So on this gray upstate New York winter day I wanted to share two positive American posts. Who would have thought Lady Gaga would be one of them? She did an amazing job with the National anthem at the Super Bowl, didn’t she? Having her hand over her heart, singing all the words correctly in a traditional style, and ending with “God Bless America!” “You go girl! ”
Young women at a Bernie Sanders rally in Nashua, N.H., on Monday. Credit Todd Heisler/The New York Times
WASHINGTON — THE Clinton campaign is shellshocked over the wholesale rejection of Hillary by young women, younger versions of herself who do not relate to her.
Hillary’s coronation was predicated on a conviction that has just gone up in smoke. The Clintons felt that Barack Obama had presumptuously snatched what was rightfully hers in 2008, gliding past her with his pretty words to make history before she could.
So this time, the Clintons assumed, the women who had deserted Hillary for Barack, in Congress and in the country, owed her. Democrats would want to knock down that second barrier.
Hillary believed that there was an implicit understanding with the sisters of the world that now was the time to come back home and vote for a woman. (The Clintons seem to have conveniently forgotten how outraged they were by identity politics when black leaders deserted them in 2008 to support Obama.)
This attitude intensified the unappetizing solipsistic subtext of her campaign, which is “What is Hillary owed?” It turned out that female voters seem to be looking at Hillary as a candidate rather than as a historical imperative. And she’s coming up drastically short on trustworthiness.
As Olivia Sauer, an 18-year-old college freshman who caucused for Bernie Sanders in Ames, Iowa, told a Times reporter: “It seems like he is at the point in his life when he is really saying what he is thinking. With Hillary, sometimes you get this feeling that all of her sentences are owned by someone.”
Hillary started, both last time and this, from a place of entitlement, as though if she reads her résumé long enough people will surrender. And now she’s even angrier that she has been shown up by someone she considers even less qualified than Obama was when he usurped her place.
Bernie has a clear, concise “we” message, even if it’s pie-in-the-sky: The game is rigged and we have to take the country back from the privileged few and make it work for everyone. Hillary has an “I” message: I have been abused and misunderstood and it’s my turn.
It’s a victim mind-set that is exhausting, especially because the Clintons’ messes are of their own making.
Hillary and Madeleine Albright fore Secretary of State
On the trail in New Hampshire, Madeleine Albright made the case that it was a betrayal of feminist ideals to support Bernie against Hillary, noting that “there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.” When Sanders handily won the women’s vote on Tuesday, David Axelrod noted dryly that they were going to need to clear out a lot of space in hell.
Gloria Steinem
And in a misstep for the feminist leader who got famous by going undercover as a Playboy bunny, Gloria Steinem told Bill Maher that young women were flocking to Bernie to be where the boys are. Blaming it on hormones was odd, given the fact that for centuries, it was widely believed that women’s biology made them emotionally unfit to be leaders.
What the three older women seemed to miss was that the young women supporting Sanders are living the feminist dream, where gender no longer restricts and defines your choices, where girls grow up knowing they can be anything they want. The aspirations of ’70s feminism are now baked into the culture.
The interesting thing about the spectacle of older women trying to shame younger ones on behalf of Hillary is that Hillary and Bill killed the integrity of institutional feminism back in the ’90s — with the help of Albright and Steinem.
Instead of just admitting that he ( Bill Clinton) had had an affair with Monica Lewinsky and taking his lumps, Bill lied and hid behind the skirts of his wife and female cabinet members, who had to go out before the cameras and vouch for his veracity, even when it was apparent he was lying.
Seeing Albright, the first female secretary of state, give cover to President Clinton was a low point in women’s rights. As was the New York Times op-ed by Steinem, arguing that Lewinsky’s will was not violated, so no feminist principles were violated. What about Clinton humiliating his wife and daughter and female cabinet members? What about a president taking advantage of a gargantuan power imbalance with a 22-year-old intern? What about imperiling his party with reckless behavior that put their feminist agenda at risk?
It rang hollow after the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas hearings. When it was politically beneficial, the feminists went after Thomas for bad behavior and painted Hill as a victim. And later, when it was politically beneficial, they defended Bill’s bad behavior and stayed mute as Clinton allies mauled his dalliances as trailer trash and stalkers.
The same feminists who were outraged at the portrayal of Hill by David Brock — then a Clinton foe but now bizarrely head of one of her “super PACs” — as “a little bit nutty and a little bit slutty,” hypocritically went along when Hillary and other defenders of Bill used that same aspersion against Lewinsky.
Hillary knew that she could count on the complicity of feminist leaders and Democratic women in Congress who liked Bill’s progressive policies on women. And that’s always the ugly Faustian bargain with the Clintons, not only on the sex cover-ups but the money grabs: You can have our bright public service side as long as you accept our dark sketchy side.
Young women today, though, are playing by a different set of rules. And they don’t like the Clintons setting themselves above the rules.
Today is the day many people celebrate by giving cards, flowers, candy or gifts to the ones they love. Have you ever wondered why?
To find out, we must travel back into history to the ancient Romans.
The Romans celebrated the god Lupercalia on February 15 to ask for protection in warding off the danger of wolves. The second is a myth of St. Valentine, a priest who lived in the 3rd century in Rome during the rule of Claudius II. 
The emperor decide he needed more soldiers and that single men were his preference because they would not be missing their wives when off on a campaign. Being the emperor, he had no restraints and outlawed marriage for all young men of soldiering age. The priest Valentine thought it was unfair and chose to marry loving young couples in secret. Claudius learned of this disobedience and had him thrown into prison and later put to death. Not sure if he was eaten by the lions! Tradition is that young couples whom he married left him cards, notes, and flowers when they visited him in prison. Another slightly different version is that Valentine, the priest, while in prison, fell in love with the jailer’s daughter.Before his death, he sent the first ‘Valentine” to his love and wrote her a letter which he signed as ‘Your Valentine.’ These words are still used on valentines today!
This holiday has been a favorite and celebrated since the Middle Ages. In my class each year the celebration was a joyful time. Students would bring in valentines. . . .usually generic ones, but sometime in higher grades special cards and even gifts, deliver them into white bakery bags decorated with hearts that perched on each one’s desk. No party is complete without a game or two. 
For the party, moms would come with four favorite ice cream flavors voted on by the students, with cone bowls, and every imaginable topping for the students to load onto their ice cream! 
Red roses say “I love you !” I am sure your love would be most happy to receive some from you ! There is still time . . . . . . . 
mages from Wikeopedia and Google images. . . public domain
text fromhttp://www.primarygames.com
Chris’ caption for this picture from Disney was:
“I waited 35 years for this hug ! And never mind his bad breath!”
Look at Violet’s face! How precious !
Happy Valentine’s Day !
At my justice prayer meeting, we received this prayer from International Justice Mission. This organization works to end trafficking and violence against the poor throughout the world.
At this moment, in the Senate of the United States, there is a bill entitled End Modern Slavery Initiative progressing to an global initiative to end slavery. It will include governments, religious leaders, nonprofit and business leaders, as well as lawyers, social workers and care givers all with the one goal to work to free the the modern day slaves in our world.
Here is the prayer :
O God, when we hear of children and adults deceived and taken to unknown places for purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labor, and organ “harvesting” our hearts are saddened and our spirits angry that their dignity and rights are ignored through threats, lies, and force. We cry out against the evil practices of this modern slavery and pray for its end. Give us wisdom and courage to reach out and stand with those whose bodies, hearts, and spirits have been so wounded, so that together we may make real your promises to fill these sisters and brothers with a love that is tender and good. Send the exploiters away empty-handed to be converted from this wickedness, and help us all to claim the freedom that is your gift for your children, through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Worthy words needed today as much as when they were spoken, maybe more!
Well now , this is not an endorsement by me for Bernie Sanders, but I can’t argue with the adjectives used in the image above. Bernie as Democrat candidate and Trump as Republican candidate have taken the US by storm in this early part of the election year of 2016. The electorate is tired of the old ways of politicians promising this or that and then after the election, it is back to the establishment way as before. The final count on Democrat vote was Sanders 60% to Hillary Clinton 38% .
During his victory speech, he stopped momentarily from his remarks to hold a “fund raiser” asking for small independent donations. He has been very critical of Mrs. Clinton’s large donations from the Wall Street crowd. Well, Bernie’s fans came through raising $6,000,000 in just a few hours ! The average amount of a pledge was $34!
I am impressed with all Bernie’s positive qualities, but am concerned at how we would pay for all of Bernie’s “Free Stuff”, single payer health care, free tuition at public colleges, and up to a 90% tax rate. My concern is seeing Venezuela, Greece and other Socialist governments and what happens when the money runs out!
I saw in India, an electorate who rebelled from the 60 years of Congress party corruption and greed . There were lines that lasted for hours with a voter turn-out of over 66% for the win by the BJP party and its leader Mr. Modi. The sleeping giant was awakened. It seems that way in America this election season. The electorate still makes a difference. Be an educated voter !
Now the point of this post was to share this amazing commercial by Bernie Sanders. One of my blogger friends says that “The US sneezes and we feel it all over the world!”
Gesundheit to you America and the world! (German for “to your health!” )
Namaste !
This big guy visited the roof of our hostel for food from Mukhus, the cook. Mukhus would hold the food in his hand and have one of the monkeys get close enough to take it in his hand! We were not so foolish but we were memorized by the monkeys or honestly, I was. Our room was only a few steps from the roof, and close enough to hear one of the Indians yelling. . . “Mon-Keys, Mon-Keys!” to alert us of a visit and photography opportunity.
The monkeys had lots of personality and are fearless. We had to be on the look-out for where they were at all times. They are attracted to shiny objects and if you put your sun glasses down , even for a second, they might be gone when you go to put them back on. And never put them on the top of your head! We were told not to walk with our hands in our pockets as this is a signal to the monkeys that there might be food in there for THEM. You will see that in the video when the monkey jumped to take what the man is eating ! David and I had the anti-rabies vaccination but many of the students didn’t. The cost is a whopping $900 but though you will have to be treated if infected by a rabid animal, you won’t die. Keep your eyes open for monkeys on the wires above, sitting on the walls, on shiny car roofs, or just sitting on the corners in groups. . waiting !
Hindus consider monkeys the embodiment of Hanuman, the monkey god. They will not kill them, but the monkey infestation is so bad in some areas that people will wear monkey masks to scare and chase the monkeys away. But those pesky, clever animals are not fooled for long and are soon back hunting for food!
This video was taken in Agra, which some of you might remember is the site of the Taj Mahal. Enjoy!
TalesAlongTheWay 