HAPPY NEW YEAR from Joy and Kenne
Archive for December 2009
Capturing the Moment – HAPPY NEW YEAR! 1 comment
“Turning Circles, Time and Again” Leave a comment
Ashton Savoy @ Ken & Mary's Blues Project, 2002
As I near my 69th birthday, I’m beginning to realize that I’m not as up on current music as I used to be — looked at Andrew Dansby’s top ten selections for 2009 and didn’t recognize any of them. Now, I seem to notice things on living legends, like the new documentary on Patti Smith, “Dream of Life,” and the obituaries of musicians (NY Times – The Music They Made) who past on this year. Here are links to four posting I did on some legends this year:
http://kenneturner.com/2009/12/25/%E2%80%9Cthe-father-of-psychedelic-guitar%E2%80%9D-rip/
http://kenneturner.com/2009/10/17/in-memory-of-rusty-weir/
http://kenneturner.com/2009/05/17/ashton-savoy-rip/
With this theme in mind, it seems fitting that I share a verse from my poem, “Dark Spirits,” that I will be posting soon.
There are no words to describe
Still, I keep trying,
Turning circles, time and again
To make these feelings go away
kenne
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2009, Bicentenary of Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday Leave a comment
One of my favorite blog site discoveries this year is Kiko’s House http://kikoshouse.blogspot.com
I learned about Shaun Mullen blog when he commented on one of my blog entries on our cat Kiko passing on. As you might guess, he had a cat named Kiko.
I just love his site. As Shaun states on his site, he was born to blog. “It just took a few years for the medium to catch up to the messenger.” Throughout the year, Kiko’s House has celebrated the bicentenary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth with posts and book excerpt on the greatest of American presidents. Here are the highlights:
http://kikoshouse.blogspot.com/2009/12/now-he-belongs-to-ages.html
http://kikoshouse.blogspot.com/2009/12/index-to-abraham-lincoln-posts_20.html
Additionally, on Christmas Day, Bill Moyers Journal had on Bill T. Jones. “At the close of Abraham Lincoln’s bicentennial year, BILL MOYERS JOURNAL takes a unique look at our nation’s 16th President — through the eyes of the critically acclaimed dance artist Bill T. Jones. In a groundbreaking work of choreography called FONDLY DO WE HOPE…FERVENTLY DO WE PRAY, Jones reimagines a young Lincoln in his formative years through modern dance. Bill Moyers speaks with Jones about his creative process, his insights into Lincoln, and how dance can give us fresh perspective on America’s most-studied president.”
Here are links to the Christmas Day show:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/12252009/watch.html
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/12252009/profile2.html
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04102009/profile2.html
kenne
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Blogging In The Age of Facebook & Twitter Leave a comment
As I look at beginning my fifth year of blogging, a review of this past year shows that I continue to receive over 9,000 views per year, with an average of 772 per month. August had the fewest number of views with 468, with February having the most with 1, 381. My personal favorite month for entries was October.
Given that my Facebook and Twitter accounts were more competition for blog postings this year, I still posted over 350 entries. Although I usually send out notification of a posting with a link directly to the entry, you may find it easier to navigate the blog by going directly to the home page, then searching by month: http://kenneturner.wordpress.com You will also be able to see a list of other sites I have found interesting to follow:
TOP TEN POSTINGS IN 2009:
ROADDAWG 181
Mean Gene Kelton Shares Story of Dallas 160
St. John’s Military Academy — Kenne Law 139
Ezra Charles & The Texas Blues Band 121
PCI Ranch “Denim & Diamonds Bar-B-Q” 120
Social Media Can Help Your Organiization 111
PorterDavis @ Ken & Mary’s Blues Pro 111
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
kenne
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Capturing the Moment — Nature Made Leave a comment
Image by kenne
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Kika & Niko 2 comments
Kika in my office. Image by kenne
Now that Kika, our new rescued mixed-siamese cat has been with us for four months, I’m learning how much she is like the first mixed-Siamese cat Mary Ann and I got in the summer of 1966 in Okinawa. He lived to be 18 and is pictured with Katie in the image below. Like most tomcats, Niko was bigger with a broader chest and head, but otherwise the two are very much alike. Oh yes, Niko was more of a “talker” than Kika.
We still miss Kiko, but Kika has done a very good job of filling the void.
kenne
Katie & Niko Image by kenne (the original may have been taken by Mary Ann)
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Christmas Eve 2009 Video Leave a comment
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Christmas 2009 — #2 2 comments
A few photos taken yesterday when Janie, Kenne David and the girls spent some Christmas time with us. Click here to see all our Christmas photos.
kenne
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Christmas 2009 — #1 3 comments
Chase and Grandma before others arrive from church.
Some separated by distance, others by schedules missed our Christmas Eve gathering, a tradition that goes on in spite of . . .
But, thanks to technology we were able to share Christmas with everyone. Additionally, we will be getting together with David, Janie and the girls tomorrow for Christmas #2.
Here are a few photos with some video to come.
kenne
(Note: click on each photo for a larger image.)
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Blogging in an Era of Facebook and Twitter Leave a comment
As a blogger, this has been an interesting year, since I have also become an active Facebook and Twitter participant. Not new to either, I have organized my time to allow entries on both without too much of a lose to my blog site. Even so, there are some things that I share on them that I haven’t shared on my blog — usually it’s more the other way. Here’s a taste of some recent Facebook entries:
Kenne G. Turner . . . if you are alive, you have probably seen a list of those gone in 2009. Shaun Mullen has compiled a good list.
kikoshouse.blogspot.com
I have always thought of Christmas time as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their …
Kenne G. Turner . . . What should we feel today on this new morning?
This season, Christmas is the pivot of time, when the sun comes to its solstice and we come, too, to a place where our hearts can rest.
Kenne G. Turner . . . all sinners in Heaven.
I was shocked, confused, bewildered As I entered Heaven’s door, Not by the beauty of it all, …
Kenne G. Turner . . . oh my God, is this ever me! “Wrap Rage!” I’m surprised I haven’t hurt myself by now.
Larry David confronts impossible to open packaging, even managing to draw a spark off the kitchen counter with his knife.
Kenne G. Turner . . . did you know that Juarez, Mexico had a higher murder rate that Bagdad. It’s far past time to reconsider our “drug war” effort. This is another war we are losing! Think about it!
en.wikinews.org
The murder rate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico has become the highest in the world. There were an average of seven killings every day for the past twelve months in the city, which is currently in the midst of a clash between two powerful drug cartels.
Kenne G. Turner . . . a true American hero passed away today. May he rest in peace! THE ONLY FIGHT HE EVER LOST — CANCER!
CBS Evening News: Unsung War Hero Gets Recognition – CBS Evening News: Vietnam War Soldier Shares Remarkable Story On Medal Of Honor Day
Kenne G. Turner . . . fiction, but sometimes there is more truth in fiction than in reality.
For those who think Christmas mass has gotten a little stale, leave it to little girl Melissa Bell to spice things up.
Kenne G. Turner . . . on a personal note, it was one year ago that we put down our 17 year-old cat, Kiko. We now have another great cat, Kika, (another mixed-siamese) a mature stray we were lucky to get from the shelter. The link is from my blog posting one year ago.
kenneturner.wordpress.com
In May of 1992, Katie and David gave us Kiko, a half-breed Siamese and Himalayan, but mostly Siamese in personality. For sixteen years, eight months, we were his equal, sharing his life and his home. …
Kenne G. Turner . . . just put this on Twitter – thought some of my Facebook friends might find this article interesting.
Research Edge technology analysts lay out next year. Bet on clouds and M&A.
Kenne G. Turner . . . here’s and interesting article on the future of the book. Read on. . .
horseless carriage 1886Take a long hard look at a book, any book. Pull a favorite off a shelf, dust off the top–maybe it’s the Bible, the Koran, a novel by Jane Austen or Leo Tolstoy. Perhaps you’re more …
Kenne G. Turner . . . nice to be leaving the 00’s.
finance.yahoo.com
Though it ended badly for some (i.e., Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and the U.S. taxpayer), the first decade of the new millennium ushered in a new Gilded Age on Wall Street. The last 10 years saw the …
Kenne G. Turner . . . fyi.
blogs.wsj.com
Two dozen economists -including Nobel laureates hailing everywhere from Harvard University to the University of California, Berkeley to The Brookings Institution -wrote a letter Monday to Senator Harry …
Kenne G. Turner . . . this is my kind of cat!
“Move – Get Out The Way!” Roomba Driver cat Bitch Slaps a Dog pit bull Sharky My funny cat Max-Arthur and pit bull Sharky. This was so funny – I hope you enjoy it. Let me know if you need help cleaning floors!!! …
Kenne G. Turner Did a little shopping today — big sales! — but didn’t commit to anything. (Joy’s reply, “So what’s new!!”) Other than that, I have been thinking about next year’s markets, upcoming trips, and prepping my taxes. What are y’all thinking about? What are you reading, watching, listening to? What do you expect to see next …year? What are you hoping to get for the holidays ? Yes, its that time — open thread! ~ What say ye?
Kenne G. Turner . . . a health care discussion well worth viewing.
When President Barack Obama took office in January 2009, he had no shortage of challenges to address: an economy on the verge of complete meltdown, two wars, and a health care system so broken that 44,000 …
Kenne G. Turner . . . many of my friends seem to be into surveys. Here’s a link that will help you better understand your own morality, values and/or ethics.
Welcome to YourMorals.org, where you can learn about your own morality, ethics, and/or values, while also contributing to scientific research. We are a group of professors and graduate students in social …
Kenne G. Turner . . . it’s time to give in to blackmail and pass the health care bill.
The current health care bill falls a long way short of ideal, but it is better than anything that seemed possible just a few years ago.
Kenne G. Turner . . . if it wasn’t for these guys, our politians would be out of business.
This give me the chills….if you ever see someone in military uniform, please thank them for their service!!
Length:1:00
Kenne G. Turner . . . sad, but true.
pol.moveon.org
Check out this new video using sock puppets–yes, sock puppets–to show how Joe Lieberman is gutting health care reform.
Kenne G. Turner . . . funnnnnny!
Jon Stewart took on the most recent Tea Party protests last night. And while much as been made of the crowd itself, Stewart was quick to point out that the speakers were just as over-the-top as the rowdy masses.
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Capturing the Moment — Crazy Santa Leave a comment
Crazy Santa by Jozef Krajco
There are moments when you
must be prepared to take a risk,
to do something crazy.
— Paulo Coelho
kenne
(Photo source – the blog Kiko’s House)
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“The Father of Psychedelic Guitar” — RIP 2 comments
I’m not a musician, but I’ve always had an uncanny ear for good sound, and the guitar sound of James Gurley
has stay with me ever since I first heard Big Brother & The Holding Company. His bio will tell you he never has a guitar lesson. His sound was an assimilation of so many sounds reflecting all the things coming together in the sixties. For a lot of us, James “was the real 1960’s”.
Just a few days ago, December 20th, James Gurley passed away in Palm Spring, California. Now he’s up there with so many great six-stringers.
Kenne
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The Brother of Distractions Leave a comment
Winter Morning — by kenne
I didn’t get up this Christmas Eve morning thinking about Susan Sontag, that is, not until receiving an email from brother tom.
The book about Eugene Smith reminded me of Susan Sontag and her book: ON PHOTOGRAPHY. Robert Hughes did a splendid review of her book in 1977. You will enjoy how beautifully Hughes captures it. t.
Of course, he knew I would enjoy Hughes’ review of one of my favorite books! Even more so when the title of the review is “Books: A Tourist in Other People’s Reality,” a phase I have used for years to describe my existence. Here’s my reply to tom:
t,
I love this book — it is one that grows with you.
“Recently, photography has become almost as widely practiced an amusement as sex and dancing — which means that, like every mass art form, photography is not practiced by most people as an art,” wrote Sontag — sad but true. For me, it has always been a tool for expressing my vision of existence. The realism of a photograph is superficial since, in truth, it is inherently surreal. As Sontag points out, “Surrealism lies at the heart of the photographic enterprise.”
I don’t know if I should thank you for sending this or not. I already have so much I want to read — now I feel a need to go back and reread this great book on photography.
ken
On Photography is a must-read for any photographer. Thank you, tom, for the distraction!
— kenne
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The Transformative Power of Music 2 comments
The Transformative Power of Music – Image by kenne
“Before we were ever different, we were all human beings.” Mark Johnson, co-director of Playing for Change – Peace Through Music
By now, most people have probably seen the video, Playing for Change – Stand By Me (over 16 million on YouTube), or seen the music documentary, which demonstrates that music can help bring about change. “Perhaps nothing can do more do connect a planet so divided by war, economics, religion and race than MUSIC!!” (Mark Johnson)
It was just a little over a year ago that I first learned about Playing for Change in a Bill Moyers Journal segment. Moyers began with a line that is still very apropos to today: “All over our country people are hurting. The statistics of unemployment and foreclosures reveal the magnitude of the distress but not the individual experience of people who lose their paychecks one month and their home the next.” He went on to talk about personal dramas being played out. “During lunch, I overheard people at a nearby table talking about the ugliness of our politics, and while I know this, too, is a recurring theme in American history, I tried to imagine how foreign this campaign must seem to the reality of everyday life for the Alvarez family, Willie, Corinne, James, and the others among that “fellowship of suffering” for whom life right now is a series of sighs and a stream of tears. How foreign and fraudulent the politics of sleaze, the polarizing almost savage pursuit of power that strokes the paranoia in us to divide and conquer,” Moyers said. Watching the segment, it became apparent that all this was a lead-in to introducing his next segment – “So it seems a good moment to introduce you to someone of the next generation who hasn’t given up on either our humanity or our future together,” at which time he introduced Mark Johnson.
Although the world is changing, for better or worse, much remains the same. So, in this season of peace and love, I share the transformative power of music again. “Let’s get together and feel all right!” – Peace Through Music.
— Kenne
(Photo Source: Ken & Mary’s Blues Project – October 2008)
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The Gifts That Keep On Giving 2 comments
The things that happen to us in life do so because we act. The more we act, the more opportunities we have upon which to act, the more we connect, creating a vessel filled with learning moments. If we don’t act on the moments, each will become an opportunity lost. Even so, it’s important not to think about what may have been left behind.
My vessel is an alchemy of acts from which new opportunities are poured – acts attract acts. Paulo Coelho wrote in his bestseller, The Alchemist, “There is only one way to learn,” the alchemist answered. “It’s through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.”
It was ten years ago that I first read Coelho’s enchanting fable. It was in preparation for leading a group of four young professionals to the state of Sáo Paulo in Brazil that I learned of Paulo Coelho and his 1988 novel. The book fits well into my own philosophy and set the tone for the trip, and remains instrumental to my life.
Again, one act leads to another when at this past Sunday’s Society of the 5th Cave reading club meeting, The Alchemist was selected for the March reading. Once again, the concept of alchemy is the front stage, this time from a different perspective, which will create many new learning moments.
I’m pleased to be reading this inspiring book ten years out. The Alchemist is the gift that keeps on giving. Just today, I received an email from my brother Tom, reminding me of someone I have also not read in recent years, American poet Conrad Aiken, which my poem “Solstice Night,” reminded him of the first lines from Aiken’s long poem, “The House of Dust.”
The sun goes down in a cold, pale flare of light.
The trees grow dark: the shadows lean to the east:
And lights wink out through the windows, one by one.
A clamor of frosty sirens mourns at the night.
Pale slate-grey clouds whirl up from the sunken sun.
In turn, he reminded me of Conrad Aiken and the return of The Alchemist, which reminded me of the following from Aiken’s poem, “A Letter from Li Po.”
what’s true in these, or false? which is the ‘I’
of ‘I’s’? Is it the master of the cadence, who
transforms all things to a hoop of flame, where through
tigers of meaning leap? And are these true,
the language never old and never new,
such as the world wears on its wedding day,
the something borrowed with something chicory blue?
In every part we play, we play ourselves;
even the secret doubt to which we come
beneath the changing shapes of self and thing,
yes, even this, at last, if we should call
and dare to name it, we would find
the only voice that answers is our own.
We are once more defrauded by the mind.
Defrauded? No. It is the alchemy by which we grow.
It is the self-becoming word, the word
becoming world. And with each part we play
we add to cosmic Sum and cosmic sum.
Who knows but one day we shall find,
hidden in the prism at the rainbow’s foot,
the square root of the eccentric absolute,
and the concentric absolute to come.”
So many gifts that keep on giving.
— kenne
