Poem: Changes Five/The waiting

The clouds
Rise up to heaven
Waiting

We wait here
In the meadow
With the bugs and butterflies

Making their wars
In the alfalfa the air
The sod and water

We wait on the sand
Of ancient oceans
For news from a far place

They wait in the cold mud
For the caissons tanks and troops
And the arrival of the enemy

If you wait
In blood
Get out of the pit

Know why you wait
And if you wait
For rescue or destruction

Three uninvited guests arrive
One falls into the pit
Rescue her

Honor them all
And in the end
Mercy and kharma will follow

One may confront and best crises
By waiting
As long is necessary

For opportunity
To emerge
(You'll know it when you see it)

Avoid being panicked
Into action
By immediate danger

Stand back
Let the drama rush by
Then make your move.
---o0o---

Election Poster for LBJ and The Hump

Click poster to enlarge
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Painting: The aftermath

click painting to enlarge

---o0o---

Painting: James Gandolfini (or, for now, Tony Soprano)

Click the painting to enlarge. . .

---o0o---

Poem: Changes Four/The Young Shoot

1
Youthful excess leads
To success
In the time of youth

Folly is not an evil
But a byway
On the path

A quick detour
Still circling around
Goodness at the center

2
The fetters are removed
And the youth one day arrives
At the fork in the road

3
Like a spring
At the foot of the mountain
Water rolls ever downward

And escapes stagnation
By filling
The holidays in its path

Accumulating
With raindrops and aquifers
To become bodies of water

Filling earth's pits valleys craters
Lacunae fissures and hollows
With creeks rivers lakes and oceans

4
The fetters are removed
And the youth achieves
Inner strength with outer reserve

The twig is bent
A sapling lists
And becomes a crooked tree

5
The incorrigible must be punished
Those who will not heed
Must be made to feel

Punishment is never
An end in itself
But is one last desperate attempt

To restore order
And understand
Where our love went wrong.
---o0o---

Painting: Where Darwin Stands Today

click on painting to enlarge. . .

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How evil are you??

Take the quiz, and let me know just how evil you are. . .I hit 40%. And, yeah, I did answer truthfully...

You Are 40% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

---o0o---

Nearly catatonic President soils pants following voodoo doll disclosure - White House terrorist charged with littering

Litterbug leads to President's sedation

A man who lobbed a paper bag onto the White House lawn yesterday is in custody, according to the Secret Service. A suspicious package, spotted shortly after President Bush left on a helicopter trip to Wheeling, W.Va, was examined using a remote-controlled device.

"Normal security protocols were in place," a Homeland Security told All This Is That. "Nothing in the bag was dangerous per se. B ut the bag did contain several mutilated voodoo dolls. The President was extremely upset when told about the contents of the bag."

According to our White House source, the President has had an unreasonable fear of voodoo and zombies since childhood. After the disclosure, The President was sedated, and Air Force One returned to Washington immediately. "Look, this is on the Q.T.," our source said, "but someone even said he had an involuntary evacuation, if you know what I mean."

The Secret Service secured the White House and raised its internal alert system one level during the investigation, according to a Homeland Security official, "It's unfortunate, but there is nothing illegal about black magic or witchcraft. Yeah, might be able to charge him with creating a public nuisance but it looks like the only thing we'll be able to tag him with is littering." ---o0o---

Poem: Changes Three/Trouble Ahead

You have difficulty beginning
And gaze into the abysmal water
Under rumbling thunder

Difficulty beginning
Leads to the upside
Through perseverance

To win
You bring troops
To impose order on the melee

With every hesitation and hindrance
The trouble grows
The dragon is freed

Moving brings good fortune
Everything you do
Acts to further

But when the horse
And the wagon part
The bloody tears will flow.
---o0o---

Changes Two/The Receptive

You may be receptive
And a bottomless chasm
Look to your friends in the west and south

Quiet perseverance brings goodness
You may be receptive
But every bucket needs a bottom

You may be receptive
But every bucket soon fills up
The earth's condition is receptive

She takes everything we dish out
So far
Nothing remains unfurthered

Dragons fight in the meadow
Their blood
Is black and yellow.
---o0o---

Four years and counting: another grim milestone in the Iraq War

This week marks the beginning of the fourth year of the Iraq War. The President, Vice-President, and Secretary of Defense all marked the occasion by delivering guardedly optimistic speeches and pep talks.

According to the New York Times, "Mr. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld sounded much as they had on the first anniversary of the invasion. At that time, the rebuilding effort had just begun, the insurgency was far less fierce, and the American occupation had suppressed, temporarily, the sectarian violence scarring Iraq today."

---o0o---

Osama bin Laden guest appearances on niece's reality show spark outrage

An upcoming "reality show," starring Osama bin Laden's niece has sparked outrage, protests and riots around the United States. Wafah Dufour, daughter of terrorist bin Laden's half-brother Yeslam, stars in the television series following her quest to achieve success in the music business.

The September 11th Family Association demanded the show be axed before it was aired. A Family Association spokeswoman yesterday said that the show "is an absolute disgrace. " Producer Judith Regan, the publishing whiz, defended her decision to make the reality show: "Wafah may be related to Osama - but she isn't him. She's a beautiful young woman who is gifted and trying to find her own way in life. "

The public outcry and protests, however, turned to riots when it was revealed that Osama bin Laden would make several guest appearances on the series. All This Is That has obtained clips of several of bin Laden's appearances in the program. In one scene, bin Laden's niece, Wafah, accidentally discloses the location of Osama's hideout. The clip shows Osama, his wives, and lieutenants running around Keystone Kops style, trying to get everything packed up before the Americans arrive.

A second show's plot details bin Laden falling in love with a 15 year old Jewish girl, and comically attempting to convince her parents to allow her to join his harem.

In a third episode of the program, Osama's niece guest stars on Sesame Street and brings along "my famous uncle," who attempts to convince Bert and Ernie to convert to Islam.

---o0o---