All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Streetart – mrJuice @ Amsterdam, Netherlands

Title: Year of the dragon Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Artist: mrJuice (Netherlands) At: Schellingwouderbrug Year: 2024 Photo Credits: mrJuice ““…

Streetart – mrJuice @ Amsterdam, Netherlands

“One Love” is definitely lacking in the wake of Jamaica’s local government elections – Petchary’s Blog

I have not seen the Bob Marley biopic yet, because I find Jamaican cinemas rather noisy and cannot concentrate. The premiere in Kingston was lively and packed with celebrities. Having said that, it seems to have had somewhat mixed reviews, but Professor Carolyn Cooper’s review is a positive one. I guess I will watch it one of these days, perhaps when it gets to the streaming platforms. One consensus seems to be that the performances of Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch (as Bob and Rita, respectively) were top-notch.

I am sharing this blog post/newspaper column, because I agree completely with Professor Cooper’s sentiments. As a social media person, I confess I am sick and tired of the partisan bickering, not-so-veiled insults and ad hominem attacks that have followed our closely-fought local government elections on February 26, 2024. The media seem to be following along with their own interpretations of the results – which were pretty much even.

“I won!” “No, I won!” cry the party leaders. In response, there is a chorus from their supporters of “We won!” “No, we won!”

The race was extremely tight, but I am not sure that the politicians and their diehard supporters have anything to boast about. Just under one third of registered voters actually cast their ballots. Do better next time, Jamaicans. Vote, and hold them accountable.

I wish we could do more of the “Let’s get together and feel all right” part of that particular song. Meanwhile, Jamaican communities across the island have one wish: not to have their very real needs (good roads and water supply, primarily) ignored.

Meanwhile, echoing Marley’s words, quoted by Carolyn Cooper, I would say to the politicians with their heads in a spin over a poorly-supported election:

“Watch what you’re doing!”

Source: “One Love” is definitely lacking in the wake of Jamaica’s local government elections – Petchary’s Blog

Child…by Mágica Mistura – Mágica Mistura

Have you played with your child today?

He already sang with her,

Told a story,

Did you put together a puzzle?

Have you ever looked into your eyes

Forgave your faults

Did he invite her to move on?

He took the child by the hand,

He showed the beauty of the flower,

Together they admired the bird’s flight

Did they step in the puddle just to step in?

Take time for yourselves

All day…

Relax, be childish, ridiculous

Allow yourself to laugh, sit on the floor

Eating candy, licking your fingers…

Above all, caress, hug

Pamper, understand your child

That inner child that lives in you

That lives in all of us

She really likes to be recognized

Welcomed and loved

First step to love

To everyone around us

✨️Mágica Mistura

Source: Child…by Mágica Mistura – Mágica Mistura

Songs I Like (1) | beetleypete

Not Retro, not Significant. Just an occasional selection of songs I really like, in random order.

Florence and the Machine are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and a collaboration of other musicians.

I really like her voice, her style, and the often unusual construction of her songs. She is something like a Kate Bush for the 21st century.

This is a track from her second album, ‘Ceremonials’, released in 2011. It is called ‘Spectrum’.
The lyrics are on the video.

Source: Songs I Like (1) | beetleypete

A tool to help you decide which energy efficiency projects to make at home – Darcy Hitchcock

If you want to make your home more energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gases, it can be hard to know where to start. Rewiring America has a tool to help homeowners and renters improve their energy efficiency and carbon footprint.

After you create an account, you’re asked to confirm some details about your home (address, size, heating and water heating system, vehicle, etc.) Then it asks what your two priorities are (like saving money, reducing your greenhouse gas emissions, or maximizing the use of incentives.)

With that information, the tool tells you what you should do in what order, how much it will cost and save you, and what the steps are to complete each project. Below are some screenshots of my own assessment.

Source: A tool to help you decide which energy efficiency projects to make at home – Darcy Hitchcock

Patience: Hurry Up and Wait | From Behind the Pen

Image Credit: KoolShooters

My husband shared with me something the Army told GIs when they began basic training, “Hurry up and wait.” Now, while this little command seems like an oxymoron, it is definitely food for thought and a warning to heed.

Recently, I was reading an article by Melissa Kirsch in The New York Times, entitled ‘Hurry up and wait.” While the title drew that familiar conversation with my husband and a term I heard frequently when I visited VA facilities, it prompted me to read further. Her excerpt: We know that happiness is to be found in taking our time and being present. How can we slow down and stop rushing our way through life?

I love these points she made that we often breeze over:

We rush because we’re late. We also rush because we want to move quickly away from discomfort. We rush to come up with solutions to problems that would benefit from more sustained consideration. We rush into obligations or decisions or relationships because we want things settled.

Worrying is a kind of rushing: It’s uncomfortable to sit in a state of uncertainty, so we fast-forward the tape, accelerating our lives past the present moment into fearsome imagined scenarios.

I frequently have conversations with myself about slowing down, and I am getting better at it. But there are times when I get anxious and try to solve an issue by rushing through the process. I make silly errors when I accelerate to speeding in a strolling zone. I have learned to slow it down a couple of notches so I can appreciate this gift of life.

How do you stop and smell the roses, tulips, gardenias, or magnolias? How do you curb and reduce your speed limit when you begin to run too fast when you’re running on empty? Give yourself a permission slip to take a chill pill and live in the moment.

Source: Patience: Hurry Up and Wait | From Behind the Pen