NPR - Go through life barefoot

Well, sometimes. I've written about my walking adventures from problems with my van. And living 3-4 miles from the nearest commercial center only leads to walks down rural tree-lined roads. In our part of the country we try to make room for bikes and people with special lanes when and where we can. Otherwise it's the soft, rain-soaked rocks and dirt alongside the asphalt. But it's still nice to depend on feet.

It's a whole different pace of life, not just how you go, but what you can carry back home. But as life would have it, there is one rule with walking, and we've all read and heard it:

Wear good shoes!

I keep saying this being an occasional hiker for several decades - I have a great pair of hiking boots. And I have a few pair of lightweight boot-shoes. I love walking, and once I find my pace, I feel I can walk forever. Or at least until the feet decide differently, and hence the barefoot logic.

Well, last week's walking caused a few small blisters which are normal and heal fairly quickly to keep on walking the next day or so. But as I get older or forget to walk a lot for awhile, the blisters get larger or worse. And that's what happened Sunday walking to get Sunday papers and a coffee at Starbucks.

The Starbucks is a five minute drive, which is my normal routine, but I decided to walk since I was only going for papers and coffee - a doppio con panna if you must ask. About a half mile short of Starbucks the feet started to hurt. As they say, not a good sign. At starbucks I took off one shoe to find a real old-fashioned silver dollar sized blister opened and red on one heal and a small, beginning one on the other. I found some band-aids to cover the worst one and headed home. But alas, it was not to be.

But a good thing is that the county, city and utility company built a bike/walk path for 2+ of the miles home, so I took off the boots and walked barefoot. It's an interesting experience walking 3+ miles barefoot. Something I wouldn't recommend unless your feet are ready for it. The smallest peeble can be felt. Each step reverberates up your spine. And I got a blister on the base of my heel.

Such is life. I walk barefoot in and out around my home. I just haven't walked for the distance barefoot. But it was worth experience and may do it more. We evolved with good feet for walking, and develop minimal shoes to keep from hurting the soles of the feet too much, like sharp objects and extreme cold or hot surfaces. And for the most part, barefeet work pretty good if not pretty - who's feet are anyway. They're form and function over beauty.

Anyway, sensing the world through your feet is interesting. It keeps you aware of what's immediately in front of you.

JMO - Children aren't political fodder

What don't the Republicans understand that children aren't political fodder? What don't they understand about supporting the families in this country? We're spending $2 Billion per month in Iraq and Afghanistan, and $Billions more for the Department of Defense, so the difference in the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is pennies in comparison. Almost every governor, including republican ones, want the program with the funding. They're getting swamped and overwhelmed with costs - unfunded mandates - Congress has been pushing to the states under Bush's "conservative" spending philosophy.

But it's not working. We're far deeper in debt since 2000, and will spend almost $1 Trillion on the wars in Iraq and Aghanistan. We're spending far to much on our military, more than many of the next nations in the world combined. And the spending for non-discretionary programs is less than 10% of the total federal budget. And the war funding is the very deficit spending Republican approved when they controlled Congress under Bush while touting fiscal conservatism.

I am tired of the Republicans touting the money for homeland security and fighting terrorism, much of which can't be found or found to have done what we paid - remember the taxpayers are footing the bill for all these programs. And it's clear to me the Republicans, and especially those in the Bush Administration, are treating citizens, us the very voters and taxpayers, as suspected terrorists. Really? To whom is all this TSA and airport security focused at if not citizens? How many "terrorists" have been captured and convicted with all these programs? At what price?

And children? While they're used in many countries for a variety of purposes not appropriate for children, it's not appropriate here in the U.S., and it's clear to me we're underfunding the very future of this country by denying and/or reducing fund for programs for children, such as health, fitness, education, college, jobs, savings, and on and on. That's where our money should go, not paying to them to be soldiers, many of whom are coming home permanent disabled or in coffins, for political ideology in foreign countries.

So what don't the Republicans understand? Or do you really care about Americans? Or is the truth that they only really care about their own wealth and their political friends?

Alexandra Boulat

I read today about the death of Alexandra Boulat. Don't know her? Neither did I. How many international photojournalist do you know? I don't know many, but see the work of many in passing. Do we pay attention to the photographer when we see photos that move us?

I normally don't, but this is another in reminders to make sure I do. Take a look at some of her images. I can only say she and her work make me feel less than honest and less than someone I could be. Why don't we, the public at large, celebrate these photographers? They risk their life to give us images to make us think and act. And do we?

The numbers of photojournalist who have died in war zones in recent decades is staggering, and many more have died in Iraq as all sides have targeted them for their work of capturing and sharing the honesty and reality of war and those effected by it. We owe so much to them we haven't begun to realize it, and likely we never will.

Thank you Alexandra Boulat. I am sorry your life was so short. You could have shown us more of our humanity. Next time you see war photos, thank the photographer who stood there with their camera with the personal vision to be there and share with you.

JMO - Arguing for something

In a recent conversation I had with somebody, I have come to hate the assumption people make that arguing for something is arguing against something else, usually the opposite. This doesn't mean it isn't, but it's not a fair assumption to make that it's always the case. I like discussions and debates in the old fashioned sense of a conversation arguing for or against something with people arguing the opposite. Sometimes I like to express my perspective for something leaving the rest as it is, just there, and not arguing against it.

And why this point? I'm a Taoist. I accept that the whole array of views exist for any issue, and all issues have the array of views for, against and both with the issue. And every issue has facets that makes the issue, and the views, less than absolute or clear. Everything has realities that fuzzies the whole view of any issue. All you have to do is pick one and read all the perspectives on it to see the array from the extreme for to the extreme against.

What I dislike is people who assume positions when you present your view from your experience, understanding and knowledge of the issue. And we forget sometimes, they're just opinions, like everyone else's, and nothing more. Mine is just mine, and worth the same as yours, nothing more or less, just one in the many. And it's far from perfect, with my experience, understanding and knowledge.

I love learning in discussions. All you have to do is ask with a smile, "Is that really true?" Or sometimes I'll express my view as a question, wanting to know more or hear other views. I'm curious. So why do people stand there, or sit in a tavern, with angry looks and think you're against the opposite or their view? What don't they understand about, "Lighten up!" It's only a conversation.

And there are times I have a position that is extreme, along with not really liking to hear other views. I'm human, and have some views - ok, opinions - which are extreme, but I realize it's just mine. I know it's extreme, but I will always express it with a smile because I know I'm just one of many, along with my opinion. So why do people get so upset and sometimes angry with me? Why to they assume things I haven't expressed?

I don't know. But before you hit the send button or open your mouth to express your anger, think about sitting on the other side reading or listening to your words. How would you feel?

NPR - When Life hands you a coin

This wasn't a good week in one respect. My poor VW Vanagon Syncro had problems. It actually stared about a month ago when I took it in for service, some routine work like the annual tuneup and some nonroutine work like the brake system. It ran fine for about 3-plus weeks when one morning going up a hill the whole van began to shake. I pulled over and did a walk around inspection, but couldn't find anything obvious.

This lasted a few days, and trying to think through some ideas (thanks to the folks at Yahoo Group) before I looked underneath it. When I did I found a loose sparkplug wire. The van ran fine reconnecting the wiire, until, that this, earlier this week when it really began to missfire. So I parked it so it could cool off. Lesson one with cars, don't do work on them after driving them awhile - they're very hot! Something fingers and hands don't appreciate.

Anyway, checking things again I found two sparkplugs loose, one barely loose and one so loose it almost fell out in my hand. It was about to blow out completely. It was simply fried. The threads were so burnt it wouldn't thread back into the cylinder head. So, it was walk to the autoshop (about 3+ miles away), after calling of course - how many stores have sparkplugs for these, and back. Replacing the plug, and checking the rest of them, the engine ran rough but better.

So I let it sit overnight, and this morning it was fine. I drove to the shop where I had it serviced. They gave me a new sparkplug and offered to pay for the spare I bought and my time, but that wasn't necesssary. They've been good over the years. I just told them to have the mechanic pay better attention next time. The new plug works fine and the van is back to normal.

As I have noted in another essay I live 3-plus miles from the nearest town or across the bridge to a city, and the nearest commercial center, with the downtown of my small town 4-plus miles away. And this is the same to public transportation to anywhere else. It's life in the rural areas near a city. But walking always reminds me that life isn't always driving and getting somewhere faster than your feet can move.

And living in the Northwest, the walk is along rural roads with trees, sunshine - and ok rain being the Northwest, and few cars trying to run you over. You can simply walk and enjoy the time seeing life at a different pace. And you get a different perspective about the rest of the world with all the cars going everywhere. While you know your dependence on your car, you know the freedom of being without one, something most of the people in the world already knows.

Anyway, my point? While trying to make sense of things, it simply occurred to me that when life hands you a coin, remember it has two sides.