Psalm 23

This was referenced the other day ... somewhere. I looked it up online. Never put it together that these famous words were Psalm 23. Below is the KJV from www.christnotes.org

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This passage is an example to me of the best of the Bible and of religion in general. I certainly see God as having created joy and enjoyment and that peacefulness is a service in its own right. Bliss. Life should be blissful.

YouTube watch

Two recent discoveries on YouTube worth checking out: Jem Cooke and Ari Hest. There is a lot of talent in this world.

Aghast about Afghanistan

Sometimes the daily lesson is something horrifying. Last night on my way home from work I learned that Afghanistan is considering making rape a crime. Not only is it not currently a crime, but a woman who is raped ... COULD BE CHARGED WITH ADULTERY! The penalty for adultery can be death.

The victimization and revictimization of women is staggering.

You CAN control the weather

I had a meeting with someone yesterday in Cincinnati, OH, who recently traveled to China. The weather was overcast for much of the trip. There was to be a festival during the trip and it was a shame that it was so cloudy. This visitor said, "Oh, too bad the weather isn't better." One of the tour guides said, "No problem, the government will clear it up." Turns out the government made it rain through a process known as "seeding the clouds." They used military planes to release chemicals into the clouds, they rained and dispersed, and they had a cloudless sky for the festivities.

Though a typical chemical used for this process is silver iodide, these clouds do not have the typical silver lining. Silver iodide is noxious and can cause environmental biohazards. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_seeding

I don't know the importance of the event that took place, but after reading about it, I think I'd rather use an umbrella.

That it's possible to cry after five years

Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the death of my dear friend Susan Daniels. She was murdered by a former partner who then killed himself. Thinking of her yesterday the tears came again. I hadn't cried for her in a while. She was an incredible spirit - intelligent, compassionate, fun, curious, committed. The world lost some light with her passing.