Thank God for the smorgasbord the internet is. I love it most for being a treasure chest of information on some of the things I love like history, cultures, and art. The kid in me loves the visual aspects of it with its wonderful offering of paintings and pictures. To me, the internet is the world and beyond in a box/notebook.
I present to you some goodies to close out the week. Have fun, learn, and until sometime next week when I plan to return, have a great rest of the weekend:)
*****On occasion the world seems like a desert. We all need to escape sometimes to an oasis. Here are 7 of the world’s most beautiful oases.
*****Cynthia Marie is a blogger who is also a poet. She posted this beautiful poem about love on her blog on Thursday called Breathing Lessons.
*****Some might perceive Barack Obama as too elitist and a stuffed shirt and his wife Michelle as bitter, but what can be said about their wonderfully relaxed wedding photo?
*****Ever thought of caves being prime real estate? Well, they are in Cappadocia, Turkey.
Cappadocia has one of the most unusual landscapes on earth with its fairy chimneys and caves all produced by volcanic eruptions eons ago. The Cappadocian caves also contain hundreds of old churches from Byzantine times. Here is a site with some beauties in Cappadocian real estate. Also more photos taken in Cappadocia which should give you an idea of the surreal quality of the landscape there can be accessed here. I hope to eventually visit Cappadocia.
*****Vladimir Kush is a Russian born artist who lives in America. He describes his art as metaphorical realism which came about because of influences by some of the greats of the Renaissance on down to modern times. More of his art and information on his life can be seen here.
*****Veysel Gencten is a Turkish photographer. More of his photos of Istanbul, Turkey shot through a special lens can be seen here.******On Bella, an online magazine for women, can be found a piece of non-fiction of minute length called What Women Want.
******I've heard that this summer, travel for my fellow Americans has been torturous due to high fuel prices, delays, cancellations, and mediocre to poor service. The last time I heard, our airlines are once again on the verge of bankruptcy like they were after 9/11. If you don’t want to go through the hassles of travel especially internationally, Google and Flickr have partnered and come up with a site called Earth Album. Just click on the Earth Album map wherever you would like to go in the world, and then click on the thumbnail photos, and see the sights anywhere you would like without luggage weight worries or security checks. Start globetrotting here.
*****I first heard of and saw Professor Howard Zinn on C-SPAN last year. I also just learned that he taught at the college I went to my freshman year, the all women's Spelman College in Atlanta. Dr. Zinn is one of those Americans we don’t hear about much because what he says and writes has substance. It's safer to focus on the trivial, and it does not take a lot of effort either. It is also difficult for an individual or a nation to look within and see its' failings. Dr. Zinn's interesting take on America past and present can be seen in the video below called A People’s History of the American Empire. It is certainly much more different from the American history I was taught in school.
*****Since I first learned about the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis as a child, I have dreamed of seeing them. However, I live too far to the south. Here are some photos and information about those dancing and flicking lights seen in the skies over the Polar Regions.
6 comments:
Hi, I loved that photo of Barack and Michelle Obama. And thanks for putting me on your blog list!
Thanks for the People's History. It was so interesting that Prof. Zinn was a bomber fighter, because it makes his words even more profound. I was a graduate student in American History (didn't finish) focusing on western American history and was always uncomfortable with the concept of manifest destiny, but my professors did not say this was a just concept. Unfortunately, it seems to be human nature to expand.
One excellent book is "Guns, Germs and Steel," which talks about how different civilizations have moved, collided, prospered and sometimes fallen. The American people generally have been isolationist, not wanting to be involved in foreign conflict, and were slow to join the conflicts of World War I and II. Some have suggested that U.S. and European leaders manipulated events to force us into declaring war. Kansas City has a great World War I museum. President Wilson was really opposed to fighting in Europe during the first world war. He was old enough to remember the Civil War. The Germans sunk hundreds of U.S. ships, and still we didn't declare war.
When we see even family members fighting with one another we can sometimes despair over the prospect of harmony with people we don't know whose needs and interests may seem to differ from ours. If only we could all follow the golden rule and look at everyone as our friend and neighbor. That's how I think the internet can help by helping people meet directly.
Thanks for this post. I'm going to check out your links!
Hi Catherine,
Your blog has been on my blogroll for a few weeks now.
I wish we could all follow the Golden Rule too. It is troubling to me about portions of humanity's lust for war.
I am concerned about Barack Obama being president because I think he is a man with very high principles and in politics often high priniciples are not welcomed. Either power will corrupt him or he will be seem and blamed as an ineffectual president much like President Carter was. Remember how some felt he should have just gone into Iran and bombed because of the hostages that were eventually freed anyway. Our country has not seen such restraint since. We all have to just wait and see about Obama.
I do not know when Professor Zinn taught at Spelman College, but I wish I could have been one of his students. I agree with all you say about our history.
Yes, please do check out my links. Sometimes I think I have too many now, and should start weeding some of them out. My blogroll is an eclectic mix of bloggers who are online friends, one is a former student of mine, and a great number are bloggers whom I see eye to eye with. I really like what you are doing with your blog too and your writing:)
The president's job is so huge and monumental, it's hard to see why anyone would want to take it on. It's almost too important of a job to leave to politicians. Even the presidents considered among the greatest made major mistakes, such as FDR interning the Japanese during WW II (Eleanor begged him not to allow it.) You're right about restraint. Sometimes we see that as inaction. (Sometimes, inaction is simply inaction, such as with Hurricane Katrina.) I think politicans and government officials should consider the Hippocratic Oath that doctors take (but don't always follow) -- "First, Do No Harm." (That gave me an idea for a blog post some day.) I don't think people in government consider the long-term and wide-ranging effects of their laws, programs, taxes, etc, because they are all looking for the near-term election. I'm looking for a president who makes people want to give back and look out for one another, and if Barack Obama inspires people to do that, that's worth a lot.
Catherine,
I agree with you 100%.
Sincerae you certainly find some interesting stuff on the internet.
I can't believe that the Turkish Government is selling property in Cappadocia. It ought to be heritage listed, not sold!
I love the painting by Vladimir Kush. I love the way he used the butterflies as sails.
:)
Hi Ardent,
I spend way too much time online. I am addicted to doing research. Nowadays, I try to stay away some, but I am not successful. Plus my brother and I have started discovering, sharing, and discussing sites of similar interest since he just bought a laptop.
I guess the Turkish government feels that since they have no oil, they will try to sell something their land has to offer. Well, actually some of my former students told me that Turkey does have oil, but America won't let them get the machinery to extract or refine it. Thank goodness, they don't have much because we wouldn't want them to end up like Iraq.
Vladimir Kush is very imaginative. I love his work:)
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