Beleive in Something Bigger than Ourselves ...

I am SO HAPPY today!!!

I have some TOTALLY AWESOME news to share!!  I just found out this evening that a very special little girl ...  a beautiful soul ... that I have been  dilligently praying for since October 2010:  Ally, Age 12 ... received her test results back for her MRI brain scan to follow up on a growth that her doctors had identified back in October.  This week, the new scan showed that Ally was 100% free and clear ... the suspected growth area was now nowhere to be seen.  Praise God!  Talk about a miracle and an answer to many, many prayers.

Ally had brain cancer three years ago.  They did surgery to remove the tumor, then followed up with chemotherapy. Ally had been cancer free for three years.  Then, this past October 2010 when she had her yearly scan a new growth showed up on the MRI.  When I heard the potentially devastating news, I immediately told her Dad to keep HOPE and then began storming heaven for Ally.  Tonight, I am so very happy for Ally and her family. Feels like we should be setting off fireworks or something to celebrate?! : )

God Bless you, Ally!!  Keep on sharing that beautiful smile and wonderful, uplifiting outlook on life with the rest of the world. Love you!!  Here is a post of one of my favorite magical and enchanting photos for you  ... I call this one "Driftwood Fairy Queen" ... I love this photo, because it reminds me that sometimes we just need to BELIEVE in something bigger than ourselves ... believe in magic ... miracles.


Your friend,
Michelle (a.k.a. Isabelle)

"Driftwood Fairy Queen"

@Copyright 2010 Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

(Thanks to an on-line photography friend's suggestion, I now have a circular polarizer ... so water shots (with blue sky like this)  turn out much more vivid and not so washed out.  Gotta love the internet and the on-line community : )

"I Have a Dream" ...

God Bless you, Martin Luther King Jr., and your family and loved ones.  We remember you today, and we are so very thankful for the many gifts that you left behind ... especially your legacy of Peace, Love and Understanding.  Your words do live on in our hearts and minds ... and hopefully in our actions as well.

Image Source:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/special/mlk/

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'"


“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”


"From every mountainside, let freedom ring. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"



~Martin Luther King Jr., I Have a Dream, 1963.

Apparantly, I'm Not ALL Thumbs? ; )

I've been taking some on-line training on photo editing software.  Only a few 6 minute lessons so far, but today I finally had the courage to try enhancing one of my Infra-red Texas Mission photos.  This is my first attempt at what I call "painting IR" ... hopefully, my images will only improve from here.   There wasn't a lot of foilage in this particular shot ... so not much ethereal white ... except for the grass, which to me looked out of place being all white ... so I shaded some green into the grass.  The remaining white resembles an angel to me.  The presence of which .... angels ... I felt all around this and the other missions.  An army angels waiting to be called where they are most needed.  I think I even saw an actual angel at the Mission San Jose.

(Note:  If you're wondering what Infra-red (or IR) Photography is, see my post from a few days ago ... It explains the basics.)


Anyway, here is what I came up with ...

Original IR image with Red removed.

"Mission Concepcion"

@Copyrighted 2010, Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

A) First Pass Painting.

"Fortress of Angels"

@Copyrighted 2010, Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

B) Second Pass Painting ... Enhance contrast in stonework.

"Fortress of Angels 2"

@Copyrighted 2010, Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

I don't know?  Is the second pass too much?  Too overpowering?  Which is better A) or B)?

Life got you down?  Frustrated?  ... Why not go paint something?  : ) ... I'll be right behind ya!



Peace & Love,
M


P.S.  Think maybe I am at last more right handed than left?  I don't have a digi-pad yet ... I really, really want one of these.  A digi-pad is at the very top of my Want List.  But for now I am stuck using an optical mouse ... that is an exercise in patience in and of itself, but I think I've finally adapted ... the mouse is now an extension of my hand  ... a part of it.  Funny thing is, I got so used to mostly using my right hand with the  mouse that I am now better at drawing on the PC with my right hand.  Well that's ambidextrous for you ... no challenge you can't overcome ; )


1/26/2011  Okay ... I decided that both A) & B) above were BORING (ya'll are just too sweet to tell me so ; ) ... so I played with the software some more and came up with C) & D) ... these may change some (I'm loving this coloring), but here they are for now ...

C)  "Angels Among Us"

@Copyrighted 2010, Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

D)  "Angels Dance"

@Copyrighted 2010, Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

[11/25/2011 ... Final ART render deleted from this site.  To view go to the link for my Flickr website via main page.  Thanks!]



As my software editing skills increase, I might be able to shine the light into the mission tower?  But from an artistic standpoint, maybe that would just take away from the light source ... unless it was done just right.  We'll see time will tell ...

Hope ...

Hope keeps my planet spinning.  And on this day, when a beautiful little light ... Christina Taylor Greene ... is laid to rest ... I think that hope is a good thing to focus on.  Hope for a better world ... One filled with Peace and Love, where we aren't too busy or afraid to reach out to others in need.  Perhaps in that world tragedies such as the senseless shooting of innocent people, as on January 8, 2011, would not be as likely to occur?

Whenever I reflect on Hope ... the image of a sun starburst comes to my mind.  I've recently learned how to successfully capture these starbursts in my own photography.  Here are some of my favorites from this past Autumn 2010.  Perhaps, these beautiful bursts of sunlight also remind us that each of us has a light within and that we are called to share this light with others.

"Hope ... Stephanie's Star"

@Coprighted Image, 2010. Michelle C. of whatplaneteareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

 

"Rebirth"

@Coprighted Image, 2010. Michelle C. of whatplaneteareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

"Peace on the water"

@Coprighted Image, 2010. Michelle C. of whatplaneteareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

"This Little Light of Mine"

@Coprighted Image, 2010. Michelle C. of whatplaneteareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

God Bless you and your family, little Christina ... Safe journey as you head to your next great adventure. : )


Peace & Love,

Michelle

Love Can Move Mountains ...

Today is a day for reflection as final preparations are made for the burrial of a young, innocent child of only nine years of age:  Christina Taylor Greene is burried.  Our nation is called on this day to remember the loss of all six lives taken in the senseless shooting of Arizona Senator Giffords this past Saturday.   We remember:

Christina Taylor Greene, Age 9

U.S. District Judge John Roll, 63

Gabe Zimmerman, 30, Giffords' director of community outreach.

Dorwin Stoddard, 76, a pastor at Mountain Ave. Church of Christ.

Christina Greene, 9, a student at Mesa Verde Elementary.

Dorthy Murray, 76.

Phyllis Scheck, 79.

I have been trying to make sense of all that has happened since Saturday.  Especially the loss of little Christina. I happen to have a daughter 9 years of age, born in the Spring of the year of the 9/11 tragedy.  When I look at my own daughter's face I see Christina's face.  .... Some things have been going on in my own life and I have been trying to stay positive and focused ... hence my trying to be upbeat post made early this morning.  My feelings concerning my own issues remind me that we each of us have our trials and disappointments in life.  But what is it that gets someone through the hard times?  Why does one person make it through their time of trial without breaking down or snapping, while another like  Jared Loughner goes off the deep end?  Goes off the deep end and in a worse case scenario winds up taking the lives of others?

I think that the answer is "isolation" and "loneliness" ... The ones that weather their storms have support in one form or another.  Something that tells them that they are worthy of love, that they are cared for, that they are not alone.  Isolation and loneliness can be powerful and haunting demons during times of trial.   Maybe if we take nothing else away from this terrible tragedy and loss of life this past Saturday, January 8th 2011, it is that we all need to make a honest effort to search out those in our communities who have been lost and neglected and let them know that they are NOT alone.  That they are cared for and worthy of love.  Love can not only move mountains:  it can stop a gun from firing into a crowd of innocent people.

God Bless you little Christina and all of those who have lost their lives in this tragedy.  God Bless those still recovering in the hospital.  May you continue to heal and return to your own families quickly. God Bless all of the families who have lost loved ones or have loved ones recovering in the hospital.  God Bless all who were witnesses firsthand to the shooting.  God Bless Senator Gabrielle Giffords.  May her body continue to heal and may she defy the odds, living to return to a near normal life ... a witness to the power of God, our Creator,  a reminder that we all need to step outside of ourselves more often and look to the needs (i.e, not just the material needs, but also the social and emotional needs) of others in our schools, neighborhoods, churches, and other communities.  If we do nothing else, let us PRAY ... even pray for the man who pulled the trigger on the gun this past Saturday, Januray 8th, 2011:   Jared Loughner.

I Love Numbers ...

It never ceases to amaze me the way numbers come into play in my life ... I'm not a supersticious person or anything, but numbers really do play a significant role in my life. For instance, without even trying ... or really even noticing until the night before ... my first post for the New Year on my other blog was #100. And yesterday, I noticed that I had hit 1111 profile visits here on this blog ... the day of the 11th of January 2011 ... 1-11-2011. What are the odds? Well, quite frankly I don't believe in "the odds", nor do I play them ... I prefer to defy them. How about you?

Stuff like this happens to me ALL the time ... I should be buying more lottery tickets, no? ; )


Well, I hope today brings scores of FANTABULOUS things your way! Make today ROCK! : )

And I hope today brings a major score  in the U.S. House of Representatives, as the House was (I believe) scheduled to vote on the repeal of the "Healthcare Reform law", where Major Score == A VOTE TO REPEAL THE "Healthcare Reform law" (a massive snowball of a piece of legislation).

Lauren's Snowman

Lunchtime ... Here are some amazing numbers for you:  Just heard on the news that at the present moment 49 out of our 50 U.S. States have snow on the ground.  Even Hawaii has 7 inches of snow in the mountain regions.  Only Florida remains untouched by snow, and to the best of my recollection they have had some snow themselves a bit earlier in the season.  Have to say that these numbers would seem to deliver the final blow to the "global warming" theory.  And our snow, here in the Seattle area, did stick on the ground ... so my kids got the day off of school which they are loving.  Let it snow! : )


PJP

~M


P.S. Anyone out there familiar with Harshad numbers?

Got Snow? If not: Create your own with Infra-Red Photography ...

We were dusted with a flurry of  snow here, yesterday ... But nothing stuck on the ground : (  Still there is something truly magical about those BIG white fluffy flakes dancing down from the sky.  Makes you feel like a kid all over again! 

Even though our snow didn't stick on the ground this time:  I do just happen to  have some IR photos that I took and they look like snow.  IR stands for "infra-red" photography.  I have been experimenting with IR photography off and on over the course of the past several months.  All of my photos, and most digital photos, are taken in the near IR ... that is they capture light from an external source reflected off of an object.  Whereas far IR captures energy (heat) radiated directly from a source (e.g., heat retained from absorption of the sun's energy during daylight hours ... many stone and concrete surfaces retain well and hence photograph well in far IR). 

Far IR photography captures are most often taken with special IR film, because the digital counterpart technology is so very, very $$costly$$.  I do have a nice film camera (an old old Cannon 35mm)  that I plan to have serviced (repaired) so that I can use it to take some IR film images.  Far IR film images are best taken at night for obvious reasons.   In order to do IR photography with a digital camera you need to have a camera with a sensor that is sensitive to IR.  Most digital cameras have IR sensitivity disabled.  I just happend to have one of the few cameras that is sensitive to IR ... I have a Pentax K-100D (DSLR).  If your camera is not sensitive to IR, you can pick up a used one that is or you can pay to have your existing camera modified.  The latter can be costly, and I would recommend having a reputable lisenced dealer or manufacturer perform the modification or you could wind up without a working camera all together.  There is a simple test that you can do to determine if your camera is sensitive to IR.  I'll post some links here shortly for reference.

My dream is to do a nighttime cemetery shoot in far IR, but I have a lot to learn about shooting in digital and near IR first.  Shooting in near IR digital is challenging!!  Not only do you have to have a good external light source (e.g., sun), but you have no digital preview to work with to see how your shot looks and if you have successfully captured your intended image.  That's because you can't look through the lens and IR filter without potentially damaging your eyes and the image that saves on the camera is pre-dominantly RED, RED, RED ... with very few distinguishing detalis readily apparent.  So basically, in order take a near IR digital shot you have to:   

1) find your shot and compose it (using a tripod) without the IR filter attached to the lens; 2) then tape off your viewfinder (to avoid errant visible light from reaching the camera sensor and interferring with your image ... noise); 3) carefully attach the IR filter of your choosing (there are many types of different filters that produce different effects, but they basically filter out visible light to varying extents) for your specific camera ... all the while being careful not to bump your camera/tripod composed for the shot; 4) and finally take the shot (or shots if  you are varing the EV compensation values). 

Here is an image as it looks straight off the camera. The image following is what you get after some minimal post processing.

"The Enchanted Fairy Wood"

Photos by Me ... Feel free to reuse this image.

Note: Feel free to use this image, but please link back here to my blog and give me credit as the photographer. Thank you!

And you don't really know what you've captured for an image until you get back home and do some post processing ... specifically, stripping out all of the RED ... to see what you've managed to capture.  In the above shot the highlights are overexposed, so I probably had the EV set high (e.g., +2.0) on this shot for experimentation and learning purposes. 


In Infra-red photography a lot of knowing "what to shoot" and "how to shoot" it will come from experience ... of which I don't yet have a lot to draw upon.  I know that foilage is highly reflective and that with a good light source foilage produces really cool images.  Water almost always photographs dark grey or black ... unless you have the sun reflecting intensely off of it, then you get silvery-white patches where the light is most intense.  I have managed to capture some interesting reflections in water with IR.  Most man-made surfaces do not produce interesting IR images, but they are neat to have in the shot for contrast to the objects that do photograph well in IR.  Some stones (e.g., concrete mixes) photograph with an aura about them which is tres cool.   People photograph silvery and surreal in IR, but I haven't taken many people shots.  The real key to unlocking IR images ... near IR images anyway ... is in the software post processing ... layers, masks and the like ... adding back in selective color in a natural looking way, while leaving the glowing white portions of the images untocuhed ... resulting in ethereal and dreamy images.  I still have A LOT to learn in the software image processing department, but I am having FUN on this IR adventure thus far.


So here are a few of my IR photography images ...

(image temporarily removed for editing)

"The Silver Pond"

 @Copyrighted Image 2010. Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

Believe it or not, the above shot was taken this summer at my parents' ranch, in central Texas, in 100+ degree weather!!  Snow would have been awfully nice to have while I was out baking in the heat trying to capture these images.


Same shot with a bit more color?

(image temporarily removed for editing)

"The Silver Pond II" ... This photo is dedicated to my friend over the pond, in England.  He is the one  that encouraged me to give Infra-red Photography a try.  Thank you, Steve.

@Copyrighted Image 2010. Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

This shot really looks like snow ...

"Summer Snow"

@Copyrighted Image 2010. Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

Here is a shot of the "barnyard" near my Mom and Dad's house ...

"Barnyard IR"

@Copyrighted Image 2010.  Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

Here's an IR barn shot where I intentionally left some of the red in the image ... I have not tried to do an IR paint on this image yet.  Will have to try that next and see what I get.

"Old Red Barn"

@Copyrighted Image 2010. Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

Same shot with increased saturation ...

(image temporarily removed for editing)

"Red Barn on Fire"

@Copyrighted Image 2010. Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

I took some IR shots of the San Antonio missions while I was in Texas, but I haven't done much of anything with them yet as I don't have the software image processing skills to do them justice yet ... and I really what them to WOW, if you know what I mean.

Here is a favorite photo of mine from another photographer.  It is taken in near IR and the photographer/artist has gone in and added back color to the brick home (Monticello ... I believe) in the image:  IR photograph of Monticello.  Hopefully, I'll be good enough with the software to do this sort of image enhancement myself soon.


The nice thing about far IR shots is they require little post processing. So that is a big plus in my humble opinion. That being said, the IR film can be costly and hard to find. Still the images that can be captured with a standard camera and IR film are some my absolute favorties. Here are a few far IR shots sent to me from a friend of mine. He lives in England and they have some of the most wonderful cemeteries over there. I may have to make a trip back to England just to shoot some of their magnificent cemeteries.

Far IR film capture of a cemetery.

Lister park, Bradford, UK. 

@Copyrighted Image.  All Rights Reserved.

(I know that I have a close-up of the statue on this one, where the statue is glowing ...  almost

looks alive, but I can't seem to locate this image right now.  I will keep looking for it though.

1/17/11 My friend saw this post and pointed me to the photo I needed.  Thank you Steve :  )

... By the way, Steve is the one who encouraged me to pursue my interest in IR photography.

I wouldn't have any of my own photos to share if it had not been for his sending me informative links,

sharing photos and encouraging me.  God Bless  you, Steve. )

"Goddess, Diana ... of the Hunt."  Lister park, Bradford, UK.

@Copyrighted Image. All Rights Reserved.

Castle Ruins, Far IR image.

Statue, Far IR image.

Ruins near the sea, Far IR image.

This is a link to my favorite far IR photo of all time: "The Sleeping Angel.

You'll be happy to know that snow is again in our forecast for tonight and tomorrow.  Well, it makes me happy anyway.  Love playing in the snow!!  I called my parents, in Texas, last night, to see how they were doing, and it turns out that they had gotten snow yesterday too.  Nearly 3 full hours of snowfall.  They said that they had put on a roaring wood fire, made some popcorn, worked on a puzzle and just watched the beautiful snow falling ... layering everything in a pristine winter white.  Let it snow ... Let it snow ... Let it SNOW!!!!

Hope you're getting some winter white in your part of the country!  Enjoy : )

P.S.  Yup!! We got SNOW...  and then some!!  I know, because I just drove to the grocery store and back  in it.  There must be between 1 and 3 inches on the ground, and it's still coming down.  Sadly, the temps are supposed to warm back up overnight and mornings rains will probably wash this fabulous white fluff all away again.  Guess, I'll have to put the groceries away and head out and play tonight ... helps not ever having to sleep .. Just wanted to let you know that I will post some useful IR photography links here shortly.  Throwing a BIG snowball your way!!  ... Did I hit ya? ; ) ... Later ....



Okay here are some of the most useful internet IR-photography links that I have found thus far (one's that get you up and running quickly):



1) If you are wondering: Can my camera be used for IR?  This link is for you.  See the section titled "Honey, Where's the Remote?" for how to do the TV remote IR test with your own camera.


This page also gives the most comprehensive IR overview I have yet found.

 http://dpfwiw.com/ir.htm#handle



2) Once you've got your camera and you are ready to shoot then you may wonder:  What am I  looking for and what do I do with the images once I've successfully captured them?  This site provides a pretty simple overview on image capturing and post processing basics.

http://www.xsrider.com/xsrider/infrared/infrared.htm



If I recall, or come across any other useful links ... I'll be sure to add them here.  But I've sorted through tons of sites on-line and these two are the best I've found thus far.  So maybe I've saved you some time by not having to do the same?  By the way, I have yet to find a really useful IR film (far Infra-red) on-line site.

"Antithesis": A Valid Point of View? ...

"Antithesis ... A point of view."

@2011 Copyrighted Image, Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.
All Rights Reserved.

Black and White? Or shades of grey?


What's your point of view?  Well, mine seems to be dusted with snow this morning ... It just started snowing again (this will be our 3rd snowfall this year) here, in the greater Seattle area, as I upoload this photo.  Big, white, fluffy flakes ... as the sun continues to stretch and yawn, slowly creeping his way into the morning sky. Magical ... I love it!


And I wonder, as I type this, what color is snow? Is it truly white or rather some shade of grey? ; ) 

@2011 Copyrighted Image, Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.
All Rights Reserved.

Maybe I'll venture out and try to capture a few flakes on film ... of snow that is ... today?  Tomorrow, I will finally post an update on my progress ... adventure ... into IR (near infra-red) photography.

In the here and now, however:  I Close my eyes and make a wish ... That you will have a truly FABULOUS day! Reach for the stars!!

Peace & Love,

~M

P.S.  Had not watched much news this weekend.  Weekends are family time ... and I had a lot on my plate from a personal perspective.  Just heard about the shooting Congresswoman Giffords, of Arizona.  How scary?!  But she is alive and not taking a turn for the worse ... that in and of itself is a miracle.  I will keep you in my special prayers Mrs. Giffords.  Hang in there and show them that you can beat the odds!!

Late p.m. ... early a.m. the next day:  I realize now, at the end of this day, that several people lost their lives in this tragedy.  Six in all.  Six lights extinguished from our world  ... our reality.  How truly sad?!  Unfanthomable ... And the youngest was just 9 years old ... the same age as my youngest.  Born on September 11, 2001 ... 9/11.  I have been trying to process all of this today, but still no words spring readily to mind ... just an overwhelming sorrow.  I will pray for those injured and in the hospital and for the families of those who lost their loved ones.  I will pray for the man, who for whatever reasons felt compelled to commit this unspeakable crime.  His tormented cry for help perhaps?

"Wind Blown" ... Me and Photography

ME ... An ART render ... "self-portrait" ... A cowgirl at heart?

@2011 Copyrighted Image, Michelle C. of whatplanetareyoulivingon.blogspot.com.

All Rights Reserved.

I don't know what it is, but I have a hard time taking a "standard photograph" ... There is just so much more there to see to my way of thinking.  I love to take "less than perfect" shots and  then try to find the beauty ... the magic ... in them ... To shoot from an angle that no one would expect ... To take a shot when the wind is blowing and I can't still the object of my focus with the camera.  I don't know maybe it's just my inexperience: I'm still learning, but I go with it. And you know, wind blowing an object can be very beautiful, unexpected.  I love the unexpected as you well know ... the magical and mysterious.

Well with that in mind ... Here is a shot that I worked on playing with (in the software) tonight.  These were multi-colored tullips, in a neighborhood flower bed, that I shot while during a walk on a very windy day.


This is the finished product.  Below it  is what I started with ... well, minus the brown patches throughout the lawn ; )

@2011 Copyrighted Image. All Rights Reserved.

"Wind Blown" ... Dedicated to my friend, Dave, whose mother passed away on January 3, 2011.

@2011 Copyrighted Image.  All Rights Reserved.

(All of My Photographs are available to license via my Flickr website:  isas_fallingstar )  

If I had my mp3 sites up to date: I'd post the song "The Southern Cross", By Crosby Still and Nash.

Why? ... It seems to fit and it just happens to be playing on my playlist as I make this entry.


Go find some magic for yourself ...

Peace.

~M


Okay ... updated one of my sites ... so here's the song ...
Song: "Southern Cross", By Crosby Stills and Nash


... And just in case you were wondering ... What is the Southern Cross? ... Here you go Windows to the Universe  and here is some additional interesting historical info wikipedia-Crux.

Newsletter Update: "Petition to Repeal Healthcare Reform law" ... Jan. 6, 2011

"January 6th, 2011

Repeal Report

News, notes and updates from Repeal HealthCare Act


TOP STORY »First Repeal Petition Delivery Scheduled


Vowing to obey the will of the people, new Members of the House of Representatives promise a vote to repeal the HealthCare Act on January 12th. Your Repeal It Now campaign has been asked to begin delivery of petitions the day before this historic vote.

“We will be bringing 500,000 petitions to the steps of the Capitol. Our petitions will include the names and hometowns of all of those who have joined our massive petition drive,” said Ken Hoagland, chairman of the campaign to force immediate repeal.

“We anticipate that the mainstream media will dismiss this House vote as merely ‘symbolic’ because of resistance by the Democratic majority in the Senate,” said Hoagland. “Far from it, we will make sure that this vote is not ‘symbolic’ but the first step in our tough battle to make our elected officials actually represent the wishes of their constituents. There are many Senators who will be looking for other work if they ignore the legitimate demand of Americans to repeal it now,” said Hoagland.

News reports may cover the first of many petition deliveries and other grassroots advocacy tactics planned for coming months. “We will keep turning up the heat, degree by degree, until we see this destructive bill -- and insult to our democratic process -- erased from the books,” said Hoagland.


Want to write a comment or share this article? Visit our blog @ http://wp.me/p1ddNO-3O "

----------------------------------------------------------------------



So this campaign has generated 500, 000 petitions:  Awesome!!
I wonder how many actual signatures that amounts to?  Need to find that information out.

But, way to go Americans!  Nice to see that "We the People" do, in fact, have a voice after all.

PJP

~M


To see more related news and updates, please visit the: "Repeal Healthcare Reform Law: New and Email Updates" page on this blog.

Time to Consider an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

As I understand it, a reading of the U.S. Constitution (an updated version with more modern phrasings) will now be recited at the start of each new session of Congress, from 112th on forward. This reading being instituted by a House Resolution.  Furthermore, an additional resolution will now require that each newly introduced piece of legislation to cite the specific portion of the U.S. Constitution from which it draws its power of origination.  The point of the later being to prevent unconstitutional pieces of legislation, such as the "Healthcare Reform" law, from ever being signed in law in the first place.

Bravo, 112th Congress ... I'd say that you are off to a brilliant start!  I have to admit, I did rather enjoy seeing Nancy Peolosi reciting her part of the U.S. Constitution earlier today ... To me, it was rather like seeing a repentant parochial school girl who had just gotten caught cheating come clean.  So perhaps there is a modicum of justice in the world after all? 

Another reason for auplause: a "yeah or nay" vote  for the repeal of the "Healthcare Reform law" is on the agenda, in the House,  in the upcoming week.  Experts say it is unlikely that a similar vote will pass in the U.S. Senate -- although it should, if the elected officials in that chamber of the legislature have any hope of being re-elected to office --but I still keep hope.  I mean, if the totally unthinkable can happen ... with this nightmare piece of legislation being signed into law against the will (and strong oposition!!) of the American people in the first place ... then why can't the also unlikely scenario of a repeal vote passing in the Senate occur? 

If the above were to happen, that is that a repeal of the "Healthcare Reform" law were to pass in both the House as well as the Senate --despite what "experts" predict -- and such a bill were to make its way to President Obama for signature:  he would be a fool NOT to sign it into law! ... Because, does President Obama really want to be remembered throughout history as the President whose party so grossly violated their constitutional mandate, forcing into law a bill to which the American people were so adamently opposed?  I would hope not.

If the above scenario does not happen ... that is that is that a vote to repeal "Healthcare Reform" law passes in the U.S. House of Representatives, but not in the U.S. Senate ... then what are the American people supposed to do?  Just swallow this horrible pill and accept the socialization of the American healthcare system?  Standing by, helpless to act, as our healthcare system quality and available options decline, degrading the overall system, bit by bit,  as we have seen socialized medicine do in European countries such as England?  Not to mention the enormous cost of this snowball piece of legislation?  Should "We the people" patiently wait while the constitutionality of this "law" is hammered out in the U.S. courts, in a long and drawn out process that will likely take longer than two additional years (as it is highly unlikely that this matter will be "fast tracked' through the court system and make its way to the U.S. Suprem Court in a timely manner)?  I think NOT!!  In this case scenario, I say that "We the People" do not wait two additional years to get justice:  the damage that can be done in this timeframe is too great and I do not think that this damage can be averted by simply attempting to "defund" parts of the "Healthcare Reform" law. I say that we need to seriously consider the enactment of legislation that would create an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, whereby gross violations of legislative power (e.g., the passage into law of the "Healtcare Reform Act") can be redressed by a vote of the American people.

Perhaps it is fitting that I come to this epiphany ... a vocalization of this epiphany ... today, on the "Feast of the Epiphany"?


P.S.  Bill Oreilly ... I am disappointed in you.  You've tried so hard, for so long, to be in the "No Spin Zone" that you've apparently lost your momentum?  If you were truly "fair and balanced" you would have Mike Huckabee, spokesperson for the "Petition to Repeal Healthcare Reform Law", on your television show ("The Factor") before you threw in the towel on the likelihood of a timely success for the repeal of the "Healthcare Reform law."

Welcome to the Members of the 112th Session of Congress: You've got your work cut-out for you!!

(1/7/2010  I  have read over what I had written here the other day.  In looking back, I see that perhaps I come across as being completely intolerant of the liberal perspective and opinions on political issues. 

The latter is simply not the case. 

While I do consider myself to be an Independent with Conservative leanings, I am open to hearing and considering other points of view.  I realize that sometimes we just have "agree to disagree." 

That being said, our elected legislative representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives and  the U.S. Senate DO have to find a way to work together towards completing the tasks that they were sent to Washington D.C. to accomplish by the people that they represent.  Agree to disagree just won't cut it in Congress ... neither will strict aherence to party ideaology.  Furthermore, I firmly believe that liberals, conservatives, and everything in between ... Republicans, Independents and Democrats ...

... whatever our elected officials choose to call themselves ... 

they ALL need to be painfully aware that not only are they there to serve and represent the will of the American people, but that their mandate to do the latter comes expressly through the enumerated powers granted to them by United States Constitution and there is no "agree to disagree"

in this matter.  )

image source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20101227/pl_yblog_theticket/five-issues-facing-congress-in-2011

Welcome to the members of the 112th session of the Congress of United States of America!

I am anxious to see what this session of Congress will be able to accomplish. Hopefully, the members of this 112th Session of Congress realize that this past election was a mandate from the American people for doing business differently this time around. Specifically, the American people are outraged that  "We the people" were completely ignored and the "Healthcare Reform Act" was passed into law against the will (strong opposition!!) of the American people. Further, the American people want smaller government ... mainly in terms of rampant spending, but also in terms of less government control and involvement in all aspects of our daily lives.

I am still dumbfounded that a bill -- the "Healthcare Reform Act" -- that the American people were so adamantly opposed to found its way into law?! I wonder what our Founding Fathers would say if they were here and had a voice today? I don't think that they could have predicted this outcome in their wildest, wildest dreams ... or rather, I should say: nightmares.  Perhaps, given this recent scenario of gross abuse of power by our elected officials, in 111th Congress, there does need to be an amendment to our U.S. Constitution whereby the American people would be given a vehicle for redress of such a blatant disregard for our Constitution and the will of the American people.

The one thing that the 111th Congress has taught me is that the primary difference between a "liberal" and a "conservative" is that the former have a profound disrespect for the Constitution of the United States of America.  Liberals now openly admit that they feel that our Constitution is an outdated document that should not dictate how our government does business (and I will post quotes to support this here shortly). 

Members of Congress take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America when they are sworn into office and their failure to do so should be grounds for their immediate removal from office. Thus, I find it fitting that the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, has called for a reading of our Constitution in the House Chamber tomorrow. I only hope that the words of our Constitution resonate in the minds and hearts of the members of the 112th session of Congress as they undertake the important tasks that they have at hand this session ... first and foremost being the dismantling of the "Healthcare Reform law".

Highlights From Repeal Healthcare Act: Newsletter #2, Vol. 1, Report 2

Repeal Report - Received 12-23-2010

News, notes and updates from Repeal HealthCare Act


TOP STORY »Mr. Obama, Top Leaders Exempted from ObamaCare!

Now it turns out that the President, staff and family, the Vice President and his staff and family, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and their staffs and all the cabinet officers, as well as Congressional Committee staff, were written out of the new HealthCare Act.

“Upon penalty of law we are required to participate in a HealthCare system that, by law, Washington insiders wrote themselves out of,” said Hoagland. “It's so typical and so completely wrong,” he said.

Back in March the President said that "people will have choice and competition just like members of Congress have choice and competition." And in December when he signed the bill into law the President said that every American would be, "…part of a big pool, just like federal employees are part of a big pool. They'll have the same choice of private health insurance that members of Congress get for themselves."

It turns out that the President and others, including Congressional Committee staff who wrote the bill decided that the “public pool” was not quite good enough for themselves or their families. The committee staff that drafted the legislation opted themselves out.

Under withering criticism from Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley and Oklahoma’s Senator, Tom Coburn, most Congressional staffers were written into the bill last March. But by December, Majority Leader Reid included language taking senior administration officials and himself out of the bill. Mr. Grassley and Coburn’s amendment to close this loophole and extend the law to themselves and senior members of the executive branch was then blocked by Senate Democratic leaders.

“They used their personal power to protect themselves from this new law. Now we’ll use our combined personal power as citizens to do the same thing for ourselves,” said Ken Hoagland.

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Please help us continue to drive petition signatures by forwarding this email to every family member, friend and co-worker you know and ask them to  click here and sign the petition today!



What You Can Do

If we want our country back, we have to take it back. That’s what this fast growing campaign is all about. If we all pitch in, we will repair the damage done, create a better future and erase this stain on faithful representation by tone-deaf politicians. Each supporter is a part of this renewal of America’s promise.

In our Constitution and Bill of Rights our Founding Fathers gave us all the tools we need to direct and limit our government and we will first employ one of the most important -- the right to “…petition our government for a redress of grievances.”

By acting together we will burn away the arrogance of “public servants” and replace it with appropriate humility. By powerfully restoring the voice of the American people, we will save our nation from those who advance their own political ambitions at the cost of the best interests and will of the people. The days of misleading the people and outright lies are coming to an end and not a moment too soon given the challenges facing us and the damage already done.

The Framers of the Constitution knew then what we are seeing now -- every government grows and grows and grows, favoring those inside government or near government. Eventually even the most-noble design falls prey to human ambition and human weakness -- and that is what we are seeing now.

Help us get the word out by telling your family, colleagues and friends about our massive petition drive to repeal this destructive law. If you can, please help us grow the “snowball” effect by contributing as generously as possible to our TV ad fund.

CLICK ON THE "INVEST" LINK at the bottom of the "Sign the Petition" Home Page.


Spread the word by commenting on Facebook and Twitter and other social media. Take our message to Tea Parties, favorite websites and across the lunch table to everyday Americans -- we are taking our nation back.

No one has ever said that a government, “of, by and for the people.” was easy because it’s really not. If we put in on "automatic pilot” we suffer what we are seeing now -- maybe the end of the America we know and love. To have the greatest nation on Earth once again, we have to control our government and be ready to act. Now is the time, please do everything you can for the sake of our country, our children and our future.


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We’ve Been Pushed as Far as We’ll Go

In the days leading up to Christmas last year then Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were on non-stop calls with the White House deciding how to ram the HealthCare Act through Congress.

Using “Reconciliation” instead of a straight vote with debate on the matter in the House, Ms. Pelosi found the means for Democrats to hurriedly “accept” the recently passed 2,700 page Senate bill—which made actually reading the bill before the vote, virtually impossible.

The fact that most Americans objected to the new law didn’t slow down Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Reid or Mr. Obama in the least. “It was the usual arrogance of power that has so damaged our nation in recent years", said the Repeal It Now campaign chairman, Ken Hoagland. “So many people in Washington don’t care anymore what we think that it has turned the whole idea of a government ‘by the people’ on its head.”

“We have to pass it to know what’s in it…” said Ms. Pelosi. Now we know and in the words of former Governor and past Presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, “It’s not pretty…”. The Obama Administration now admits that most people won’t be keeping their own health insurance coverage, as promised time after time. We know that costs won’t be capped but have already begun a steep climb to finance both expanded coverage and millions of new beneficiaries--who won’t be paying into the system. We know that business costs will skyrocket just at the moment when we all need American businesses to be spending money on expansion and new hires instead of mandated new benefits and tax reporting.

As the “fine print” comes into focus we have learned that the entire idea of “universal coverage” is a fiction and that future taxes on America’s children have exploded because of ObamaCare. “It is intergenerational theft, pure and simple,” said Hoagland. “They may have started with good intentions but it turned into a monstrously destructive law that satisfies almost none of their original goals,” said Hoagland.


We Have the Last Word

The American people have the ability to replace arrogance with humility by reminding elected officials that the last word on new laws and regulations still resides with the public. “If they want to keep their jobs—and they do—they had better pay attention to the millions of petitions we are gathering now,” said Hoagland. “We are gathering a head of steam that will be impossible to ignore and along with it comes a badly needed lesson to Washington,” he said.

New TV ads by Mike Huckabee begin airing soon on an expanded base of networks and cable channels. “We have an updated website coming soon and our Facebook and other social media sites continue to grow exponentially” said Hoagland. “We will see the American people, themselves, become a needed force in every future public policy debate and action by our elected officials. That is the way it was supposed to always work and the way it will work again,” he concluded.

Want to write a comment or share this article? Visit our blog @ http://wp.me/p1ddNO-32 Note from the chairman

Vol.1, Report.2



Dear Friend,

We’re probably like a lot of American families -- at our house, we are tickled silly watching the children’s nervous anticipation on Christmas Eve and the frenetic joy that always arrives too, too early the next morning around the tree.

Then, with the house alive with Christmas music and rich with both scent of the tree and the intoxicating hints of the roasting turkey we talk and we watch the kids play and we reflect with friends and family on the year past and the reason we celebrate this very special day.

Even during these hard times, we find this a special time for love and for prayers of thanks and reflection.

From all of us at Repeal HealthCare Act, we wish you every joy and good will and Merry Christmas to all!

Ken Hoagland, Chairman

Repeal HealthCare Act



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Still Peddling "Global Warming"?

Can you believe it: there are still staunch supporters of "Global Warming" out there? ... And we were hit with snow here, in the USA, in Las Vegas today!! Las Vegas of all places ... The "playground in the desert"!?!  ... The snow shut down highways, with up to 15 inches falling in surrounding areas (i.e., 50 miles out) of Las Vegas ... where schools were closed for perhaps the first time ever in history.  The east coast and northern midwest have been hit with record snowfalls as well, and here in the Seattle area we've had snow twice already this year  ... on two different occasions ... the last of which has remained on the ground for the last 6 days.


Slideshow of "Snow in Las Vegas"


Still the proponents of "Global Warming" continue to press onward with their agenda?  Specifically, Cap and trade ... emissions regulation with cash penalties ... the cost of which will ultimately be picked up by the little guy (i.e., you and me) in the form of lost jobs and higher ultility bills.


Here's some interesting reading ...
US orders greenhouse gas reporting beginning Jan 2011
Texas files again to block EPA carbon rules in state
Biomass Industry Fears EPA Ruling

I'm all for taking care of our beautiful planet ... but let's get real about what we are talking about here.  Wake up politicians with an ulterior agenda:  You can dress it any way you want, but we aren't buying "Global Warming" anymore!!


I heard an awesome remark about the "science" behind Global Warming today:

"The only concrete evidence of man's direct influence on 'Global Warming' is in the scientific manipulation of the data regarding 'Global Warming'."


That about sums it up, wouldn't you say?

Bring on 2011 ...

Happy, Happy New Year!!  Welcome 2011  : )

Photo By Bethany : ) ... Space Needle 1_1_2011

So are you ready for 2011?  I have to admit, "2011"does have rather a nice ring to it. Don't you think?

So, are you one of those crowd-followers who make an entire list of New Year's resolutions? Personally, I've never been really big on the whole "New Year's Resolution" thing ... I don't know; it just seems like a big cop-out on the whole rest of the year to my way of thinking. The way I see it: every day is an opportunity for improvement. Why try to pack all of your 'improvemnet' all into the beginning of the year? Aren't you just kinda setting yourself up for a fall in that scenario? The latter being said, if I'm pressed to say something --which I often am--I would say that my resolution is to try my best to look at life --all around-- through the eyes of a child and to not take it all so seriously: 'cuz Life's too short!!

... And on that note, this child probably oughta get her tired self into bed. I don't want to start the New Year off with me dragging my xxxx ; ) Sweet dreams and a Happy New Year's Day to ya'll tomorrow.


Peace ... or rather the extended 'PJP' ... (Peace, Joy & Prosperity)
~Michelle



Later afternoon ...
Decided to bake gingerbread cookies today, in celebration of the New Year. We always have so much fun making "Christmas" cookies that I thought it would be a fun way to ring in the New Year ... and of course gingerbread cookies are my absolute favorites!  Our gingerbread are homemade --from 'scratch'-- with homemade vanilla creme frosting and broken candy canes sprinkled on top.  These cookies go great with a cup of hot cocoa! YUM!! I'll try to post the recipe soon. I use a version of Martha Stewart's and while I'm not huge Martha Stewart fan, I do have to admit: that woman does know how to make cookies! 

Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Photo By Bethany : ) ...

You know, if they found a way to make a "gingerbread" cologne for men,

I think that it would be irresistable!  ... Well, I'd be all over it ; )

Wrapped this first day of the New Year up with Ken's homemade gumbo --New Orlean's style-- followed by watching the movie "White Christmas", with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen.  I always enjoy watching this movie every year around Christmas- time.  To me, "White Christmas" is just quintessential Christmas to me: I LOVE IT!!  My oldest child tells me tonight, "This is THE ONLY old movie that I actually get [understand]."  Last year, at Christmas-time, we were fortunate enough to have seen a live version of this classic story performed at the "5th Ave Theater", here in Seattle.   This year, the lead up to Christmas just went by so fast that there wasn't time to even think about watching this wonderful treasure of a movie. So something about Christmas has just felt like it was missing for me?

We used to borrow this movie from my parents when we lived in Texas.  Turns out Blockbuster up here didn't have this Christmas classic.  It wasn't for sale in any of the local stores either.  Still, I was hoping that Santa would bring me the movie "White Christmas" for Christmas, but it must have fallen out of his bag? ; )  My husband could apparently see that this movie's missing from Christmas was affecting me, so he lovingly spent some time on the phone today (of all days?) and finally tracked down what must have been THE LAST copy of "White Christmas" in the whole Seattle area.  Then he went out onto the icy roads and bought it for me so that I could watch it tonight ... and he bought the full-blown Blu-Ray --with bonus commentary from the original actors and extra clips-- version no less. The picture quality is excellent on Blue-ray! What a great guy my husband can be.  He's set for Brownie Points for awhile now, I'd say.  And if you haven't seen "White Christmas", the movie, yet for yourself:  you should!!  You'll love it ... It harkens back to simpler times, with a great story line and lots of fabulous dancing and singing along the way.

Hope you and yours enjoyed the first day of the New Year in your own special way!!