Thursday, January 29, 2015

New "Live Earth" Concert For Climate Change Action on 7 continents in June



Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize-winner, Al Gore; Pop superstar, Pharrell Williams; & Producer, Kevin Wall

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Pharrell Williams says he'll have all of humanity singing together at a worldwide concert June 18 to fight global warming.

The pop superstar is teaming with Nobel Peace Prize-winner Al Gore to produce a "Live Earth" concert on seven continents to build support for a U.N. climate pact in Paris among more than 190 nations in December.

On a stage Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos with producer Kevin Wall, Williams said "we literally are going to have humanity harmonize all at once" in support of a binding international accord to limit heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions.

He said the purpose is "to have a billion voices with one message - to demand climate action now" from governments rather than to continue the world's reliance on fossil fuels.


 

An estimated 7,000 people jam a quadrangle at the Independence Mall in Philadelphia during Earth Week activities celebrating the eve of Earth Day, April 22, 1970.  
 


The video above, produced by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center between September 2006 and April 2007, shows the paths of air pollution particles (called aerosols) traveling across the globe and, scientists believe, strengthening storms and cyclones.



Don't Go Near the Water, Johnny Cash


Earth Song, Michael Jackson

Saturday, January 24, 2015

It's snowing, and, in my humble opinion, the best film for a snow day is:


Two men go on an excursion to California wine country and end up inducing joint midlife crises when pinot noir lover Miles (Paul Giamatti) convinces engaged Jack (Thomas Hayden Church) to enjoy his last days of bachelorhood in style.

When I first saw Sideways, I couldn't stop laughing.  Now in my film collection, it's one of the first I pull for a fun time.  Great with pizza and "a bottle of red, a bottle of white, it all depends upon your appetite..." Billy Joel



Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Billy Joel


Sweet Honky Tonk Wine, Wayne Kemp

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Island Hopping in Greece


When I first learned my name Petra meant rock in Greek, I'd been fascinated with Greece since. "Island Hopping" over the Grecian Isles has always been a burning desire; and believed for some time, my soul would be happy beginning its next journey on any one of these beautiful islands.  It must also be the Pisces in me. :))


Mykonos
Out of season, devoid of gloss, glitter and preening celebrities, is a more subdued local life, the occasional soft-pink pelican wandering the empty streets, and beaches backed by banging clubs which have gone silent for the winter.
 
 
Thira, Santorini
Smaller islands curl around the fragmented western edge of the caldera, but it is the main island of Thira that will take one's breath away with its snow drift of white Cycladic houses lining the cliff tops and, in places, spilling like icy cornices down the terraced rock. When the sun sets, the reflection on the buildings and the glow of the orange and red in the cliffs can be truly spectacular.
 
 
Crete
Crete’s natural beauty is equalled only by the richness of its history. The island is the birthplace of the first advanced society on European soil, the Minoans, who ruled over much of the Aegean some 4000 years ago. You’ll find vestiges of this mysterious civilisation all over, including the famous Palace of Knossos. At the crossroads of three continents, Crete has been coveted and occupied by consecutive invaders. History imbues the air in the old towns of Hania and Rethymno, where labyrinthine lanes – laid out by the Venetians – are lorded over by mighty fortresses, and where gorgeously restored Renaissance mansions rub rafters with mosques and Turkish bathhouses. Hundreds of chapels, churches and monasteries – often with Byzantine roots – attest to the influence of the Orthodox Church. Many still sport magnificent frescoes, especially the Church of Panagia Kera in Lasithi, while others, such as Moni Arkadiou near Rethymno, played key historic roles during the Ottoman era and WWII.
 
 
Patmos
In AD 95 St John the Divine received a vision in a cave and wrote the Book of Revelations here. Exuding a bewitching spirituality, Patmos is special. Thousands of pilgrims travel annually to the whitewashed sanctity of hilltop Hora; scattered with crow-black pensioners, galleries, fine boutiques and tavernas.
 
 
Rhodes
The largest of the Dodecanese Islands, Rhodes (ro-dos) is abundant in beaches, wooded valleys and ancient history. The atmospheric old town of Rhodes is a maze of cobbled streets spiriting one back to the days of the Byzantine Empire and beyond. Further south is the picture-perfect town of Lindos, a weave-world of sugarcube houses spilling down to a turquoise bay.
 
 
Delos
The Cyclades fulfil their collective name (kyklos – circle) by encircling the sacred island of Delos. The mythical birthplace of twins Apollo and Artemis, splendid Ancient Delos was a shrine turned sacred treasury and commercial centre. This Unesco World Heritage Site is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece.
The island, just 5km long and 1300m wide, has no permanent population, so offers a soothing contrast to
Mykonos (though in highest summer many visitors throng to the island). Overnight stays are forbidden and boat schedules allow a maximum of four hours at Delos.
 
 
Hydra
The mules and donkeys are the main means of heavy transport and they, along with the rustic aspects of life on the island, give Hydra its two faces: chic and earthy.
 
 
  


Good-bye, My Love, Good-bye (in German), Demis Roussos
(June 15, 1946-January 25, 2015)


The White Rose of Athens, Nana Mouskouri


Mikis Theodorakis, The Best of


Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Happy 87th, Totti!
 
Out of uniform, 1949
 
 
Mutti always said she were the lucky one you chose her, but I know
your feeling was just the opposite.
 
Wedding Day, Elmshorn, West Germany, April 6, 1950
 
Have a wonderful year.  With all our love.    
  


Far Side Banks of Jordan, Johnny and June Carter Cash



Going Home by Antonin Dvorak, sung by the Georgia Boys' Choir
(has always been his favorite melody)


Thursday, January 8, 2015


 
MOTHER
 
Lola Ridge, 1873

Your love was like moonlight
turning harsh things to beauty,
so that little wry souls
reflecting each other obliquely
as in cracked mirrors . . .
beheld in your luminous spirit
their own reflection,
transfigured as in a shining stream,
and loved you for what they are not.

You are less an image in my mind
than a luster
I see you in gleams
pale as star-light on a gray wall . . .
evanescent as the reflection of a white swan
shimmering in broken water.
 
...you are missed
 
 
 
 
 

My Mother's Eyes, George Jessel


The Sweetest Gift, A Mother's Smile, The Judds


Saturday, January 3, 2015

Travels of One's Spirit


As I was updating my LinkedIn profile, I observed and reflected upon how one's spirit travels from the time it's born.  Where has mine been before March 1, 1951, and where is it going?  There are moments, while seemingly terrifying in the face of the unknown, can be quite the spiritual ride ala my nearly 64 years in this lifetime.  Sounds more fun than letting the mystery be.  Yet, in the end, all we're left with is the mystery, after all, aren't we?

Experience

24/7 Caregiver
– Present (8 years)

My mother, afflicted with Alzheimer's, passed in January 2013. My father, at age 87, has vascular dementia in addition to other ailments.

Writer

– Present (9 years)


Currently writing a book of short stories.

My e-book, Whose Role Is It Anyway?, a collection of mini-scripts, is available on Amazon.
My Schism with Ism, a personal essay, copyright 2011
Ave Maria, a novel, copyright 2005
Fabricette's Fabrications, a young adult's book, copyright 1999

 
Screenwriter

– Present (10 years)

The Aclinic Line, a Science-Fiction, copyright 2000
The Writer, a Psychological Thriller, copyright 2002
Four for the Company, a Romantic Comedy, copyright 2004
Two Lives, One Love, a Love Story, copyright 2009

 
Student (evenings)
The New School

(10 years)
Manhattan, New York
 
Prepared for writing career, primarily as a screenwriter.

Sole Proprietor

Community Employment Agency

(1 year)
Margaretville, New York
 
Fully operated agency serving community's employment opportunities.

Edinburgh, Scotland
 
Lived 1985 (1 year)

Sole Proprietor

Sweetkins Childrenswear

(2 years)
Staten Island, New York
 
Fully operated the sale of childrens' wear.

Manager/Personal Assistant

Computoll Telecommunications

(2 years)
Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York
 
Manager and personal assistant to President, A. Cohen, and Vice President, W. Schwartz.
 
Manager/Personal Assistant
Hemming and Gilman Inc.

(2 years)
Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York
 
Manager and personal assistant to President, S. Hemming and Vice President, K. Gilman.

Administrator

Associated Merchandising Corporation (AMC)
(2 years)1440 Broadway, Manhattan, New York
Personal assistant to Director of Finance who oversaw AMC's Policies and Procedures and who directly reported to Controller.

Administrator

Mt. Sinai Hospital
(2 years)
Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York
 
Applied for grants from National Institutes of Health for cancer research in Dept of Oncology and oversaw dept's administratve needs.

Administrator to Director, Personnel Dept.

Midland Insurance

(1 year)
Water Street, Manhattan, New York

Translated maritime reports from German to English and vice versa.
Responsible for Personnel Dept's administrative needs.

Skills

Top Skills
Non-fiction
Fiction
Editing
Children's Books
Poetry
Caregiving

also knows about...
  • Advertising  
  • Financial Planning 
  • Grant Preparation  
  • Grant Coordination  
  • Grant Monitoring 
  • Managerial Finance 
  • Ownership  
  • Personal Finance  
  • Policies & Procedures  
  • Sales  

Education

Drake College of Business
Jersey City, NJ

1972-1973 (evenings)

Douglass College, Rutgers University
Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies






1968

Born

Elmshorn, Germany

1951


 

Also Sprach Zarathustra, Opening to 2001: A Space Odyssey
 

Celestial Soda Pop, Ray Lynch


Gustav Holst, Venus -- The Bringer of Peace, The Planets



Mysteries, Beth Gibbons