The Winds of Change/Walk Like an Egyptian

The winds of change are blowing. Do you feel them? It's inevitable, Everything has been stacked so high with little infrastructure, it all must fall. Remember Yertle the Turtle? There is this underlying tense expectation today because we all know on some level that we are experiencing an acceleration of change, a climax if you will, both natural and man made.

And as we look to the East to our Arab and Egyptian Brothers and sisters. What began in Tunisia has blossomed into the most exciting dramatic display of transformation in human revolution and we are so fortunate to be able to witness this catharsis through the power of the internet. Presente!

How beautiful are these Brown faces flashing peace signs, sweeping up trash, singing, dancing. Seeing the women empowered in the street thrilled to express themselves alongside their husbands, fathers, brothers and sons. This is a good sign. Until the intervention of the financially backed Pro-Mubarack mobs we were giddy with pride and hope for the actualization of a non-violent revolution organized in the Streets and on Facebook and twitter.

The symbiosis between the social networking and social activism today is a priceless addition to our progress into a promising future. The silent majority are finding the strengths of a medium that can be extra large. Even as the Dictator ship of Egypt tired to disrupt the internet broadcast of the crackdown on non-violent protestors and journalists, images, stories and audio still leaked into our hands. When the say the whole world is watching they are not kidding, not only is the whole world watching the whole world is witnessing and thinking and comparing our own very precarious positions. As it becomes more glaringly obvious that what we have here is a struggle between the World's rich Corporate Governments and the poor.

American people pay the government through taxes, as though they work for us. And they do, but They then spend all our money on a few social programs but a whole hell of a lot on it on things we said not to invest in, like wars and propping up a banking industry. Now they are telling the people who have worked really hard their whole lives they must work a little longer and endure austerity programs as they shred the social fabric. This is True in so many countries. Like the US; Ireland, Greece, Spain, and Britain. Total financial mismanagement. Then their are countries like Tunisia, Iran, Yemen, Like Egypt. Not only have government officials wasted and stolen money, and completely overindulged themselves, but some have oppressed the civil society through brutality,

So the people are idle, nervous, frightened, broke, with not even enough money for food. When people are hungry and there is food on the shelves but the people can't afford it; There's going to be unrest and uprisings.The revolution in Egypt is a direct response.

The Egyptian people are calling for change,yes, but the change in heads of government is not going to provide them with jobs or money or lower food prices. It appears we cannot rely on the patriarchal system of one leader of a government. It's over. There's got to be a better way.

The majority of The people of the world are good. Most have worked their whole lives to provide a home, food, education, safety, but it is the government assisted by the military that have dominated our lives, stripped us of our precious resources and have feathered their own nests while foreclosing on ours.

As I watch the Egyptians in the streets, doing their best to maintain their dignity and exercise their human rights I long for more signs of solidarity ( I'll make one) and decentralized leadership. The Egyptians are saying this, We take better care of each other than our government.

Governments have failed to advance with the times as far as employment They want to rely on Manufacturing, but, it's over. Our earthly resources are entirely depleted not to mention the cultures who sit on top of them. We must accept the end of the industrial age. Now, We have our selves thoroughly planted in the Age of Technology, but what they haven't figured out is how to manufacture new sustainable jobs instead of robotize the ones we have left. We must find a way for a family today to earn a living an survive.

There are two ways I see going; One is back to the small family farms, like the Heifer International Model. Just getting a chicken coop is a bright beginning. And together we could usher in the age community organizing and of recycling. taking all of our manufacturing infrastructure and using it all to remake, recycle. That takes care of employment and our never talked about garbage crisis. (Like taking those trillion plastic water bottles filling them with some pebbles and making musical rattles). We call for an artistic recycling economy, Shift the paradigm. This is not just a solution for us, but for the whole world. Change isn't easy, Whether it be on the economy, climate, human rights, change is coming. So let the winds blow and fill our sails.

Warm Up Exercises

Its cold. It's really, really cold. This isn't something I am used to so early in the season. It's not even officially winter, but It's been snowing and hailing and the roads have been icy since last week. And oh, that toilet seat! Brrrrr. It took me ten minutes to scrape the ice off my windshield this morning. I almost slipped on a frozen deck in Brooke trails on Saturday night. The tip of my nose has been red for days and lots of friends and family are dealing with colds, mild flu, and coughs.

I am distracted by the cold, thinking about what I can do to get warm. Of course, right off the bat, there's all the delicious Thanksgiving coffee we have to choose from, fair trade, roasted and brewed locally, Yes mamma!. There's the traditional cup of hot tea, something with cinnamon, ginger or chai with it's exotic flavors of cardamon, cloves and pepper. Then, there's the more medicinal cocktail of hot water, cayenne and lemon which will happily devour nasty bacterium and viruses in your throat on contact. Try a little brandy with that too. Another really great warmer upper is making a boiling pot of water and throwing in some fresh cedar, eucalyptus, or pine needles, steam, put a towel over your head and inhale. Aaaaah.

Of course there's the logical layering of clothing. A set of thermal underwear, jeans, wool sweaters and socks, boots, felt hats, and furry gloves sometimes even while your sitting in your living room. And then there's the hearth. I find myself spending a lot more time in the kitchen when I'm cold. I want soup, don't you? There's a ton of canned and boxed soup on sale right now, get some for your self and throw in a couple extra for a food bank donation. and then there's the home made, left overs from Thanksgiving, mmm, turkey noodle soup, or a hefty beef or buffalo stew, or something vegetarian Hot, sour, spicy. Get out your cookbooks and crockpots! It's time for baking brownies, cookies, and breads and oh don't forget the pies. It's time for butter and biscuits, scones and chestnuts.

Go out for some Thai or Japanese food from some of the great local haunts like, Happy Garden in Clearlake, Oco time in Ukiah, or Viraporn or Off the Hook in Fort Bragg get yourself a hot curry or a lump of wasabi, a big bowl of Soba and some hot sake, Yum.

There's the fabulous option of climbing into bed when the sun goes down with a Heating pad, a pillow case full of warmed sea salt, or a brick warmed in the oven at 350 for an hour and then put under your quilt. It will radiate warmth long into the night. Cozy up with with a good book.(Check out some of KZYX"S Tony Miksaks' Words on Books recommendations) I recommend the collections of Paulo Cuehlo, The Witch of Portabello, The Alchemist, the Fifth Mountain and more Cuehlo is profoundly dramatic, and far reaching in his imagination and spirituality.

You can simmer yourself in the local cauldrons of indulgence of, Wilbur, Orr Hot Springs, Bamboo Gardens, Sweetwater Spa, the hot tubs and sauna not only warm you up, but clean out your lymph system (a crucial component of the immune system)

Use your muscles, that's an instant rise in temperature. Stretch, jump up and down, Doing yoga or dancing to gypsy music will bring you to a salty sweat. "An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day" according to Henry David Thoreau. It really warms my bones especially when followed by a very hot shower and then turning the cold water on for 5 seconds sending all the blood back to my core where it will do it's best to keep me toasty inside.

Getting into bed with a lover is a super good idea. I find holding my wife very close and rubbing our feet together is very effective. Then if you like turn up the heat, friction is fun and sets the kundalini fires. Hot cha!

Then there's the heart warming. There are a lot of people in this world who are suffering beyond our comprehension. Whether it is from war, poverty, natural disasters like the constantly unfolding one in Haiti. Acts of charity, in this holiday season, are immensely comforting. I'm a huge supporter of Heifer international. They are the ones who, with our modest donations, provide livestock for families all over the world to help them become self sufficient in an ever collapsing international economies.

Take some time to write a letter to someone in prison, someone fighting abroad, or send a box of books, or toys to an orphanage in Afghanistan you will experience and immeasurable warmth. Or simply write a letter to an elder in your family. It's very rare to get a real letter these days, Remember, lots of older folks still haven't mastered the internet, (my mom never could do Facebook) and getting a letter with your name written on the envelope is truly Heart warming gift.

And Finally, there's the warmth of a friend. We are so fortunate to live in deeply familiar communities where we have the pleasure of running into friends and neighbors on our daily journey. Stop a moment give them a hug, rub their back and take off the chill.