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One man gathers... Songs for Spillin' & Gatherin' For our Children...and their Caregivers... Sesame Street: Keep Nature Clean (00:01:00) Sesame Street Sing Along Earth Songs Part 9 (00:03:18) --there are more from this series Sesame Street - Keep Our Water Pure and Clean (00:01:12) The Muppets Environmental Recycle PSA (00:00:35) Mother Earth with Lyrics | Earth & Environment Song (00:01:50) For All of Us... St. Stephen - The Grateful Dead (00:04:02) December 15th, 2021 | Peace Through Music: A Global Event for the Environment (2-minute trailer...link to full program is below) --features indigenous wisdom from around our shared world... Good Planets are Hard to Find - Steve Forbert (00:03:50) Steve Forbert - "Good Planets Are Hard to Find" (Underground Garage Mix) Lyric Video - YouTube (00:03:17) Enough - Kevin Griffin (00:02:51) How Low - Heartless Bastards (00:04:09) Added 1/29/22 after a friend sent it to me Marvin Gaye - Mercy, Mercy Me (00:03:11) "We Are the World" - OFFICIAL 35th ANNIVERSARY VIDEO (00:14:53) Peace Through Music: A Global Event for the Environment | 200+ Artists Unite to Save Our Planet - Playing for Change Dec. 2021 (00:59:00) --includes percussionist Mickey Hart Acid Rain...Bad...or Good??? (asoulinwonder.com) --new blog post contains songs and images #music #environment #GratefulDead #acidrain

SEVA: Restoring Sight around the World “He’s got two good eyes and helps others to see…” "...and he's on the sight track and inviting you..." Bob Weir (in first photo below with Ram Dass), Mickey Hart (next photo) and many other mindful musicians have been working for years supporting Seva’s mission of restoring sight to the blind and otherwise visually impaired. Eileen and I have been supporting their works of mercy. 2022 Sing Out for Seva Concert 2022 Sing Out for Seva – Feb. 11-14 --check out the announced line up...then get on board: Ram Dass...Bob Weir...Mickey Hart & Other Dispellers of Darkness Ram Dass was my first guru. Guru is a Sanskrit word that means “dispeller of darkness,” from gu, meaning "darkness," and ru, meaning "that which dispels." In 1972, at 24 years of age, I set aside a weekend retreat in my South Ozone Park apartment to read Ram Dass’ “Be Here Now,” and my life began a series of transformations that were initiated by his introducing me for the first time to a loving version of G-d. The next day (Monday), I was led to visit my Dad and begin our first verbal and physical expressions of love for one other. This guru was dispelling darkness…and his work with Seva is continuing this mission… ABOUT SEVA Seva: One-minute Overview Seva Origins: a Micro-Documentary (00:07:32) Restoring Sight in the Americas (Guatemala) (00:01:43) Seva Homepage OUR VISION: A WORLD FREE OF BLINDNESS. We train local eye care providers and develop self-sustaining eye programs around the world. Together we provide critical eye care to underserved communities, especially women, children, and indigenous peoples. Seva has provided surgeries, eyeglasses, medicine, and other eye care services to over 46 million people in more than 20 countries. Seva believes that restoring sight is one of the most effective ways to relieve suffering and reduce poverty. Over a billion people live with unaddressed vision impairments and hundreds of millions more need ongoing eye care. Thankfully, 90% of all vision impairment can be prevented or cured with your help. PREVIOUS CONCERTS 2021 (00:03:01) --included Mickey Hart & Friends, David Grisman, Hot Tuna and more #music #RamDass #Seva #BobWeir #MickeyHart

Grass-sick Images... Take me out to the BAWL game... Man is NOT a Dog's Best Friend... ...or a fish's... Who CAN Stop the Rain...the ACID RAIN??? WE CAN!!! EPA article for students (with clickable links to more information and games) 5 Effective Ways You Can Prevent Acid Rain Singin' in the Rain (or, lost in the ozone layer again) Call out selected lyrics Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan w/ Keith Richards & Ron Wood @ Live Aid 1985 -introduced by Jack Nicholson Box of Rain - The Grateful Dead --amazingly imaginative video!!! Box of Rain - Steve Forbert covering...unearthing The Grateful Dead Box of Rain - Steve again...in New Jersey Who'll Stop the Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival “Who’ll Stop the Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival - Song Meanings and Facts Creedence Clearwater Revival - Have You Ever Seen the Rain (Official) Lost in the Ozone (layer) Again - Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen Bob Dylan - Shelter From the Storm (Cover Song Music Video with Lyrics) Bob Dylan-A Hard Rains Gonna Fall (music video) CAUTION: Disturbing images A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall - Lyrics - Edie Brickell --fitting that it's sung by a woman "Where pellets of poison are flooding their waters..." #music #humor #images #environment #GratefulDead #BobDylan

Happy Birthday in Heaven (00:01:02) --when I saw the balloons…I knew this was a keeper – you’ll see why when you read her poem about clowns Happy Birthday in Heaven (00:00:43) Dancing in the Sky – Dani and Lizzy (00:03:43) --as with the balloons, I was guided by the Muse she and I both share... “Oh-oh, I I hope you're dancing in the sky And I hope you're singing in the angel's choir And I hope the angels know what they have I'll bet it's so nice up in Heaven since you arrived” 1 + 1 = 9 I was the first of their 7… Mom, Thank you for your smile and sense of humor... The New Angel from The Carol Burnett Show (full sketch) (00:07:09) Thank You, MOM!!! (song link) “PUT YOUR DANCING SHOES ON” And the Father Will Dance – Mark Hayes (song link) And the Father Will Dance - Carey Landry (song link) “WHERE DO CLOWNS GO?” "The Clown" Children's Music Video (song link) “When I give the joy that G-d gives me I find that happiness finds me” “PLAY GENTLY, GOD” Touch of the Master’s Hand - Church On the Ranch Colorado Springs (song link) Make Me a INSTRUMENT of Your Peace-St. Francis school Choir, Bangalore (song link) “SONG OF THE HOUSEWIFE” Dreams of the Everyday Housewife - Glen Campbell (song link) Source for poems: The God of the Universe Dances in Trees - Catherine Tittmann (Amazon) "The God of the Universe Dances in Trees is a collection of the author's prayer-poems written during the past thirty years, with some as young as yesterday. It's a response, prompted by others who pray, and who remind-that which is received as gift, is meant to be shared. The poems are simple, easy to understand and down to earth. The title is not a contradiction. You'll see. Catherine's poetry is heartfelt prayer, comfortable conversation with her forever Friend. She praises Him, asks questions, sings Him love songs, and offers Him light moments, too. While the book may remind you of blessings you already have, you might even discover a new gift like- finding God in unusual places,- making time to simply be with Him,- listening with your heart as He whispers tenderly,- learning, little by little, to never hurry away. The author is aware of the familiar challenge-if you love God, why not shout it, from the highest rooftop? Well, why not? With joy and hope, this book is her rooftop. Come. Enjoy the experience. Be part of it." #music #humor #Mom

…with musical ammunition… …OR…OK to bear these arms… BEAR TRACKS The Right to Arm Bears - Paul Westerberg Who got it? Who's got it? We got it! It’s the right to arm bears It’s the right to arm bears Well my dear, let’s show ‘em some fear, and see who easily scares It’s the right to arm bears Mr. Bruin, what you doin’? Mr. Buck, you takin’ aim We’re going to be the party Yeah, and they’re going to be the game It’s the right to arm bears It’s the right to arm bears The Constitution is an institution Change is not our ambition The solution now is obvious Ban all the ammunition Hail to the Chief with a shotgun in his teeth It’s the right to arm bears Mr. Hunter, eyes are mighty red It’s the right to arm bears Whose going to eat you when you’re dead? It’s the right to arm bears Caught in the headlight, see who’s going to fight It’s the right, it’s the right to arm bears The Right to Arm Bears - Reginald The Right to Arm Bears - Abraham Drinkin “We’re just walking each other home…” --Ram Dass & Jerry Garcia… “We’re All Just Walking Each Other Home” ~ David Maloney / Ram Dass --David beautifully sings this loving message...from my first guru outside my tribe of birth …and dancing each other home… #music #humor #GratefulDead #BillOfRights #JerryGarcia #RamDass

This post is about relationship…not religion…if ya hunger for relationship…get on board…this train is leaving for Union Station…where we realize that we already ARE where we are headed…WE…ARE…ONE… NOTICE: Passengers, at the end of the post, there's a Playlist of all the YouTube videos. The inspiration for this post came during my Saturday morning (actually afternoon) centering prayer time. My mind was wandering…thinking about a workman who went looking for some wages in another state - after I had enjoyed teaching some of his children in Sunday school. At that time, I didn’t know that he also followed (or they followed him) another “instrumental” figure…it took years and another “book” to make this connection: Facebook. Thanks, Trevor!!! The Bates Family --I’m offering this in tribute to the man who guided my soul’s journey for many years. Thank you, Pastor Craig! Krishna Das --singing here in 2017 in a NYC Christian church, I enjoyed his amazing Hindu energy a few years ago in a Buddhist temple in upstate NY. A true multicultural soul! …let’s see where this morning’s “TRACK’S” lead us…gonna keep lookin til I find one with train imagery… ALL ABOARD! Aretha Franklin --considering the season, I liked the video’s thumbnail image…Chillin with Jesus! Ry Cooder --check out his instrument…the shortest 12-string I ever saw…1 string for each of the 12 disciples of Christ…each of the 12 Steps and a dozen other metaphors…that said, it’s still 3 short of Mel Brooks’ 15 commandments… Gaither Vocal Band --Holy Hilarity!!! References to Petticoat Junction sitcom, Get Smart’s shoe phone and great physical comedy…Enjoy this spirit-lifter!!! Shell phone…call him up…FYI – It’s a toll-free local call…you'll SEA what I mean... Willie Neal Johnson & the New Keynotes --at 17 minutes it’s a long Gospel train ride…but you’ll be dancing all the way… --FYI – I rode this train all the way to the… SIDE TRACKS …End of the Line – The Travelling Wilburys --Ahh, my first song with trains…let’s continue our journey --BTW – in this song there are several references to how we can “love one another”: “Well it's all right, as long as you lend a hand Well it's all right, remember to live and let live Well it's all right, the best you can do is forgive” The dancing in Willie Neal Johnson’s musical message brought these next two songs to mind…the first leadin to the second… I just want to testify – George Clinton and the Parliments (1969) --starts at 3:00 Your love is liftin me higher – Jackie Wilson --with great dancing FOOTage One more version…Your LOVE brings LIBERTY…FREEDOM BACK ON THE MAINLINE Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams @ The City Winery Yonder Mountain String Band Mississippi Fred McDowell Meanwhile in Memphis --video shoot – musicians will dig this outdoor rehearsal footage Head Fulla Heart by the Jesus on the Mainline band --check out the “wallpaper” (posters) on this studio wall It isn't easy being green...so, call him up... If you're on the wrong track...you'd be better off Dead (Casey Jones) Netherlands 1972 Complete Show (soundboard) --I liked how this thumbnail image fit in with this mainline tale PLAYLIST - of all YouTube songs (no Vimeos) BONUS TRACKS Once in a While You Get Shown the Light: The Grateful Dead and the Bible (article) Excerpts from this 2015 article: Dead songs are markedly different. They explore an ancient but internal dream. Garcia said, “For me, the lame part of the Sixties was the political part, the social part. The real part was the spiritual part,” which helps explain the band’s peculiarly enduring legacy. The Dead formed a lasting, spiritual connection with its fans by adapting for contemporary audiences the biblical story of exile and promise of a return home. Plucking these themes from traditional American music, they spoke to deeply held aspirations and worries. Even the shape and direction of their storied live performances traced this story musically from wilderness to paradise. Their lyrics played incessantly with the movement from home (safety) to exile (chaos), and from exile back home (redemption). The tension and joy in these cycles animate our oldest myths. Theologian Walter Brueggemann found in the Psalms songs of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation: “One move we make is out of a settled orientation into a season of disorientation,” but the move into reorientation “includes a rush of positive responses, including delight, amazement, wonder, awe, gratitude, and thanksgiving” (The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary). Darkness always gives way to light, or so the Grateful Dead promised its fans. Calling itself in song “Jehovah’s favorite choir,” the band embraced its audience with a bit of wisdom that became one of its most loved lyrics: “Once in a while you get shown the light/In the strangest of places if you look at it right” (Scarlet Begonias). Echoing Richard Rohr’s ORDER, DISORDER, REORDER --more to come #music #humor #GospelMusic #blues #Kermit #GratefulDead #RichardRohr

To provide some chronological context to this morning's Facebook posts, and so you the reader don't have to read them from the bottom up (or stand on your head)......I'm reassembling them here according to their Chronos time signature...then again, "who knows where the time goes..." ONE The sand...stones...tides...of time...wait for...us... ...to grok both our mortality...and immortality... Was greeted by this image as I woke up...me and my PC...and just let thoughts rise up...and added them to this post... ...waking consciousness began forming new words and images...so, I'll stop my wondering and wandering here...for "WHO knows where the time goes..." TWO ...a continuation of today's waking musings...time and tide wait for NOMAN [sic]... ...so "let the music play..." Uncle John's Band Grateful Dead Well the first days are the hardest days Don't you worry any more 'Cause when life looks like Easy Street There is danger at your door Think this through with me Let me know your mind Wo, oh, what I want to know Is are you kind? It's a buck dancer's choice my friend Better take my advice You know all the rules by now And the fire from the ice Will you come with me? Won't you come with me? Wo, oh, what I want to know Will you come with me? Goddamn, well I declare Have you seen the like? Their wall are built of cannonballs Their motto is "Don't tread on me" Come hear Uncle John's Band Playing to the tide Come with me, or go alone He's come to take his children home It's the same story the crow told me It's the only one he knows Like the morning sun you come And like the wind you go Ain't no time to hate Barely time to wait Wo, oh, what I want to know Where does the time go? I live in a silver mine And I call it Beggar's Tomb I got me a violin And I beg you call the tune Anybody's choice I can hear your voice Wo, oh, what I want to know How does the song go? Come hear Uncle John's Band By the riverside Got some things to talk about Here beside the rising tide Come hear Uncle John's Band Playing to the tide Come on along, or go alone He's come to take his children home Wo, oh, what I want to know How does the song go? Come hear Uncle John's Band By the riverside Got some things to talk about Here beside the rising tide Come hear Uncle John's Band Playing to the tide Come on along, or go alone He's come to take his children home Songwriters: Jerome J Garcia, Robert C Christie Hunter THREE ...continuing this morning's stream of consciousness and, hopefully, some unconsciousness...and just letting the MORNING's DEW petals do their free fallin'...(not a PETTY task)... ...here's my previous tune set to an island vibe...so... ...put on yer GRASS skirt and "let the music play..." Uncle John's Band - YouTube FOUR This next tune is dedicated to the one I love...I'll get to that later... ...this one's for all of us who've broken another's heart or had our own hearts broken by love...and, you might ask, "What's love got to do with it...?" We'll also get to that... Tom Petty - Free Fallin' - YouTube FIVE Next on this morning's offerings... Tina Turner . What's love got to do with it (lyrics on screen) - YouTube SIX ...and this finale...but first, some backstory... ...from 1961-1966 I went to Power Memorial Academy with Victor Davila, who was the president of the local Shirelles Fan Club. Another classmate - Lou Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) played a little b-ball while we played a LOT of music. ..fast forward to 1972...I meet Eileen at 10 Downing Street...not in London but in a bar of that name on Metropolitan Avenue in Kew Gardens, Queens. At that time, she was one of several girls I was seeing. ...In the summer of 1973, I got in my VW Bus and headed off to Callie to continue finding myself...by myself... ...while I didn't exactly leave her at the altar and I wasn't singing: "While I'm far away from you, my baby I know it's hard for you, my baby" ...she later told me that something in her KNEW that I was coming back to her... DUH! I didn't...but so glad I DID! What Craig Bates has said about his marriage to Cathy, "I MARRIED UP!" - applies also to me...and I'm forever GRATEFUL! ...43 years now...and "it's getting so much better all the time..." So, Eileen, this next tune is... Dedicated to the one I Love The Shirelles 1959 - YouTube SEVEN This is where I stopped my morning's musical musings and went to the kitchen for some Moola banana milk...no kidding... and continued to the second floor to see what Eileen was up to and see if she saw this season's first snowfall... ...after chatting for a few, she shared this next song...saying how it's currently her favorite... THIS sharing of music with ONE ANOTHER...is a new blessing...and another thing for which I'M FOREVER GRATEFUL... Here's the song she shared with me... Bryan Ferry ~ Dance With Life (The Brilliant Light) - YouTube #music #Eileen #love

If you’re already “in the choir” on this matter, you have my permission to cut class and go right to the “music for the revolution” PAYlist (playlist) at the end... OR, just click this Playlist link. Simply click the arrow at the "PLAY ALL" link. FULL DISCLOSURE: My comments apply equally to both of Long Island’s main political parties… Nassau County, NY Property Taxes...the Numbers and Some Reasons Nassau County NY’s real property taxes are among the highest in the nation. This 2017 report lists us as second highest in NY State. In another also from 2017, LI Business News reports “Nassau County is among nine counties in the country that have average annual property taxes of more than $10,000…” This 2020 report “noted that among 1,453 U.S. counties with at least 10,000 single family homes in 2020 and sufficient data, 16 had an average single-family-home tax of more than $10,000, including 12 in the New York City metro area. The report mentioned the top five were Rockland County, NY ($13,931); Marin County, CA (outside San Francisco) ($13,257); Essex County, NJ ($12,698); Nassau County, NY ($12,386) and Bergen County, NJ ($12,348). Nassau reassessment more fair and accurate, analysis shows (Newsday 2019) -for readers like myself that are interested in which side of the aisle Newsday might favor, I refer you to this 2020 article from Newsday that lists all their presidential endorsements since the paper was founded in 1940. I’ll let you decide for yourself. Why Are Property Taxes So High in Long Island? While the source is a tax-grievance attorney, it lists the following areas for further scrutiny: Property Values Are Higher High Property Taxes for Public Education Unique Assessment Formulas Public Employees (Current & Former) Receive a Lot Unnecessary Expenses in Public Services Time to ID and round up all the usual suspects...and their accomplices When I first saw one of the above 2021 political signs, I immediately thought: “HOW REDUNDANT – ‘Taxes’ and ‘Crime’ - They’re the same thing!” Our property taxes are among the highest in the nation. The real crime issue in Nassau County is the real property taxes. Both the Republicans and the Democrats are complicit in this crime. But they have accomplices beyond whoever’s the reigning County Executive: $ The Tax Assessor (sets the values - not currently an elected position – see why) $ The Receiver of Taxes (aka, “the fence” or “receiver of stolen goods”) $ The County Legislators that vote on the tax levy and increases (we elect these folks) $ The numerous for-profit “tax-reduction” specialists (aka, “sharks”) that prey on the public’s inability to adequately contest (grieve) their property’s assessed valuation with the Assessment Review Commission (ARC). FYI – These bottom feeders keep one-half of any annual savings they negotiate for the homeowners – like us - I know and have continued to fork over half my savings. I tried filing my own grievances but only got reductions when I used one of these services. These piranhas popped up on my iPhone when I searched for “who sets property taxes in Nassau county”. It's a lucrative business. Homeowners Voicing Frustration After Nassau County’s 2018 Reassessment Plan CBS News (2021) CBS News (2020) CBS News (2018) Whoever gets elected as District Attorney, won’t even have to leave the Mineola County seat to fight criminals…he or she can catch them “green-handed” right in their “hideout.” “The words of the prophets are written on subway walls and tenement halls”…and light poles on Hempstead Avenue… --thanks S&G for the lyrical inspiration...that said, their version doesn't carry the rage that needs to be expressed...so I chose the "Disturbed" one.) And from the same PHYSICAL message board… MUSIC FOR OUR REVOLUTION Full Disclosure: I'm employing artistic license in using songs about income taxes... Your choice of revolutionary weapons: 33 1/3, 38 (song link), 45, 78... Before we get the turntable spinning, check out this 8-minute video about Mexican artist Pedro Reyes who repurposes weapons into shovels (Isaiah 2:4 "swords into plowshares") and musical instruments. A BIG Shoutout to VH1 for their 2015 post on taxes…it helped fuel my revolutionary playlist…take time to read the comments in their article. Taxman – Beatles (2009 Remastered) “If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street/If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat/If you get too cold I’ll tax the heat/If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet” Taxman – George Harrison & Eric Clapton (Live 2008) Taxman – Beatles (rare rehearsal version with some alternate lyrics) Sunny Afternoon – The Kinks “The tax man’s taken all my dough/And left me in this stately home/Lazing on a sunny afternoon/And I can’t sail my yacht/He’s taken everything I got/All I’ve got’s this sunny afternoon” “If you want to breathe, I’ll tax the air” (from Mel Brooks’ “Spaceballs – The Movie”) Taxman, Mr. Thief – Cheap Trick “You work hard, you make money/There ain’t no one in the world who can stop you/You work hard, you went hungry/Now the Taxman is out to get you” Success Story – The Who “Away for the weekend, I’ve gotta play some one-night stands/six for the taxman, one for the band” Fortunate Son – Clearance Clearwater Revival “Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand/Lord, don’t they help themselves, y’all/But when the taxman comes to the door/Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yeah” Take the Money and Run – Steve Miller Band “Billy Mack is a detective down in Texas/You know he knows just exactly what the facts is/He ain’t gonna let those two escape justice/He makes his livin’ off of the people’s taxes” --There are many fan-created videos but I liked this homemade one. Movin’ Out – Billy Joel “You can pay Uncle Sam with your overtime/is that all you get for your money?” After Tax – Johnny Cash “You can dream about vacation in the sun/You can dream but you can’t never have you one/’Cause by the time your good old Uncle Sam gets done/You’ve got just enough for gas/To see them city limits pass/And if you get back home fourth class/I’d say you won” Shove (Live at Hellfest 2015) – L7 “The bill collector called today/the IRS has all my pay!” “SHOVE!” Tax Free – Jimi Hendrix (live 1968 video performance) Jimi’s message comes through in his manhandling of his musical weaponry. And the rest of the Experience are equally on the offensive…check out that skinsman… Tax Free – Jimi Hendrix (1968 live but no video) I included this YouTube so it could be added to the playlist I created. The above is not on YouTube. The Sound of Silence - Disturbed Watch my 38 - Commander Cody Money – Pink Floyd --FYI – The band made a common mistake in their lyrics “Money, so they say, Is the root of all evil today.” The actual words in the scripture begin with “The LOVE of money…” High Property Taxes Are No Laughing Matter #music #humor #politics #PropertyTaxes #NassauCounty

“Migrations in their various forms are not a new phenomenon in human history. They have left their mark on every age, bringing about the encounter of different cultures and giving rise to new civilizations.” --Pope Francis with Sr. Norma Pimentel (my added emphasis) This Saturday: Come meet someone who's welcoming the stranger in our midst... (Sat. Nov. 20, 2021 Sr. Norma Pimentel will be speaking LIVE & on Zoom (details and registration info were posted on Facebook and are included at the end of this post). Sister Norma has been passionately advocating for immigration reform and helping migrating families and their children in the border areas that include her Texas community. There’s more about her important work included the end of this post. FAMILIES JOURNEY OVER SCORCHING SAND AND BARBED WIRE “EVERYDAY WE GET MORE ILLEGAL” BY JUAN FELIPE HERRERA (02:21) “AT THE WALL, US/MEXICO BORDER, TEXAS 2020” BY PAOLA GONZALEZ AND KARLA GUITIERREZ (03:29) --two young female poets speak passionately to awaken us 15 moving immigration poems to read today (great works covering different places in our shared world – some include video) --I selected the two above that because they spoke about our Mexican neighbors Journeys Ended, Journeys Begun (04:02) --features a cover of this wonderful work be the Monks of the Weston Priory in Vermont – a place Eileen and I and friends visited in our early years of pilgrimage. On warm summer days, the monks would remove the sides of their barn-like worship space and, in the company of the green hills, would dance in the Spirit… Welcoming The Stranger In Our Midst: 10 Bible Verses MUSIC FOR OUR MIGRATIONS --for over 40 years, he has been helping me, my family members and other pilgrims see below the surface of things It’s both an exterior quest and an interior one…and how well we do the exterior one is fully dependent on how well we do the inner one… In this first song, look carefully - you might notice some of your own ancestors… Coming to America – Neil Diamond (04:17) Stranger in a Strange Land – Iron Maiden (06:25) Live version Caution: If we do not face our inner fears, they will follow us across the borders… “Was many years ago that I left home and came this way I was a young man, full of hopes and dreams But now it seems to me that all is lost and nothing gained Sometimes things ain't what they seem No brave new world, no brave new world No brave new world, no brave new world” Stranger in a Strange Land - Leon Russell (04:43) --classic and modern paintings amplify Leon’s questions about why can’t we live together… “When the baby looks around him It's such a sight to see He shares a simple secret With the wise man He's a stranger in a strange land Just a stranger in a strange land Tell me why He's a stranger in a strange land Woah Stranger in a strange land How many miles will it take To see the sun And how many years until it's done Kiss my confusion away in the night Lay by my side When the morning comes” Stranger in a Strange Land – Leon Russell (04:04) --another imaginative interpretation When walking life’s journeys don’t get the lead out…add it in to your soundtrack… Check out this next THORoughly amazing 11-year old Goddess of the Hammer… The Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin - Boss RC 505 Loop - Fender Bass / Guitar - Ludwig Drum Kit (02:19) --she’s got more online musical ammunition Oh, BTW, here’s the original (04:08) 1972 and Live WALKING MEDITATION FOR OUR JOURNEYS IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE OTHER Religion And Immigration: We Have Not Yet Begun To Love --by Richard Rohr, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation --for over 40 years, he has been helping me see below the surface of things “One would think that people who insist on being monotheistic would be the first in line to walk across the artificial boundaries created by nation states, class systems, cultures and even religions. But often they are the last!” “If our love of God does not directly influence, and even change, how we engage in the issues of our time on this earth, I wonder what good religion is. "God talk" becomes an opaque screen in which we see only reflections of ourselves -- instead of any kind of true enlightenment or Light. "Anyone who says she loves God, and hates her brother or sister, is a liar" (1 John 4:20). None of us wants to be a liar, yet the high goals of religion make deceit and denial almost inevitable for all of us. (Read Paul's attempts to describe this paradoxical phenomenon in Rom. 7:7-25). For all of us, the daily question is this, "Have I even begun to love?" DEAD RECKONING HELPS GUIDE OUR FEET “Strangers stopping stranger just to shake their hands…” "Once in a while, you get shown the light In the strangest of places if you look at it right" The above welcoming words are from this next song: Scarlet Begonias - Grateful Dead at Winterland 1974 (12:58) Jerry and Donna in conversation...while the band plays on...and...on...and on... The Stranger - Grateful Dead/Pigpen song (07:36) Lyrics Via con Dios, mis amigas y amigos y todos otros tOM ******************************************** REGISTRATION/BIO INFO Spirituality of Accompaniment – Sisters of St. Joseph (brentwoodcsj.org) “It’s about LIVES…not SIDES…” “Spirituality of Accompaniment” Sat. 11/20/21 10:00 am-1:00 pm (virtual & in-person) Sr. Norma Pimentel has received numerous awards for her work in Texas with migrants along the U.S.-Mexican border and she can now add a new title to her list: one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world! She will be reflecting upon the Spirituality of Accompaniment as core to walking in solidarity with the other. “It’s about LIVES…not SIDES…” “People…not Politics…” To register-send info in flyer to: spirituality@csjbrentwood.org Virtual & In-Person: Sisters of St. Joseph / Bldg 4 La Providencia Center 1725 Brentwood Road Brentwood, NY 11717 Office: 631-273-1187, ext. 411 Due to the presence of many elderly sisters, registrants must provide proof of vaccination or a Covid-negative test result within 48 hours. As such, Eileen and I will be participating virtually. Sr Norma Pimentel: Reuniting Families Separated at the Border (02:18) Sr Norma Pimentel: Restoring Human Dignity at the U.S. Southern Border (TED 12:27) Sister Norma Pimentel on "Face the Nation," April 4, 2021 (06:59) Sr Norma Pimentel: A Beacon of Hope to the Refugees (12/29/20) (25:07) #music #immigration #migration #pilgrimage #RichardRohr #NormaPimentel #SistersOfStJoseph

TIME...Beginning with a 4-minute contemplative TIME OUT...we then ask...Who knows where the time goes...is it on our side...or running out... Contemplation in Politically Divisive Times (2020) - Richard Rohr (03:53) --at the end of the post is a longer interview on living in deep time PLAYLIST of all YouTube songs TIME Time Stand Still – Foreigner Time stand still I'm not looking back But I want to look around me now Time stand still See more of the people And the places that surround me Now Freeze this moment A little bit longer Make each sensation A little bit stronger Make each impression A little bit stronger Freeze this motion A little bit longer Grateful Dead - Wizard of OZ Mash Up, 'The Wheel' of OZ, 10/8/89 The wheel is turning and you can't slow down, You can't let go and you can't hold on, You can't go back and you can't stand still, If the thunder don't get you then the lightning will. Small wheel turn by the fire and rod, Big wheel turn by the grace of God, Every time that wheel turn 'round, Bound to cover just a little more ground. Chambers Brothers - Time Has Come Today - Time Covers 1968-1970 The Times They Are A Changin Bob Dylan @ the White House Live Time is on my Side – Rolling Stones Time – Pink Floyd Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day Fritter and waste the hours in an off hand way. Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town Waiting for someone or something to show you the way Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain. And you are young and life is long and there is time to kill today. And then one day you find ten years have got behind you. Time of the Season – The Zombies Who Knows Where the Time Goes – Judy Collins REMINDER: Rooooolllll…Backkkkkk…Dem…Clocks Rolling on a River – Creedence Clearwater Revival Don’t Bogart that Joint – Country Joe & the Fish Get Back - Beatles Get Back – Beatles (live rooftop video) Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - Chicago You Can’t Rush Your Healing - Trevor Hall Mama, well, she told me time is such a wonderful gift You're not running out You're really running in Confusion clouds the heart but it also points the way Quiet down the mind The more the song will play The Four Quartets – T.S. Eliot V What we call the beginning is often the end And to make and end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. And every phrase And sentence that is right (where every word is at home, Taking its place to support the others, The word neither diffident nor ostentatious, An easy commerce of the old and the new, The common word exact without vulgarity, The formal word precise but not pedantic, The complete consort dancing together) Every phrase and every sentence is an end and a beginning, Every poem an epitaph. And any action Is a step to the block, to the fire, down the sea's throat Or to an illegible stone: and that is where we start. We die with the dying: See, they depart, and we go with them. We are born with the dead: See, they return, and bring us with them. The moment of the rose and the moment of the yew-tree Are of equal duration. A people without history Is not redeemed from time, for history is a pattern Of timeless moments. So, while the light fails On a winter's afternoon, in a secluded chapel History is now and England. With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this Calling We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. Through the unknown, unremembered gate When the last of earth left to discover Is that which was the beginning; At the source of the longest river The voice of the hidden waterfall And the children in the apple-tree Not known, because not looked for But heard, half-heard, in the stillness Between two waves of the sea. Quick now, here, now, always-- A condition of complete simplicity (Costing not less than everything) And all shall be well and All manner of thing shall be well When the tongues of flames are in-folded Into the crowned knot of fire And the fire and the rose are one. How to Live in Deep Time - Richard Rohr (On Being Podcast) (48:46) #music #time #TSEliot

This is a very serious issue that needs to be exposed. People are dying: Some with cash or insurance are being overmedicated AND overcharged by the combined forces of Big Pharma...and Big Government...the new pushers... Those without either cash or insurance are being deprived of life-saving treatments because they have nothing with which to fatten the golden calves of profit That said, I'm starting off with an high powered dose of Satiricon WARNING: taken as directed...may cause serious side effects like awakened consciousness and political actions like taking back what they stole from us... Oxymoronic - NOFX (be sure to stay for the ending...of this song...not your life...not yet...) "I've been called an OxyMoron Because I question which drugs our war's on Why are there more drug stores than liquor stores you can score on..." Hippocratic Oath Profits instead of prophets... Of Bulls(hit) and Bears... Hypocritic oath... If you're tired of being overcharged...you're allowed to swear at this oath... For this oath, put your hands behind your back...and whistle a happy tune... Kansas Investigates Obscure but Powerful Part of the Drug Supply Chain: Pharmacy Middlemen (August 2021) Mounting evidence suggests the middlemen that claim to drive down drug prices actually contribute to Americans paying more than twice(link is external) what people do in other developed countries. Dr. Newman, MaD is not "worried"... Note: Your Rx is NOT a loss leader...you get had coming and going... "We got two...three... good eyes and we still can't see..." (Casey Jones - Grateful Dead) Let's join Grace and follow the rabbit...down the money trail... One pill makes you larger And one pill makes you small And the ones THE DOCTOR gives you Don't do anything at all (but feed the system) When the men IN the WHITE HOUSE Get up and tell you where to BUY When logic and proportion Have fallen sloppy dead USE your head USE your head Kathleen Rice Sides with Big Pharma! Rally tomorrow (Wed 9/22/21) at her Garden City office 11 AM 229 Seventh Street (just east of Franklin Avenue) Bring your signs, drug bills, and empty wallets...let's make our voices heard!!! This is about more than just prices...Read on... https://www.mobilize.us/ourrevolution/event/416172/ Rep. Kathleen Rice recently betrayed everyday New Yorkers who can’t afford the medicines they need to stay healthy and alive. She voted against including the “Lower Drug Costs Now Act” (HR 3) in the “Build Back Better” budget bill that Congress is currently developing. The mega-profitable drug corporations are fiercely opposing this bill. HR3 will dramatically lower drug costs for people in the US by directing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices with drug makers. (People in the US are charged up to three times more for our medicines than those in other advanced countries because their governments all negotiate prices and ours doesn’t.) HR3 will use the Medicare savings to add dental, vision, and hearing benefits to Medicare, and to lower the Medicare eligibility age. HR3 will also help to pay for other health care parts of President Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan, like expanding Medicaid to more low-income people, expanding home and community-based long-term care for seniors and people living with disabilities, making Affordable Care Act coverage more affordable to those who have to buy their own insurance, and strengthening the Child Health Insurance Program. All these ideas are very popular with New Yorkers, so why is Rep. Rice voting against them? Join us outside her office on Wednesday, September 22 at 11 am for a speak-out against high drug prices and to hear from people directly impacted by her decision. RSVP at link below... https://www.mobilize.us/ourrevolution/event/416172/ H.R.3 - Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act --full text and more Dems Flail Over Pharma Cash And Drug Pricing Vote Scott Peters, Kurt Schrader, and Kathleen Rice mount weak, incoherent responses trying to explain why they torpedoed a plan to let Medicare negotiate drug prices. From this expose ("Would you like waffle fries with your order?") Peters warned that if Democrats reject funds from corporate political action committees, companies will donate that money to Republicans instead. “I aim to win races and I'm totally in favor of changing the rules,” he said. “I will play the rules that apply, and when they change, I’ll play by those rules.” Read the rest of this piece...definitely uncovering a... ...Conflict of DISinterest Drug companies on verge of sinking longtime Democratic priority (9/20/21) The bill at the center of the fight, H.R. 3, would allow Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs by tying them to the lower prices paid by other high-income countries. The measure is projected to free up around $700 billion through the money it saves on drug purchases — covering a big chunk of the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending plan. The pharmaceutical industry spent $171 million on lobbying through the first half of the year, more than any other industry, to deploy nearly 1,500 lobbyists, according to money-in-politics watchdog OpenSecrets. That’s up from around $160 million at the same point last year, when the industry broke its own lobbying spending record. Peters announced his opposition to Pelosi’s drug pricing proposal in May and shortly after was showered with donations from pharmaceutical industry executives and lobbyists, STAT News reported. Peters is the No. 1 House recipient of pharmaceutical industry donations this year, bringing in $88,550 from pharmaceutical executives and PACs, according to OpenSecrets. Over his congressional career, Peters has received in excess of $860,000 from drugmakers, more than any other private industry. #music #politics #humor #drugs

This first of possibly several posts celebrating the hard-fought struggles of the American labor movement... "The marshal came to town His hat was pulled way down..." This post began a long time ago in a land far, far away... ...actually, a couple of hours ago...in the West...of Hempstead...precisely, West Hempstead... My saddle mate for many trail rides, Eileen, had selected "Silverado" for our evening's movie travels. She always picks amazing shows for our evening rituals and tonight's was no exception. Unlike those sagebrush tales from Zane the Grey... ...this one's from an ol timer with the moniker "Tom the White." "C'est moi, mon ami!" (more Franglais below) To state that the opening movie scene was epic would be an understatement. The music, the scenery, the scope...Magnificent 7 comes to mind. The cast...it'd be easier to list who ISN'T included...Even John Cleese...I'll get to him...The director includes among his themes - racism, the role of women in the West and other abuses of power. Silverado Trailer Heroes and villains...the line isn't always clear...which increases the suspense... One of director Kasdan's themes is the coopting of the law by those in power...said another way, it's the creation of a police state to keep law and order so the power elite can run things as they wish. Sound familiar??? Here's a humorous take on this age-old struggle for power. "Nobody's right if everybody's wrong" Nobody Right, Nobody Wrong - Michael Franti & Spearhead --powerful, haunting images of the damage done by our propensity for hate "Ain't no time to hate...barely time to wait..." "Some losing...some dying..." (See Bob Marley tune at end) By the movie's end, vigilante justice prevails...and at the cost of many lives...some innocent...some not...and Boot Hill gets a few more residents... Happy Trails... Dirty Business - New Riders of the Purple Sage This post's opening lyrics are from a song by the New Riders of the Purple Sage called "Dirty Business" and really captures the sense of Silverado. Well the marshal came to town And his hat was pulled way down He looked like he had business on his mind He didn't stop to say He just rode along his way 'Til he stopped in at the office of the mine Chorus: Dirty business, dirty business Dirty business down in Coal Creek Dirty business down in Coal Creek This morning Well, I make two bucks a day And that ain't a healthy pay My kids are just beginning to get sick There's talk been goin' round How they're gonna shut it down If the man don't come and fix things Pretty quick Chorus: [Instrumental Break] Pretty soon there was a crowd It was getting' pretty loud And the men all said there'd be no work today But the owner wouldn't budge He just sat there like a judge And he wouldn't give a nickel more in pay Chorus: Just then they heard the sound That rumbled from the ground And everyone was rushing for the door The dust came pouring out And it finally left no doubt That the mine was not at issue anymore Chorus: [Instrumental Break] Chorus: [Instrumental Break] Spoken: (?"And now)...house of wax" ... "and more" ..."thank you" Dirty Business - The New Riders of the Purple Sage --featuring Sheriff Jerome Garcia on steel pedal guitar and some vocals Back in my early concert years, NRPS would open for the Dead and the handoff from one band to the other wasn't abrupt...but rather meandering and transitional, like a river...one by one, the NRPS band members would float off the stage to be replaced by a Dead member...until the Grateful Dead were takin over the evening's fun and games...Cool... In the movie, Danny Glover's character - Mal - mentions that he was once in Chicago. One of his compadres asked how it was, to which Mal says "Pretty bad - I worked in a slaughter house." Save that thought...for it'll come up again in another Labor Day-related post... 16 Tons - A Tribute to Bitumen 16 Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford Big Boss Man - Grateful Dead Big boss man, can't you hear me when I call? Big boss man, can't you hear me when I call? You ain't so big, you just tall, that's just about all. You got me working boss man, a workin' around the clock, I want a little drink of whiskey, you sure won't let me stop. Big boss man, can't you hear me when I call? You ain't so big, you just tall, that's just about all. I'm gonna get me a boss man, one gonna treat me right, I work hard in the daytime, sure get drunk at night. You ain't so big, you just tall, that's just about all. Big Boss Man - Grateful Dead Extra-ordinary Features Have fun stormin the castle - from Princess Bride Sherrif of Rottingham - The bad news in a good way From Holy Grail to Holy Cow...Beware of gifts bearing Greeks...or Englishmen... The Monty Python and Holy Grail, The English meet the French castle - French subtitles Heroes and Villains (an imaginative version...I'm sure Brian would approve...) The previous video called up this next song - I first heard it done by the Grateful Dead... El Paso - Grateful Dead (live at Capitol Theater, Port Chester, NY) --this venue was a favorite hang out of the band and led to the opening of a restaurant called "Garcia's". It's still goin strong as a live music/Dead music joint. Here's the logo from their Facebook page. Just found this photo of Jerry at Woodstock on their page: Here's the original El Paso by Marty Robbins Friend of the Devil - Grateful Dead "Got two reasons why I cry away each lonely night The first one's named sweet Anne Marie and she's my hearts delight The second one is prison, babe, the sheriff's on my trail And if he catches up with me, I'll spend my life in jail" Happy Trails Happy Trails - Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Happy Trails - Van Halen Desert Linguistics What's the plural of cactus? My favorite... A Song for Unity to wrap this up...filmed in hotbeds of unrest around the globe..."We don't need no more trouble..." War/No More Trouble - Playing for Change with Bono #music #humor #movies #racism #NewRidersPurpleSage #GratefulDead #RoyRogers #DaleEvans #MartyRobbins #PlayingForChange #MontyPython #PrincessBride #RobinHoodMenInTights