Thursday Challenge: Earth

Thursday Challenge: Hot

It's a hot, hot summer!

A Beautiful Dream

On one corner of Young Circle here in Hollywood stands a statue of Martin Luther King, Jr. Engraved below it is the speech delivered by Dr. King on August 28, 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The speech spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites would co-exist harmoniously as equals. It is considered to be one of the greatest and most notable speeches in human history.

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering justice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that American has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest - quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that the unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceious slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual"

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Watery Wednesday: One Sunny Day in Hollywood

Hollywood, FL.

First U.S. Woman on Antarctica

Edith Ronne was the first woman from the U.S. to set foot on the bottom of the world and the first woman in the world to be a working member of an Antarctic expedition. Her husband, U.S. Navy Capt. Finn Ronne commanded an expedition of Antarctica in 1947 and asked her to go with him. So she gave up her job as a State Department clerk to be him. Since her husband's English was sketchy (he was of Norwegian descent), Edith Ronne was tasked to write dispatches for the North American Newspaper Alliance, one of the expedition's sponsors.

They stayed for 15 months in Antarctica conducting aerial mapping sorties and geological investigations that included detecting the first known Antarctica earthquakes.

According to the Washington Post, Ronne's diary reflected the difficulties of living in a 12-f00t-square hut that also served as the expedition's base. She busied herself filing dispatches under her husband's name, recording scientific data, and visiting penguin colonies. Returning to civilization in 1948, Ronne vowed never to go back to Antarctica but she did twice after. In 1971, she and her husband (he died in 1980) became the first married couple to reach the South Pole. In 1995, she revisited the frozen continent and found the old hut where their group stayed.

When asked why she joined her husband, she replied, "I was in love with him. I would have done anything to support the expedition - even stay behind."

Edith Ronne, an American explorer of Antarctica and in whose honor the Ronne Ice Shelf was named after, died on June 14, 2009.

A 12-Point Cure for Complaining

Complaining is unbecoming of the true Christian and yet we are proficient at it. The cure is found in the following verses. In Christ we are never hopeless or forsaken. Every trial has meaning.

1. God commands me never to complain.

Do all things without complaining and disputing. Philippians 2: 14

2. God commands me to give thanks in every circumstance.

In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thess. 5: 18

3. God commands me to rejoice always, and especially in times of trial.

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials. James 1: 2

4. I always deserve much worse than what I am suffering now. In fact, I deserve hell.

Why should any living mortal, or any man, offer complaint in view of his sins? Lamentations 3:39

5. In light of the eternal happiness and glory that I will experience in heaven, this present trial is extremely brief and insignificant, even if it were to last a lifetime.

The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Rom. 8: 18

6. My suffering is far less than that which Christ suffered, and He did not complain.

Who when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when he suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. 1 Peter 2: 23

7. To complain is to say God is not just.

Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right ? Genesis 18: 25

8. Faith and prayer exclude complaining.

I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered from all my fears. Psalm 34: 4

9. This difficulty is being used by God for my good and it is foolish for me to complain against it.

And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8: 28

10. Those more faithful that I have suffered far worse than I, and did so without complaint.

....and others were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. All these having gained approval through their faith. Hebrew 11: 35-39

11. Complaining denies that God's grace is entirely sufficient.

My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12: 9

12. The greatest suffering, the worst trial or difficulty, can never rob me of that which is of greatest value to me and my greatest joy, namely the love of Chirst.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? Just as it is written, "For your sake we are killed all day long. We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lod. Romans 8: 35-39

Christian Communicators Worldwide.

Skywatch Friday: Fluffy Clouds

One sunny day at Hollywood Beach, FL

Thursday Challenge: Power

For this week's "Power" theme, I am posting four men of power:
Abraham Lincoln, George Bush, Barack Obama, and JFK.

All photos taken at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Las Vegas.

Watery Wednesday: Honolulu Zoo

Honolulu Zoo

Skywatch Friday: Sunrise, Sunset

Sunrise........

Hillsboro Shores, FL

Sunset.........

Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, HI

Sunrise...........

Mt. Haleakala, Maui, HI

Sunset........

Hollywood, FL

Sunrise, sunset

Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly fly the years

One season following another

Laden with happiness and tears

-Fiddler on the Roof

Thursday Challenge: Celebration

Hawai'i celebrates Memorial Day (2009)

To Achieve Your Dreams Remember Your ABC's

Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits.

Believe in yourself.

Consider things from every angle.

Don't give up, and don't give in.

Enjoy life today; yesterday is gone, and tomorrow may never come.

Family and Friends are hidden treasures: seek them and enjoy their riches.

Give more than you planned to give.

Hang on to your dreams.

Ignore those who try to discourage you.

Just do it!

Keep on trying- no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier.

Love yourself first and ost.

Make it happen.

Never lie, cheat or steal; always strike a fair deal.

Open your eyes, and see things as they really are.

Practice makes perfect.

Quitters never win, and winners never quit.

Read, study and learn about everything important in your life.

Stop procrastinating.

Take control of your own destiny.

Understand yourself in order to better understand others.

Visualize it.

Want it more than anything; accelerate your efforts.

You are unique- nothing can replace you.

Zero in on your target, and go for it!

Watery Wednesday: Mementoes of Oahu

Hawai'i will always be my paradise. Why ? Take a look at the pictures and you will say, "res ipsa loquitur."

Blogging as an Act of Treason

While reading this week's issue of my favorite magazine, The Week, I came across an article which may be of interest to my fellow bloggers. According to the article, 32-year old Yoani Sanchez is a blogger who has won numerous international awards for her blog chronicling her life in the Cuba. However, she has not been allowed to leave her country to accept the awards because the communist government classifies her as a "mercenaria" , which is an operative taking foreign payments to overthrow the government. Sanchez denies the charge insisting that she has never advocated any particular dogma. According to The Week, merely telling the world about daily life in Cuba can amount to an act of rebellion.

Recently, Sanchez wrote about the elevator which broke down in her building. She wrote, "the bureaucracy who bought the new machine in Russia skimped on the cables, assuming the old ones would work with the new lift." The result was "a horribly loud crash." Such detailed anecdotes exposed "the deficiencies and weaknesses" of the communist system better than any political protest could. The blogger may be politically neutral but her writings are "political dynamite."

Weekend Snapshot: Hollywood Boulevard Skyline

Shots I took from our balcony on Saturday night

weekend snapshot

Skywatch Friday: Just Another Stormy Afternoon

Watching the dark clouds gather one stormy afternoon

(shot taken from our balcony, Hollywood, FL)

Fourth of July Trivia

On July 4, the United States of America will be celebrating her Independence Day. Non-Americans, like myself, might find the following facts interesting:

Independence Day, or what is popular known as "Fourth of July" is a holiday commemorating the formal adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence. It was signed in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776 although the signing was not completed until August.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams made minor changes.

The holiday was first observed on July 8, 1776 in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was first read aloud.

The Liberty Bell was rung before it was read to the people of Philadelphia.

The Declaration of Independence stated that the thirteen colonies were free from Britain.

The Preamble stated that all men are created equal and that they have unalienable rights which include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Although the original handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence does not exist anymore, the first copy made of the original is on display, along with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, at the National Archives Rotunda in Washington, D.C.

The first and largest signature on the Declaration of Independence belongs to John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress.

Thursday Challenge: Male

My baby, Nathan Ray, carrying our punching bag

(photo taken in Bacolod City, Philippines)