their loyalty, their time and other resources.  This is not the case with the immigrant, who has travelled, probably very reluctantly, but out of necessity, from his/her country of origin, to a foreign land.  Usually out of economic and/or safety reasons, leaving families and friends behind.  So, it is understandable that the immigrant will have divided loyalties, and will struggle to adjust and assimilate, especially if they are made to feel unwelcome in their host countries.  And forced or feel they have no option but to withdraw even more into their own world; that which they have physically, but not psychologically left behind.  And yes, you would expect that the sons and the daughters of the immigrant, who have been born in the host country, would have a less difficult time making the necessary adjustments.  But that is not necessar

Considering that there is no evidence that 'God' has ever given  any human or humans ' a sign ', never mind 'an unambiguous sign.'  The most likely reason why this has apparently never happened, is, many would argue, is because, well, simply this, that there is no sentient 'god.'  'God' does not exists, so how could he show anybody 'a sign', an unambiguous one or not?  And what might 'God' have to do to give Oprah a 'clear sign?  Showing himself as he tells Oprah to run or not to run for the position of the President of the United States of America, would clearly be the most transparent way God could choose.  Of course, that is probably unlikely to happen, since 'God' has never been know to show himself to humans.  Which is why  none has reported seen him, at any point in our evolutionary journey so far.  But Oprah might be the 'special or chosen one', and thinks that 'God

By appealing to racism, religious bigotry, anti-immigrant and immigration sentiments and vacuous nationalism within its population.  A nation or government, probably, which has contented itself with being the putative keeper of the relics of European Christianity and civilisation.  But which is very much an anachronism in when compared with 21st Century socio-political enlightenment.  A situation which, paradoxically, is somewhat similar to that of Saudi Arabia, the keeper of Islam's most coveted relic, the Kaaba. And so it is that Viktor Orban and the Orbanites of Hungary and other like-minded nations in Eastern Europe.  Are the vanguard of the forces of darkness, of a backward looking vision for Europe and Christianity.   And not the promoters of the enlightened vision which is required to promote greater coexistence and cooperation between the peoples of the world.  In working towards 'all world solutions', and not just for solutions to 'Euro