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Stairs 02 Originally uploaded by bmitd67 . I designed it to be an art deco kinda thing.

Johnny Cash Grafitti Originally uploaded by bmitd67 . This is a bldg in downtown Nashville. It's had this grafitti for quite awhile.

and in chaos My heart goes out to all the folks struggling in NOLA, one of my favorite places on the planet. I know people there and I know how tough it can be (I was there during Andrew) and apparently this is much worse. Good luck to the uptowners and the downtowners and the NO Eastsiders and the Metarie people etc.

1521 - Cortés captured Tenochtitlan , Mexico and set it on fire 1823 - Ferdinand VII was restored to the throne of Spain (Battle of Trocadero) 1836 - Henry Bliar patented his cotton planter. 1842 - Josephine Ruffin born 1870 - Maria Montessori born 1879 - Livingstone College founded 1885 - Dubose Heyward born 1887 - Thomas Montgomery Gregory born 1907 - Augustus "Gus" Hawkins born 1935 - Eldridge Cleaver born 1935 - Frank Robinson born 1936 - Marva Collins born 1945 - Itzhak Perlman born 1945 - Van Morrison born 1955 - The beaten and mutilated remains of Emmitt Till was discovered in the Tallahatchie River 1960 - Chris Whitley born 1961 - A concrete wall replaced the barbed wire fence that separated East and West Germany, it will be called the Berlin Wall . 1962 - Trinidad-Tobago proclaimed independent 1979 - Donald McHenry named to succeed Andrew Young as UN Ambassador 1983 - Brig. Gen. Hazel Johnson (the first African-American woman to reac...

What is meant by nonduality, Mahatmi? It means that light and shade, long and short, black and white, can only be experienced in relation to each other; light is not independent of shade, nor black of white. There are no opposites, only relationships. In the same way, nirvana and the ordinary world of suffering are not two things but related to each other. There is no nirvana except where the world of suffering is; there is no world of suffering apart from nirvana. For existence is not mutually exclusive. Lankavatara Sutra

Well. The renovations are done and the piper must be paid. To get all these renovations done I took out a home equity loan. No big deal except the renovations have now cost more than the loan. Not a huge deal b/c I can probably bump up the loan amt, we'll see. It's nervewrecking since I also unemployed. With all of this in mind and my AMZ Music severance pay almost gone - it lasted about 50% of the time it was supposed to, of course, I did go on a honeymoon within weeks of leaving the company - Tara and I had our first budgeting talk and it went better than I expected. Like everything else Tara is organized like a mug when it comes to finance. There is no gray area, you do things by the book, you read and follow the fine print, etc. She's also quite miserly on some things, using coupons, waiting 10 days for a new movie so she can use a coupon, etc. I - as we all know - am not like that. I keep a balance on my credit card, although I go through very diligent periods, they ar...

30 B.C. - Cleopatra committed suicide. 1645 - American Indians and the Dutch made a peace treaty at New Amsterdam . 1682 - William Penn sailed from England 1797 - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley born 1800 - The 40,000 slave revolt planned by Gabriel Prosser to attack Richmond, VA was delayed by a storm & betrayed by a slave. 1838 - The first African-American magazine, Mirror of Freedom (?), began publication 1843 - Blacks participated in a national political convention for the first time at Liberty Party National Convention 1852 - Henrietta Ray born 1854 - John C. Fremont issued proclamation ( Fremont Proclamation ) freeing slaves of Missouri rebels. 1856 - More than 300 pro-slavery activists attack John Brown 's settlement in Osawatomie, KS . 1870 - Robert Abbott born 1881 - W.S. Campbell patented self-setting animal trap 1893 - Huey P. Long born 1901 - Roy Wilkins born 1904 - CPT. Michael Augustine Healy (model for Jack London 's novel The Sea Wolf ) died 19...

Hall of Fame 'Can't Stop Loving' Ray Charles an exhibit to open March 10 for a 21-month run at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

As a non-church going , Confirmed Episcopalian, I sometimes can't help but being proud of us... Episcopal Church Blasts Plan to Set Aside U.N. Poverty Goals

1533 - The Inca chief Atahualpa was executed by orders of Francisco Pizarro 1632 - John Locke ( An Essay Concerning Human Understanding ) born 1778 - The First Rhode Island defeated three assaults by British troops at the battle of Rhode Island ( Newport ). 1793 - Slavery was abolished in Santo Domingo . 1809 - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. born 1817 - The Philanthropist , the first abolitionist newspaper, was published by Charles Osborn 1894 - E. Franklin Frazier born 1910 - Vivien Theodore Thomas born 1915 - Ingrid Bergman born 1917 - Isabelle Sanford born 1920 - Charlie Parker born 1924 - Dinah Washington (Ruth Lee Jones) born 1957 - Senator Strom Thurmond (South Carolina) set a filibuster record in the U.S. when he spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes. 1957 - Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 , the first federal civil rights legislation since 1875. 1958 - Michael Jackson born 1962 - Mal Goode became the first African-American television news commentator when he...

The greatest support we can have is mindfulness, which means being totally present in each moment. If the mind remains centered, it cannot make up stories about the injustice of the world or one's friends, or about one's desires or sorrows. All these stories could fill many volumes, but when we are mindful such verbalizations stop. Being mindful means being fully absorbed in the moment, leaving no room for anything else. We are filled with the momentary happening, whatever it is--standing or sitting or lying down, feeling pleasure or pain--and we maintain a nonjudgmental awareness, a "just knowing." Ayya Khema, " Be an Island "

Last night we hosted our first "get together" and it was a smashing success! Tara's birthday is 8/1 and lacking no ego she believes she can celebrate her b-day all month. Because of all the construction and school starting and whatnot this was the first (and last) chance for her to have a birthday celebration. We had about 15 people come over for snacks and sangria. Tara wanted it to be a game night but that didn't work out because everybody was having such a good time hanging out. We had a fruit plate (cut & arranged by yours truly) and a veggie plate. We had chips, dip, salsa & guac all prepared by Tara (actually the salsa was mine). We had a cheese tray that included my favorite Manchego and we had my version of Sangria, which was the absolute bomb! Lastly, we had 2 cakes, a carrot cake for Tara, made by her Mom and a Choc/choc cake made by Sweet 16th . Tara gave docent guided tours of the house, doing her best to explain how we decorated using Feng Shui...

This itself is the whole of the journey, opening your heart to that which is lovely. Because of their feeling for the lovely, beings who are afraid of birth and death, aging and decaying, are freed from their fear. This is the way you must train yourself: I will become your friend and an intimate of the lovely. To do this I must closely observe and embrace all states of mind that are good. Samyutta Nikaya

In a story published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Friday, Wilson said doctors told him he has three to five months to live. Wilson's Cancer Diagnosis Saddens Theater World

Yeah, that little boy (Maddox) is gonna have a complex...he'll be saying: "You're cute and I like you but you're just not as sexy as my Mom!"

5 years ago yesterday Allen Woody died. Allen Woody was the only rock star I can really say I knew, and for a music geek like me, that puts him in a special place. I mean, I know other star quality musicians but Woody and I were real acquaintances, I'd like to say friend but I don't think that's honest. It started when he was first hired for the Allmans back in 89/90. I was working at a Turtle's Record Store in Donelson, near Woody's home. He and his dad came into the store. I remember the first time I tried to help Allen, he asked for Mahavishnu Orchestra and I had no clue what he was talking about. Fast forward to 96 when I became a taper. I was a whore for Gov't Mule . I drove from Maryland to New Orleans to Southern Illinois to Columbus, OH to see this band play and it was during this period that I got to know the entire organization. At this time they were very much a cult band, drawing a few hundred on a good night, and I was deep in the cult. As a ta...

55 B.C. - Britain was invaded by Roman forces under Julius Caesar . 1017 - Turks defeated the Byzantine army under Emperor Romanus IV at Manzikert 1429 - Joan of Arc made a triumphant entry into Paris 1789 - The Constituent Assembly in Versailles, France approved the final version of the Declaration of Human Rights 1838 - John Wilkes Booth born 1847 - Liberia was proclaimed as an independent republic. 1867 - Robert Russa Moton born 1874 - Sixteen Blacks lynched in Tennessee 1900 - Hale A. Woodruff born 1902 - James A. "Jimmy" Rushing born 1905 - George Washington , founder of the town of Centerville (later Centralia), WA died 1918 - Katherine G. Johnson born 1920 The 19th Amendment was ratified 1925 - Robert H. Colescott born 1939 - The first televised major league baseball games (a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers ) were shown 1943 - William Dawson elected VP candidate (Democratic Party) 1946(?) - Valerie Simpson Ashford b...

The whole world we travel with our thoughts, Finding nowhere anyone as precious as one's own self. Since each and every person is so precious to themselves Let the self-respecting harm no other being. Samyutta Nikaya

George Weah has started his campaign to become the next president of a country ruined by 14 years of war. George sent me this last week and I forgot about it. I don't know much about the current state in Liberia but Weah is starting with simple concepts that will surely help him win votes...being a superstar doesn't hurt either...ask Arnold .

The last contractor left my house at 5:30 today! The only thing left is touch up paint and those guys will be here Monday... 7months and a small house note later... Thank you!