Living Backstreet

hello

2011-02-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

I have not only been so busy creating a new webpage on Etsy.com while hunting for new materials to make my fantasy figures, you may notice the change of name from totems to fantasy figures which I think better describes them but I have completely ignored my blog. I hope you will return soon and I promise to have new stories and figures for you to browse. I will keep you posted of the date when I launch the new website. thank you for you continued support it is definitely appreciated.

ruie

Fiber Art Fantasy Figures

2010-09-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

Work in Progress

2010-08-18T15:45:00.001-07:00

left - right Muse, Mystic Bird, Shaman

THIS MOMENT

2010-07-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

If you take care of this moment, you will take care of all time. —The Buddha

Quote
What is required is a willingness to look deeply at one's present moments, no matter what they hold, in a spirit of generosity, kindness towards oneself, and openness toward what might be possible. --Jon Kabat-Zinn

FOR LISA

2010-07-13T11:21:00.001-07:00

Living Memory
I carry you with me into the world,
into the smell of rain
& the words that dance between people
& for me, it will always be this way,
walking in the light,
remembering being alive together

ruie's Totems

2010-06-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

Each of ruie’s Totems from Living Backstreet is a one of a kind, customed designed original (no two are exactly the same) and represent ruie’s own interpretation of an artistic inspiration. The materials used are natural products, pine wood, silk, hemp, burlap and cotton. Each totem representing something specific, e.g. a Russian Muse, a flute player and his companion, an Egyptian palace guard or an old Indian woman expressing her dignity. An object d’art to remind you that there is so much more to you than just the obvious. A Totem is not a religious icon but is a symbol of unity, tradition, pride, strength and protection.

The totems are made from recyclable materials and are environmentally safe. The head piece is 9” by 2” The contemporary base is approximately 3” x 3”
The body piece is of various heights 22”, 26” or 28”.
Contact ruie at rumu1844@gmail.com

The Night of the Blue Moon A Story by ruie

2010-02-24T23:02:00.000-08:00

She was born on the night of the blue moon when shooting stars filled the skies; complete with ten fingers and ten toes a mop of black hair and eyes that stared right through you as if they knew a great secret. I was still half asleep from the long night of labor and birth when the nurse gently tapped my shoulder and placed her in my arms. As soon as the nurse left the room, I unwrapped her tightly wound blanket to check that she had all the essentials; yep they were there and I smiled to realize she was a real beauty. Amazed that such a beautiful creature could have come through me, I reminded myself what Kalil Gibran, the Prophet had written, “your children come through you, not from you”.

I wrapped the blanket tight again about her warm and sweet smelling little body and fed her the bottle the nurse had given me.

It was my plan to nurse her but as it turned out, my milk came in late
and so she became a bottle baby. I put her on my shoulder to burp her and as I laid her head down, she put her tiny hands against my shoulder and raised her head and pushed against me as if she was telling me, “hey, don’t get cocky, I am in control here!” I was taken back so startled was I at her move. And I know it was deliberate,
without a doubt, she clearly meant to tell me who she was and that she was the boss.

She was my first born and like me and my mother and her mother and grandmother and at least two or three great grandmothers twice removed before, she was the first born child and a female. We have counted at least seven generations of
women, all first born females. And, when she was born we were four generations of living females. And again, at the birth of her first born female, we were four generations of living females. My grandmother would tell me as I was busy
tending to my daughter’s needs, that we were blessed to be a first born and with it came great responsibilities and that it also meant we were chosen to be
survivors. And surviving is what we have had to do many times over from difficulties and traumas throughout all our lives.

It is something to be the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter but here the saga ended for when my granddaughter found she was with child, she was advised to end her pregnancy and we will never know if that child was a female cast away on a fateful night of the blue moon when shooting stars filled the skies.

ruie and Ruie, St. Charles, MIssouri

2010-02-24T22:43:00.000-08:00

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE TREASURERS OF WONDERMENT TEAM

2010-01-18T09:34:00.000-08:00

Treasures of Wonderment' is following the BAHA'I TRIAL very closely because it is about JUSTICE and EQUALITY for ALL the people of Iran. During the month of January 2010, Treasures of Wonderment will continue to bring you up-to-the-minute coverage of the Iranian Bahá'í trial. Until the Bahá'ís of Iran are free, the people of Iran will never be free and secure. What could be their crime? The people of Bahá ( about 6 million followers worldwide) are true lovers of mankind and do not participate in politics or division but only in serving humanity with no prejudice. Bahá'ís are trustworthy, honest and caring people who believe in the principle of consultation not in wars. They are true peacekeepers and will never carry arms. They believe that Unity in Diversity is the answer to the world's problems; beliefs that are worth much more than any power or gold on earth. http://www.treasuresofwonderment.com

IMPORTANT HISTORY

2009-11-10T20:20:00.000-08:00

Lest we forget.....let us remember how it was, not so long ago.

IMPORTANT HISTORY
Something to remember! This is the story of women who were ground-breakers. These brave women from the early 1900s made all the difference in the lives we live today. Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.

Do our daughters and our sisters know the price that was paid to earn rights
or women here, in North America? 2009 is the 80th Anniversary of the
Persons Case in Canada, which finally declared women in Canada to be Persons!

The women were innocent and defenseless, but when, in North America,
women picketed in front of The White House, carrying signs asking for the vote,
they were jailed. And by the end of the first night in jail, those women were barely
alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of obstructing sidewalk traffic.

Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the
Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the
suffragists imprisoned there because they had dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from
an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.

Lucy Burns
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left
her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.

Dora Lewis
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed
and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and
suffered a heart attack.

Alice Paul
When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a
chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging,beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women. All women who have every voted, have ever owned property, have ever enjoyed equal rights need to remember that women’s rights had to be fought for in Canada as well.

Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know,
so that we remember to celebrate the rights we enjoy.
“Knowledge is Freedom: hide it, and it withers; share it, and it blooms”

COPY RIGHTS AND INFRINGEMENTS

2009-08-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hello my dear readers,

It came to my attention today that it was not such a good idea to put my writings, as such as they are, on my blog for all to see. That there are those who will take advantage and that I am way too trusting. Therefore, I have deleted all of my stories from the blog. I loved having them there for your enjoyment and perusal, but it's a sad thing that trust no longer has the value it once had. So sorry.

For anyone who may be interested, all of my writings have been entered as written by ruie Mullins and copies of same have been registered with the Writers Guild West in Beverly Hills, CA for safe keeping. This is for my protection as a writer that I will always get credit for anything written by me.

Just a word of caution.

always with love, ruie

Ogham - Ancient Irish/Celtic Alphabet

2009-08-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

Untitled

2009-08-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

After a while you learn
the difference between holding a hand
and chaining a soul...and you learn
that love doesn't mean security, and
you begin to learn that kisses aren't
contracts, and presents aren't promises

And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up
and your eyes open, with the grace of a woman, not the
grief of a child...and you learn to build all your roads
on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain, and
futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn that even sunshine burns
if you get too much...so you plant your own
garden and decorate your own soul, instead
of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure...
that you really are strong, and you really
do have worth. And, you learn and learn,
with every 'goodbye' you learn.

p.w.e.corgill
@1989
I don't know where I found this, but I just love it
and wanted to share, it's so true.

What If

2009-08-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

What if the world was kinder
and everyone was free
what if the world was tender
to each other like you and me

what if I said I need you
what if you said you need me too
would the world be safe
what if that were true

what if I said I love you
what if you said you love me too
would it be such a tragedy
to love me as I love you

what if every morning
there were rainbows on the dew
and stars at night fell from the skies
to touch the hearts and melt the sorrows
and compassion was our view

what if I said I love you
what if you said you love me too
would it be such a tragedy
to love me as I love you

ruie...What If - a work in progress

William Shakespeare

2009-07-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

Doubt thou that the stars are fire;
Doubt thou that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt that I love.

Hamlet

Sent by a Friend

2009-06-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

"LOVE TRANSFORMS EVERYTHING"
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Yesterday is gone, today is here and tomorrow has not arrived, what are you doing at this moment to improve your life!
Every day there are many lessons to be learned in life, even about yourself.
The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'
Love and family always come first, without your loved ones, the gifts would have no meaning. Cherish and appreciate these times.
Take one day at a time and enjoy the moment.
Tomorrow will get here fast, do what your heart desires, if not you may regret it tomorrow and in future.
Friendship starts with smile.
Hope is all we have, keep on hoping.
God is love, start the day with God in you.
The storms of life reveal the strength of our Faith.
...anonymous

Story People

2009-06-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

I've had some of my best conversations with strangers, she said, because they have no idea who they're dealing with...from Story People

This is one of the most fun web sites ever!

More from Mike Dooley

2009-06-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

The trick with imagination is remembering to use it.

Visualize every day.

Notes From the Universe

2009-06-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

Life is like a dance and we're partners. Setbacks, delays, and detours?
Heck, they're just like some of the steps in the mambo, tango, and cha-cha.
If you dissected the movements and saw them without regard to the rest of
the dance, everyone would look like total dorks. But when you see the
big picture...poetry in motion.

In life, setbacks, delays, and detours are often just my way of "keeping"
you for something way better. Don't let them discourage you, don't lose
faith, and whatever you do, don't stop dancing.

Your most able choreographer,
The Universe

PS--You choose the dance, the ballroom, or the disco, and let me write the steps, 'kay?

...from Notes from the Universe New Perspectives From An Old Friend by Mike Dooley
as featured in The Secret

Notes

2009-05-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

Regrets are a waste of time crippling you in the present.

No matter what happens; keep your childish innocence.

Writings:

She said that even the purple grapes smelled of purple.

Magic

I wish I had a magic wand
To wave about your head
To sweep you to the clouds
And fulfill your dreams
Instead, alas I am only mortal
And magic I do not possess
Except, the magic of my love

I LOVE YOU MORE

The soft light'
Of early morning
Casts shadows on my cup
As I drift away in thought
I cannot say in truth go find the love you seek
For in my heart I know your love is mine to keep
I cannot say in truth
I love you less than I did before
For in truth I do not love you less
I love you more

SUNDAY

I love to lie in my bed on Sunday
To look out my window
At the peaceful green on the sloping hill
To feel the quiet as it surrounds
The early morning
And every now and then to hear
The cricket call the hummingbird
To visit at my window
Just below the limb of the tree that protects
The Jasmine
Safe in my Queen Anne bed
Pillows plumped
Down blanket scrunched around my legs
Safe and secure from the world outside
My coffee cup seams sweet and savory
Among the scent of early morning dew
While music envelops my very soul
And caresses my mind
The sleepy world of my environment
Not yet awake to spoil the pleasure
Of the quiet, sweet morning of Sunday

Poetry by ruie
from "Two Poets"

SOON

2009-05-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

The night lay like black silk
silence loomed from every corner
as a soft layer of mist fell on
the window
the car seemed to sense that it too must be still
nothing dared to interrupt her thoughts
how could it end this way
no shouts, no recriminations
just a whimper so small it could hardly be heard
it was over after all the years of trying
it was finally over
it was what she had wanted for so very long
then why was she crying
tears streamed down her face as if they were a part
of the mist
quiet tears of relief or were they tears of regret?
a little of both perhaps
if you won't move out by Sunday, then I will
the words fell from her lips before she knew she had said them
no, he said, I will
they stood there and just looked at each other
both knowing, both feeling empty
it was over
marriage, children, family
never to be the same again
it had been six months since that day
yet here she was driving the streets at midnight
not far from the house
but there was something about the absolute silence
somehow it kept her sane
how many times now had she laid on the kitchen floor
in terror not knowing how do it alone
yet knowing she had no choice
she couldn't turn back
not now, not ever
so the midnight ride became a ritual
the tears, the mist, the silky black sky
all a part of saying goodbye
soon, she told herself
soon she would find her way
and get on with life
but tonight it seemed as if soon was all gone now
somehow it was different
she stopped at the end of the street
the wall loomed large in front of her
all she had to do was back up, step on the gas
and it would end
the fear, the terror, the empty feeling
suddenly a scream shattered the silence
a light shone in the window
are you alright?
she rolled the window down
the officer looked anxiously at her tear stained face
yes, yes, I'm okay now
he looked at her for a moment or two
you better get home, it looks like it's going to be a wet night
thank you she said, I'm on my way
as she drove home in the silence
tears streaming once again down her face
she had come close
but she was still here
something inside telling her to have faith
it will be alright
it's over and a new day is dawning
soon
.....by ruie

Tooting my own Horn ruie's Totems

2009-05-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a Thought!

2009-05-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

You can live your whole life and never know who you really are until you see yourself through the eyes of others!

Martha Graham-- Keeping the Channel Open

2009-05-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

A dear friend sent this to me and I thought I would like to share it with all of you.

Quotation of the Day for May 10, 2009

"There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it.

"It is not your business to determine how good it is: nor how valuable it is: nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.

"No artist is ever pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine satisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."

- Martha Graham

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

2009-05-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Anonymous

2009-05-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

"Unsaid words when you love can be like very painful slaps."

"Real love whatever the time, whatever the obstacles...lasts"

"Moon tears and lilac mist to comfort me and please my soul and heart. I bring to you my gifts of love and harmony"

"Poetry doesn't most usually spring from you, but from sorrows."

"There's a rainbow laying yonder o'er the hill as green as jade
Someone dreams of love forever, in the prayers that she has prayed
She was Lady Gwen and wished that she had wings and could fly above
the clouds and mist, her eyes filled with dreams and sadness and wishes."

"Trust your heart and never turn away from love."

Love at first sight? "A heart recognizes a heart"

Oh how I love being Irish!

O Son of Spirit

2009-03-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

The best beloved of all things in my sight is justice
turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me
And neglect it not that I may confide in Thee
By its aid thou shalt know with thine own eyes
and not through the eyes of others and shalt
know of thine own knowledge and not through the
knowledge of thy neighbour. Ponder this in thy
heart how it behooveth thee to be. Verily
justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My
loving kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.

Treasurers of Wonderment

2009-03-15T23:55:00.001-07:00

http://www.treasurersofwonderment.com

Arts & Spirituality 'Workshop February 2-7, 2009

2009-02-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

Desert Rose Baha'i Institute hosted international artist Hong Tatt Foo this week and what a week it was. A few of us were given the incredible opportunity to have Mr. Foo as our mentor and instructor. I can't begin to thank him enough for being so kind and generous with his talent. Allowing us to learn and feel good about ourselves. These are my contribution to a week of absolute wonder.

Wild bird & JuJu Man on black silk with burlap backing

2009-02-06T18:54:00.000-08:00

Living Backstreet
Fiber Art by ruie

MUST SEE

2009-01-31T23:00:00.000-08:00

http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/the-inauguration-at-last/

The Inauguration and The Pursuit of Happiness NYC Times Maira Kalman

MUSIC IS THE FOOD OF HEARTS AND SOULS

2009-01-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

Bahá'u'lláh, in this glorious period has revealed in Holy Tablets that singing and music are the spiritual food of the hearts and souls. In this dispensation, music is one of the arts that is highly approved and is considered to be the cause of the exaltation of sad and desponding hearts.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 378)

The Inauguration of Barack Obama

2009-01-20T07:23:00.000-08:00

In the words of Martin Luther King, "we shall overcome, some day...we are free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!" May God bless Barack Obama and keep him safe.

Thought for the Day

2009-01-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

Keep God in first place in your life and He will take you to places you have only dreamed of...

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

2009-01-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

"The highest expression of civilization is not its art but the supreme tenderness that people are strong enough to feel and show toward one another. Art proceeds out of an exquisite awareness of life. The creative spirit and the compassionate spirit are not things apart but kindred manifestations of response to life. If our civilization is breaking down, as it appears to be, it is not because we lack brainpower to meet its demands but because our feelings are being dulled."...from HUMAN OPTIONS by Norman Cousins

Thought for the Day

2009-01-11T17:11:00.000-08:00

Dare to dream a new dream; a failure is not a denial, it's just a delay...Joel Osteen

The Rule of Saint Benedict

2009-01-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

Hear, O my son, the words of the Lord, and incline thy heart's ear.

AL - LE - LU - IA

Gregorian chanting inspires even, relaxed breathing...by using only three notes and repeating the same phrase many times, we can sense inside our bodies the effects of chanting...from The Mozart Effect by Don Campbell

GHANDI

2009-01-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

2008-12-18T04:03:00.000-08:00

The inability of the materialistic mind to grasp the idea of the life eternal is no proof of the non-existence of that life...My prayer for you is that your spiritual faculties and aspirations may daily increase, and that you will never allow the material senses to veil from your eyes the glories of the heavenly illumination...Abdu'l-Baha'

FAMOUS QUOTES

2008-12-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't...
Eleanor Roosevelt

LIVING YOUR LIFE IN SPIRIT

2008-12-11T20:02:00.001-08:00

"When you are inspired...dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be." --Patanjali

THE TEMPEST

2008-12-06T12:30:00.001-08:00

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep," by William Shakespeare

MASQUE 2008

2008-12-06T10:46:00.001-08:00

A LITTLE PRAYER

2008-12-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

O God, help me to sing often and with much gusto!

Women As Peacemakers

2008-11-21T07:08:00.000-08:00

March 28, 2009
Desert Rose Baha'i Institute will be hosting the workshop WOMEN AS PEACEMAKERS" to be presented by ruie Mullins.

This workshop offers a unique spiritual study of the role of women learning to walk the spiritual path with practical feet. Women As Peacemakers is an interactive journey through the writings of the Baha'i Faith together with other great teachers and philosophers to help discover the role of women as peacemakers in the 21st Century. The workshop is an all-day event from 9-5. Registration: $35 plus a delicious lunch $10.

Please visit our website for more information www.drbi.org or contact ruie Mullins at rumu@aol.com or you may call (520)466-7961.

You won't want to miss this exciting event!

Out of the mouths of babes

2008-11-17T18:48:00.001-08:00

"we can not do it alone, the problem shared, is the problem solved. Tujantane let's hold hands together" ...an 8 year old African child with AIDS.

Thought for Today

2008-11-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

"Take the time to let the whispers of the heavens hear your voice..." Quincy Jones

Famous Quotes

2008-11-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

"We have this wonderful window, where we're past puberty and we're not dead yet...You have this great window to live and have a great time, and when you dull it with minutiae, that is meaningless. I think it's just so dumb."...Judge Judy

Funny Quotes

2008-11-10T05:57:00.000-08:00

"Bessie Braddock: "Sir, you are drunk!"
Churchill: "Madam, you are ugly. In the morning, I shall be sober."

ATTENTION PHOTOGRAPHY LOVERS

2008-11-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

Desert Rose Baha'i Institute will be hosting a 5-Day Photography Workshop by internatonally renowned Baha'i Photographer Paul Slaughter in the Spring of 2009, April 27-May 1.

The "On Assignment in Southern Arizona" Photography Workshop will include field trips in the outstanding nature and landscapes of the Sonoran Deert of Arizona, Indian Ruins, Sky Divers, and the Famous Old West Town of Tombstone. Please contact ruie Mullins at rumu@aol.com to register for this most rare and exciting workshop at the Desert Rose Campus.

to learn more about Paul Slaughter
please visit www.slaughterphoto.com

Music and the Civil Rights Movement

2008-11-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

"In his autobigraphy An Easy Burden, the Reverend Andrew Young, a close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., describes the powerful role that music played in the civil rights movement. "We could hear this unity in the singing voices and speaking voices of the people, it seemed we could even hear it in the earth itself like a soft rumbling, a rhythmic beating of drums from all over the South. It was a knowing, with undeniable and unshakable conviction, that our time had come. The South would never be the same again."

Depicting the struggle as "The Singing Movement," Young goes on to say that, through music, a great secret was discovered: "Black people, otherwise cowed, discouraged, and faced with innumerable and insuperable obstacles, could transcend all those difficulties and forge a new determination, a new faith and strength, when fortified with song."

As an example, Young tells the story of one freedom meeting at a church in rural Georgia that was interrupted by the arrival of the sheriff and his deputies. The people were terrified as the sheriff warned them not to talk about registering to vote, and vowed that there would be no Freedom Riders in his county. Then, slowly, the congregation began to hum. "We'll Never Turn Back." As the humming intensified, accompanied by singing and moaning, the sounds in the church entirely drowned out the officers. "The sheriff didn't know what to do." Young notes. "He seemed to be afraid to tell the people to shut up. Finally, he and his men just turned their backs and stomped out. Those beautiful people sang that sheriff right out of their church!"... from The Mozart Effect by Don Campbell

Evening Sunset at Desert Rose Baha'i Institute, Eloy, AZ

2008-11-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

Bits of History - Do you remember when?

2008-11-01T16:23:00.001-07:00

"War is not healthy for children and other living things"... from Another Mother For Peace founded in 1967; dedicated to the idea that 'war is obsolete' Its main campaign throughout its existence was to establish a Department and Secretary of Peace as part of the executive branch whose purpose would be "to examine and evaluate the range of non-military alternatives" to war. It's not too late.

"HUMAN OPTIONS"

2008-10-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

In his book "HUMAN OPTIONS", Norman Cousins says "Two hundred years ago, a great nation was founded on the idea that the strength of a country begins with moral concepts, the truth of which is confirmed in the natural response of human beings and in the history of the race. If we want that nation to go on for another two hundred years, we will dispense with the nonsense that moral values are incidental and that the national interest can stand apart from the human interest".

Further he writes "Democracy is the only political philosophy that entitles and enables the individual to say "no" to government--and get away with it. Indeed, the one word most expressive of democracy is "no". Democracy says "no" to the government that would invade the natural rights of the individual or the group. It says "no" to the government that would push people around, even though this may mean that the people push the government around. The American Constitution is more specific concerning what shall not be apart of the structure of government than it is concerning what shall. The words "no" and "not" are conspicuous in every article and section. Nowhere are those two words more evidence than in the "Bill of Rights."

..."One of our difficulties is that people at the top of government spend so much time on strategy that almost no time is spent on history. There are so many movers and shakers that there is hardly any room for thinkers."

Norman Cousins was way ahead of his time. He was a man of many colors. It might not be a bad idea to consider what he has to say in "HUMAN OPTIONS." He is no longer of this realm but his wisdom and thoughtful concern for all of human kind is still with us.

TWO POETS ©

2008-10-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

"TWO POETS as explained by Lois Evezich reporter for the Aliso Viejo News, Aliso Viejo, California, "is a unique poetry book about two people in a relationship and how they communicated with each other." The writers, ruie Mullins and Castadarrow Thompkins met when asked to join a Baha'i Choir in Los Angeles. Mullins and Thompkins shared their writing and decided to do a book together but life intervened. Castadarrow went to Africa and I went to China to do some teaching." said Mullins." "I taught English in a small private school. Premier Chou En Lai had as a goal for the Chinese to all be speaking English by the year 2000. We were only allowed to speak English (at the school) so I didn't learn Chinese..."

"While in China, Mullins started putting the work together. Thompkins is the idea guy and she is the one who made it happen." "But it took wings," said Mullins. "It almost put itself together."

"Thompkins is singer, writer and poet presently living in Las Vegas and Mullins recently of Aliso Viejo by way of Canada, is a poet, a jazz and blues singer, an artist in the broad sense of the word. This is the first book to be published by either Mullins or Thompkins. "The book was self-published and they are marketing it by word of mouth...said Evezich."

From "TWO POETS" The Chinese believe that an imaginary red thread connects
those people who are meant to be together and that nothing
can ever break that line...
not time...
nor distance...
nor circumstance...

See excerpts from the book below.

LIFE

2008-10-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

So many solutions to my defects
Solutions that are easy to find
Alas I'm too busy with yours
To pay much attention to mine

There is so much
About life we just don't know
Because of that which our society
is afraid to show

So many faults
We desire to expose
Like mannequins in a window
Only our perfection we pose

So afraid of what others will see
So let's keep the finger pointed
At someone else, not at me

So it is with your faults
That I spend most of my time
Yes, I'm too busy with yours
To pay much attention to mine

I point my finger at you
To keep from pointing it at myself
Conveniently ignoring life's laws
By storing them on the back shelf

When I am causing you pain
I tend to forget my own
Not realizing that this reprieve of time
is just a loan

Every now and then
I think how unkind
But I'm too busy with yours
To pay much attention to mine

Somewhere it is said
Even as you have broken the least of
My commandments, you have broken them all
For this we are accused
Whether we are young, old, big or small

So self-righteous
That it is about your faults I whine
Too busy with yours
To pay much attention to mine

But if I could just redirect my gaze
Maybe just maybe, I could help others
By changing my ways

Alas, so many defects
So little time
Too busy with yours
To pay much attention to mine

...C
from "Two Poets" by Castadarrow Thompkins

Sunday

2008-10-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

I love to lie in my bed on Sunday
To look out my window
At the peaceful green on the sloping hill
To feel the quiet as it surrounds
The early morning
And every now and then to hear
The cricket call the hummingbird to visit
At my window
Just below the limb of the tree that protects the
Jasmine
Safe in my queen Anne bed
Pillows plumped
Down blanket scrunched around my legs
Safe and secure from the world outside
My coffee cup steams sweet and savory
Among the scent of early morning dew
While music envelops my very soul
and caresses my mind
The sleepy world of my environment
Not yet awake to spoil the pleasure
Of the quiet, sweet morning of Sunday
...r
from "TWO POETS" by ruie Mullins

Living Backstreet

2008-10-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

In 1933 my father was an entrepeneur of sorts and in his own way famous for being able to survive the depression by becoming Moon Mullins, Master of Ceremonies, band leader, writer of music and promoter of Marathons/Walkathons throughout the eastern and mid-western states. Just the year before, he married my mother and wrote a beautiful song entitled "Backstreet". There was a movie "Backstreet" about a woman who was the mistress of a wealthy doctor; she bore him a child and he and his society wife adopted the baby. The wife never knowing who was the real father. The mistress gave up the child in order to give it a chance in life and also so that she might remain a part of that life and while in immense sorrow, she remained the doctor's mistress until she died, alone and bereft upon her daughter's 21st birthday. In the song, she cries, "I'll be waiting backstreet for you...."

The song was ultimately recorded by Billie Holiday and has remained a force in my life ever since. Why? Because it speaks of love, a kind of unconditional love, an unrequited love, a love that lasts forever and I am a sucker for that kind of love.

Anyway, that explains the title of this Blog, in case you were wondering.

I am not sure how I will use this opportunity but hopefully it will be used in a good way; promoting kindness, peace and unity.