Let Freedom Ring!

Posted on November 17, 2014 by simplygiselle

One thing to be said about living in Massachusetts, most of the time the bleeding heart’s win and sometimes they lose – and when they lose in a big way, I want to sing the National Anthem until everyone’s ears bleed!

The Board of Health in the sleepy little town of Westminster, MA (more trees and deer than people = sleepy) tried to ban tobacco in town. Apparently the Board members have not heard of the Boston Tea Party where people get mighty ticked when you mess with their rights as citizens.

Nearly 500 people packed a hearing at a local elementary school on Wednesday night held by the three members of the Board of Health. Passions ran high, and the hearing became so unruly that the board chairwoman could not maintain order; she shut down the hearing 20 minutes after it began.

The crowd started singing “God Bless America” in protest as the board members left under police protection. Angry residents circulated petitions demanding a recall election for the board members.

Tobacco is not illegal and trying to ban it from town, thereby forcing its tobacco users to buy in the adjacent town, simply takes money (and according to recent studies more than just a few pennies, try one third of their revenue on the whole!) out of the local retailer’s thinly lined pocket.

Roughly 15% of the town’s populations (as of last week) have signed a petition to stop the madness with only 17% of the townspeople admitting they use tobacco products. Even the town selectmen have voted unanimously to oppose the ban!

Here is what one towns person had to say:

“They’re just taking away everyday freedoms, little by little,” said Nate Johnson, 32, an egg farmer who also works in an auto body shop, as he stood outside the store last week. “This isn’t about tobacco, it’s about control,” he said.

Is it unhealthy? Science has proven it time and time again, yes it most certainly is. Is it proactive to try to keep the youth from lighting up and creating more health care financial burden on the future citizens? Yes, that is true too.

But the Board of Health has completely overstepped their boundaries and even stated that they have a moral obligation to try to stop the young people from smoking. Really? Since when? Is Westminster now a dictatorship with the Board of Health presiding?

I am not for tobacco products, I have my own vice; wine. And if I lived during prohibition times I would set up a speakeasy in my cellar, secret entrance word and all.

So to the smokers and townspeople in Westminster, MA I say – –

LET FREEDOM RING!

this is just one of the many articles you can find online about this subject but is being cited as to where I was fired up enough to write about it and lifted some of Ms. Seelye’s info. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/disgusted-by-smoking-outraged-by-a-plan-to-ban-tobacco/ar-BBejwhZ?ocid=mailsignout

Press 1 for English

Posted on November 7, 2014 by simplygiselle

Welcome to Venting Vendredi – pull up a seat…

At some point during this past week, I read a blog that addressed the American’s distain for having to press 1 for English. She was very accurate in pointing out the U.S. does not have an official language, that is 100% true.

So where does that leave us? Very frustrated.

I would hazard a guess that all the fuss and complaining about calling a company and being greeted by the prompt – press 1 for English -may have has something to do with the fact that the only other language presented in the prompt is Spanish – seems a little biased don’t you think?

If society wants us to believe that the U.S. is a melting pot (to co-exist, to welcome diversity) that should accommodate all races, than you have to actually accommodate them, otherwise it is prejudiced (some may say racist) resulting in (wait for it…) pissing off a whole lot of people. English is not the official language, nor is Spanish. The government, the companies, society, etc. do not have the right to cherry-pick two languages to represent the country as a whole.

Do the hundreds of thousands of people on the Mexican border, throughout southern California, parts of Florida and many other areas with a heavily populated Spanish/Latino culture justify Spanish as the second language choice? The northern border counts too. Drive through parts of Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire and you will see signs in both English and French. Visit the Ogunquit shore in the summer and you will be surrounded by both vacationers and residents speaking French.

What about Chinatown in Boston, New York, Chicago and elsewhere? They don’t count either?

THAT’S why people get pissed. Because offering only one other choice is insulting to all the other races and cultures in the country.

How can you accommodate all the other languages? How about using the dial pad to spell out the language you wish to use? Companies use this type of system all the time. “If you know the last name of the party you wish to be connected to, please dial the first four letters of their name…” There has to be more than just Rosetta that has multilingual software to help the caller get to a person to assist them.

Let’s get some smarty-pants MIT students on this pronto!

Tarot Focus: October 31st

Posted on October 31, 2014 by simplygiselle

This is a beautiful way to remember how insignificant we all are, to appreciate those who lived before us, and move forward into the new year unsullied.

Solitary Witchin: Life and Witchery in the 21st Century

Happy Samhain/Halloween, everyone! Today’s focus is on The High Priestess whom opens herself to the sky. She basks in the radiance the stars cast upon her. She soaks in that incandescent light, feeling it glow within her mind, in turn opening corridors and dancing into filigree patterns.

The stars chant:
We were here when the mountains were young
and the sea was only a dream…
we’ve seen the hills bloom with countless millions of seasons…
we’ve watched the clouds paint their visions
in a slow language across the centuries…
let us speak.

The High Priestess lifts her arms outward, and in that gesture, her very body becomes the living symbol of a chalice. The owl near her is a keeper of knowledge, and bears a key to unlock mysteries. The pomegranate is an icon of Persephone, who tasted the seeds and thus bound herself to Hades; it is a fruit…

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Five Little Pumpkins

Posted on October 31, 2014 by simplygiselle

Here is a little ditty I learned way back in grammar school:

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,

The First one said, Oh my it’s getting late!

The Second one said, There are witches in the air!

The Third one said, But we don’t care!

The Fourth one said, Let’s run and run and run!

The Fifth one said, It’s Halloween fun!

I have been singing this in my head since the beginning of October!

Over forty ::cough cough:: years later and one of my most wonderful memories. Loved that grammar school with all my heart!

Rose-colored Glasses

Posted on October 26, 2014 by simplygiselle

Let the ‘pink’ wash over you and just smile.. this is a beautiful post (I wish these words had come to me…)

Writing and Reflections

Subtle shades of pink

soften the edges

in a black and white world

Streaks of vibrant salmon

dance across stormy skies

in the midst of chaos

A rush of crimson

decorates chapped faces

in the coldest winter mornings

Cuddly carnation blankets

swathe crying babies

in the in-between hours of dusk and dawn

Sweet cherry Lifesavers

shared between young girls

in the gestures that comfort

Endless fields of poppies

celebrate the wonder of creation

in the face of sorrowful destruction

Rose-colored glasses

frame my endeavors

in all that I do

I live in a pink hued world

and leave the black and white

behind

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/local-color/

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Embrace the beautiful you

Posted on October 21, 2014 by simplygiselle

“The qualities I most admire in women are confidence and kindness.” Oscar de la Renta

With the passing of one of fashion’s biggest icons, Oscar de la Renta was quoted on the radio this am saying he used color and fashion to make women the most beautiful he could. Ah, the days of when men adored women, cherished them, just simply admire their beauty no matter what size, but just because they were beautiful and confident.

For hundreds of years painters and sculptures have taken the female form and held it up high for all to gaze upon and see how exquisite the shape of her face, the softness of her curves, the delicate falling of hair, a creature so complex yet so breath taking – yes women, this is you!

Unfortunately somewhere along the line in these last 75 years, some uptight women found that being revered equated to being ‘objectified’, and for a man, giving a simple compliment could result in laser beams shooting out of her eyes and setting him aflame only for her to give him the dust-buster and dump him into the trash.

Does a flower close its petals in protest not to stare at its shades, hues, and delicate nature? On the contrary, it seems to embrace its beauty even more, stand a little straighter, flow in the breeze a little easier, hold its dew a little longer… knowing it has made the admirer happy in their heart… for just simply being.

Bugs Bunny, my hero

Posted on October 10, 2014 by simplygiselle

After writing my last post and reading some of the replies, I started thinking of how much things have changed over the years. We touched upon rocks under swings, cuts/scrapes/bruises/stitches are a badge of courage, and the Big Wheel in all its glory leaving road rash for years. Let’s not forget the classics: climbing trees where chunks of wood are too big to be called slivers never mind losing footing and falling 6-8 feet to the ground knocking the wind out of you, or the timeless game of Red Rover calling your arch enemy of the playground to come over whilst taking a ‘clothesline’ to the breadbasket or if you were lucky enough with the timing actually get the kid across the throat to see both feet catch air… ah yes, good times.

Today however, I saw the ‘singing frog’ from Bugs Bunny (got a little peeved) and realized how much we really have dumb things down, wrapped the children in so many layers of bubble wrap and blankets, and handed out one too many ‘everyone is a winner’ trophies for t-ball resulting in the idea of being just a little daring, a moment of ‘what if I…’ is completely out of the question or at least very rare.

Bugs Bunny was, and will always be, an icon to me and many other children that grew up in that era. He was quick with his snarky remarks for any and all occasions, taught us about classical music, opera and ballet (whether you knew it or not), and made sure we laughed the cereal milk straight out of our nose, all while dodging anvils falling from the sky, a crazy hunter with a speech impediment, and a duck more daffy that your Aunt Ida.

As children, we ‘got it’. We knew that anvils would not fall from the sky. That if an airplane lost its engine airbrakes would not stop it from crashing into the ground. We knew stepping on a steel rake would indeed hit us in the head causing little birdies to fly circles around or worse a broken nose. And most importantly, he taught us how laughter can bring us to a happier place no matter how grim it may look.

After all, who isn’t just one wrong turn in Albuquerque away from trying to get to Pismo Beach?

here’s my beef today

Posted on October 9, 2014 by simplygiselle

I think I found the key to the 10-minute free write; read the news first and it will get you fired up with a good topic!

Several communities in the Washington State area have taken it upon themselves to start eliminating swing sets from the schools due to what they are saying is an ‘insurance’ issue. Seems that children are getting hurt on the swings by walking in front/behind while someone is actually swinging. Yes that’s the way it works and for some adult not to take the 30 seconds to explain it to you is where the crime lays.

Removing the swing doesn’t address the issue at hand. The issue at hand is that children are not being taught about consequences; cause and effect. Isn’t that what learning is about? Being shown right from wrong, the idea of learning to cope when your team loses, to get hit and shake it off? Since when do children haphazardly walk in front or behind a person on a swing without understanding they are going to be knocked on their bum or kicked in the head? An escapee toddler on the run, quite possibly, but after that first time accident or even before when first arriving on the playground, why is it not the first thing out of someone’s mouth; the do’s and don’ts? Are we as a society now too busy to teach the children? Too wrapped up on the phone or tablet or whatnot to actually pass down what was taught to us or what we learned along the way?

It is truly a sad state of affairs when swings are being removed and children will no longer feel the rush of the wind through their hair, the fleeting moment of zero gravity, and reaching for the clouds. What is next? No more playing tag because someone tripped on a blade of grass?