Why didn’t the public know about the collapse of the economy before it collapsed?

There must have been signs indicating an economic meltdown way before the end of the Bush administration? Why did financial experts Ben Bernanke and before him, Alan Greenspan who were the bean counter experts, fail to warn us about the future financial woes? Why were we not aware of the fallout on Wall Street before it spilled over on Main Street? How did the banking business become so aloof in handing out credit to those who could barely afford to pay their debt? Back in the 80’s people could only qualify for a house mortgage that was 3x the amount of their annual salary, plus they needed to have at least a 20% downpayment. How and why did these financial institutions become so lax in their lending criteria? Could it be that they all knew they’d be bailed out?

What about Tim Geithner? The fact is that, when he was the chairman of the New York Federal Reserve Bank he had racked up millions when he made an undisclosed purchase of Goldman Sachs stock, “a violation of Federal Reserve policy,” as stated by the Wall Street Journal. This activity occurred at a time when the New York Fed was supposedly overseeing the actions of the Wall Street firm. Why didn’t that antic of Geithner’s raise an eyebrow from the SEC, Congress or the MS Media?

Not only did Goldman Sachs receive a huge cash infusion from the Government, Goldman also received an additional $8.1 billion that the taxpayers will never receive back. Could this be a gift of sorts engineered by then-N.Y. Fed president Geithner of AIG, which listed Goldman as its top insured credit-swap customer?1

According to a Wall Street Journal article, The US Treasury has bailed out AIG several times since last September to the tune of at least $180 billion. No one knows for sure where the money went. Regulators refuse to identify AIG’s counterparties. The bailout giveaway has been going on since last September whereby no one from Congress has bothered to be truly concerned about until recently. Now they’re crying outrage, after the milk has been spilt — a little late don’t you think? WE, the taxpayers, are going to pay for the greedy bankers who are laughing all the way to the bank.

Now to another unanswered question:

Why are we still fighting two unnecessary wars? Besides stretching our armed forces to the limit, there is also the war on drugs that we have been fighting in our own country for donkeys years — a necessary war, and one that we can’t seem to get control of. Yet, while our troops are in Afghanistan, the opium poppy business has skyrocketed.

As an industry, the farming and harvesting of the opium poppy has taken over every other form of agriculture in Afghanistan, making millions for the opium drug lords, keeping innocent families in poverty, and augmenting the strength of the Taliban. This situation will not change by foreign troop occupation, nor will we succeed in wiping out the Taliban or Al Qaeda. These faction groups will simply pop up somewhere else. These guys are not like any military we have ever fought.

So the premise from President Obama is that our forces will train an Afghani police force that will tackle the problem of illegal drug trade and enforce the law against the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Okay, just how many years will that effort take in order to show some slight progress? The Afghanis are not your everyday enlistees. Most of them are illiterate, poor, desperate and do not like being told what to do by outside parties. Good luck. Meanwhile the burden of another triple billion dollar bill gets paid for by the taxpayers. And just where are all the taxpayers going to find the money to do this if they have no income? To add insult to injury, we still have the huge debt of the Iraq war, which by the way has there been any mention of a withdrawal date yet?

Why hasn’t the Obama administration called for a criminal investigation of George Bush, Dick Cheney and the rest of the Bush cabal for invading a country based on lies and causing the deaths of thousands of innocent people? And for creating the worst financial mess since the Great depression?

Ah, and last but not least, The Tiger is loose. Yes, I mean Tiger Woods. OMG, he’s committed adultery, not once, not twice but more times than he would care to admit and with different lasses. Of course, this is putrid fodder for the news media and all those opponents he’s beaten mercilessly on the golf course. I’ve never been more appalled at the media than I am now – and let’s not forget the one important thing here, Tiger Woods is not a world leader for humanity – he is a sportsman, plain and simple. He does not influence world, national or regional policy, and that’s that. Leave the man and his family alone to work it out the way they see fit. Besides, I really don’t know of any male celebrity that can keep staving off the she-bears out there that would sleep with a married man in order to secure some infamous dalliance that they can brag about later on; plus make a few bucks from some rag-tag media outlet. Enough about Tiger Woods and his groupies.

Ask this question: Why is the private life of Tiger Woods more important than the failing economy? Or the environment? Or man’s inhumanity towards man? Or illegal wars? Or a lying bunch of politicians hell-bent on ruining the fabric of society? Or how about milking the taxpayers so the very few rich can maintain their ultimate lifestyle? Or how about the thousands of people who, everyday go hungry, are sick and are fearful of the future?

Aren’t those questions more important to address than the life of Tiger Woods?

The drive can be awfully long
when the windows are rolled up
and the radio can’t drown out the sound.

I shrink to the size of a fly,
listening to them argue about where to
turn and how fast to drive.

The abuse that spews from one’s
mouth to the other can cause even a fly
to shudder.

Doesn’t matter.

And they wonder why I cry and tell
them how much i can’t stand going
on that journey again.

Doesn’t matter.

They pack up the car. I’m in the back seat.
We set off on that journey back in
time, to that place where another journey
began in much the same way.

Doesn’t matter.

The long journey is always the same.
and the destination keeps slipping
away from memory. Even a fly has a very
small brain.

The Spiral of Being is the first novel by Adele Nieto. The genre is fiction/adventure set in modern day times. The book marks the first of a series in the unfolding saga of how the main character, Noah Goodarte, must overcome great obstacles in fulfilling his destiny as the “Savior of the Earth Colony”.

Across the universe the Great Spiral of Being governs the evolution of life on all worlds. Each planet forms a unique link in the evolutionary spiral and the progress of each species is guided by laws decreed on the planet Oliphum. The colony called Earth is threatening the well being of the whole. Humans are on the verge of causing the extinction of the animal kingdom. The council of the Placiturn will determine the fate of the planet. Thirteen-year old Noah Goodarte must represent the people of the earth and answer for the past actions of mankind. He must convince the council that the Earth deserves another chance but first he will have to overcome some great and dangerous challenges and prove his worth. Time is running out and the council do not believe that humans can change their destructive ways. Noah and his friends are the last hope for the people of the Earth. Will humans be given the chance to mend their bond with the animal world or is their fate already sealed.

I will not ruin the ending. You can now download this story as an ebook at www.lulu.com for $5.00. Not only is it a good read but great value. All you need to do is type in Spiral of Being inside the search box and go for it!

Hope you become a fan of Noah the Goodheart & Friends!

The newest addition to the Circle of Existence series entitled Ambient Bach (variations and inspirations on the music of JSBach) is indeed an inspirational work from the composer of Circle of Existence, Graeme Chaves. Being a great admirer and lover of JSB’s music, it is my opionion that Graeme Chaves showed respect and didn’t damage the integrity of the Maestro’s great works-of-art. If you are a real Bach purist you may not connect with these variations when you hear Ambient Bach. However, I think most people would thoroughly enjoy this unique interpretation of JSB’s music.

Every well-crafted track offers themes of Bach taken from Goldberg’s Variations, The Well-Tempered Clavier, the B-minor Mass to a Violin Sonata, to name a few. The end result is that Graeme Chaves kept the spirit of JSB alive in Ambient Bach.

Click this link for a free Ambient Bach MP3 download of the first track called Gold Sleep/BWV988 (from Goldberg’s Variations). In addition to a free track you can also read a brief biography of Johann Sebastian Bach on the Circle of Existence website.

Through These Eyes

During this past Christmas season I had the good fortune of attending a meditation and music concert performed by Lucinda Drayton the lead singer of Blissful Music. The intimate setting was the inside of a converted chapel of a college campus, which comfortably sat 30 to 50 comfortable souls. Infused in this soft atmosphere was the angelic voice of Lucinda Drayton. Needless to say we were all captivated by her vocal prowess as she played a guitar singing some of her most popular songs. This appearance was not the usual performance that I was accustomed to of Lucinda’s but it was deeply touching and personal.

I’ve been a big fan of Blissful Music ever since I first saw them perform the title song “A Hundred Thousand Angels” from the album at a Vitality show in London nearly nine years ago. Little did I know then, that we would go on to buy every CD that Blissful Music has produced.

Blissful Music are Lucinda Drayton and Andrew Blissett, one of the most exciting and creative musical partnerships in the UK today. Both have been what you would call “practicing Yogis” and it is this way of life that gives their work authenticity and power. Blissful Music has been used by many to see them through stressful times; to help them in dealing with illnesses and to uplift them during times of grief or loss.”

I can’t write enough accolades about Blissful Music – all I can say is this: We have an extensive library of CDs & Mp3s from Classical to Rock n Roll, from Sacred Music to Jazz, and it is impossible to play all of this music in any given time. But Blissful Music has always been played in our home almost on a daily basis.

For information about Lucinda Drayton/Blissful Music and meditation events please visit her website at: www.blissfulmusic.co.uk Whilst you are at the website, make sure to purchase some of their unforgettable music. You will love it!

Barbara Brown’s first novel, Looking For Doris, is a literary tapestry with fine prose and stylish wit that nourishes the heart and mind. Whether it is dealing with sex and death or heartache and divine love . . . this compelling story is a potent reality of how life always keeps you on the edge of awareness.

Looking For Doris captures your imagination by catapulting you into the interior of the main character’s head, Ellie Rose. An urban dweller living in London, Ellie has just ended a tumultuous relationship with her long-time lover. Now, she desperately wants to slip quietly into her own inner-sanctum, and out of the mainstream of life. But no matter how vigilant she is about this introspective endeavour fate keeps pulling her back into the vicissitudes of life. From meeting the enigmatic Mel, to caring for the eccentric and wizened Marte, to the shockingly, honest and glamorous Joss — these extraordinary people reflect back to Ellie, some of her most profound needs and desires. Can she turn her back on them, and pursue her solitary life?

Adding more intrigue to the story, Barbara Brown has woven the Nobel Prize winning author, Doris Lessing as Ellie’s fictional mentor. The interior dialogue with Lessing’s unseen character is extremely touching and insightful.

Ellie’s plight in discovering a truer understanding of life and all its mysterious happenings is what compels the reader to savor every page. Will she succumb to more of the same mundane existence? Or is life just a never-ending search for the truth?

You will find out when you purchase the book online at: www.lookingfordoris.com

For your viewing pleasure you can watch a video in which excerpts are taken from the book and narrated by the Author, Barbara Brown, by clicking on the Looking For Doris link below:
Looking For Doris ]]> http://www.gram-of-truth.com/editors-pick/looking-for-doris-book-review/feed/ 0 http://www.gram-of-truth.com/arts/poetry/pale-lover/ http://www.gram-of-truth.com/arts/poetry/pale-lover/#comments Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:19:34 +0000 adele http://www.gram-of-truth.com/arts/poetry/pale-lover/ we kiss,
his lips are like the coldness
of a winter’s morn,
not yet pulsing with blood
like a corpse in the morgue

we lay together,
flesh and limbs entwined
his eyes see nothing
as if he were blind

when the deed of our lust is over
and the embers in my heart still burn
his emotions are disturbingly sober,
as he moves to one side and turns,

his facial expression says one thing
yet his words reveal quite another,
‘I hate leaving you again,’
says my pale lover.

Copyright December 7, 2005
Adele L Nieto

I am and will always be a great fan of Luciano Pavarotti. His demise has left a void in this world. The sheer power and majesty of his voice and his passion for music are just some of the qualities that I love about this great tenor. In tribute to the Maestro, I have been watching videos of his various performances and some interviews on You Tube. I can’t thank the fans enough for posting these treasures for our pleasure.

Pavarotti was 68 when he recorded his last solo album, Ti Adoro, and the Maestro still shows why he is and will always be the “emperor of tenors” quelling any rumors from some of the music critics that his career had come to a close. On the contrary, he sounds as magnificent and eloquent as ever, from note range, tonal quality, to the powerful strength of his voice, and one can only assume that he would have kept on singing just as his late father had done, well into his 80’s.

Il Gladiatore (The Gladiator) is my favorite on this CD and IMHO, is by far his most magnificent song ever, and is probably the best song I’ve ever heard (bar none). I’m comparing Il Gladiatore to all genres of music. This selection is adapted from Hans Zimmer’s film score to the movie “Gladiator.” Arranger is Gavin Greenaway. Pig Sound Studio, Forlì, Italy. But, I don’t think I could have focused too much on Crowe’s Maximus, if Pavarotti’s song had been used in the movie. Goose bumps appear on my arms whenever I listen to Il Gladiatore. The driving force of his energy through his vocal chords lifts you up into another realm, merging into a timeless space keeping you suspended there all throughout this great track.

Ti Adoro has 13 tracks with a mix of pop songs and songs especially written for Pavarotti and some that showcase his unique gift of reaching those “high C’s that he was so famous for, like Il Canto and Il Gladiatore. Throughout the CD you get a sense that Pav had tremendous fun recording it, especially the title track, Ti Adoro. If you haven’t heard Il Gladiatore or the entire Ti Adoro CD, then I encourage you to listen to it and be ready to buy it!

Luciano Pavarotti was a big man and he gave in such a big way – to his music, to his fans, to his family & friends and to all of humanity. He will always be “The Voice”!

The dynamic collaboration of composers David Giroand Steve Wood have created a musical odyssey depicting the richness of the indigenous peoples who live along the Nile using a unique combination of African and Middle Eastern sounds that include a wide variety of musicians, singers, and instrumentalists of the region, and adding to that the orchestral sound of the Philharmonic of Prague.

Each track seduces you into a “theater of the mind” with an impressive mixture of percussion, stringed, wind and strummed instruments from all over the world combined with a choir of voices and exotic chants. In tracks 1 & 2, The African Heart of the Blue Nile, and Fear and Courage, you feel the driving force of the percussions and vocals. In Lake Bela, track 4, you sense the sublime beauty of the Nile. In track 9, Mysteries of the Sudan, you are further seduced by the magic of African and Arabic sounds imagining the desert landscape of the Sudan (I felt as if I were a cobra being hypnotized by the flute player). In track 15, Vanishing Past, you feel the pull of the Nile by the powerful sound of symphonic strings and percussion. By the time you reach the end of the journey, The Mystery of the Nile will resonate in your heart and you will feel thankful for this musical escapade.

The Mystery of the Nile CD is film music at its best. I recommend that you add this CD to your top 5 list of CDs to buy.

The Mystery of the Nile is available for purchase at: www.cdbaby.com