bent stalk...
behind cattails a heron
lifts a leg






____________________
Posted for One Single Impression, Prompt: Overt

first summer sun 

in the shadows she espies 

a blackbird 

____________________

For One Single Impression, Prompt: Dawn

green light
the mallard refuses
to yield 







____________________
*Published in "From the notebook,"Asahi Haikuist Network, Asahi Shimbun Japan, May 7, 2010

scandal in Rome 
two cardinals pacing 
our snowy patio 










____________________
*First posted in Four Seasons of Haiku--Spring; was edited a bit for this post.

first cardinal
trying out the patio chair
without snow 












_______________
*First posted in The Four Seasons of Haiku, March 20, 2010

Unfettered wind*

1.
We were the dusky maya.
Sometimes we flitted
among the enameled branches
of the hacendado's cage.
We mostly skipped and hopped
with pruned wings.

2.
Then we read:

"Upon freedom
from men administering men
Man will evolve to the next Unity
in the realm of Nature.

"We will be the eagle
over the bluffs
sailing the currents
of the east wind --
our nature unfettered. 

"Our mind and body
uncaged."

3.
Meanwhile
we are growing back
our heart
and our wings.




*Chapter 10, Fractured Memories

Haiku 101209

park concert
pigeons take flight
clapping

****************

Recently, we read the following:

Washington Post: “Castro Country, Giving a Concert for Peace” by William Booth

"Rock-and-roll diplomacy came to the communist isle on a smoldering afternoon, as hundreds of thousands of Cubans filled the Plaza of the Revolution on Sunday and sang along to a dozen international musical acts led by the Colombian singer and peace activist Juanes.

"The free 'Peace without Borders' concert was criticized by hard-line Cuban exiles in Miami as a propaganda coup for the Castro brothers, and that it might have been. But for thousands of young Cubans, it was a rare treat to hear a lineup of global Latin music stars, such as Olga Tanon of Puerto Rico and Miguel Bosé of Spain.

"Under the watchful gaze of a huge mural of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, and beneath the socialist slogan 'Always Toward Victory!' on the side of the Ministry of Interior building, there was no trouble from the mostly young crowd. Many were dressed in white, in keeping with the peaceful vibe…

"Tanon shouted that she brought greetings from Miami -- home of many Cuban exiles who live in opposition to the Cuban government -- and no one in the crowd booed, but instead whistled and cheered…"

***************

And we thought:

… Imagine music without borders. Peace without borders. All we are saying…

Haiku 081509

kids peeking
behind tall reeds
a blue heron

****************

Recently, we read the following:

Washington Post: “Consumer protections lost in health care debate” by Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldivar (Associated Press)

“It's one issue in the health care debate that nearly everyone — even the insurance lobby — seems to agree on: Better consumer protections are needed to end the nightmare of not being able to get covered for a treatable, if costly, illness.

“Yet such practical considerations are being overlooked in a debate that's become a passionate argument about the government's reach and role in medical matters.

“Experts say the bills before Congress include significant consumer protections that would end denial or cancellation of coverage for medical reasons, from high cholesterol to cancer.

“Insurers no longer could base premiums on a person's medical history, although they still could charge more to 50-year-olds than to people in their 20s.

“People buying their own policies, and those working for small businesses, would gain many of the advantages employees of Fortune 500 companies now have. That would eliminate 'job lock,' the fear of leaving employment that provides medical benefits…

“The consumer protections are part of what Republican Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming calls the 80 percent of health care fixes that there's consensus for. Enzi is one of six members of the Senate Finance Committee who are trying work out a bipartisan solution — with no guarantee of success…

“The federal consumer protections would set a basic standard for the whole country, changing a situation in which state-level safeguards vary widely…”

***************

And we thought:

… In the increasingly heated debate over the proposed health care reform bill, what’s clearly been obscured over the last several weeks are the numerous "consumer protections" the bill proposes to put into place. The spin and the outright lies -- sponsored by the private health insurers and their alter-egos in Congress -- have been getting more media attention so far.

The proponents of health care reform need to do a better job in outlining and highlighting the benefits of the proposed legislation. They need to talk repeatedly -- and consistently -- about the bill’s consumer protections, especially for the most vulnerable demographic groups. Unfortunately, some members of these vulnerable groups are blindly opposing the changes meant precisely to address their concerns.

The private health insurance companies -- like UnitedHealth and Aetna -- and their unscrupulous allies in Congress have thrown the health care reform bill into a swampy muck. These anti-Americans are hoping to hide the bill's merits and benefits from the group of Americans who most need the reforms.

Remember their names: UnitedHealth's CEO Stephen Hemsley and EVP Simon Stevens, McCain, Palin, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia), Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah), and their ilk. They're the obstructionists and poseurs in our midst. They're the opponents of the long-awaited reforms in the American health care system. They're the real enemies of the American people....


a contemporary haiku and current events blog. occasional notes on [and pokes at] nature and society. and some of their maddening stuff…like the economy finance capital mergers energy health care insurers jobs retirement politics government congress courts conflicts united nations human rights lennon peace culture mores education alienation religion erving goffman artifacts history social change twitter scientific method sports travel environment wildlife carbon footprint global warming earth...

Haiku 081109

a third call
as the sun sets
a loon alone

Photo courtesy of Greg Harp @www.pbase.com

***************

Recently, we read the following column:

New Straits Times: "Why Arroyo seeks an Obama audience " by W. Scott Thompson

“WHY is the 14th president of the Philippines, Gloria Arroyo, going to Washington for a 30-minute meeting with the water-walking American president? The easy answer is that she's tried four times so far to meet him, to get some burnish off his shine, to help with her rock-bottom image back home.

“She even all but broke into a prayer breakfast in Washington to which heads of state were not invited (other than the host president), in hopes of a meeting. She flew all the way from Dubai on hearing of the breakfast, got herself attached to a congressional delegation, and then didn't get even a minute with Barack Obama.

“She reportedly chewed out the Philippine ambassador for not being camera-ready to show the folks back home how close she came....

“Everyone in Manila is hoping that's the real reason why Obama is receiving Arroyo. She just refuses to commit to ending her term next June peaceably. Oddly, the American embassy thinks she won't make a fuss (something small like martial law, locking up all the opposition, for example) and they may know things that I don't. Or they are asleep on the job.

“There's good reason for her to want to linger at the palace, where she also spent four teenage years during her reformist father's presidency. Believed to be the most corrupt president in Philippine history, according to popular polls, Arroyo knows she can be slapped with multiple criminal charges the minute she surrenders immunity.

“And not just in Manila but elsewhere, like San Francisco, where she and her husband reportedly own properties, and injunctions can be laid against questions of laundered money.

“Now what does Obama know about all this? The president might only get a 15-minute briefing from an assistant secretary in these circumstances, because the president already has a feel for Southeast Asia. But one thing he's sure to hear about is a CIA report alleging that her husband bagged a vast amount of money in the Middle East, intended for Filipino development, and promptly handed over half of it, for safekeeping, to his brother, a congressman.

“He forgot that his sister-in-law is a Phil-Am Californian, where property is divided 50-50 in case of divorce. So what did the wife do? According to this report, she sued for divorce, leaving the ‘First Gentleman’ with the choice of going after the money and thus revealing its source, or just writing it off. But that's just for starters.

“Obama will know of the report of a highly regarded jurist, Phillip Alston, that the almost 1,000 ‘disappearances’ of non-governmental organisation workers and journalists (‘extra-judicial executions’ is the term he used) in the provinces didn't pass the straight-face test at the palace; that nothing like this could have happened without some blessing from on high.

" ‘Soldiers don't go around killing civilians just for the hell of it,’ an elder statesman in Manila commented -- and he's a retired general at that. ‘They'd only do that if pushed from the top.’

“Obama, of course, is concerned with terrorism, and there's revolution still in the Muslim parts of Mindanao, with long arms reaching into al-Qaeda. And the Philippines is an important and long-time ally of the US. But to argue that this is why Obama is seeing Arroyo doesn't pass the straight-face test either. Not for a 30-minute meeting; not even a ‘working visit’.

“What's happened is that, in contrast with Indonesia where high-level prosecution of corruption is moving steadily forward along with the economy, the Philippines is being dragged lower and lower: its place on the world corruption index has fallen precipitously, there's an atmosphere of impunity at the top, and investors are running scared....

“No president has ever had lower popularity ratings. But Arroyo is safe from impeachment by a compliant House of Representatives. Everyone's willing to let her sit out her term, if only because everyone is tired of ‘people power’ in the streets.

“But if she breaks ranks and declares martial law on some trumped-up reason (like the recent bombings, widely believed to have been planted to condition the population) or finds another way to trump the constitution, everyone will once again pour out into the streets -- and this time it will be bloody.”

***************

And we thought:

… Four calls to President Obama, and none returned?! And Ms. Arroyo won't stop calling? It does look like she's desperate for some “Obama magic” to rub off on her. But for what purpose?

Makes one wonder whether it’s to get the U.S. President's blessing for some plan to help extend her term as President beyond 2010. Or his support in arranging some kind of immunity from multiple criminal charges if she does decide to step down next year. Or possibly support for a “safe haven” arrangement in the U.S. as a political exile…

Haiku 080709

driftwood lies
past the channel
six lake gulls

***************

Recently, we read the following:

Washington Post: “Aquino mourned at wake by thousands of Filipinos” by Jim Gomez (Associated Press)

"Mourners wept as they paid their respects at the wake of former President Corazon Aquino on Sunday, with some pledging to carry on her legacy by protecting the democracy she helped install 23 years ago.

"Filipinos have been sensitive to any slide back toward autocratic rule since Aquino and Roman Catholic leader Cardinal Jaime Sin led the 1986 "people power" revolt that ousted longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos…

"Aquino, 76, died early Saturday in a Manila hospital after a yearlong battle with colon cancer, reminding many Filipinos of her role in bringing democracy to the country - and of the effort needed to keep it intact...

"A housewife who was reluctantly thrust into power, Aquino struggled in office to meet high public expectations. Her land redistribution program fell short of ending economic domination by the landed elite. Her leadership, especially in social and economic reform, was often indecisive, leaving many of her closest allies disillusioned by the end of her term…

" 'Our lives have not improved that much,' said Olazo, the laborer. 'But if Tita Cory did not restore democracy, I will not even be free to talk this much today.' "

***************

And we thought:

… The late President Cory Aquino of the Philippines deserves to be honored. She unified the then-fractured opposition forces and focused their combined resources against the Marcos dictatorship.

Unfortunately, a number of her supporters -- who replaced Marcos’ cronies in the government and the military, in agriculture and in industry – appropriated for themselves the gains from Marcos’ fall from power. The exploitive and repressive institutions remained intact; only the players among the ruling elite changed.

Nonetheless, there are certainly things Filipinos can be thankful for. When the Marcos dictatorship fell, certain freedoms – albeit imperfect -- were fortunately restored that the Filipinos were denied for nearly 20 years before 1986.

The noble aspects and goals of the 1986 People Power Revolution should not be forgotten. Vigilance should not waver. Unrepentant holdovers from the Marcos regime and their variants over the last 20 years are still lurking. Genuine social change is a protracted process….

Haiku 073009

ducks crossing

I push the button

to cross

***************
Recently, we read the following:

Washington Post: “Obama Voices Regret to Policeman” by Michael A. Fletcher and Michael D. Shear

“President Obama, attempting to quell a mushrooming racial controversy that threatened to eclipse his top domestic initiative, expressed regret Friday for saying that police ‘acted stupidly’ by arresting black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his home near Harvard University.

“Making a surprise appearance before reporters at the White House, Obama said that he had unwittingly fanned smoldering racial resentment with his response to a question at a news conference Wednesday night. The president said he conveyed that sentiment in a five-minute telephone call to Sgt. James Crowley, the police officer who arrested Gates after being called to the Harvard professor's home to check out a suspected burglary…

“The president said he continues to think the arrest was an ‘overreaction’ by the officer, but he said Gates ‘probably overreacted as well.’

" ‘My sense is you've got two good people in a circumstance in which neither of them were able to resolve the incident in the way that it should have been resolved,’ Obama said, adding that he hoped the controversy would become a ‘teachable moment’ for improving racial understanding…

“From the moment the word ‘stupidly’ slipped through Obama's lips Wednesday night, debate over Gates's arrest became a polarizing national issue. Obama's top advisers said the president quickly became aware that his words had been received in a way he had not intended…”

***************
And we thought:

… There’s the sub-culture of law enforcement, including its long history of racial profiling. And there’s the sub-culture of minorities, including their long history of being treated as second-class citizens. These sub-cultures -- characterized by different ways of thinking and different ways of doing things -- are part of America’s heritage of distrust.

Despite its election of the first black president, the U. S. isn't beyond race yet. One cannot simply wish away this aspect of American culture and the enmities it engenders. The roots of this heritage are much too deep.

In decades to come, one may reasonably expect that “race-related” stories will continue to be headline news. There will always be people who'll bleed these stories to death -- for their own ends. But, no doubt, there will be people in increasingly greater numbers to moderate this nation’s cultural differences. Multicultural peace is not a pipe dream …


a contemporary haiku and current events blog. occasional notes on [and pokes at] nature and society. and some of their maddening stuff…like the economy finance capital mergers energy health care insurers jobs retirement politics government congress courts conflicts united nations human rights lennon peace culture mores education alienation religion erving goffman artifacts history social change twitter scientific method sports travel environment wildlife carbon footprint global warming earth...

Haiku 072409

gravediggers
wait for the sunset
blackbirds watch

***************
Recently, we read the following:


Washington Post: “Industry Cash Flowed To Drafters of Reform” by Dan Eggen


“As liberal protesters marched outside, Sen. Max Baucus sat down inside a San Francisco mansion for a dinner of chicken cordon bleu and a discussion of landmark health-care legislation under consideration by his Senate Finance Committee.

"At the table on May 26 were about 20 donors willing to fork over $10,000 or more to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, including executives of major insurance companies, hospitals and other health-care firms….

“As his committee has taken center stage in the battle over health-care reform, Chairman Baucus (D-Mont.) has emerged as a leading recipient of Senate campaign contributions from the hospitals, insurers and other medical interest groups hoping to shape the legislation to their advantage. Health-related companies and their employees gave Baucus's political committees nearly $1.5 million in 2007 and 2008, when he began holding hearings and making preparations for this year's reform debate….

“Top out-of-state corporate contributors included Schering-Plough, New York Life Insurance, Amgen, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield; individual executives such as Richard T. Clark, chief executive and president of drugmaker Merck, have also made regular donations. Most of these companies, particularly major insurers, strongly oppose a public insurance option, which is favored by President Obama and top House Democrats but has not received support from Baucus's committee….

“Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist for the Public Citizen advocacy group, said the continued fundraising by Baucus during the health-care debate is ‘very troubling…’

“During an interview earlier this year with the Missoulian newspaper, Baucus said that ‘no one gets special treatment.’ He added: ‘Your word is your bond back there.’ “

***************
And we thought:

…. Sen. Baucus’ word may be his bond, but he appears to be bonding with the wrong crowd. He’s playing a dangerous game with health care and health care-related firms and lobbyists who obviously have started a death watch over genuine health care reform legislation. It’s big-money politics as usual.

Who really cares about the health care needs of the poor, the middle class, the old and the children? It doesn't look like Sen. Baucus is one of them….

Haiku 070609

blackbirds crowd
the lidless trash bin…
summer picnic

***************

Recently, we read the following:

New York Times: “G.M. Stock Advice: Expect Zero Value” by Jack Healy

“Major corporations are not known to advise investors that their stock is essentially worthless. But on Wednesday, after several days of high-volume trading of General Motors shares, the automaker warned traders that its stock would have no value when it emerged from bankruptcy.

“ ‘G.M. management continues to remind investors of its strong belief that there will be no value for the common stockholders in the bankruptcy liquidation process, even under the most optimistic of scenarios,’ G.M. said.

“G.M. was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after it filed for bankruptcy protection in June, but its stock has traded over the counter for more than $1 a share.

“Investors holding common shares of General Motors are expected to be wiped out by the reorganization.”


***************

And we thought:

…Is there something those investors know that the public doesn’t? Of course, recyclers are known to make money out of waste...

Haiku 042509

sunrise
her opening act
birdsong

***************

Recently, we read the following:


New York Times: "Why I Am Obsessed With Twitter" (by Jenna Wortham)

"It’s official. The Oprah effect has worked its magic on Twitter.

"Since Oprah Winfrey’s first on-air tweet Friday, traffic to Twitter has jumped 43 percent, according to Hitwise, a Web tracker…. Personally, I’m obsessed with Twitter. I’m a fascinated voyeur, transfixed by the streams of bursts, musings, insights and complaints unfurling before my eyes.

"But many people, including the Times columnist Maureen Dowd, are wondering what all the fuss is about. Why would they possibly want to add yet another technological tool to their lives, on top of e-mail and Facebook and everything else that competes for their scarce time? ….

"Twitter is much more than the collective musings of the tech-savvy elite. It’s a window into the public mind, as my colleague Claire Cain Miller recently reported. Since the service tugs at our innermost navel-gazing ... the flood of messages can deliver surprising insights into the digital pulse….

"... Twitter in many ways delivers on the promises of the Internet. It reminds me of a quote by J.G. Ballard, whose recent death I learned about and was heartened to see mourned on Twitter.... [H]ere’s a slightly longer version:

" 'Twenty years ago, no one could have imagined the effects the Internet would have: entire relationships flourish, friendships prosper. … There’s a vast new intimacy and accidental poetry, not to mention the weirdest porn. The entire human experience seems to unveil itself like the surface of a new planet.' ”

***************

And we thought:

.... Another tool to encourage and enhance interconnectedness? Or to further increase distractions -- in our already-fractured lives? Whichever it is for now, intended or not,"Twitter, take a bow!" ....

a contemporary haiku and current events blog. occasional notes on [and pokes at] nature and society. and some of their maddening stuff…like the economy finance capital mergers energy health care insurers jobs retirement politics government congress courts conflicts united nations human rights peace culture& society education alienation religion erving goffman artifacts history social change twitter scientific method sports travel environment wildlife carbon footprint global warming earth...

Haiku 041609

red maple
casting its shadow --
robin bobbing

***************

Associated Press: “No charges against CIA officials for waterboarding”

“Seeking to move beyond what he calls "a dark and painful chapter in our history," President Barack Obama said Thursday that CIA officials who used harsh interrogation tactics during the Bush administration will not be prosecuted.

“The government also released four memos long held secret by the Bush administration in which its lawyers approved in extensive and often graphic detail the tough interrogation methods used against 28 terror suspects, the fullest and now complete government accounting of the techniques. The rough tactics range from waterboarding — simulated drowning — to using a plastic neck collar to slam detainees into walls….

"It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the Justice Department," Holder said….

“The CIA has acknowledged using waterboarding … on three high-level terror detainees in 2002 and 2003, with the permission of the White House and the Justice Department….”

***************

…. Prosecuting CIA operatives who carried out torture of alleged terrorist-prisoners does not address the root cause. It’s silly to go after them and not their superiors. This is like home improvement not going far enough. The point is to make accountable the Bush White House and Justice Department officials who justified the use of torture, set the protocols of torture, and ordered the use of torture.

According to a related Associated Press story, these individuals are former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; ex-Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith; former Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, David Addington; Justice Department officials John Yoo and Jay S. Bybee; and Pentagon lawyer William Haynes. (And Bush and Cheney, too?) The mugs of these guys should be placed on Facebook for the world to remember.

One understands the circumstances that spawned the Bush administration's philosophy on torture. But weren't there really "less invasive" ways to obtain the information needed? There is in fact the view that information extracted during torture is not necessarily reliable. Subjects of torture can make anything up to make the torture stop.

Another AP report said: "The scientific community has never established that coercive interrogation methods are an effective means of obtaining reliable intelligence information," former military interrogation instructor and retired Air Force Col. Steven M. Kleinman wrote in the Intelligence Science Board report. "In essence, there seems to be an unsubstantiated assumption that 'compliance' carries the same connotation as 'meaningful cooperation.' " The AP report added: "In short: Slam someone up against the wall, keep him awake for days, lock him naked in a cell and slap his face enough, and he will probably say something. That doesn't necessarily make it true."

What was the calculus used by the Bush administration and its lawyers? Does national security justify giving up the moral high ground? In exchange for torture-extracted information that may even be worthless? Will one be fine if the same torture methods were used on one’s son or daughter? One wonders what John McCain’s position is. This is a difficult one to sort out, master Klein….

Or maybe the Obama administration is exorcising the wrong demons. Maybe they should be following the money. What one hears around the water cooler or in coffee shops is that the last administration’s cronies profited a bunch from the Afghani and Iraqi wars. Urban legend?….

Haiku 041509

goslings crowd
the pond's edge ...
skinny dippers

***************


Associated Press: “Six companies to get $9.9B under mortgage program”

“The Obama administration on Wednesday named the first six mortgage companies participating in a $75 billion program designed to help millions of struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure….The administration said the companies — including some of the mortgage industry's biggest players [such as Chase Home Finance, Wells fargo, GMAC Mortgage, CitiMortgage] — will receive a maximum of $9.9 billion in incentive payments, which are designed to encourage mortgage companies to lower borrowers' monthly bills….

“The program, unveiled on March 4, will offer struggling homeowners the chance to obtain modified loans with lower monthly payments….The refinancing plan is limited to borrowers who owe up to 5 percent more than their home's current value.....”

***************

…. It’s noteworthy that a campaign promise of assistance to homeowners is being kept. However, the administrators (would these be the six mortgage companies?) of the homeowners’ bailout program should be wary of the trap of unintended consequences. They could be unduly rewarding a bunch of undeserving folks.

For example, the unscrupulous flippers who finally ended up being stuck with "investment" properties, which they thought they'd quickly resell for a substantial profit as before -- but now can't. Or those irresponsible homeowners who took out so-called home improvement loans -- encashing their homes’ equity -- fully intending, however, to simply spoil themselves with frivolous or ostentatious purchases. If they're not screened out, the program would be such a silly waste of scarce resources ….

Haiku 040409

last goose
canadians' tail end ...
headed north

***************

Recently, we read the following:

Washington Times: "Republicans fume over lost Alaska Senate seat"

"The Senate's top Republican said Wednesday there was "no question" former Alaskan Sen. Ted Stevens would have won re-election last year if the Justice Department had thrown his corruption case out before the vote. 'No question that if this decision had been made last year he'd still be in the Senate,' Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, told a small group of reporters on Capitol Hill.

"Attorney General Eric Holder said the government was dismissing its case because of prosecutorial abuse. Mr. Stevens, a political legend in his state, narrowly lost a bid for a seventh term to Democrat Mark Begich after his initial conviction last fall and had been appealing the verdict...."

***************

And we thought:

…. Note that it was Obama's Justice department that dismissed the federal corruption charges against Stevens – not due to a finding of innocence, but due to prosecutorial abuse. Alaska (R) Sen. Murkowski is disturbed by the “violations of civil liberties”? Guess when the charges were filed and who prosecuted the case? It was during Bush’s term and it was Bush’s Justice department! What -- have Republicans just contracted Sudden Onset Alzheimer's Syndrome -- the hideous, partisan type?!

Which makes one wonder: Was the Bush Justice department’s "prosecutorial abuse” pre-planned -- to give Stevens a way out, on a technicality?.... Well, now it's back to Alaska for him to consolidate political forces, rebuild alliances with the oil and energy companies, and stage a comeback in the next senatorial elections. More pork and another "bridge to nowhere". Bring out your high blood pressure meds!...

Haiku 040309

dead elm
a bird pecking
insect eggs

***************

Recently, we read the following:

New York Times: "As Indian Growth Soars, Child Hunger Persists"

"Small, sick, listless children have long been India's scourge — “a national shame,” in the words of its prime minister, Manmohan Singh. But even after a decade of galloping economic growth, child malnutrition rates are worse here than in many sub-Saharan African countries, and they stand out as a paradox in a proud democracy. "

***************

And we thought:

.... In London, recently, the G-20 nations met to fix the broken global financial system, brought into focus by the effects of the greed and reckless conduct of AIG and its ilk. In contrast, other parts of the world are grappling with a more basic concern -- hunger. For example, even after a decade of economic growth, the Indian government is still facing a horrific child malnutrition rate. Its children under 5 who are underweight – a critical gauge of malnutrition – total almost 43 percent! One wonders how we can help end world hunger .…

***************

Publisher's Note: Maybe, ten grains at a time.... To donate free rice ten grains at a time, try the Vocabulary Game. It's free and quite entertaining. The game is provided by FreeRice, a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), in partnership with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

“Clicks on the FreeRice vocabulary game from players like you have already translated into WFP food rations for over 20,000 Myanmar refugees, currently living in Bangladesh. Pregnant women in Cambodia, school children in Uganda, and Bhutanese refugees in Nepal are also receiving rice, thanks to the award-winning [FreeRice] site.” (Friends of the World Food Program)

Haiku 040209

spring birdsongs
from the nearby marsh...
mallards, too


***************

Recently, we read the following:

Washington Post: "Lugar Urges Obama to Open Talks With Cuba, Ease Restrictions"

"... Obama said during the presidential campaign that he would adopt a new strategy toward Cuba, including removing some travel restrictions, but he has said that the embargo should not be lifted until the Cuban government improves its human rights record and holds free elections...."

***************

And we thought:

…. Why the pre-conditions? Since the 70s, the U.S. has had broad-ranging relations with China. Does China have a better human rights record than Cuba? Does China hold free elections? Something's not sounding right here. Does one suddenly need a hearing aid?….

Haiku 040109

noisy geese
tail the sunset --
a quiet pond

***************

Recently, we read the following:

In breaking news, hereisthecity.com: "Ex-Wall Street CEOs Lead G20 Protesters"

“A group of disgruntled former Wall Street CEOs led protesters and stormed the barricades in London early Wednesday.”

***************

And we thought:

.... One wonders what was going in the minds of these Wall Street discards…. Read the article to the end.... Happy April Fool's Day! ....