Philippine Women: Five Generations of Filipinas -- from Juana to Cecilia

I'm reposting a blog entry about my Women Ancestors and me -- these pictures show five generations of women.

GREAT-GREAT-GRANDMOTHER - Juana Lopez Diosomito from Naic, Cavite; born circa 1850, businesswoman; married a Spaniard (father of Remedios and Concepcion), then a second time to Domingo Veloso from Leyte (father of Feodor and Domingo Veloso); an aunt said she "loved to dance." I have a legal document that says that in 1896, "Dona Juana Lopez Diosomito of Baybay, Leyte, purchased (for 3,000 pesos, pacto de retro) two houses in Cebu City, one in mamposteria and solar on calle de Prim, facing the Plaza de General Lono, and the other of calle de Prim, in the barrio of Maloco, from Don Prudencio Sanson Camara, negociante, married, natural and vecino of Cebu City (Cebu Protocolos, Doc 11, 1/27/1896/1411:74-77)

Writers and the War in Syria, by Cecilia Brainard

WRITERS AND THE WAR IN SYRIA
by Cecilia Brainard
 
This Saturday morning, I am thinking of what Gandhi said:

"God is Truth, but God is many other things also. That is why I say Truth is God…. Only remember that Truth is not one of the many qualities that we name. It is the living embodiment of God..."

I recall the many writers and journalists who were killed during the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines.They held up the Truth for the world to see. In time, the Marcos government did fall, and this writing of the Truth played a large part in the end of the repressive Marcos regime.

Right now, journalists and writers in Syria are endangered because they are holding up the Truth about the War in Syria for the world to witness.

 Remi Ochlik, Photographer who died during Syrian Civil War

My Father's Picture in Tau Alpha Fraternity, UP

 I got this message from Chris Doctor in response to my blog entry, The Schools I Attended - Part 2, UP & Maryknoll.  I was very happy to see the picture of my father, front, seated, fifth from right, in a dark suit.

Because World War II destroyed many pictures of my parents, I saw only one other picture of my father before the War, so this is very special. Thank you Chris Doctor and regards to Tau Alpha Frat
~ Cecilia
~~~
Dear Cecilia,
Prof. Mariano Manguerra was Tau Alpha's first faculty adviser. He was a professor in civil engineering.

We have photo of him on our Tau Alpha Facebook Page.
https://www.facebook.com/taualphafraternity

Go to the bottom of the page and click on the photo.

Regards,
Chris Doctor
Calgary, AB

August 8, 2013 at 9:47 PM

How to Write a Novel #2 - Focus on Character, by Cecilia Brainard

How to Write a Novel #2 - Character

I myself have wondered where my characters have come from. I have written not only about girls and women, but about friars, soldiers, other men. Some of these characters were inspired by my life or by people I have known or met. But some of them seemed to have come from the Muse directly, as the General did in my short story, "The Black Man in the Forest."  I recall I was working on another story, "Woman With Horns," and I was writing the funeral part of the older woman, when suddenly, in my imagination, the following happened:

Fiction - The Black Man in the Forest, by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

This is my short story that's part of my first collection, Woman With Horns and Other Stories. "The Black Man in the Forest" was first published in Amerasia Journal, UCLA, Vol 12, No.1. 

THE BLACK MAN IN THE FOREST

by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard 

Copyright 2013 by Cecilia Brainard, all rights reserved 

Philippines, 1901

            By mid-day, the old general and his men stumbled into that part of the forest where they felt they could stop and make camp. The stronger men immediately searched for food; some dug for roots, others set traps for lizards and sparrows. The skin-and-bones ones collapsed in heaps under the bushes.

            General Gregorio studied his men then did something he instructed them never to do - he left the scraggly group of soldiers and walked to the river. He drank some water and sat on a boulder to contemplate his situation. He had seven men, three guns, ten bullets, and eight rusty machetes. They had no food nor medicines. Even before this point of desperation, they had relied on saliva, herbs, and faith to heal their wounded who eventually died and were buried in unmarked graves as his army was driven back into the mountains by the Americans.

How to Write a Novel #1, Plus Canada Pictures

Dear Readers,

Now that I'm back at my regular work desk, my top priority is to immerse myself in my fictive world. I'm thinking about my novel-in-progress (click here for a chapter that's already published - The Old Mansion in the Plaza). I believe that most fiction writers inhabit the world of their characters. This leaves us fictions writers in a dreamy state as far as the "real" world is concerned, and we may be perceived as "out of it," or "not paying attention."  Indeed our attention is divided.  Even as I walk around in Southern California, my mind is (or should be) anchored with my fictional characters and their world.

When I was in France last May, since one of my women characters (Melisande) is French, I was able to imagine Paris, Beaun, and Lyon, as her world. In my imagination, I had to think of France as it may have been in the late 1800s, but there were/are enough architectural and geographic clues to make that task easy.

I am constantly trying to "see" better in my imagination what my characters look like, do, say, and where. As my teacher, Leonardo Vercovicci used to say: "Crawl into your characters' minds."

To Everything there is a Season - On My Way Home

 

It just takes 5 1/2 hours to get back to reality! I will have to get back to working on my novel and other projects.  That too will be fine. 

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

tags: travel, tourism, home

TOGETHER AGAIN, TOGETHER FOREVER!!

What the four of us remember were the carefree days we shared at St. Theresa's College in San Marcelino Street in Manila, right across the Adamson University, and a stone's throw from the San Miguel Brewery that would give off the strong scent of the potent beer.

We were very young and the Belgian and Filipino nuns (Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) who tried to shape us into upright women had their challenges. I'm certain we were no more than naughty, but the standards of the nuns were high. Aside from teaching us the basic subjects of English, math, science, and so on, the nuns instilled in us the need to give back to society.  This I remember well, because they did not mince words in telling us that since we were privileged we were obliged to use our brains, our connections, all our gifts to serve those who had less.

Quebec, We Shall Return!!!

 

We left Old Quebec mid-day and drove to the Ile d'Orleans Island, which is just 5 kilometers away. This beautiful island is surrounded by the Saint Lawrence River.  Here we saw quaint houses and farms and forests.  I had visited in 2007 when it was fall and the leaves of trees blazed yellow, orange, and red.  Now it is summer but everything remains green and lush. We saw cornfields and strawberry farms, and fields of grain; we saw stretches of land and the shoreline of the Saint Lawrence. Everything was picturesque. This island is a bit of paradise, although I can tell it's really cold here in the winter.

UN Urged to Probe Abuses by Syria's Assad - from Fox

 Good!
I'm not a Foxnews fan, but this news that the UN is probing abuses by Syria's Assad is good news. Cecilia

~~~~

FROM www.foxnews.com/world/2013/08/04/un-urged-to-probe-abuses-by-syria-assad/

UN URGED TO PROBE ABUSES BY SYRIA'S ASSAD

BEIRUT (AFP) –  Syria's main opposition group on Sunday urged the United Nations to probe "numerous massacres" they say were committed by President Bashar al-Assad's forces during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The National Coalition also said it was ready to cooperate in any independent investigation into alleged crimes committed by opposition forces.

The Coalition's call comes two days after UN rights chief Navi Pillay said a reported mass execution by rebels of Syrian soldiers taken captive in the northern town of Khan al-Assal should be investigated.

Shopping Spree in Old Quebec! by Cecilia Brainard

Day 3 in Quebec:

Last night we had the anticipated 10-course dinner at Restaurant L'Initiale. We were slightly disappointed that we were assigned a private room; in fact, we wanted to see the other guests. The dishes came one after another, elegantly presented, small lovely portions so you didn't feel stuffed: radish and leeks; smoked sturgeon and raspberries; Jerusalem artichokes and girolles mushrooms; mackarel with vinegar rose; seared foie gras; loin of bison; rhubard, apricot, brioche; le zacharie cloutier de l'Estrire; Chantilly chocolate from Ghana and pain de Genes cocoa; lemon sorbet, strawberries and cormier syrup.

Horse and Carriage in Quebec

Day 2 in Quebec - Ah, we are very happy in Vieux Cite (Old Quebec)!  Even though it's been drizzling off and on, we've been able to walk around this walled city.  Plus we have been able to shop, and the food is simply excellent.  Evelyn Del Rosario, the Foodie among us, is impressed at the number of gourmet restaurants packed in a small area.  Boulay, Panache, Laurie Raphael, Restaurant Initiale, Patente Et Machin, L'Affaire est Ketchup were some of the good restaurants recommended to us. (Tonight we are going to Initiale to try their Menu Degustation.)

Food, Quebec City, and a Quiz for all

Friday, August 2 turned out to be a Foodie Day.

We had lunch at Toque! which is rated the best restaurant in Montreal. We had fois gras, magret de canard, scallops, and pasta, and had five desserts which we shared.

The same day Friday, we drove to Quebec City, arriving at the Old City, at around 7:30 p.m.  We decided to have dinner, got a tip from a woman walking her dog about where to park, and more importantly, where to eat. We had an excellent dinner at restaurant Boulay. Their menu included bison cheeks, hangar steak with bone marrow, veal tongue, and many other interesting "boreal" specialties. This gourmet restaurant is rated highly by TripAdvisor and others.

I was very happy to see the Old City of Quebec once again.  I was here in October of 2007, when the leaves were turning, and while the fall colors were very dramatic, the weather was getting a bit too chilly for my tropical blood.  But now, it's summer and warm and simply wonderful.

From the Cutting Floor - More Canada Pictures

From the Cutting Floor - More Canada Pictures, by Cecilia Brainard

These pictures didn't make it to the blog postings of Toronto and Montreal, but I'm looking at them and they've got some merit.  They're not in any order, but were taken in the two cities in Canada that I've visited so far.

The woman seated was a tour guide; the canes hanging on the wall were those returned by those who had been cured at the Oratory of St. Joseph. There are other random pictures taken in Toronto and Montreal.

By the way, I am very amused at the contrast between the religiosity and the mundane in the bottom pictures. The shorts are called "dila-dila" in Cebu, Philippines.  Dila means tongue.

Have a great Friday,
Cecilia

Rainy August Thursday in Montreal, by Cecilia Brainard

 

 Oh, no!  It rained in Montreal.  I had no idea it would rain in August! It never rains in California in August.  The wet stuff kept us from visiting the Botanical Garden, which was scheduled today.

Montreal -- St. Joseph's Oratory & Underground City, by Cecilia Brainard

The last time I visited Canada was in October 2007, and I don't know if it was the colder weather that gave me the impression that Canada was slightly depressed. By this I mean the place and people looked sadder than now.  I must say that this visit, Toronto and Montreal seem very vibrant and optimistic.

The weather this last day of July has been warm and pleasant; and it's delightful to see people in summer clothes basking in parks and sidewalk benches.  This is wonderful summer weather.

Today, we went on a pilgrimage to St. Joseph's Oratory on Mount Royal, the largest church in Canada. The Basilica is huge, towering on the mount so one has wonderful views of Montreal from above. There are two levels to the Basilica; and there are many areas for prayer in the complex. The bottom floor has the crypt of St. Andre Bessette, a humble  brother who had a devotion to St. Joseph.  It is said that he was prompted to build a church in honor of St. Joseph, and he placed a statue of St. Joseph on the ground and told the saint that if he wanted a roof over his head, he would have to help.  A chapel was built, then a church, and now the huge basilica stands. The feeling of holiness and peace permeate the Basilica.

Aside from the crypt, there is a church in the bottom floor.  Upstairs is the Basilica proper, a huge handsome modern church.  Outside there is a small chapel honoring St. Andre.

After praying, we had lunch and proceeded downtown to visit the Underground City.  There is something like 40 kilometers of interconnected complexes that exist under Montreal.  In the winter, this is practical as it is warmer underground; and some 500,000 people use the Underground City during this time of year.  A man reportedly lived for seven years underground.

Montreal - The French Connection!!

Bonjour,

The dish, Poutine, is big in Montreal, and here's a recipe:

Servings: 4

Units: US | Metric
1 quart vegetable oil (for frying)
1 (10 1/4 ounce) can beef gravy
5 medium potatoes, cut into fries
2 cups cheese curds

Directions:  

Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep heavy skillet to 365°F (185°C).
  

Warm gravy in saucepan or microwave.
  

Place the fries into the hot oil, and cook until light brown, about 5 minutes.
  

Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. 

Place the fries on a serving platter, and sprinkle the cheese over them.

Ladle gravy over the fries and cheese, and serve immediately.

~~~

Seriously, we only had Poutine once, although it's the National Food in Quebec Province (of which Montreal is the largest city.) Be vigilant! It may soon enter the Philippine market in no time at all, when Evelyn Morales Del Rosario moves to Manila. Remember you heard about Poutine for the first time from this blog.

Today, the four of us set forth and dared take the bus to get into the city proper.  Montreal is an island with a lot of construction, and so we were actually glad not to drive into town because many exits have been closed off (Barre Sortie!).

Monday in Montreal with Friends, by Cecilia Brainard

Our small group in Canada includes close friends from high school days when we went to St. Theresa's College, San Marcelino. We were a close knit class, and a cluster of us in the back row were closer still, bonded by the secret notes we passed around during class hours and our occasional giggling fits.  The friendship has remained through the years. It is amazing. Sometimes we go for years not seeing one another, but when we are together it's as if time had stood still.

Evelyn Morales Del Rosario who lives in Montreal had been inviting us, and now finally before she leaves at the end of the year, we decided to do so.  Chit and Albert Acayan drove from Connecticut; Guia Lim flew in from Manila; and I (Cecilia Manguerra Brainard) also flew in from Los Angeles.  We met in Toronto and spent a few days there.


Today after a seven hour drive with stops from Toronto, we made it to Montreal before dark.  It had rained in Toronto and we wondered if Canada really is this cold, even in the summer.  But fortunately when we arrived Montreal, the sun was up and even the slight nip in the air did not dampen our excitement.

Assad is Reponsible for Carnage in Syria, from Washington Post

 

  I'm posting an excerpt from this fine Washington Post article. You can read the entire article from WP - links below

From the Washington Post Opinion

Assad is responsible for the carnage in Syria

By William Harris, Sunday, July 28, 4:47 PM

The writer is a professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand. His most recent book is “Lebanon: A History, 600-2011.”
 

In late June, in the course of observing aid to refugees, I visited the Azaz displaced persons camp on the Syrian side of the Syrian-Turkish border. The sun-baked rows of tents march away in the dust. At 104 degrees in the shade, life’s fortunes are reduced to whether a tent happens to be in the shelter of an old concrete hangar. Here, thousands wait forlornly for the chance to enter Turkey.

The immensity of death, flight and destruction in Syria, with these refugees being among the more fortunate flotsam, has not been a natural catastrophe. The all-encompassing criminality of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the clique around him remain the central reality of the evolution in Syria since March 2011. Unfortunately, this truth has been obscured, even sidelined, by the standard “post-modern” impetus in the West to equalize parties to conflicts and to indulge virtually any self-serving narrative or conspiracy theory. The West can thereby walk away from what has become the crime of the 21st century.

 

Read on at the Washington Post 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/assad-is-responsible-for-the-carnage-in-syria/2013/07/28/c2d8d5fe-f57e-11e2-9434-60440856fadf_story.html

~~~

photo courtesy of the Syrian Revolution 2011

 

Read my other blog entries about the War in Syria

•  Muslims Condemn ISIS
• Syrians fleeing war at rate not seen since Rwandan Genocide
•  Syrian Revolutionary Poem & Destruction of Khalid bin Walid Mosque
• Children and the War in  Syria 
• The Rape of Women and the War in Syria  
• Writers and the War in Syria
• Jesuit Priest, Paolo Dall'Oglio - Another Casualty of Syrian War
• Assad Used Chemical Warfare in Syria - 1,300 dead in Ghouta 
• Formation of Syrian Rebel Alliance is Exactly What Assad Wants
• Testimonies of Syria Chemical Attacks
• Request for Prayers for Monasteries in Syria and Egypt
• Catching up with news on the War in Syria
• The Horror of the War in Syria to the Civilian Population

tags: Syria, war, conflict, revolution, women, rape, violence against women, children, Homs, Aleppo, Damascus, Middle East, Civil War, Conflict, Assad

Sunday in Toronto with Friends, by Cecilia Brainard

I've visited Canada before -- Vancouver, Montreal, Quebec, Canadian National Parks -- but never had the chance to spend time in Toronto until today. Toronto is a young modern city, peopled by a lot of immigrants (50% according to one guide), and probably because of this, it's quite vibrant, with a lot of energy. I like Toronto. The city is sprawling and has interesting sections. It has high rises and old 1800s buildings, and right now there's a lot of construction going on.  I would say Toronto has "attitude."  It has a nice university, it's own castle, lovely old churches, a movie and entertainment industry, and a thriving tourist industry.

Today we had dim sum in Rol San Restaurant in Chinatown, which TripAdvisor has down for a high rating of 4.5. The dim sum was really good; favorites were siomai, spare ribs, eggplant, beef slices, and various dumplings.

Maids in the Mist!! (Canada Visit)

Dear Readers,
I am in Canada with my high school friends, Guia Lim, Evelyn Del Rosario, Chit Acayan!  Chit's husband, Albert Acayan, is with us as well, as our driver, cargo carrier, and harem king!

Seriously, the five of us converged in Toronto yesterday, getting into our hotel at midnight and running off to eat the best Chinese food at New Sky Restaurant, which is open until 5 a.m.  When we left at 3 a.m. some people were just coming in to have dinner.  This was excellent Cantonese food, fresh, not greasy, and super-tasty!  Our choices featured steamed crab on rice, Chinese broccoli with sliced beef, mushrooms with pea blossoms, and fried tenderloins. The chef/waiter seemed amused (or charmed) by us and threw in soup, rice dessert and orange slices, along with very auspicious fortunes in our fortune cookies.

Haggling in Peru, travel article by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Dear Readers,

For a change of pace, I'm sharing a personal essay, which is part of my collection, Out of Cebu: Essays and Personal Prose (University of San Carlos Press, 2012). It is available in Kindle and Nook. Enjoy! ~ Cecilia 

HAGGLING IN PERU

by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Copyright 2013 Cecilia Brainard, all rights reserved

          “Talk to him, will you?” my husband says, standing aside.  He’s referring to the taxi driver in Cusco, Peru.  We’ve just seen the magnificent Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman and Qenko, and now it’s drizzling, we’re tired and want a ride back to our hotel.

          “Cuanto cuesta …” I wave toward the city, “Plaza de Armas Hotel.”  My Spanish isn’t great but I look enough like a Peruvian, I figure they won’t jack up prices as badly as they would for my Gringo husband.

          The man casts a glance at my husband.  “Diez soles,” he says.

          My eyes grow large in surprise, and with a dash of indignance I protest, “Pero, costar only quatro soles to get here from la ciudad!”

The Rape of Women and the War in Syria, by Cecilia Brainard

 THE RAPE OF WOMEN AND THE WAR IN SYRIA

Today I’d like to look at the plight of women as a result of the Syrian War. 

Reports indicate that in Syria the rape of women is used as a “weapon of war” and perpetrated “by all sides,” according to UN official Erika Feller. 

She says:  "This displacement (of civilians) is not only about loss of homes and economic security. It is also, for many, accompanied by gender-based crimes, deliberate victimization of women and children and a frightening array of assaults on human dignity...

"Reports are revealing that the conflict in Syria is being marked by rape and sexual violence employed as a weapon of war to intimidate parties to the conflict destroying identity, dignity and the social fabrics of families and communities." (source: Displacement in Syria...)

Another organization,the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a US based NGO, confirms that rape is “a significant and disturbing feature of the Syrian civil war." “These rapes, sometimes by multiple perpetrators, often occur in front of family members,” the report states.

  

Another organization, Women Under Seige reports that:

• 80 percent of the reports include female victims; 20 percent of reports include male victims
• Ages of female victims ranged from 7 to 46
• Gang rape allegedly occurred in 40 percent of the reports about women
• Nearly 50 percent of reports about men involve rape, while 25 percent detail sexual violence without penetration, such as shocks to the genitals

Children and the War in Syria, by Cecilia Brainard

 CHILDREN AND THE WAR IN SYRIA by Cecilia Brainard

Children in a war is a topic close to my heart. My first novel, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, is a coming-of-age story about a young girl, Yvonne, during World War II.  While writing it, even though I was born after the war, it was as if I too had experienced some of the awfulness of that armed conflict. Of course that was fiction.

Right now millions of children are suffering because of the Syrian war. I'm quoting from London-based SAVE THE CHILDREN'S Report, "UNTOLD ATROCITIES: THE STORIES OF SYRIA'S CHILDREN." Save the Children had interviewed children and parents in the refugee camps and communities that are now home to those who have fled the violence in Syria.

Save the Children

1 St. John’s Lane

London ECIM 4AR
Click to view the complete report "Untold Atrocities..."

http://salvaticopiii.ro/upload/p00010008_untold_atrocities.pdf

This following is 14-year-old Hassan’s story:

 

I was at a funeral when I first heard the rocket that caused a massacre. I think it was targeting the funeral. My cousin and my uncle died that day.

Dead bodies along with injured people were scattered on the ground. I found body parts all over each other; and when we reached the mosque we found tens and tens of dead bodies there. We started to rescue people in need.

Dogs were eating the dead bodies for two days after the massacre. There were tons of people in the mosque too. They were dead, all of them. I was afraid, of course I was afraid.

I was devastated. I hated my life, and I hated myself. I lost my uncle and my cousin, Me and my cousin used to do everything together, and I lost him – my cousin used to stand always by my side.

My house was burnt down. Everything was gone. I wanted to run in, but I couldn’t – it was still too hot. I looked around and everyone was so devastated, no-one could look at each other.

Syrian Revolutionary Poem & Destruction of Khalid bin Walid Mosque

I've been keeping track of news in Syria, which continues to be dire. I found this Syrian Revolutionary Poem, which I'm sharing with my readers. The original is in Arabic, and I used Google Translator and the help of a consultant to translate it into  English. 

SYRIAN REVOLUTIONARY POEM
from the Syrian Revolution 2011 site

In Homs, since the beginning of the revolution,

We have learned to distinguish the sounds of missiles and bombs,

But we have not forgotten the songs of birds nor the bustle of school children;

In Homs, we have learned the odor of gunpowder and toxic gases,

But we have not forgotten the scent of jasmine and the smell of rain on the ancient streets;

In Homs, we have learned to shut windows so as not to see death by the side of the road,

But we have not forgotten the birds in the sky and white snow in January;

In Homs we have learned the taste and feel of torment and sadness,

But we have not forgotten the taste of apricots, eggplant, and licorice on Ramadan;

In Homs we have learned to look at the wounds of children and feel their warm blood,

But we have not forgotten how to peer into the hearts of ordinary people;

In Homs, our five senses have taught us what freedom is.

We miss you Homs

We miss the call to prayer from the Khalid bin Walid Mosque

And the sounds of the bells of the Church.

We will return, beloved Homs!

HOW ARE THE HONEY BEES DOING THIS 2013?

As you can see from my other blog postings, I'm crazy about bees.  I love them, have no fear of them, and can go very close to them. They don't mind me at all.

Sometime after 2006, I learned that the bees (especially the domesticated ones) were dying; the syndrome was dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder.  Basically bees abandoned their  hives and some would be found dead or flying about looking confused before dropping dead. The situation has been so bad that the agricultural industry has felt the economic impact.  Many plants rely on bees for pollination.  These poor domesticated bees are shipped long distances (at times from one country to another) to pollinate huge farms, almonds, okra, onion, celery, beet. mustard, cabbage -- the list is long (click here for a list of crops pollinated by bees).

Talking About Jet Lag, by Cecilia Brainard

OK, I'm really, really jet lagged. I got in Friday night, and it's early Monday morning and I'm not back in gear. The time difference between California and the Philippines is 15 hours, meaning it's around 2 a.m. in California, and it's 5 p.m. in the Philippines. And I'm wide awake.

I hate this. I can feel panic rising in me as the clock ticks forward and I'm not one whit sleepy.

I had been laying in bed, staring at the dark ceiling, and finally I gave up and now I'm staring at the computer screen, trying to coax some words out of me.

"Jet lag is a result of alterations to the body's circadian rhythms because of long distance travel."  I got that from Wikipedia.  And Wiki goes on to say that "The condition of jet lag may last several days until one is fully adjusted to the new time zone, and a recovery rate of one day per time zone crossed is a suggested guideline." 

Who was Right - Mahatma Gandhi or Che Guevara? Question of Violence vs Nonviolence, by Cecilia Brainard

It is 2013 and I continue to ask the same question about Violence vs Nonviolence, which I had asked years ago. I simply don't have the answer.

I'm reprinting here some earlier thoughts I had about the matter:

1.  Mahatma Gandhi Quote - (from my May 10, 2013 post)

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always." ~Mahatma Gandhi

2. In June 18, 2011   I was asked by a newspaper interviewer, what question would I ask the Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal, if I could. Here is my question:

 Peace or revolution? “Knowing what happened to the Philippines after your death, which would have been more effective in achieving independence from Spain - non-violence as Gandhi used, or a bloody revolution?

Shoes, Champagne, and Young German Students - photos by Cecilia Brainard

We have some visitors, German students from Bremen. Here are some pictures. Top photo, l-r: Sandra Wolf, Celine Moenhs, (host) Stephanie Lee Groverland; and bottom photo shows, High- heeled shoes and Champagne; bottom picture l-r: Sandra Wolf, Chris Brainard, Stephanie Lee Groverland, and Celine Moenhs

tags: students, Bremen, Exchange students,California, Germany, summer school

My "Boys" - Che and Tesla, by Cecilia Brainard

My "Boys" - Che and Tesla, by Cecilia Brainard

I call them "my boys" and they are not real boys at all, but a couple of gray alley cats that we adopted two years ago.  Their adoption came after a grieving period for a beautiful orange tabby who died of poisoning.  It was a terrible death, one I fortunately missed because I was out of town.

We have always had cats, from the time we lived in San Francisco and then in Santa Monica, some alley, some Siamese pedigrees. They were always outdoor cats.  After we got over Kiki's death (read Kiki, a Story about our Cat), we decided to get a kitten, and we rescued Mao, a beautiful classic Tabby from the pound.  In fact, it was an unusual adoption, with around six interested parties and we had to bid on Mao. I bid high, to make sure we'd get him; and I recall two women who snidely came up to me and said they could take better care of Mao than I would (or something like that).  I remembered their bitter words when Mao died of poisoning.  Mao was an indoor cat, but one Sunday when my son and his children were here, he escaped and roamed outside. We suspect he licked drippings of radiator fluid from our neighbor's car.  In any case, he died a horrible death, and we spent almost a year grieving over him. We swore we would never have another cat again.