IronDove

Harriet Miers withdrew this morning as a nominee for the Supreme Court, and I think that is a very good thing. The fact that she was unwilling to be open and let Americans know who she is and what she is about is not in the best interest of this country. This is a government of the people and by the people, and if you are not willing to tell us who you are you just don't belong in that position.

Rosa Parks is an American Hero. A woman who quietly, peacefully, guided public consciousness towards racial equality. To me she is a courageous and inspirational role model. A woman who refused to be marginalized or acquiesce to demeaning treatment. We as a society have come a long way in 50 years, but we have a long way to go. Like Rosa Parks, the champions of our future will be Women.

When the weather is really lousy you might find yourself, as I did today, looking through stuff. Piles of things you've been meaning to get to but just haven't had the time. Those little pieces of thought, the sketches of dreams, profound thoughts written on a scrap of paper or a poem stuffed into a folder. Little bits of dream matter...what to make of them, and do they matter?

It's so hard when you come home with a newborn. My first baby was so colicky that she cried for four months straight. I couldn't even imagine a peaceful, happy, contented baby. But one night she stopped crying. She stopped just for a couple of minutes, and I told myself "remember this moment, remember this time" I really locked it in my mind. I hardly remember anything else about her being a newborn but that moment, that sweet moment is mine forever...

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the poorest places on earth. Twenty thousand people a day die there of thirst and starvation. One amazing woman has identified a real workable sustainable solution. She identified that 80 percent of the farmers in Africa are women, and mobalized them to plant trees. Women are the caretakers and the keepers of the womb of humanity, the womb of humanity is the Earth

Scientific American's September 2005 Special Issue has an amazing article by Jeffrey Sachs, the Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and a member of the United Nations Millenium Project. This Project's goal is to half extreme poverty by the year 2015.

Another day and another young mother is found beaten to death, a victim of domestic violence. This 24 year old woman left a toddler and a four month old infant orphaned. Maybe it's time to think about marriage like driving a car. You take a course and a written test so Marriages don't have to crash and burn. Then people might know how to get off the road of marriage with out violence.

In my continuing effort to dialog with people from around the world, I am pleased to feature "Josh In Japan". Josh is on active duty with the US Navy and also runs a top rated podcast all about Japan. Join me in an enlightening conversation and a really informative perspective from Josh, about Japan, and what it's like for an American immersed in the local culture in The Land of the Rising Sun.

Another week and again the age old question... What's for dinner? For me, and most mom's it's the 'Dilemma of my Life'. If you ask kids what they want they'll tell you cake. But you can't give them cake. I'm out of ideas. Today I tried something new. How did it go you might ask? Well,I'm onto dinner number two today. It's been that kind of Monday.

What is the meaning of life? Were we created by God? Who's in charge? Who knows, but 88% of Americans believe in some kind of spiritual answer. People go through lots of very difficult and painful things and at some point you realize that we are all in this together, we are all one. Take time to be informed, to understand the Spiritual practices of others.

Stress, it makes your neck hurt, your mind dull and your day distracted. Most of the time we stress about things we have no control of. Here in New York we are always on Terror Alert. People are wigged out. The Mayor gets on TV and says stupid things. How do we deal? We listen to our Pod of course.

It has been reported that the talk around the Pentagon and in the halls of Congress is 'What to do about the Army's low enlistment figures for 2005?'. It seems that this year's recruiting shortfall is in the range of 7,000 to 10,000 soldiers. In response they have resorted to some very unusual and quite frankly stupid measures to fill their ranks with bodies.

Today is Columbus Day. Our Nation's Capital, the District of Columbia, was named for Columbus. Unfortunately, although our children's school books glorify him as the one who discovered America, he was far from a hero. Columbus was actually a creep. A slave trader and murderous conquer. Why would this government honor him with a Federal Holiday? Surely there are many throughout history who deserve this recognition. He is not one of those persons.

27 Year old Malalai Joya was elected to Parliament in Afghanistan. She is an outspoken opponent of the powerful Warlords in that country. As we, the US continue to assist this country to build a democratic government, we have helped them write into their official documentation a requirement that 25 percent of the parliamentary seats will be reserved for women. Why not here in the USA?

Apples have been associated with love, health, and a great deal of mythology over the years. Sir Isaac Newton, Aphrodite, Avalon and Hippocrates all share apple lore. There are over 7500 different varieties and almost as many stories. There's nothing like biting into an apple right off the tree. In honor of Rosh Hashanah my family and I went apple picking.