The Red Hibiscus

Joan Baez to the people of Iran

2009-06-26T20:21:00.001-04:00

Do Not Forget

2009-06-26T09:02:00.000-04:00

Do not forget.

Do Not Forget

2009-06-26T06:42:00.001-04:00

. And here is the rest of it.

G8 countries call for end of violence

2009-06-26T06:34:00.000-04:00

TRIESTE, Italy—Foreign ministers from Group of Eight countries meeting in Italy are calling for the immediate end of violence in Iran and are calling on Tehran authorities to seek a peaceful solution.The officials gathering in Trieste have worked to smooth over differences among themselves and address Iran's violent crackdown on protesters following disputed elections.Italian Foreign Minister

How to survive an injury or homeopathy to the rescue

2009-05-03T05:07:00.006-04:00

So after the bitter pill of institutionalized medical "care," I began a regimen of self-healing. Seven days after the sprained ankle and broken foot bone, I recognized how to treat the injury.The cure was in a small white pellet accompanied by a clear gel. It was the common sense cure of rest. It was the sensible laying on of ice. It was the old time household remedy that comes in an ugly brown

Mining the Web

2009-05-03T04:33:00.002-04:00

Sharing a couple of useful writing links.Poets & Writers list of Literary MagazinesNCTE's National Gallery of WritingPurdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL)

The Cold Arms

2009-04-08T07:42:00.003-04:00

On the eve of the final day of Spring Break, I break my foot. I knew it was broken when it happened. Felt the tiniest crunch along with the eerie shredding of muscle. Body talks to mind and sometimes we listen. The ER doctor didn't look at my foot. Too impressed with the grandeur of his all black wardrobe, I guess. Maybe even a bit squeamish at the bloodied calf and foot. Who knows?There were

As Economy Changes, So Do Jobs

2009-03-07T06:44:00.005-05:00

This morning's NY Times carried a lead article on the "wrenching restructuring" of America's job banks. Quoting the latest unemployment figure of 8.1% or 651,000 job losses during February 2009, the Times made it clear: if you're looking for a new job, don't count on the old jobs.The article is filled with grim statistics but this quote from John E. Silvia, chief economist with Wachovia in

Lit Mags Looking

2009-02-20T04:11:00.001-05:00

Poets & Writers has updated its listing of literary magazines.

National Poetry Month

2009-02-07T15:32:00.003-05:00

ahhh poetry exhales. Out of its hot bellows an echo of old breath.

Just a muse

2009-02-01T05:38:00.002-05:00

I haven't put pen to paper in a month. Only three efforts at poetry writing since leaving the MFA program. I exist in this ambivalent state with an aversion to the forced discipline of the program, and a desire to keep a connection. So I read. Buy books and stack them according to preference. I have 29 books waiting.Most of these are poetry. A few books on poetics and one or two nonfiction.I

Passion for Gardening

2009-01-23T07:21:00.002-05:00

Good news for gardener-poets: Horticulture Magazine is blending poetry into its editorial content. Submissions are by email and poems about gardening or gardeners are accepted, open verse or formal, with a 42-line limit. The magazine's submission guidelines also include these extraordinary words: "will pay upon acceptance."

Inaugural Double Sestina

2009-01-21T06:41:00.009-05:00

Responding to a Double Sestina challenge on FB, here's my contribution, with snippets borrowed from "America the Beautiful."012009 I BlessedShe believes in the power of shape,red velvet in her hands, not the dark news.She wishes for a cause, something to careabout; she looks for a hero.She flushes at the sound of “Change,”an eager pink wells acrossher soft cheek; she waltzes acrossparty lines.

BOOK A POET NOW!

2009-01-18T10:58:00.006-05:00

A few months back, I was asked about the pros and cons of an unnamed poet who had invited himself as a speaker at my community college. "Could I recommend someone else?," was the question posed to me. Well, how many times has such a question been asked in Dean's meetings at community colleges and universities? How often is there a search for a poet for a local festival? Plenty of times, I figured

Surrealism ... Synchronicity

2009-01-17T10:39:00.009-05:00

Andre Breton in his first Manifesto of Surrealism (1924) is surely talking about synchronicity. He says: "Everything is valid when it comes to obtaining the desired suddenness from certain associations."Or maybe it's chaos theory, that seemingly random association that creates something of sense or something or of a sensory cohesiveness. Breton says: "If such and such a sentence of mine turns

Israel's Attacks - Indiscriminate,

2009-01-16T10:19:00.008-05:00

Even though repeatedly alerted by representatives from Human Rights Watch, Israeli forces continued bombardment of a U.N. compound in Gaza City. Its attacks on citizens who fled to the compound for safety, included bombs with white phosphorous, which is prohibited in populated areas. After the fact, Israel's Prime Minister apologized, and claimed that Israel had been attacked from the U.N.

Backgrounder on Hamas

2009-01-11T11:41:00.000-05:00

This site of the Council on Foreign Relations provides additional details on the evolution and composition of Hamas, its violence toward Israel and its varying popularity among Palestinians.

Understanding Hamas

2009-01-11T11:18:00.005-05:00

From news reports, one gets the impression that Hamas is some kind of grassroots, terrorist cadre that has infiltrated the towns and homes of Palestinians in the Gaza strip. That may be partly true. But this synopsis (and others to come) gives a somewhat fuller explanation and brief history of the political party, how it evolved and its interactions with Israel.It is terse and leaves out the many

One Perspective on Gaza

2009-01-10T22:25:00.002-05:00

I am, admittedly, not well versed on the historic conflict between Israel, Palestine and Hamas. Yet, it takes no historical analysis to understand bloodshed. There's nothing to interpret when a country bombarbs its neighbors' buildings, homes, mosques and kills living beings, citizens who are without protection. This is what Israel is doing to the people of Gaza. Am I am simplifying a complex

On Recuperation

2009-01-09T05:16:00.003-05:00

Two and a half years later. A recent trip thru the internet, I find old posts of mine. Searching with one intent, and like many internet voyages, arriving at a different destination. I discover in retrospect, the present: stultification and ossification. Though the discovery has been on a continuum. It's the shock of reading the old that reinforces the new. Recognize the passive drip of

The Times of Harvey Milk

2008-12-30T02:51:00.000-05:00

Watch the film here - now.

Issue 1 - The latest poetry poop

2008-12-28T08:07:00.011-05:00

I'm a little behind on the latest poetry poop. Does everyone know about Issue 1? It's a giant PDF file (3785 pages) generated by a computer algorithm to produce "poems" which are then assigned to a nearly corresponding number of real poets. The author of the "project" is unknown. It might be a fellow named Jim Carpenter but who knows? The identity might just as likely be a computer-generated

Writers Colonies

2008-12-26T10:14:00.002-05:00

How many poets out there have spent time at a writers colony or residency? Was it worthwhile? productive? Do you recommend it? Did you have a work underway at the time or were you in need of inspiration or a trigger to produce new work? I found a listing and have transferred them to my blog (over on the right).

Selflessness is Learned Behavior

2008-12-24T18:43:00.002-05:00

There's hope!Data from a study by a neuropsychologist at the U of Missouri supports a neuropsychological model that proposes spiritual experiences associated with selflessness are related to decreased activity in the right parietal lobe of the brain.The full story is at the Science Daily site. Here's an excerpt:This study, along with other recent neuroradiological studies of Buddhist meditators

Tennessee Oil Spill 30x Worse than Exxon Valdez

2008-12-24T18:37:00.004-05:00

A Tennessee Valley Authority employee surveyed a home on Tuesday after the release of sludge from a power plant.See the NY Times article for an overview.

Day Seven

2008-12-19T21:12:00.000-05:00

The long program is winding down. Final Residency at Antioch. Tonight in this box of a hotel room, energy is turning into inertia. The muscle cramp in my left shoulder is a loud scream. The adobe flats cheap print above the desk is running down the cheap wallpapered wall. O. The good things: two new books (First Cities, Hacker & School of the Arts, Doty); Rob Montoya's excellent workshop on the

L.A. Live

2008-12-19T07:27:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles from Mt. Wilson. That's smog, not fog.

Mumbai Voices

2008-11-30T11:05:00.012-05:00

Here is the world, compliments of the Internet.Listen as MARK ABEL, a British lawyer who was trapped in the Oberoi Hotel, describe his ordeal, and praises the Indian authorities and staff at the hotel: "They've been incredibly good and kind. They are a credit to their country."Read Arun Shanbhag's blog, as he describes life resuming in Mumbai: the determined re-opening of the Leopold Cafe, just

BAP Inaugural Ode Challenge

2008-11-29T20:14:00.007-05:00

BAP is hosting an Inaugural Ode Challenge. Particulars follow. The Third Annual Best American Poetry Poem Challenge THE CHALLENGE: Write an Inaugural OdeWrite an inaugural ode, suitable for reading aloud on January 20, 2009. It must consist of sixteen lines broken into four quatrains, rhyme scheme optional. The ode must include one line lifted from a poem in The Best

Vastness of Mumbai

2008-11-29T06:26:00.009-05:00

These past few days, the terror in Mumbai has been in my livingroom. It's come to me in a rush of voices, sounds and scenes. There was no escaping the immediacy of the ruthless terror. And there should be no escape. As a person of the world who honors life, my heart is with the people of Mumbai.For anyone who ever doubted the power of the internet, let that doubt float away. It is what joins all

Shot of the Day

2008-11-17T08:06:00.006-05:00

Iraqi police and a U.S. soldier dance in Baghdad after the Iraqi Cabinet approved a proposal for a complete pull out of US troops by 2011... . The story (and photo) ran in today's NY Times.

Poet on the Mountaintop

2008-11-12T07:03:00.002-05:00

Chen Zhou [Shen Chou] 1427-1509 Ming Dynasty "Poet on a Mountain Top," album leaf mounted as a hand scroll. Ink on paper or ink and light colour on paper. In The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Mo., U.S. 38.7 60.2 cm. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri; purchase: Nelson Trust (46–51/2)From the Classical Chinese Paintings website.

White Horse painting

2008-11-12T06:57:00.005-05:00

White-night Horse by Han Gan. Ink on paper. Inscription is a poem written by Emperor Ch'ien-lung in 1746. From Classical Chinese Paintings.

It's a New Day!

2008-11-11T08:04:00.007-05:00

I woke up this morning feeling brand new... EXACTLY! I cannot stop my joy at what has happened in America!I picked up this video from Susan Bright's Earth Family Alpha blog, where her global celebration will have you singing! In addition to the video, there's a reproduction of historic front pages from newspapers around the world. Wonderful! And thanks Susan for sharing the joy.

The Numbers

2008-11-05T07:38:00.005-05:00

Taking a micro look at this historic election: in the city where I live, an area that is the largest in the state due to consolidation; a mixture of bungalow neighborhoods, chic beach houses, day laborers, insurance sales, high tech development; an area that hosts a law school, two universities, an octopus of a community college; here in this mix of Georgia immigrants and Northern transplants and

"CHANGE HAS COME TO AMERICA!"

2008-11-05T06:27:00.005-05:00

WE HAVE ELECTED OBAMA!! --- CHANGE IS HERE. VIEW HIS VICTORY SPEECH. Here is the video and transcript of his victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park in front of nearly a quarter of a million joyous Americans: http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/speeches/obama-victory-speech.html.

from Adrienne Rich:

2008-11-02T01:53:00.001-04:00

We are, I am, you areby cowardice or couragethe ones who find our wayback to this scenecarrying a knife, a cameraa book of mythsin whichour names do not appear.excerpt from DIVING INTO THE WRECK, 1973

Vote Early In Florida

2008-10-30T06:10:00.006-04:00

Gov. Charlie Crist extended the hours of the early voting in Florida as an overwhelming number of voters took advantage of early voting. As of yesterday, the turn-out was estimated at ten percent of the voting populace according to a Miami Herald newspaper report. Crist's emergency order yesterday extended early voting to 12 hours a day and included 12 hours on the weekend.To find your early

The Numbers

2008-10-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

The numbers: The AP polling shows Obama leading in Ohio (7 percentage points), Nevada (12 points), Colorado (9) and Virginia (7), all states won by Bush that collectively offer 47 electoral votes.In Pennsylvania, with 21 electoral votes, and New Hampshire, with four, Obama leads by double digits, the AP reports. In Missouri, McCain is still in the lead 50-48 percent, with independent Ralph Nader

THE VIDEO EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT

2008-10-30T05:56:00.003-04:00

WE ARE THE ONES - see it here: http://wearetheones.dipdive.com/

Palast - Steal Back Your Vote

2008-10-25T07:04:00.001-04:00

The Truth about ACORN

2008-10-25T06:55:00.000-04:00

The Literature on Brain Injury

2008-10-24T08:28:00.004-04:00

In my previous post, I reprinted a comment by a woman who brought up the likelihood of McCain's volatility as a result of his combat and POW torture. Long term symptoms include: PTSD, intrusive memories, nightmares, increased vigilance, problems with memory and concentration and panic attacks.Now you decide: Is John McCain fit for the Presidency? Could it be that the very thing McCain supporters

Brain Injury and McCain

2008-10-24T08:21:00.005-04:00

I read a very interesting comment on a blog just now, in which the writer warned of the psychological effects of repetitive concussions (head injuries) on John McCain. Here is the comment in full: ann wilson (Oregon Thinking Woman ) wrote: This is just another clear example of the "erratic" and dishonest McCain we keep hearing about--the one that pulled Sarah Palin out of a rabbit's hat and

NY Times Backs Obama

2008-10-24T07:09:00.004-04:00

The editors of the NY Times wrote a strong endorsement for Barack Obama today, concluding that:The nation’s problems are simply too grave to be reduced to slashing “robo-calls” and negative ads. This country needs sensible leadership, compassionate leadership, honest leadership and strong leadership. Barack Obama has shown that he has all of those qualities.The paper also rebuked McCain for his

Celebrate a find!

2008-10-21T22:08:00.004-04:00

I came across A Celebration of Women Writers in a Google search for Madame Bianchi (right), the niece of Emily Dickinson.Lo, I not only found a Dickinson poem, I found Bianchi's entire collection of The Single Hound as well as a link to her Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson - all online and available for reproduction.How is this possible? A Celebration of Women Writers is a cooperative effort

Meanwhile....the beauty queen speaks

2008-10-20T20:29:00.004-04:00

AK Gov. Sarah Palin, in an interview on the Christian Broadcasting Network, again emphasizes her stand against same sex unions. Saying that she had voted ten years ago for an Alaskan state amendment banning same sex marriage, McCain's running mate endorsed a Constitutional amendment making marriage a union between a male and a female.In doing so, Palin broke with McCain, who has opposed such a

LIVE FROM NEW YORK...

2008-10-20T19:59:00.002-04:00

The sideshow continues....

Colin Powell Endorses Obama

2008-10-20T08:26:00.004-04:00

Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State, made a convincing argument for his endorsement of Barack Obama for President during his televised Meet the Press interview yesterday. Powell, a former general and secretary of state, who directed the first Iraq war, called Obama a "transformational figure," ready to assume the Presidency. He also criticized the divisive "approach" of McCain and his

McCain's Negative Attacks Backfire Says New Poll

2008-10-15T07:12:00.004-04:00

People are fed up with the negativity of McCain's campaign, according to results of the just released New York Times/CBS News poll (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/us/politics/15poll.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin).Among the results of the poll:Six in 10 voters surveyed said that Mr. McCain had spent more time attacking Mr. Obama than explaining what he would do as president; by about the same

Some Part of the Lyric

2008-09-14T18:57:00.003-04:00

Ars poetica: that was one of the several ideas for my graduating lecture. I spent time researching the subject before deciding on something different. Along the way, I found a number of poems. Here's one that I wrote out in my journal and tried memorizing.SOME PART OF THE LYRICby Gregory OrrSome part of the lyric wants to excludethe world with all its chaos and griefand so conceives shapes (a

The Prose Path

2008-09-09T06:51:00.008-04:00

In the middle of my final semester toward the MFA. I've veered off track, preferring prose. Reading poetry, writing about poetry without interruption for over two years is affecting my cognition in some subtle way. So I indulge in a bit of prose just to recapture the fully developed line and the complete arc of writing, what might be called the dullness of prose. By that I mean the scale of

Pondering McCain

2008-09-05T07:53:00.003-04:00

I listened to John McCain give his speech last night at the Republican convention in St. Paul. It's given me a curious case of ambivalence. How can I turn away from a man who says: "I hate war"? This is perhaps the only ideological stance that we agree upon. But his pronouncement was solid, so unmistakably genuine, that I had to pause and wonder about the man. I have no doubts about the

Here comes Hanna

2008-09-01T15:26:00.002-04:00

Why am I fixated on the weather? Because it is exciting, treacherous, unpredictable, full of potential.Anyway, Hanna grew up and the flybys say it's now a hurricane.The projected path is heading toward North Florida (see next map).By midweek, I'll test the accuracy of that path.

Palin with her fresh kill

2008-08-31T19:32:00.004-04:00

And her stuffed kill:From the governor's gallery of photos.

Gustav (and don't forget Hanna)

2008-08-31T14:38:00.005-04:00

Brace for the worst. Gustav heading up the Gulf, Hanna spuming in the Atlantic -- does not bode well.MORE PICTURES...recent views from various sources:

McCain's Bane?

2008-08-31T10:40:00.011-04:00

The longer I think about it, the less well this selection sits with me.... If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat away from the presidency? David Frum of the National ReviewWhat was McCain thinking? His choice of AK Governor Sarah Palin as the presumptive Republican nominee for Vice President seems less a

Palin interviewed about charges of abuse of power

2008-08-31T09:57:00.002-04:00

CNBC interview of Gov. Palin about her firing of a cabinet member as well as whether it was connected with the member's refusal to fire her former brother-in-law. Palin also responds to a question of the possible VP nomination by asking "What exactly does a VP do everyday?," saying she wants to make sure the VP job is "fruitful" for Alaska.

Big Eyes in the Sky

2008-08-30T07:16:00.006-04:00

and on land and sea. The GOS or Global Observing System, as nefarious as it sounds, is a coordinated system of the World Meteorological Association. It uses an array of surface-based, sea-based and outer space satellites to track, measure and predict inclement weather.Charter members of GOS include (in alpha order with date of membership):Belarus 12 Apr 1948Hong Kong 14 Dec 1948Iceland 16 Jan

Unwholesome Mold

2008-08-30T06:54:00.005-04:00

One of the more insidious results of a visiting storm is mold.Molds are fungi that predate the human species. The fungus reproduces by spores and the spores seep and creep into porous surfaces including wet carpets, wood floors and human lungs.These tropic loving spores find a haven in warm, damp places and cheer on flood waters, backed up drainage, standing water and leaking roofs.The CDC

Naming the Storms

2008-08-30T05:38:00.020-04:00

About 55 years ago, the World Meteorological Organization did away with the latitude-longitude ID system of hurricanes. The group followed the practice of assigning the storms a female name, in the fashion of vessel-naming, and as a by product of the stereotypical trait of unpredictability assigned to women. In 1979, the organization took a leap forward and de-womanized the hurricanes by

The world is too much with us

2008-08-29T18:46:00.002-04:00

It's not panic, not anxiety or the rush for breath. It's seeing the figure after gazing too long at the foreground.It's relief. Remembering. Awakening. Seeing the bonds that crisscross, that strangle voice and seem to forbid movement. Nothing is forbidden.It's head down in the muck, swallowing the muck, stuck in the muck. And way over there, the sun.

Nonsense and all that jazz

2008-08-26T23:50:00.004-04:00

Nonsense, it was all nonsense: this whole damned outfit, with its committees, its conferences, its eternal talk, talk, talk, was a great con trick; it was a mechanism to earn a few hundred men and women incredible sums of money. - Doris LessingDuring times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.- George OrwellOne cannot walk through an assembly factory and not feel

Chess is like that, too

2008-08-26T21:40:00.004-04:00

I don't have the brain for strategizing.I've been playing chess against the computer.20 games, 20 losses.When I make a spirited move toward attack, I go blindly and lose a valuable piece - my tough rook or the crafty horse or catastrophically, my Queen. I go barreling in with my sights on wiping out a lesser piece and neglect to see the dark figure lurking, that innocent-looking pawn waiting for

Kay Ryan

2008-08-21T22:33:00.004-04:00

Poet Laureate.from Time Magazine:She has kept herself at a remove from the poetry community and has happily taught remedial English at the College of Marin in Kentfield, Calif., for nearly 30 years. "It was mainly second-language students and students who lost their way in school," Ryan says. "They wanted something that I could help them get: an understanding of the basic elements of grammar,

Wind Gusts & Rain Bands

2008-08-21T19:32:00.003-04:00

I know all about those terms. Fay has inched its way up the coast and has delivered a fistful of wind and steady rain - treetops bending, thick branches ripping off and landing on the sodden lawn, sprays of rain shooting diagonally. Dramatic - I stand on my front porch and feel like I'm on the set of "The Perfect Storm," except it's real. I wonder how the birds hang on. This morning, I heard and

Fay coming this way

2008-08-20T00:47:00.006-04:00

Here's an image of Fay as of late Tuesday evening.Keeping my fingers crossed. But just the same, I stocked up on water and batteries this afternoon. I figure North Florida has been spared one too many times. We're under an official hurricane watch & the public schools have announced closures for the next two days. I'll find out tomorrow if the community college will take the same action.

Anonymity

2008-08-08T11:36:00.005-04:00

There's a call for submissions posted for a lit mag called The New Anonymous, "a print journal whose contributors and editors will remain forever nameless." The stated intention is to serve as a "safehouse" where writers can "question the creative process but also, ... 'play'."Now I just don't get this pride in anonymity. Am I in deep space or totally out of the conversation or do any other

More LA sights

2008-08-08T10:15:00.021-04:00

Sight exiting the Travelodge LAXOn the 405, heading to Downtown Culver City. Happy Cat in the center of Downtown Culver City. I'm no film buff. Is this from the Oz?The Culver HotelBack to Holy Cross Cemetery....

LA from FLA

2008-08-06T09:03:00.022-04:00

I returned from my third Residency at Antioch University in Los Angeles not quite two months ago. While there, I did a little exploring, this time not lost but deliberately driving. Here are a few images from my explorations.One of the most intriguing sights from the windows of the AULA campus is Holy Cross Cemetery, a huge expanse of rolling green, topped with a triptych-style mortuary and

The irony of it all!

2008-08-06T08:41:00.002-04:00

The web has its own dynamics of strangeness: locking us out, when we forget the passwords we invented to keep us "safe."I started my first Red Hibiscus blog here in 2004. Then, when my memory and my computer's password keeper failed, I was removed from my own internet cottage, and forced to recreate the Red Hibiscus blog here. I kept a new home, added furnishings, and then - yes! - the password,

Mining the Blog Universe

2008-08-06T08:11:00.005-04:00

Since originality is in absentia with me right now, I'm collecting some finds from the blog universe, starting with favorite picks from this Week's WomPo (Women's Poetry listserv) Blog Digest. Erika Dreifus at Practicing Writing provided a link to an archive of women's journals kept at the University of Wisconsin. Lots of good finds that include all genres and a huge variety of publications.Anny

Remembering the important things

2008-07-02T23:13:00.001-04:00

A reminder from Mary Oliver.