***~Got Spirit?~***
Courtney A. Walsh: Author, Intuitive, Psychic Medium, Spiritual Consultant, Reiki Master and So-cial Media Figure
Now available for: Intuitive Readings, Private Phone/In-person Sessions and Home Parties (host/hostess gets a free reading!)
Website: http://www.squeezingthestars.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/loonybus
Professional Writer: http://www.courtneyawalsh.com
About Courtney: Courtney A. Walsh currently has a following of 5,000+ international Face-book fans who read her daily inspirational posts. She is also the author of: “Lipstick and Thongs in the Loony Bin” and “Squeezing the Stars”. She has done seminars/presentations on suicide prevention and bullying and her prior seminar list includes the Sa-maritans, The Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine, The Beacon School for the Arts, Family Services of Woonsocket, various women’s networking groups and a national TV interview that was fea-tured on the Mike and Juliet Morning show about Courtney’s own suicide attempt and her journey from Rock Bottom to Rock ON! http://www.youtube.com/courtneyawalsh
Life Readings by Courtney are a smorgasbord of intuitive guidance, mediumship, spirit guide messages and holistic recommendations for living a juicy, joyful, passionate and bal-anced life. Whether you are in transition or just have questions, Courtney can help. Have a pri-vate reading or book a home party, check in with spirit get a little life tuneup, career/relationship path guidance, talk about your spiritually sensitive child or a just get a much needed heart pep talk. Courtney’s positive energy, humor and background create a blend of compassion, down –to-earth spirituality and overall wellness advice.
“Spirituality should be fun and practical and woven into our everyday life.”~CAW
Contact Courtney: For more info or to book your session or a home party call or email: courtneyawalsh@gmail.com or 401-248-1083
“When I lost my mind, I found my heart.” ~Courtney A. Walsh

Applying Mascara at the Drive-Thru---Farewell blog...

Little bit of boo-hoo, whole lotta woohoo. Scribechickie grows up and moves on. Bye-bye bloggy…hello world.

So when I started this scribechickie blog awhile back the question was “To write or not to write?” This was always pretty much a rhetorical question because for me, writing is a necessity not a luxury. That said…I feel it is time to embrace the current wave of change and retire this blog to move on to other writing projects that will reveal themselves over time. Thanks oodles to all of you who have followed (or valiantly pretended to) my ramblings here and please note that any and all future updates can be found at www.lipstickandthongbook.com and then at the launched by Christmas 2008 (fingers crossed) www.loonybus.com which will amplify and highlight my evolving role as a speaker on suicide prevention at high schools and colleges.

For the past year and a half I have worked in a cubicle at a Fortune 100 company while simultaneously self-publishing my memoir, "Lipstick and Thongs in the Loony Bin" http://www.lipstickandthongbook.com. This brief stint at a company is not an extraordinary achievement for most people. For me…it was just that--extraordinary. It wasn’t my longest standing---(or in this case sitting) job, it was not my worst nor my best by measurable standards like pay rate, mental stimulation etc. But in many ways---it will be one of the most memorable experiences of my life so far. Because it was my bridge job.

I have had a widely varied work background, (*cough*---‘job hopper’ accuses the HR pro with little imagination or a jealous streak when they see how much I’ve traveled). My career path has included more temp jobs than could ever accurately be quantified. From the lemonade stand at the tender age of 7 to the corporate job at the not-so-tender age of 37…I have for the most part in my life been a worker bee. I have mopped floors, stocked shelves, changed diapers (as a nanny---not just for the hell of it), all to pursue my writing… 'on the side’. A life a la carte.

Those days? Are over. Am I suddenly independently wealthy? No. Do I have savings or rich relatives? No and no. Have I won the lottery? Has Oprah called? Nope to both. Not yet anyway. What I DO have is one successful year as a writer under my belt. Successful not in the terms of wealth…believe me when you are a self-published author sending out free review copies left and right the profits dwindle quickly.

What changed then? One thing. And only one thing. I stopped believing in limitations and started believing in and trusting my dream to make it as a writer more than anything else. And when that internal shift happened I was published in four books in one year. Do you hear the strains of “Rocky” in the distance? I stopped making or believing my own excuses. And I heard plenty of other people’s mingled voices in my head for a long time until I started to hear the very real fears of failure and success that cause us all to create elaborate reasons to stick with the status quo. The flimsy cardboard life we create in our heads to justify a comfort zone that we outgrew long ago. Calling stagnation a comfort zone wasn’t working for me anymore. I expanded my boundaries to include all ranges of emotions into my comfort zone…the good the bad and the ugly. I am so much more at ease with not always being at ease and that was the ultimate gift this job and time gave to me. The chance to challenge myself to see that this so-called kind of comfort is not true nurturance. That certain kinds of comfort can lead to creative laziness, that comfort can be a blanket excuse not to change or grow or really, really LIVE. Do I think we should all be uncomfortable and miserable…no. Not at all. I simply think we should not let our fears of the new or the unknown stop us from exploring, playing, trying or BEING our truest, deepest, wisest and yes…craziest selves.

“Quit my job in this economy? With these gas prices?”
“You need cash to do that.”
“It’s hard to succeed as a writer/artist/musician.”
“I have a mortgage to pay, kids to feed, clothe, dress and send to college so they can go sit in cubicles someday.”
“You’re lucky to have a job.”
“It pays the bills, it’s ok for now.”

And every single time I would see my friend Mara’s face pop into my head. Mara was 32 when she was diagnosed with colon cancer Stage IV. Mara went--in a two-year span--from being a healthy, robust and wonderful fourth-grade teacher to becoming a skeletal cancer-ridden shell in constant agony to becoming a corpse. Sorry to be so blunt but that’s exactly how it felt…blunt.

Holding the memory of Mara’s face in my heart keeps me from ever really buying into the illusion that ‘for now’ is the only way to live. Or that a mortgage is anything other than a piece of paper, or that a house is anything other than some bricks and mortar. Mara’s life and her premature death taught me that the cardboard life or the ‘on paper’ life must eventually crumble to make way for what really matters. Mara’s legacy taught me that if we don’t follow the fire within then we become burned---figuratively or literally as heat and wind and ash and memory.

A few months ago, I was getting coffee at the drive-thru and between ordering into the speaker and the pickup window I was applying mascara to go to a job that has helped me pursue my dreams. A job that had been a gift in countless ways because of the amazing coworkers who inspired me every day and who motivated me, in turn, to be as inspirational as I could. Sometimes the ‘for now’ mentality is a useful bridge to get you to the next level. Other times it can feel like it’s choking you. Perspective I suppose.

It was a small moment, this mascara moment. It was forgettable, the earth did not move, a booming voice did not come out of the sky. It was subtle…because that’s how these things are really. But I knew. I knew that this mascara-at-the-drive-thru life was not me anymore. I was not this girl, this woman, this person. Not because of the mascara. Who cares if you wear it or don’t? Not because of the coffee--a stimulant to stave off boredom and keep me awake and productive in zombieworld…or the impersonal and sedentary way I was getting it. Not because I spoke into a machine or gave the girl plastic to pay or because I was going to go and sit at a cubicle. But because? I just wasn’t. I just am not. And really? I just can’t be her anymore.

So I think maybe…and I am still figuring this all out so don’t quote me or anything…the first step in getting the life you want is to really take an honest look at the life you have. And not in a judgmental, disgusted, bored or depressed way. But just as an impartial observer. Or, if you can manage it, with the compassion of hard-won wisdom and self-knowledge.

Because--then? When you give your notice to your employer, your spouse, friends, or the universe that something needs to change or when you are finally letting them know that you are moving on from a situation or relationship and you take a deep breath and look back at all of the baby steps that led up to this so-called leap of faith you’ll just know. But don’t worry. You’ll forget again. And then you’ll remember and it will be a learning curve and process as each calendar year turns. Or maybe all that needs to change is you and how you choose to see things and be in the world.

So do I have things lined up? Yes. How will I pay my bills? I just will. Will I be ok? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Will I make it? Fall on my ass? Probably a little bit of both. But that’s ok...for now.

P.S. In addition to the ‘ok for now’ mentality I am now also encountering lots of the ‘must be nice’ way of thinking…and I‘m not gonna lie…it is. Nice to make a choice and stand by it as you would your own heart when it tells you that you can no longer be the you that you once were but…instead that you must become the YOU that you are truly meant to be.

I hope my little scribechickie adventures have given you some chuckles, maybe some “Yep, me too.” moments, or some tiny spark of motivation to find and pursue your own dreams no matter how big or small and no matter who or what seems to get in the way. Even and especially when it’s you---your doubts, fears, conditioning, aversion to risk, inability to see that you hold the key to the cage you locked yourself in…whatever. I get that…truly I do. Been there…survived that. I just don’t live there anymore.

Now I am doing so many diverse things and carving out a life and expanding my career that I know that I never want to go back to feeling like I must multitask and to-do list my heart's desires away or compartMENTALize feelings until they implode. I have a new system of prioritizing now. I am teaching, writing, learning growing, changing, consulting, editing and awakening to new levels of opportunity even in a climate where change is inevitable and sometimes scary and new and exciting I am finding my moments of peace and grace and kindness and passion and fun.

Scribechickie…out. Peace, bliss & loonylovebeams to you all. Rocking ON into the next question mark joyfully and gratefully.

Scribechickie Epitaph (Epiphany?):

From the quill to the keyboard to the podium, words were her craft and swirled in her blood, spiraled in her DNA, leaked into her head from someplace beyond the stars and time and seeped through her fingers writtten and fell from lips spoken into the world to make a moment or a connection, to plant word-seeds or harvest soul-ideas. She will be missed but will be reincarnated and born as someone new…And whoever that someone is or will become…words will be her currency, her gift and her trade, too.

Written in the stars...

So this past year or so, looking back--I realize that many of the stars I wished on as a kid came true. The falling ones, the shooting ones, the twinkling ones and the clusters, constellations and galaxies in all their winking glory. Also known as 'home' to those of us who sometimes feel as if these meat suits (bodies) and earth (spinning greenblue marble) is one of those "just visiting, thanks" travel destinations.

As a youngster I wished on all of the Jiminy Cricket stars and here's the checklist so far:

Grow up. check. (well---ok...sorta)
Write stories. check.
Have adventures. check.
Live abroad. check.
Fall in love. check.
Be happy. check (most of the time)

So as adults, how do we redefine our dreams once they've more or less come true? Sure, we get newer, bigger, shinier dreams, or, in some sadder cases we just stop dreaming and wishing on stars altogether. That...I can say with relative confidence will never be me. I will be 97, creaky-boned with white hair and my skin hanging to my knees and still see the wonders in the celestial offerings above.

OK, if truth be told...not all of my earlier dreams have come true, yet, but to be honest? That's a little bit of a relief because I have a long road ahead and I'd hate to feel (as I did four years ago when I tried to go 'home' in my parents' garage with the engine running...www.lipstickandthongbook.com) that I was 'done'.

Because I?...am FAR from DONE.

My dreams and wishes and visions and passions are enough to put any nightsky to shame. My ideas and worries and joys and laughs and tears and boundless curiosity is/are infinite.

I'm cooking up something that will pull the starlight from the indigo heights and make the radiant twinkle in a toddler's eye seem dim. It is being practically dictated to me from beyond time and space. And, just as a trusting child points up and oohs and aahs at fireworks (or even just at a regular night of majestic beauty of astronomical proportions)...it will knock the socks off of all who encounter it.

It is not another book. It is not a magic pill. It is not a t-shirt, or a bumper sticker. It is vaster and older and brighter than the sky itself.

And just...apparently...as mysterious.

Keep rocking. The question marks are beginning to answer themselves and that's all I can say right now.

This holiday weekend, when you look up at the 'fireflowers' (Japanese translation for fireworks) think of the mystery. As you watch what appears to be colorful starbursts whistle in great explosions, as the band plays on...think about something that stretches your mind and explodes your heart joyfully. Think of where you came from. Wonder where you're going. And regain the enthusiasm of a kid who is seeing it all unfold...one miracle at a time.

Stay tuned. Stay looned. Rock ON! Make a wish and make it BIG.

~Courtney


P.S. And no, very sorry to report---it is not calorie-less chocolate either...some things really are too good to be true.

P.P.S. As I was writing this another starchild was born***! Welcome to my new niece, Marissa Nicole Mudry, 7 lbs., 6 oz. Kid, you ain't seen nothin' yet! And Auntie CoCo already loves you to the stars and beyond.

More about me:
www.courtneyawalsh.com
www.lipstickandthongbook.com
www.youtube.com/courtneyawalsh

Let's hear more about you: courtneyawalsh@gmail.com

Loony Shop is open!!!

create & buy custom products at Zazzle

I cannot tell you how much fun I had making this stuff. It's all in honor of and inspired by debuting the fabtastic winning logo that Mike Peach of Peach Photo Design did in a 99designs contest.

There were some amazing entries but his rocked the hardest....http://99designs.com/contests/7847

Michael Peach has worked as an independent and commercial photographer for over the past ten years. He has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada, photographing people and places of interest.

www.peachphotodesign.com


Thanks again Mike!

Shop ON!
Loony lovingly yours,
Court

P.S. No--the www.loonybus.com link isn't even live yet...but it will be by the end of summer. Also on the mug----it has the logo on front and saying on back. :)

Retreat Recap...Women of the Words

“We have to look at our own inertia, insecurities, self-hate, fear that, in truth, we have nothing valuable to say. When your writing blooms out of the back of this garbage compost, it is very stable. You are not running from anything. You can have a sense of artistic security. If you are not afraid of the voices inside you, you will not fear the critics outside you.” ~Natalie Goldberg

So after journeying to and from Nova Scotia in a five-day span (during which I 'surrendered' my shampoo and facial cleanser barefoot in the customs line to a TSA agent for the good of the country) I can honestly say I am spent but happy that I did it and it was well worth the cumulative 28 hours of travel time. I'm thinking it may become an annual thing...time will tell.

It was, as I had visualized, an amazing group of powerful, talented, kind, strong, brave and lovely souls gathered at the Cabot Shores resort www.cabotshores.com to write the next chapter of their lives. Some were in transition, some were soul seekers, some were healing and some were healers...all were incredible in their own right.

It was a time of exploring the local forests, meandering along cliffs overlooking the ocean, drinking in sun rays while lazing by a bubbling brook--combing the shore for shells and rocks, eating lobster, telling stories around a campfire...singing songs, getting pampered, eagle, beaver, deer sightings; writing, writing and more writing. It was exactly what I needed. Here is the poem that I wrote to try and capture the essence of the experience.

Women of the Words
By CAW 05/24/08

This is the moment that has been coming for the ages.
Down through spiral galaxies, through each star, each void in the sky that opens;
Pinpricks of light shining through from other places, other times.
This is the message from those other times and places.

You are the first women, the only women, the last women and
All the women in between these holes in the sky;
There are no gaps in your connection.
It is seamless, timeless, ageless, nameless.
It is now and here and before and then and yet and still and always.

Fingers twining, souls divining,
Nets of words ensnaring and enchanting;
Binding and freeing.

There is power in the silence.
There is power in the spoken.
There is power in the written.

All are tools to enter the weaving and the dreaming.
All are crochet hooks and pens and needles and feather quills
Dipped in the indigo ink of the deepest nightsky.

Along the way you will find helpmeets to translate the messages,
Keeping the essence from spilling or leaking away.
Greet them with openness, trust them implicitly.

Write your deepest purpose there in the shimmering places
Where truth lives and breathes and howls and weeps
And softly, ever softly IS.

This is the heartwhisper that is letting its softness work through you;
A melting wax of words,
Shaping and reshaping, cooling then hardening,
Warming and softening
With each fevered or frozen beatsong.

This rhythm in you echoes for the ones who have not heard their own drumbeat yet…
The ones who have forgotten how to listen.

It is up to you to help them remember.
It is not simply a responsibility, purpose, mission, vision or path.
It is your privilege and your payment for the gift inside you.

Use it wisely, love it well, nurture it always,
Through time and space and holes in the sky
Through tears in the fabric of pain; tears that cleanse these rips,
Rendering them whole and holy again…
As it was in the time before time;
In the place before place; in the word before words.

We are the women of the words,
Carrying our light across the worlds
Into other dimensions seeded with grace and joy.
We write ourselves into kindness,
Out of birth and rebirth and death and life’s unending renewal.
We spring eternally now and evermore
From the loamy soil beneath us
Where wild women grow best.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also---for some very cool Wild Women products check out my friend Linda Hogan's website: www.wildwomen-ent.com

Stay tuned for an overhaul of the Lipstick and Thong book site www.lipstickandthongbook.com and a tandem linked site to be launched this summer to get the virtual LOoNyBus tour up and running for the fall. I found a craigslist tech angel programmer dude who is helping me rebuild and revamp. I'm also looking for a logo design for that site if anyone wants a groovy portfolio piece. I can barter chocolate and gratitude until Oprah calls. :) I've been gathering lovely letters of recommendation and testimonials from the Department of Mental Health, Wellesley High School, Samaritans etc. and am working on networking with colleges and other mental health organizations to line up more gigs. I'm anticipating I'll be pretty busy and I'm grateful that I just had this trip to find ways to remember to incorporate balance and 'busy'ness. It doesn't feel like being 'busy' so much but more like being 'on purpose' and 'in flow'. I get so energized from these talks and readings and workshops and I just love being able to connect with people and plant seeds of hope while making them laugh. I truly believe it's why I am here.

To invite Courtney to come and speak or do book signings based on her her memoir, "Lipstick and Thongs in the Loony Bin" (www.lulu.com/content/1076267---also available for download) mental wellness, and her journey from Rock Bottom to Rock ON! to your high school, college, company, treatment center, church basement, book group, country club, private jet, mansion by the sea, (hehe) etc. contact her at courtneyawalsh@gmail.com

Keep on growing, keep on rocking, keep on listening to the heart's innermost voices. Feel free to comment or drop a line...it's always nice to hear from you and it makes this process seem less solitary. :) Also---as always feel free to pass along the youtube link (www.youtube.com/courtneyawalsh) to anyone you think might benefit who hasn't seen it yet.

My favorite L&T story this month? A woman whose husband is on dialysis was looking for something to read while he gets his treatments and so she came across my book and wrote to me asking me to send her a signed copy. I love thinking of my chattery pink book helping take her mind off her troubles if only briefly. Makes it feel more real to me than wondering about how to increase web traffic or sales figures or whatever. I just want to keep connecting to people and their stories. The rest? Will take care of itself. I know the right people will find me and the book and it continues to grow in these lovely pops and bursts here and there. I do believe that eventually one of these sparks will catch and the fire will start to really blaze. In the meantime...I am truly enjoying the building phase and getting ready for the increasing warmth as the flames catch and dance and spiral outward, inward and upward.

Rockin' into the next question mark with eager excitement...wishing you playful looniness, fun, laughter and peace.

Memorial Day Weekend Wild Women Writers Retreat In Cape Breton

Women Writers Gone Wild, eh?!

"I have traveled around the globe. I have seen the Canadian and American Rockies, the Andes, the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland, but for simple beauty, Cape Breton outrivals them all."~ Alexander Graham Bell

This Memorial Day weekend I’m heading back to Canada. Nova Scotia, eh? Right on. Since Canada's been a lucky charm for me (finished my book there and have had some wonderful trips back and forth over the last few years) I am completely pumped to go back to add a new chapter to my ongoing Canadian adventures.

Calling all Wild Women Writers…Come join us in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia for an amazing weekend retreat!

Using the gorgeous natural backdrop of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia as our muse...we will explore the surrounding wilderness, have three days of hiking, shopping, eating and WRITING! Discover your heart's voice and create an action plan to take home with you to incorporate a realistic writing practice into your daily life. We will cover all styles of writing from corporate to creative and journaling, short stories, poetry...this is more of a PLAYshop than WORKshop but work will get done. There will be just enough inspiration and perspiration (maybe literally) to cleanse the soul, open the mind and connect to the heartwhispers as they become louder and easier to understand. Optional sweatlodge is a strong possibility depending on level of interest.

Where we’ll be: Cabot Shores’ www.cabotshores.com Whiff's Lodge (no not the sweatlodge---though that would be too funny) is the perfect blend of comfort and rustic, clean and homey. Wake up to eagles swirling overhead, have coffee or tea on the back deck as the sun warms the day. At night, we'll build fires, eat healthy, yummy food (S'mores are healthy right? Calcium, fiber---it's all good) and unplug from the daily chaos of your BUSY life, to relax, unwind and let your hair down in a supportive, nurturing environment.

The pace of life is different at Cabot Shores. This truly is a retreat that will advance you towards your life's purpose. Make it a Memorial Day to remember---recharge and redirect your path to one of authenticity and FUN. Sometimes it takes getting out of your daily routine and environment to spark the creative fires. We'll learn tips and techniques on how to bring the vacation vibe home. Give yourself a timeout. Push the pause button. Rock into your next question mark with the help and guidance of your inner voice. Can you hear me now? It is saying...shhh...get quiet and listen...oh wait---now it's saying...TAKE ME TO CAPE BRETON OR I"LL HOLD MY BREATH UNTIL I TURN BLUE! Boy, your inner voice sure does get pushy when you ignore it for long periods of time doesn't it? :)

Group leader: Author Courtney A. Walsh, (yup---that’s me) author of "Lipstick and Thongs in the Loony Bin" as seen on the Fox network's Morning Show with Mike and Juliet: www.youtube.com/courtneyawalsh, www.lipstickandthongbook.com

Courtney (still me) has gone from Rock Bottom to Rock ON! and her inner voice speaks up often. In fact she has a whole committee of 'inner voices' (don't we all) and they rarely agree. You can tell because she has suddenly started referring to herself in the third person. But they do all agree that this will be a kickass trip. On that there is no room for doubt. Get to know and befriend your committee and turn their dreams into words, poems, stories, songs...whatever expression the muse leads you to is exactly right for your spirit.

For more info on retreat or to reserve your spot:
http://cabotshores.com/cape-breton/vacationsretreats/wild-women-retreat.html

For more info on Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail...Google is very handy in these situations I find. :) Good old Googly Goo...never lets ya down.

Rock ON!

I'd like to teach the world to scream...in perfect harmony

"Step back from things in life to have a closer view."~Noah Ben Shea

I had the privelege of hearing Mia Farrow, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Zem Kedem and a host of other powerful conscious changemakers and peace creators speak at the Omega conference this past weekend in NYC. I wrote this piece below after Mia's speech...I've also favorited some videos on my youtube page. www.youtube.com/courtneyawalsh for those of you who want to learn more. Also the book is creeping up Amazon sales rank lists so keep spreading the word, write reviews and add it to your Shelfari or Goodreads bookshelf or digg it etc....thanks! www.lipstickandthongbook.com

Warning: Those of you who know me and my writing style may find this blog unusual. I do not usually beat the drum so loudly when it comes to politics. But get ready for some drumbeats...

I just got back from the Omega sponsored "Being Fearless" conference in NY where I learned so much about the environment from Robert F. Kennedy Jr, about Darfur from Mia Farrow and about the Holocaust from Zev Kedem...one of the Schindler's list survivors.

One major and disturbing thing I learned is that Coca Cola is not being responsive to efforts to send funding or peacekeepers to Darfur to alleviate and STOP the atrocious genocide in progress over there. China is sending the weaponry to the Sudan. China is also screwing Tibet and has been for a long time. China is getting a major economic boost from the Beijing Olympics sponsorship. And one of those major corporate sponsors? Coca Cola...giving kids diabetes on the homefront and death abroad. These are not just bleeding heart liberal issues---this is not about tree hugging, spotted owls or the poor kids with flies crawling on them that you see on your TV between sports events where the players make enough money per game to build clean waterways in a whole country. This is a bipartisan issue about human lives vs. profits. This is a global issue about human rights and dignity and health and wellness. We can't just Prozac this one away, folks. All trails lead to Coca Cola.

Welcome to the Coke side of life. Welcome to the real, humbling and chilling definition of 'crazy'. Way to go, Coke!

"Grab a Coke and a smile. Dependable as sunshine. Look Up America. Catch the wave. Coke adds life."

I'd like to teach the world to scream
In perfect harmony
I'd like the world to buy more Coke
To feed my company...that's the song I sing

On a lighter note---Here's someone who is actually teaching the world to sing in harmony. Bonnie Ste Croix from Canada.
http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=Y_QVXCrBri8

Bonnie Ste Croix says it better and sweeter than I could...and all of this said---there IS action that can be taken. Go to www.miafarrow.org and shake the sand out of your eyes. Yes---there are children starving and suffering from disease (like obesity and diabetes---thanks again Coca Cola) in our own country and we need to help them too. But until we all see that we ARE all the same...we all lose. FREE TIBET and SAVE DARFUR both mean free and save the future. These aren't just things that are happening 'over there'--it affects your daily life in unimaginable ways. These are not just trendy causes du jour with ribbons and donations and then back to the crossword puzzle. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.

Steven Spielberg stepped down as director of the Olympic events. He is sending a powerful message. To him, "Never again" is non-negotiable and applies more than ever now.

"Never again" we as a planet said after the Holocaust. Was that just a bit of syrup and carbonation or a solemn vow? Things go better with Coke? Like genocide, starvation, war, diabetes and ritual rape, beatings and genital mutilation? Wash it all down. http://www. miafarrow. org/editorials. html

Connect the dots. Raise your voice. Vote. Pray. Sing. Laugh. Cry. Do it with passion and hope. Stay open. Connect with neighbors and strangers and look the person in the car next to you in traffic in the eye. They are you and you are them. Do it all with eyes and mind and heart wide open. Write to your leaders, write to perpetrator corporations, vote with your wallets. Do it for the generations to come who will ask why you didn't. Do it now.