TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: July 2016

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Russians Visiting My Blog?!

I am wondering why there are 977 hits from Russia to my Blog in the last 24 hours.

Creepy.

I've had Russian Bot visits, but with the Russians hacking the Democrats, this increased rate of Russian visits makes me wonder.

Read also

Tags: Blogspot, Russians, internet, hacking, blogs

This is all for now

Cecilia

Travel: Visiting the Philippines

Hello dear Readers,

I'm in the Philippines and unable to blog regularly. Please visit my Facebook account for postings.

https://www.facebook.com/ceciliabrainard

This picture shows l-r: Chona Bernad, Cecilia Brainard, Louie Nacorda, Terry Manguerra.

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

The Historic Convention Speech of Michelle Obama

Dear Readers,

I will confess that the politics in the US has been wearing me down, but the speech that First Lady Michelle Obama gave at the democratic convention lifted my spirit, gave me hope, made me proud.

What Michelle said is true: the US is a great country.

As an immigrant who showed up a student in California decades ago, I have always said, "America is a generous country." I point to myself who appeared with two suitcases and vague dreams, and how I have become part of the fabric of America, how this country afforded me opportunities to be a writer, and how I and my family have, with work and luck, managed to lead productive lives.

I am sharing links to Michelle Obama's speech that will be remembered for all ages. It is the best I have ever heard or read. How refreshing it is to listen to someone with grace and class and who pulls out the best of what man/woman can offer, as opposed to those who inspire hatred and violence.

She is correct when she says, "When crisis hits, we don't turn against each other, we listen to each other. We lean on each other. We are always stronger together."

And she is right on when she says: "Don't let anyone ever tell you that this country is not great. That somehow we need to make it great again. Because this right now is the greatest country on Earth."

Watch and read her:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZNWYqDU948

And here is the transcript of her speech: http://www.vox.com/2016/7/25/12282760/transcript-michelle-obama-dnc-speech

The photo of Michelle Obama is courtesy of Wikipedia.

Read also
More Wedding Pictures of Andrew and Swapna #Andrew...
Doing Lunch with Man's Best Friend #dogpics
News Articles that Warn About Donald Trump
Visiting the Jewelry District of Los Angeles, Cali...

Tags; politics, #Michlle Obama #DonaldTrump #HillaryClinton #FLOTUS #DNC

This is all for now,
Cecilia

Saturday, July 23, 2016

More Wedding Pictures of Andrew and Swapna #AndrewLovesSwapna

I have earlier postings of pictures of the wedding in the family, but here are more. To see the other pictures, click on the sites below:

Friday, July 22, 2016

Doing Lunch with Man's Best Friend #dogpics

That is a dog in the man's arms.

We were having brunch at The Terrace in Venice and was surprised and amused at this very limp dog in the man's arms. I remembered the pampered dogs in France that are seen in restaurants.

I looked it up and learned that as of January 1, 2015, some California restaurants with outdoor seating allow dogs.

Read also
My "Boys" - Che and Tesla
My Non-Ninja Cats and this Southern California heat wave
My literary cat reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
Cats reading "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Tags: dogs, cats, pets, animals, #dogpics

This is all for now,
Cecilia

Thursday, July 21, 2016

News Articles that Warn About Donald Trump

Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing." ~ John Stuart Mills

Please read these articles about Donald Trump. I will continue to add to this list, so check back:

Republican National Security Experts Warn "Fundamentally Dishonest Donald Trump Would Make America Less Safe"

Meet the Republicans Speaking Out Against Trump

Where Republicans Stand on Donald Trump: A Cheat Sheet

See List of 99 Republicans Who Refuse to Back Trump

Charles Koch's Warning

Tony Schwartz who ghostwrited Trump's book, The Art of the Deal, reveals his great trepidation about the man whose myth he helped create

Ruth Bader Ginsburg has nothing to apologize for in her criticism of Donald Trump

Brexit Should Be a Warning About Donald Trump

Tech Leaders Warn Against a Trump Presidency

Donald Trump's Mental Disorder Makes the Billionaire Dangerous World Leader, warns Psychologists

Donald Trump's Most Outrageous Quotes

Donald Trump's Most Offensive and Outrageous Quotes

50 Outrageous Donald Trump Quotes

Trump Gets Bipartisan Condemnation for NATO Comments

BE SURE AND VOTE!

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Read also

Tags: Donald Trump, politics, Republicans, warning, #DonaldTrump

This is all for now,

Cecilia

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Visiting the Jewelry District of Los Angeles, California

Some friends and I visited the Jewelry District of Los Angeles, California, which is reportedly the largest jewelry district in the United States.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

#CatPics Exercising with Che and Tesla

Here are some pictures of my cats, Che and Tesla, watching me exercising on the floor.

Note Che lying on my flip-flops.

Che also does some stretching.

My cats make me laugh every day!!!

Read also
My "Boys" - Che and Tesla
My Non-Ninja Cats and this Southern California heat wave
My literary cat reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
Cats reading "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Tags: cats, pets, kittens, pet therapy, creativity, purring, healing, Ernest Hemingway, holistic, alternative medicine

This is all for now,
Cecilia

Monday, July 18, 2016

RIP Qandeel Baloch, Pakistani Murdered in Honor Killing

I've been following the news about Qandeel Baloch, a Pakistani woman who was murdered by her brother in an honor killing.

She was a social media star, a Kim Kardashian type, a free spirit who did her thing, made a living from it, made enough in fact to support her family, including the brother who strangled her.

I am sorry, Qandeel Baloch. Hopefully your death will bring about changes in Pakistan and other places in the world that continue to maltreat their women.

Read also
Images of the Filipina in Literature
Descriptions of the Philippine Woman in Literature
Sexual Violence Against Women During War
The Rape of Women and the War in Syria

Photo of Qandeel Baloch from her Facebook page.

Tags: #women #feminist #qandeelbaloch #Pakistan
This is all for now.
Cecilia

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Pictures: The Visit to #Turkey in 2009

I'm glad we saw Turkey when we did in 2009!

Saturday, July 16, 2016

An Attempt to Explain the World's Violence

Artists and writers like to talk about "energy" as in the energy of the room was not good, or the energy of the situation shifted, or her/his energy wasn't good. In this case, energy is something undefinable, something felt, discerned, generally not quantifiable.

I'm going to be talking about "energy" in this sense, specifically to the energy of the world and the pitch of violence that surrounds us. The shootings, bombings, incredible destruction and suffering occur not just in war torn countries but in our own communities -- note the recent events in Orlando, Dallas, and Nice.

I've been trying to make sense out of all the violence. I've wondered if some religions do encourage violence, but my common-sense says bonafide religions teach people how to live better. I've wondered if the fact that the world's wealth is concentrated in some people's hands and not in others could be a factor, and my mind says yes, this possible.

Here's another theory that I've considered. I have to take you back to before the year 2000 when New Age discussions were popular. My psychic friends said the Age of Pisces was giving way to the Age of Aquarius. They explained how the earth passes into a new Zodiac sign every 2,000 years or so.

(There was another flurry of concern over December 21, 2012, because the Mayan Calendar was ending and starting a Long Cycle on that day.)

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Travel: Remembering Egypt

I'm remembering Egypt

and wondering

if it's ancient sites have become quiet,

the hordes of tourists gone.

But to the thousand-year old structures,

this bit of silence is a blink of an eye.

They will be there long after we are gone.

I took these pictures in 2008, during a visit to Egypt.

Read also
Grand Tour of Egypt 1
Grand Tour of Egypt #2
Grand Tour of Egypt #3

Tags: travel, vacation, Egypt, holiday

This is all for now,
Cecilia

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Writers React to Shootings Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Dallas Police

Needless to say, we -- I and others --- have been shook up by the recent spate of violence that has taken place in the US -- the shootings of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, and the Dallas Police. Here are statements from writer-friends of mine, Julia Stein, Traci Gourdine and Kambon Obayani, about what has gone on. Many thanks to them for sharing their thoughts.

Further, the novelist James E. Cherry shares a link with his essay on Black Lives Matter: Struggle and Resistance at The Jackson Sun - here:
~~

Julia Stein has published five books of poetry and has edited two books of poetry. She co-authored the non-fiction book, Shooting Women: Behind the Camera, Around the World (London, 2015). After receiving a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and M.A. in Psychology from California University at Los Angeles, Julia Stein left psychology to be a writer. Later she got an M.A. in English from UC Irvine.

She helped found Los Angeles local of the National Writers Union and worked as an arts journalist throughout the 1980s publishing articles and commentary in the Los Angeles Reader, Village Voice, Daily News, High Performance, and the American Book Review among others.

She has taught psychology at California State University at Los Angeles and English at Los Angeles City College, Santa Monica College, Valley College, UCLA Extension writers program etc. Beginning in 1992, she published more poetry books as well as literary criticism essays on such topics as women’s and working-class literature. She was a featured speaker at several national conferences, and has been an invited poet/reader in venues from Honolulu to Paris.
***

After the Dallas shooting, Rudy Giuliani on “Fox & Friends” said that Black Lives Matter “puts a target on the back of police,” and other conservatives have made shrill attacks on BLM, which are reported in the mass media. Black Lives Matters has responded saying they want a reduction of violence, not an escalation, and that a lone gunman had committed the Dallas shooting. They said that to assign one person’s actions to an entire movement is “dangerous and irresponsible.” Black Lives Matter was started by three women—Alicia Garza, Patrice Cullers, and Opal Tometi. Garza said, “The truth is that we’re doing what the labor movement has always done—organizing people who are at the bottom.” I also think that a reduction in violence, particularly the banning of assault rifles, would save lives of civilians and police.

Monday, July 4, 2016

Wedding Pictures of Andrew and Swapna #AndrewLovesSwapna Part 1

These were taken on Rehearsal night.

Sunday, July 3, 2016

How to Have a Successful Wedding Bollywood Style in Southern California #AndrewlovesSwapna Part 2

First you have the Baraat, which is an Indian ritual wherein the family (or village) of the groom brings him to the family of the bride-to-be. Hire a good drummer to lead the procession. Make lots of noise, dance, have fun. Check out these videos to see the tailend of the Baraat of this wedding.

https://www.facebook.com/StaceeMarie/videos/10206951330081451/

https://www.facebook.com/Lillian.v.ng/videos/10104037266821754/

https://goo.gl/photos/qyTbFyXo99u4ytU46

To see Part 1 of the Wedding Pictures including Rehearsal and Baraat Pictures, click here

Family Wedding Video and Pictures

Viewers, watch carefully as this couple famous for engineering precision have to stop their marriage ceremony midstream because the wedding rings were left upstairs!

Click on Facebook link, 7/3/2016 posting:

https://www.facebook.com/ceciliabrainard

Check back for pictures of an almost Bollywood wedding in Southern California! Right now my Sony RX100 is not downloading into my Windows 10 computer and will have to solve that problem. There are a lot of professional pictures forthcoming. Here are a few fun pictures taken at the photo booth at the wedding party.

Tags: wedding, marriage, ceremony, Bollywood, faux pas

This is all for now,
Cecilia

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Stay Tuned for Wedding Pictures Of Andrew and Swapna!

Stay tuned for wedding pictures of Andrew and Swapna.

These were taken at the historic Ebell House, the wedding venue.

Please check back! I promise the pictures will be fabulous!

Read also:
Wedding in the Family

Tags: family, pictures, Ebell

This is all for now,
Cecilia

TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD