Earth Day 2013

Today is Earth Day and the color of the day is Green. A day of environmental awareness, to remember and enjoy nature, Mother Earth and the animals that co-exist with us.

Earth Day to some is just another day in their life and don't realize the full meaning, hence, here are some facts of Earth Day.

Earth Day evolved in the 1960's, a time were we questioned just about everything in our society. a time of self exploration, different ideas from the norm and an openness to other cultures.

 Senator Gaylord Nelson was the creator of Earth Day. At a Seattle conference(1969)  he proposed a a coast-to-coast grassroots demonstration for environmental concerns be held in the spring of 1970, and the first Earth Day occurred on April 22,1970 with estimates of over 20 million people, from politicians to housewives, taking to the streets and participated in thousands of local marches, rallies, parades, and protests.

From this first grassroots event came legislation of the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, institutionalizing  protection for the land, air and water.

In 1990, Earth Day became an international event with an awareness of our  planet.

Since the first Earth Day many other acts for protection of the environment have been passed and we as a society and as individuals are obligated to oversee the protection of our Earth for future generations.

The quote for today:

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not man the less, but Nature more.

--George Gordon, Lord Byron

Readings:

Silent Spring by Rachel Carsonhttp://www.amazon.com/Silent-Spring-Rachel-Carson/dp/0618249060/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366643428&sr=1-1&keywords=silent+spring+rachel+carson#_

Issues In Green Criminologyhttp://www.amazon.com/Issues-Green-Criminology-Piers-Beirne/dp/1843922193/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366643843&sr=1-7&keywords=environment+issues#reader_1843922193

National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month. So dust off your old verses or write new ones. Poetry is a true form of free expression and should never be harnessed. So write a stanza or verse today and express yourself.

http://www.poets.org/

A Great Video Memory

I was looking at YouTube videos and ran across Here I Go Again by Whitesnake.
For the guys, there was nothing like a great car (a Jag) and a hot woman--Tawny Kitaen--in a white negligee dancing across the hood. At the time it was a hot video and it still is today. So for all the guys, here's the video and chance to remember the 80's.

Ok, I know the women will hate me, but I'll try to make it up later. Popcorn anyone.

The Patsy Update

My novella, The Patsy has been on Kindle for five months. Get your copy for the reduced price of $2.00. Please feel free to write a review after reading. Enjoy the read.

The Patsy

My first novella, The Patsy is now on Kindle.  In light of the Autumn Equinox, on September 22, 2012 you can get a free copy. Now that days get shorter and the nights longer and colder, it's a good time to enjoy a good read.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Patsy-ebook/dp/B009B1GQCU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348263748&sr=1-1&keywords=mystery+wayne+adam

Mabon

Happy Mabon or Autumn Equinox!


Other names for this holiday are Alban Elved and Harvest Fest. Mabon is named in honor of Queen Mab of the faeries.

It's the time of balance and harmony of solar and lunar energies, when the light and dark are at equal lengths before the dark side of the year commences. It's the end of harvest, a time when the days start getting shorter, leaves die and animals begin their storage of food to prepare for winter and when we start turning inward to our inner places for introspection and meditation.

The equinox falls within the month of the Reed (tree calendar), it tells us that it's time for direct action, to focus towards what you desire and your intentions of your goals till year’s end.

Today is all about the end of harvest and preparing for winter. Nuts, grain, pumpkins are all gathered and stored along with our memories, feelings, accomplishments and failures of the year, all stored in our inner spaces for our evaluation in the coming months.

Enjoy the day's peace and harmony.

Happy Equinox

The Reading

Here's an excerpt of my short story, The Reading, that is available on NOOK.
A story of mystery and suspense with a touch of the occult.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-reading-wayne-adam/1026944045?ean=2940011820625

' Ben looked down the hallway making sure no one was around.

“Richie, I need you to cover for me this morning while I go see Rosen.”
”Sure, but what’s up?”
Ben thought a second.
”Ok, I’ve been having these strange dreams about choking someone ever since we went out last week.  I think I’m going nuts.”

Richie sat back in his chair.
”Really?” he laughed
”You didn’t believe anything she told you, did you?”
He ran his hand through his black hair and laughed again, tilting forward in his chair.
”Man, we were really drunk!”

He laughed again, tilting back causing the images on the computer screen to mirror across the lenses of his black rimmed glasses.  Looking at Ben’s dead panned face he realized the seriousness.

“Come on Ben, in all of the years we’ve know each other you never believed in any of that psychic shit, so what’s the real problem, maybe I can help.”

“I don’t know I just started having this dream almost every night.  Rosen said that it must have been something Madame Lena said, but I can’t remember.  Do you recall anything?” '


Enjoy the read!

Fallen Heros

If you haven't herd, Lance Armstrong has been ban for life from professional cycling and his seven Tour de France tiles vacated.  Although I was never a fan of Lance or cycling, it makes me think of all of our sports heroes that have fallen from grace. Sports heroes are the most exposed, respected, admired, immortalized and etched into our lives from childhood. So when they fall from grace, it takes a part  a of us with them.
Drugs, battery, murder, or scandal, for a lot of us its emotionally disappointing and destructing to our sport psyche.

 In earlier times, names like DiMaggio and Gehrig stood for goodness and  honesty, a standard of American sportsmanship. Today, names like Canseco, Manley, Henderson and now Armstrong are forever linked to cheating, dishonesty and a dark spot that will never be erased. Yes, there are still good sports heroes today that will be forever left on our pedestals, but the tragic ending to our most beloved heroes leaves us devastated with little hope, for we tend look to our sports heroes in bad times within our complex world.

I have written the following  poem about our fallen heroes.

    Tainted Heroes
    by Wayne Adam

Where have all the heroes gone?
Like those within our youth
The ones we admired,
From which we sought the truth,

Righteous deeds,
Compassion,
We praised in ink and song
Erected on the pedestal—
Gods that walked alone

Were they all illusions?
Just some fantasy
Or does youth wane to wisdom—
Thus reality

Tarnish stains the purity,
Deceit destroys the soul
One by one they’ve fallen—
Bloody pieces on the floor

Immortality reverts to sin,
Veracity yields to lies,
Heroes of our making—
Human traits survive

Are they just reflections of what we want to be?
We bear their cross of failure—
Mass liability

Men are men
Who sweat and toil with human frailty,
They live and die with dignity—
Not immortality

From innocence to worldliness,
The measure we have gained,
Today there are no heroes—
We are what remain

A Word About Chick-Fil-A

What a all time low. Chicago politicians in an uproar over the CEO stating that he's against same sex marriages and the company donating to anti-gay organizations. Big Deal. Now everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, waving their flags, protesting and boycotting on both sides of the issue.  I personally think it's ridiculous, Chick-Fil-A hasn't broken any laws and hasn't discriminated in their hiring practices or serving customers.

Chicago politicians should put their efforts toward solving  crime, gangs and daily shootings that are rampant in the city than trying to make the Chick-Fil-A cow a homophobic. All business has affiliations with some organization or group and you could boycott and protest everyone of them for some reason. I don't see anyone boycotting and protesting against Apple. Steve Jobs loved taking LSD and didn't trust anyone who didn't try it. So then, he donated to drug lords and affiliated with drug trade, discriminated against non-drug users and corrupted our youth since he became a role model for many. But the politicians don't care for all they want are votes and that's all they care about.

As for me, I like Chick-Fil-A and I stand by the cow--Eat Mor Chicken!!!                  

Litha 2012

Hail the Summer Solstice (Litha)! Under the branches of the Hazel we give gratitude to Mother Earth and all she provides for our existence. We honor love, compassion, fertility, abundance, protection and power of the sun on this holiday to invoke good fortune, good health and harvest for the rest of the year.

Like on the eve, bonfires to strenghten the sun and celebrations set the tone for a glorious day.

Litha is one of my favorite holidays. Embracing Mother Earth, waking up to sunrise, listing to the birds morning homage, the messages of the wind and the chatter of the trees.
My fire is set, my herbs are collected, and my spirit is one with nature. I will bask in the glow of the sun and pay homage to  Mother Earth for all that she provides me.

Wishing you a happy Litha.