Lada Ray's Blog, page 98

Love, Compassion, and Ugly. Part 3: First Do No Harm

The story of the stray cat, named Ugly, doesn’t let me go. There is so much more to say… Memories and thoughts flood my mind.

WHITE BEAM the BLACK EAR

Commonly (but incorrectly) translated into English as: White Bim the Black Ear, this is the title of a famous, multi-award winning 1977 Russian/Soviet movie (Russian: Beliy Bim, Chernoye Ukho)  about a very intelligent dog, whose loving owner was hospitalized, leaving the dog in care of a neighbor. Beam (Bim) has unusually colored black ears, which is considered a blemish and an ugly, inappropriate feature for his normally all-white breed. The ailing, lonely writer and WWII vet, Ivan Ivanovich, rescues Beam from imminent death at the hands of a breeder and takes him in. When Ivan Ivanovich is hospitalized, the dog, not accepting his separation from the man he loves, runs away to search for him. It is a heart wrenching story of a loving, forgiving and intelligent dog, his grueling journey, encounters with various humans, their ignorance and prejudices, as well as some kind and loving people, especially children. Much like the cat Ugly in real life, Beam (Bim) in the movie serves as a powerful litmus test of sorts, bringing to light the good, the bad and the ugly of the human race.

Beam and the man he loves never meet. Hungry and exhausted, left inside a freezing dog catcher truck overnight together with another unfortunate dog, Beam dies the night before his owner’s arrival. The ending is bittersweet: Ivan Ivanovich returning from the hospital, adopts the little doggie whom Beam gave his last warmth during that chilly night; the dog catcher get pangs of consciousness and quits his disgusting job; the man, who once attempted to leave Beam to die in the forest, makes amends and asks forgiveness of his little son whom he deceived into thinking that Beam had run away; and come spring, the young puppy named White Beam the Black Ear, together with his loving owner, joyfully runs around, as both the man and the dog go to visit Beam’s grave where white flowers are in bloom once again.

I never got a chance to see this movie while growing up in Russia. But one evening in Princeton, NJ, when everyone in the house was asleep, I noticed it being shown on one of the Russian US channels. I can’t put in words the profound effect this movie has had on me! Two hours later, having cried half of the time, I went to make some tea. I hadn’t slept all night. The next morning, when everyone woke up, I was a changed person.

In Buddhist texts the effect that I felt would be described as “becoming enlightened.”

You’ll be able to find lots of praise for this masterpiece in so many places – just Google it! The common advice is to find this movie and watch it! But be prepared to cry while doing so.

Monument to White Bim the Black Ear in Voronezh, Russia. The inscription on his collar reads: “His name is Bim, he is waiting for his master’s return, he knows the way to his home. Don’t hurt him, people…”

Watch the whole movie (w. English subs!) on this wonderful blog by Kyle Keeton. By the way, this blog also contains a wealth of information about Russian life, culture and customs.

More about White Bim (Beam) the Black Ear here and here and here and here.

POWDER

Remember the movie Powder about the unusual and gifted teenager, who looks powdery white and posses mysterious powers? Because of his strange white face he is constantly bullied and ridiculed by others, but he doesn’t respond, until he sees a deer being killed by the father of the same bully who’d always taunted him at school. Only then Powder springs into action, using his formidable powers to teach the killer a lesson.

As the wounded deer thrashes on the ground, and the hunter teaches his son and his friends how to best kill for sport, Powder places one hand by the deer’s heart and with his other hand, he grabs the man’s hand. All of the dying deer’s agony, all his fear, anguish and pain pulses through Powder’s body and into the body of the hunter. When the hunter tries to free himself from Powder’s grip, he can’t. Powder doesn’t say a word, but he won’t let go even as the man starts thrashing on the ground himself, feeling everything the dying deer is feeling. Powder only lets go after having made the hunter experience the full impact of the dying animal’s agony.

It was a very powerful scene. Had the shock therapy worked? Did it teach this man and his bullying son any lessons? I don’t know. But I hope it did.

UGLY, BEAM, and JESUS

One of the original post‘s comments compared the little kitty, called Ugly, with Jesus. When Jesus was put on the cross after being cruelly mistreated and beaten, just like Ugly, he didn’t lash out, but responded with love and forgiveness. The same applies to White Beam the Black Ear. He never attacked, nor even growled at any humans who treated him so badly. He never lost what we so misguidedly call HUMANITY. I know, certain religions do not consider animals equal to humans, as they are not supposed to possess “a soul.”

Me — I am with the Buddhists on this one. All life is precious and sacred, and no one’s better or worse. And those who think they are better, are in fact worse. Look around and see the manifestations of this everywhere. From animal cruelty and bullies, to wars in the name of “national interests” and “democracy”, to those who think they know more than others, when the opposite is actually true. This is the real message of this story.

“FIRST DO NO HARM”

These are the words from the Hippocratic Oath, created by Hippocrates in Ancient Greece and taken by all modern physicians. A similar concept of first doing no harm exists in the Native American, Siberian Shamanic, European and Chinese Naturopathic traditions.

The children in the USA are taught the Oath of Allegiance in kindergarten and school. Sure, it’s great to express one’s patriotism for a country. But I can’t help but think how much more important it is to first teach people to be responsible and benevolent citizens of our planet.

Just imagine how much better life on Earth would be, if the first words everyone learned in school were:  FIRST DO NO HARM! 

Read: Love, Compassion, and Ugly. Part 1

Read: Love, Compassion, and Ugly. Part 2: The Pigeon

Love, Compassion, and Ugly 2: The Pigeon

The heartbreaking story of the loving and forgiving stray cat, named Ugly, is something that resonates deeply with me. Read the original story here:

http://ladaray.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/love-compassion-and-ugly/

What is it that makes people act indifferently or cruelly towards others, be it an innocent animal, Earth’s nature or another human being. Ignorance? Closed-mindedness? Fear? All of the above? Parents who live in fear and with their minds closed then instruct their children, and perhaps even pets, like the dogs in Ugly’s sad story, to live and act in the same way.

Who hasn’t had experiences with bullies in their childhood? But what if a bully grows up and becomes this? Remember the terrible story that happened in New Jersey a few years ago, that of a young gay man, whose roommate at Rutgers University posted videos of him having sexual acts on the internet? This deliberately cruel act led to the young man’s suicide. The story received a lot of publicity and the guilty person received punishment. But what about so many other despicable acts and attitudes that get swept under the carpet? Do they just disappear? Do they teach a lesson? Do they leave a mark? Or do they escalate into something monstrous?

Where there is ignorance and closed-mindedness, there is prejudice followed by irrational fear, and even violence to “protect” the “threatened way of life.” In Ugly’s story, humans hosed down the poor stray and shut his paws in their doors. But on a global scale, these attitudes lead to wars, or attempts to start wars, as we are presently observing in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iran. What always struck me is that people who have started the war in Iraq haven’t the faintest idea on how to correctly pronounce the name of the country, nor do they care to know how people in that country live and what’s important to them.

But it always starts small; it always starts close to home.

THE PIGEON

In the old days, pigeons delivered urgent and important messages. Postal pigeons brought hope and saved lives. They carried correspondence from war zones and hard to reach places; they delivered messages from stranded or imprisoned people, leading to their rescue. Intelligent and gentle birds, they have been considered messengers of the gods. And along with the dove, their close relative, in Europe they are a symbol of peace and love.

Pigeons are a fixture on European squares, with people feeding them and kids chasing them, which pigeons don’t seem to mind. Humans and pigeons have always peacefully coexisted in the most beautiful cities of Europe, and some consider them an enhancement to the scenery. In Italy and some other countries it is actually considered great luck and a sign from God when a pigeon poops on you. In Odessa, where I grew up, children built pigeon lofts on roofs of apartment buildings, where they fed and played with pigeons. Although people in Europe LOVE feeding pigeons, authorities are not amused, aiming to limit the pigeon population.

Paris pigeons.

Pigeons in Red Square, Moscow.

Pigeons in St. Mark’s Square, Venice. Authorities don’t like it when people feed the pigeons. Some cities even impose a hefty fine if you do. This photo’s inscription reads: “They sure missed the sign that says, don’t feed the pigeons.”

One of the many beautiful fountains of Odessa, this one with city pigeon sculptures.

A few days ago my husband and I have rescued a young pigeon, who appeared to have fallen out of the third story attic where lots of local pigeons resided. The building in question is located on Main Street, a short walk from our house in the Catskills. My husband noticed the poor bird sitting motionlessly on the sidewalk, as cars and huge rumbling trucks passed by. He was not fully grown, but not a baby any more either. He might have flown out of his flock’s nest on top of the building for the first time, but grew tired and was unable to fly back up.

The little thing puffed up his little body in fear and had a very dejected and ugly look. We were afraid something might happen to him so close to the traffic and started slowly directing him along the nearby driveway into the inner courtyard. The pigeon stood up and reluctantly walked into the courtyard on his unsteady little feet. We followed to see where he would go. At first, the pigeon went all the way to the back as if trying to blend with the wall, and stood like that, his back to the door of one of the courtyard’s small stores, which was closed for the moment.

My concern was that someone might open the door and squash him. As if hearing my thoughts, the pigeon slowly emerged from his “hiding spot” and settled himself in the middle of the parking lot with the same dejected look, with cars around him coming and going. People would walk to their cars right past the pigeon, and drive out without giving him a second look. At times he tried to fly, but couldn’t.

We knew if we didn’t do something fast, our little pigeon would be squashed by one of these cars in no time. I went inside of one of the stores located in the courtyard and asked the owner whether they had the key to the attic so I could put the pigeon back where he would be safe.

The woman said that only the landlord had access to the attic. I asked if she had the landlord’s telephone number. Here is what the store owner responded: “I don’t want to bother the landlord for something as insignificant as a pigeon.” I replied that it was a living thing, just like her or me, but she firmly reiterated: “I won’t bother him for a pigeon.”

Meanwhile, my husband ran back to our house to look up the instructions for pigeon rescue.

Turns out that if a pigeon sits without moving, if he can’t fly and allows you to handle him, it means he is tired and in need of a few hours of rest. We made a few holes in a cardboard box, I put on leather gloves, just in case, and placed the little pigeon safely in the box. He allowed me to handle him and my husband carried him home.

On the way to our house, we met a woman walking two adorable dogs. My husband proceeded home, while I stopped to pet them, as the woman started telling all about her beloved pets. I listened to her, thinking that it was great to meet another animal lover.

“We just rescued a little pigeon,” I shared with her.

The woman’s attitude changed immediately. “Did you know that pigeons carry lice?” she said.

“Oh,” I responded, “I wore gloves, see?” And I showed her my gloves, which I took off to pet her dogs.

“And lice can get in your hair,” she went on. “Just letting you know.” She jerked on her dogs’ leashes and quickly left.

My husband laughed when I told him the story. “I have news for her,” he said. “Dogs carry lice just as much, if not more. And according to my research, there is no substantial evidence that pigeons carry lice. It’s more of a tale than reality.”

I believe my husband. He is good at research.

We placed the box with our little pigeon in our shady back yard to allow him to rest and calm down. A couple of hours later, I took him out of the box and let him wander around the yard. We also gave him some bird feed and water. He ate and drank and again sat in the sun, resting. We were a little concerned about our cat Lily’s reaction to the pigeon. Lily loves basking in the sun in our back yard, which our little princess considers her domain. But, as if knowing that it would not be a good idea on that specific day, Lily (this famous mind reader) slept in the TV room all day, which was highly unusual for her on such nice, sunny day.

Meanwhile, the little pigeon started recovering. When we first saw him, he was all dull and puffed up from fatigue and fear. Now his black body started acquiring an irridescent glow. His little feet, which seemed pale pink when we found him, now acquired a distinctive red coloring. His neck, which was initially puffed up to a degree that I thought that perhaps something was wrong with him, now stretched and became slim and graceful, as he calmed down, ate and rested. His body was very pleasantly warm to the touch and he turned out to be a very beautiful little pigeon.

The pigeon wandered back and forth around the back yard and the driveway, and eventually headed to the front. I caught him again almost on the sidewalk and put him back deeply into the back yard, where he continued his exploration. Although his wings seemed fine and he was now well rested, his attempts to fly were still unsuccessful. I left him alone, deciding that he would be okay in the back and because I had lots to do. I retreated to my study, asking my husband to watch him from the window of his study.

When I came out several hours later, my little pigeon was gone. Turns out, while I was at work, he got his wings back and flew off, no doubt to new adventures.

I’ll miss him. But wherever he is today, I wish him a safe and happy journey!

Read: Love, Compassion, and Ugly. Part 1

Read: Love, Compassion, and Ugly. Part 3: First Do No Harm

Love, Compassion, and Ugly. Part 2: The Pigeon

The heartbreaking story of the loving and forgiving stray cat, named Ugly, is something that resonates deeply with me. Read the original story here:

http://ladaray.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/love-compassion-and-ugly/

What is it that makes people act indifferently or cruelly towards others, be it an innocent animal, Earth’s nature or another human being. Ignorance? Closed-mindedness? Fear? All of the above? Parents who live in fear and with their minds closed then instruct their children, and perhaps even pets, like the dogs in Ugly’s sad story, to live and act in the same way.

Who hasn’t had experiences with bullies in their childhood? But what if a bully grows up and becomes this? Remember the terrible story that happened in New Jersey a few years ago, that of a young gay man, whose roommate at Rutgers University posted videos of him having sexual acts on the internet? This deliberately cruel act led to the young man’s suicide. The story received a lot of publicity and the guilty person received punishment. But what about so many other despicable acts and attitudes that get swept under the carpet? Do they just disappear? Do they teach a lesson? Do they leave a mark? Or do they escalate into something monstrous?

Where there is ignorance and closed-mindedness, there is prejudice followed by irrational fear, and even violence to “protect” the “threatened way of life.” In Ugly’s story, humans hosed down the poor stray and shut his paws in their doors. But on a global scale, these attitudes lead to wars, or attempts to start wars, as we are presently observing in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iran. What always struck me is that people who have started the war in Iraq haven’t the faintest idea on how to correctly pronounce the name of the country, nor do they care to know how people in that country live and what’s important to them.

But it always starts small; it always starts close to home.

THE PIGEON

In the old days, pigeons delivered urgent and important messages. Postal pigeons brought hope and saved lives. They carried correspondence from war zones and hard to reach places; they delivered messages from stranded or imprisoned people, leading to their rescue. Intelligent and gentle birds, they have been considered messengers of the gods. And along with the dove, their close relative, in Europe they are a symbol of peace and love.

Pigeons are a fixture on European squares, with people feeding them and kids chasing them, which pigeons don’t seem to mind. Humans and pigeons have always peacefully coexisted in the most beautiful cities of Europe, and some consider them an enhancement to the scenery. In Italy and some other countries it is actually considered great luck and a sign from God when a pigeon poops on you. In Odessa, where I grew up, children built pigeon lofts on roofs of apartment buildings, where they fed and played with pigeons. Although people in Europe LOVE feeding pigeons, authorities are not amused, aiming to limit the pigeon population.

Paris pigeons.

Pigeons in Red Square, Moscow.

Pigeons in St. Mark’s Square, Venice. Authorities don’t like it when people feed the pigeons. Some cities even impose a hefty fine if you do. This photo’s inscription reads: “They sure missed the sign that says, don’t feed the pigeons.”

One of the many beautiful fountains of Odessa, this one with city pigeon sculptures.

A few days ago my husband and I have rescued a young pigeon, who appeared to have fallen out of the third story attic where lots of local pigeons resided. The building in question is located on Main Street, a short walk from our house in the Catskills. My husband noticed the poor bird sitting motionlessly on the sidewalk, as cars and huge rumbling trucks passed by. He was not fully grown, but not a baby any more either. He might have flown out of his flock’s nest on top of the building for the first time, but grew tired and was unable to fly back up.

The little thing puffed up his little body in fear and had a very dejected and ugly look. We were afraid something might happen to him so close to the traffic and started slowly directing him along the nearby driveway into the inner courtyard. The pigeon stood up and reluctantly walked into the courtyard on his unsteady little feet. We followed to see where he would go. At first, the pigeon went all the way to the back as if trying to blend with the wall, and stood like that, his back to the door of one of the courtyard’s small stores, which was closed for the moment.

My concern was that someone might open the door and squash him. As if hearing my thoughts, the pigeon slowly emerged from his “hiding spot” and settled himself in the middle of the parking lot with the same dejected look, with cars around him coming and going. People would walk to their cars right past the pigeon, and drive out without giving him a second look. At times he tried to fly, but couldn’t.

We knew if we didn’t do something fast, our little pigeon would be squashed by one of these cars in no time. I went inside of one of the stores located in the courtyard and asked the owner whether they had the key to the attic so I could put the pigeon back where he would be safe.

The woman said that only the landlord had access to the attic. I asked if she had the landlord’s telephone number. Here is what the store owner responded: “I don’t want to bother the landlord for something as insignificant as a pigeon.” I replied that it was a living thing, just like her or me, but she firmly reiterated: “I won’t bother him for a pigeon.”

Meanwhile, my husband ran back to our house to look up the instructions for pigeon rescue.

Turns out that if a pigeon sits without moving, if he can’t fly and allows you to handle him, it means he is tired and in need of a few hours of rest. We made a few holes in a cardboard box, I put on leather gloves, just in case, and placed the little pigeon safely in the box. He allowed me to handle him and my husband carried him home.

On the way to our house, we met a woman walking two adorable dogs. My husband proceeded home, while I stopped to pet them, as the woman started telling all about her beloved pets. I listened to her, thinking that it was great to meet another animal lover.

“We just rescued a little pigeon,” I shared with her.

The woman’s attitude changed immediately. “Did you know that pigeons carry lice?” she said.

“Oh,” I responded, “I wore gloves, see?” And I showed her my gloves, which I took off to pet her dogs.

“And lice can get in your hair,” she went on. “Just letting you know.” She jerked on her dogs’ leashes and quickly left.

My husband laughed when I told him the story. “I have news for her,” he said. “Dogs carry lice just as much, if not more. And according to my research, there is no substantial evidence that pigeons carry lice. It’s more of a tale than reality.”

I believe my husband. He is good at research.

We placed the box with our little pigeon in our shady back yard to allow him to rest and calm down. A couple of hours later, I took him out of the box and let him wander around the yard. We also gave him some bird feed and water. He ate and drank and again sat in the sun, resting. We were a little concerned about our cat Lily’s reaction to the pigeon. Lily loves basking in the sun in our back yard, which our little princess considers her domain. But, as if knowing that it would not be a good idea on that specific day, Lily (this famous mind reader) slept in the TV room all day, which was highly unusual for her on such nice, sunny day.

Meanwhile, the little pigeon started recovering. When we first saw him, he was all dull and puffed up from fatigue and fear. Now his black body started acquiring an irridescent glow. His little feet, which seemed pale pink when we found him, now acquired a distinctive red coloring. His neck, which was initially puffed up to a degree that I thought that perhaps something was wrong with him, now stretched and became slim and graceful, as he calmed down, ate and rested. His body was very pleasantly warm to the touch and he turned out to be a very beautiful little pigeon.

The pigeon wandered back and forth around the back yard and the driveway, and eventually headed to the front. I caught him again almost on the sidewalk and put him back deeply into the back yard, where he continued his exploration. Although his wings seemed fine and he was now well rested, his attempts to fly were still unsuccessful. I left him alone, deciding that he would be okay in the back and because I had lots to do. I retreated to my study, asking my husband to watch him from the window of his study.

When I came out several hours later, my little pigeon was gone. Turns out, while I was at work, he got his wings back and flew off, no doubt to new adventures.

I’ll miss him. But wherever he is today, I wish him a safe and happy journey!

Read: Love, Compassion, and Ugly. Part 1

Love, Compassion, and Ugly. Part 3. My Thoughts & Experiences to follow.

Love, Compassion, and Ugly

It’s easy to love that, which is beautiful. But it seems, beauty in this world is impossible without ugliness, and sometimes the biggest beauty is hidden in what appears ugly. All you have to do is look beyond the surface.

The post below is reblogged from Joseph A. Gier via Ayanna Nahmias http://ayannanahmias.com/2012/08/12/animal-rights-story/

I don’t often reblog other people’s posts, even the ones I enjoy very much, since my own blogging schedule is so tight. After my last post about the Sunshine Award, I was planning on basking in the Sun for a few days before publishing 3 brand new posts about the beautiful Golden Ring of Russia and the magnificent Russian churches. These posts, complete with gorgeous new pics are literally standing in line, awaiting publication.

But I am putting all that on hold, because THIS POST is much more important and I want as many people as possible to read it! It’s not an easy read (I cried while reading it!) but it teaches something that very few things in life can teach with more humility and poignancy, namely: LOVE, COMPASSION, FORGIVENESS and KINDNESS.

Unfortunately, I don’t know who initially posted this story, but I want to thank that person, as well as all those who reblogged it. This post is a MUST read for all. Please tweet, FB, reblog and mention it in all your favorite social media!

I am also planning parts 2 and 3, where I’ll share my own experiences and thoughts on the subject.

Love, Compassion, and Ugly
(This post is reblogged from the source in its entirety)

This is not written by me .. but felt move to share it…I have no reason to believe it is not true.

Everyone in the apartment complex I lived in knew who Ugly was. Ugly was the resident tomcat.

Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage, and shall we say, love. The combination of these things combined with a life spent outside had their effect on Ugly.

To start with, he had only one eye, and where the other should have been was a gaping hole. He was also missing his ear on the same side, his left foot has appeared to have been badly broken at one time, and had healed at an unnatural angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner.

His tail has long since been lost, leaving only the smallest stub, which he would constantly jerk and twitch. Ugly would have been a dark gray tabby striped-type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, even his shoulders with thick, yellowing scabs.

Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. “That’s one UGLY cat!!”

All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted him when he tried to come in their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave.

Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around feet in forgiveness. Whenever he spied children, he would come running meowing frantically and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love. If you ever picked him up he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earrings, whatever he could find.

One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbors huskies. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly mauled. From my apartment I could hear his screams, and I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was laying, it was apparent Ugly’s sad life was almost at an end.

Ugly lay in a wet circle, his back legs and lower back twisted grossly out of shape, a gaping tear in the white strip of fur that ran down his front. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home I could hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. I must be hurting him terribly I thought.

Then I felt a familiar tugging, sucking sensation on my ear – Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying was trying to suckle my ear. I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled-scarred cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion.

At that moment I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, or even try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.

Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterwards, thinking about how one scarred, deformed little stray could so alter my opinion about what it means to have true pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly.

Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a thousand books, lectures, or talk show specials ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply. To give my total to those I cared for.

Sunshine Award & Awesome New Photos of Russia

I received a Sunshine Blogger Award from author and inspiring blogger, Holly Michael. Thank you, thank you, Holly! It is a great honor and privilege!

Here is the link to Holly’s blog, Writing Straight: http://writingstraight.com/2012/08/13/award-time-yay/ Check it out, it’s awesome!

To accept this award, I am required to answer a series of questions and then pass the Sunshine Blogger Award to other deserving bloggers, link my nominees to this post and comment on their blog letting them know of their nomination. Below are my answers and the blogs I have nominated.

1. What is your favorite Christmas movie?

Christmas in Connecticut. It’s fun and funny, has enough intrigue and romance, plus a rare innocence impossible to duplicate today.

2. What is your favorite flower?

Lotus. Check out my recent post: The Divine Lotus

3. What is your favorite non-alcoholic beverage? Green Tea: Jasmine Pearl or Dragon Pearl (Chinese), as well as Sencha (Japanese). I like making tea in one of my traditional yixing teapots, which I collect, and drink it out of a delicate china cup, enjoying the aroma and taste. It’s a very meditative experience. Yum!

[image error]  4. What is your passion? Imagining cool stories and making them come alive on paper or screen. I like to teach, inspire and open people’s eyes to the obvious and not so obvious through my writing.

5. What is your favorite time of year? Spring, because that’s when nature awakens to new life and because it’s my birthday time. And Fall, because of the beautiful colors and festive harvest.

6. What is your favorite time of day? Night time, when everything out there, in the big world, quiets down and I can sit down at my computer to think and write.

7. What is your favorite physical activity? Walking and hiking. They say, it’s a quintessential writer’s activity as creative juices flow best while walking.

8. What is your favorite vacation? I’ve been to many countries and loved them all. I really miss Russia. I went back to Russia last year to reconnect and do research for my book, Gold Train, Accidental Spy Russia Adventure set in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

One of the golden-domed Kremlin cathedrals, Moscow, Russia (this is real gold, by the way).

I am planning trips to Odessa, on the Black Sea, and to Lake Baikal, Siberia, both to re-visit and do research for my upcoming books.

A beach in Odessa, where I grew up. Odessa is a beautiful resort on the Black Sea. Along with several other exotic Black Sea locales, it will be the backdrop of one of the future Accidental Spy Adventures.

The famous Potemkin Steps in Odessa, connecting the historic center above with the seaport. The Potemkin Steps ensemble considered one-of-a-kind architectural phenomenon, was the site of the 1925 silent film, Battleship Potemkin (Russian: Броненосец «Потёмкин», Bronenosets Potyomkin), which has been called one of the most influential movies of all time, and was named “the greatest film of all time” in 1958.

Odessa’s spectacular Opera & Ballet House, located at – where else – 1 Chaikovsky Drive.

The famous grand stares inside Odessa Opera, considered by some architecturally the best Opera House in the world, along with Milan’s La Scala. And in case you were wondering, yes, it is real gold! The Odessa Opera, Potemkin Steps, the unique seaport, along with the entire stately center of Odessa together are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Sacred Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia, also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The oldest (25 mln years old), largest and deepest lake in the world, Baikal contains over 20% of the planet’s fresh water reserves, and according to locals, possesses mysterious healing powers. It will be featured in my upcoming YA fantasy/thriller, The Earth Shifter.

These are the bloggers I feel deserve the Sunshine Award because of their positive, inspiring and/or creative blogs.

1. Lori Lipsky http://poetrypatio.wordpress.com/. I love Lori’s poetry and her sunshine attitude!

2. Russel Ray http://russelrayphotos2.com/ Russel is a San Diego photographer with sharp wit and very cool cat, named Zoey. His posts are super-creative and very funny!

3. Francis http://niltsi.com/ Francis writes beautiful poetry and does wonderful photography. His dog, Pumpkin, is a cutie!

4. Maddy Walsh at 1 Earth Now Blog http://1earthnow.wordpress.com/ For selflessly and generously seeking out & reblogging today’s best and most inspired bloggers!

5. Maxima http://hillsofherchastity.wordpress.com/ For beautiful flowers and lovely sentiment!

6. The Blazing Trail http://theblazingtrail.wordpress.com/ For courageous and inspiring posts!

7. Ayanna Nahmias http://ayannanahmias.com/ For caring what happens in our world and speaking out for justice (even if I disagree with some of Ayanna’s views). I especially want to honor Ayanna for the heartbreaking post: Love, Compassion and Ugly http://ayannanahmias.com/2012/08/12/animal-rights-story/

Update: I have just added 3 more well-deserving blogs to my list of award recipients.

8. Benjamin http://prewitt1970.wordpress.com/,  who is fighting Parkinson’s desease, while producing some absolutely stunning art! I especially want to honor Benjamin for his amazing painting and post entitled Angels and Demons http://prewitt1970.wordpress.com/2012/08/18/angels-and-demons-2/

9. Sumithra Sriram http://hearingwiththeeye.wordpress.com/ for beautiful and wise nature photography!

10. Gertie http://fabricatedfables.wordpress.com/ Gertie is only 12, but she writes with maturity some adults could envy. Her stories are imaginative and evolved and I think she has great future as a writer! I especially liked her fantasy short story, Why Should I Save the Universe? http://fabricatedfables.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/stuff/ Keep writing, Gertie!

Congratulations to all winners!

A Cool America: The Catskills Nature

I am continuing my series on America’s cool and off-beat spots.

I live in a beautiful part of New York State, the Catskill Mountains. Renowned for its skiing in the winter and hiking in the warmer seasons, it is also home to various colleges, artist and New Age communities, as well as monasteries and spiritual retreats.

If you are ever in the Catskills, don’t miss the famous Woodstock, seat of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. Check out my post with great pics: Woodstock, NY

Definitely visit the Woodstock Buddhist Monastery. Read my post + lots of pics: Woodstock Tibetan Buddhist Monastery

There are many other fascinating places to visit in the Catskills, including the New Age town of New Paltz, Russian Orthodox Monastery and the Peace Village. I am planning some posts about those in the near future.

But today’s post is all about the nature of the Catskills.

Many New Yorkers buy secondary homes in the Catskills because of its gorgeous mountains and unspoiled nature. Overpopulation, overconstruction and incessant traffic are a problem in most of the USA.

But the Catskills remain one of the few relatively pristine corners of the country, still preserving the beauty and charm of a long by-gone era.

Stamford, New York, known as the Queen of the Catskills, is located in the heart of the area.

In the olden days, when a railroad ran through town, well-to-do New Yorkers would vacation at the local summer and winter resorts. Some built grand summer homes. However, with the advent of automobiles, the rail road became defunct, and as fewer people came to Stamford, the town lost its luster, falling on hard times. But in the past twenty years, as buying of secondary homes became popular again, New Yorkers flocked here once more to destress and be with nature.

The defunct railroad has been turned into a nature trail, presently running for miles and miles to the neighboring towns. Dubbed the rail trail, it is my favorite place to hike, do photography and meditate.

I hear that the long-term plan is to revive the defunct rail road and bring big city traffic and commerce back to town. That would be a pity. The rail trail is a way for humans to interact with nature in a peaceful and unobtrusive way, and without creating unnecessary disruption of wild life habitats.

My hope is that the unique natural ecological system that so many people, animals, birds and other creatures can enjoy now won’t be destroyed, as humans attempt to re-assert their dominion over the area.

In Stamford, beautiful nature starts right at my doorstep.

Wild flowers on the rail trail.

Colors of the rail trail.

As I walk, scents of various blooms are intoxicating.

The mighty Delaware River starts right here, in Stamford, as a tiny trickle. It runs through the entire town and along the rail trail.

A cute pink frog from the river, whom I met on the rail trail and who graciously agreed to a photo op.

My favorite pond and its inhabitants.

I was lucky enough to capture him in flight!

My friends, Mr. and Mrs. Goose.

The Catskill Mountains are lovely any time of the year.

Horses on the rail trail.

And more beautiful horses.

Meet My Wonderful Lily Cat

Lily is very loving, beautiful, smart and fluffy, and I love her with all my heart. She co-starred in Stepford USA, and made her appearance in Gold Train as the super-intelligent and sassy cat, Princess Lily. She also starred in my YouTube video, Enchanted Halloween, as the Halloween Cat. Despite these lofty credentials, Lily Cat likes simple pleasures of life.

Lily and I, when we were just a notch younger

Us again, today

Hello, I am the official greeter

Lily’s famous ‘white paw pedestal pose’ featured in Stepford USA

And another version of the same pose

This carpet is very comfortable

Lily, this famous master of meditation, can meditate anywhere, even in the kitchen

Meditation over, time to go

Under the Bodhi Tree. A great place to relax, Buddha style

The Bodhi Tree meditation

I want my privacy, please!

Time for a nap

Lily: a portrait

Another rendition

Lily of the garden

The best hiding spot

A cozy spot by the warm heater on a cold winter day

What wouldn’t I do for a nice meal!

Time to say goodbye. See you again soon!

PREDICTIONS 2012: London Olympic Games

Hurray! The XXX Olympiad in London, UK, starts today! In honor of the occasion, I decided to make some Olympic predictions.

Photo courtesy The Christian Science Monitor

Prediction 1 – London Olympics Security Problems:

Reports are appearing about the unprecendented security measures taken for these Olympics, including missiles on roofs of London residential buildings and warships patrolling the Themes. The army has been summoned and, according to the news sources, the CIA and FBI were asked to assist in the security of the games, following a failure of the UK organizers to hire enough security personnel. Israeli and American teams are bracing for possible terrorist attacks.

The bad news first. From the logistic and security standpoints, the London Olympics are promissing to be a nightmare. I have no doubt that there will be lots of mishaps, mix-ups and other unpleasant events. But we may not hear about most of them in the news, either American or British, because the authorities will do their best to CONTROL the flow of information. Watch for leaks, rumors and alternative news sources that may provide a better picture.

Now, the good news. Although there will be attempts at terrorist attack(s), they will not succeed. Secretly, several interested governments are helping out at the Olympics, having their own security people there to protect their countries’ teams and citizens (this, however, will never be admitted publicly). Such is the sheer scope and magnitude of the modern Olympics that only a few top countries can pull off the security for the games on their own.

What countries will send (or rather, have already sent) their intelligence/surveilance personnel to London? Those who have the strongest intelligence services + have a legitimate concern for their teams/tourists. Definitely US, Israel, Eurozone + Germany. The UK also – grudgingly – will have to work with the Russians and Chinese. Both countries have a very strong intelligence, as well as legitimate concerns for the security of their athletes/citizens present at the games.

With such massive surveilance and intel data sharing between all these countries (albeit, very reluctantly on the part of the US/UK, when it comes to Russia/China), there will be no way anyone can pull off a successful terrorist attack. But I have no doubt attempts will be made.

Here is to the safety of all athletes and spectators alike!

Prediction 2 – London Olympics Team Standings

Predictions are actively being made for the team standings, as well as the medal count. I hear that over 50 mln pounds have been placed in bets, up from 10-15 mln for the Beijing Olympics.

In the Soviet days, the math of the team standings and medal count was boringly predictable: the Soviet Union would usually take the majority of gold, silver and bronze, and would top the team podium as well. USA would normally be a distant second, with the tiny East Germany third.

The winning Soviet gymnastics team

Then, in 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, losing many of the top athletes and coaches to lucrative contracts in the USA and Western Europe, as well as to the former republics, which suddenly became foreign countries.

As a result, in the 1990s Russia slipped to second, behind the USA. Recently, the growing China became second in medal count, Russia slipping to third.  In the 1908 Beijing Olympics, China became number one in the gold medal count, while USA was first in total medal count, with China second and Russia third. The Russian medal count was (disappointingly for many) lower than expected, and China’s much higher. What we had here was a typical case of the home team advantage.

2008 Beijing Olympics. The Swallow’s Nest, spectacular Olympic stadium

In Olympic Speak, the three first placements usually occupied by USA, Russia and China is referred to as the ‘Golden Triangle.’

For the London Games, the British newspapers predict that Great Britain, pursuant to the home team advantage rule, may receive up to 33% more medals than normally expected, thus overtaking not only Australia and Germany, but also Russia. Team Great Britain is also the largest team this year with 541 athletes. American team, with 530 athletes, is second largest, while Russia is sending the unusually large number of athletes this year – 436. China, on the other hand, will be represented by a significantly smaller number of athletes compared to the Beijing Olympics, where, as the host country, it had the largest team. The UK enjoys the same luxury this year. The question many ask, will Great Britain be able to break the Golden Triangle?

Meanwhile, the Australian Olympic Team’s projection is that Team Russia will surprise on the upside, becoming again No. 1. The Team Russia projection is much more modest. They feel that they will be able to place third.

My prediction for the Top 3: While Team Great Britain will do very well this year, surpassing Australia and Germany, it won’t be able to break the Gold Triangle.

In the total medal count, USA will be No. 1, Russia No. 2, China No. 3.

Gold medal count: However, China may take more gold medals than USA, placing at No. 1, while USA will be No. 2 in gold medals, Russia being No. 3.

My prediction for the Top 6 placement:

Total Medal Placement      Gold Medals      Country Population       Team Size

USA               No. 1                2                  311,591,917                 530  

Russia            No. 2                3                  141,930,000                 436

China             No. 3                1                  1,344,130,000              380

GB                 No. 4                4                  62,641,000                  541

Geramany       No. 5                5                  81,726,000                   391

Australia        No. 6                 6                  22,620,600                  410

I also want to make a separate prediction for one of the most spectacular and popular sports in the Olympics – women’s gymnastics. Gymnastics is a traditional battleground between Russia and USA. Team USA benefited tremendously from the emigration of the Russian coaches and top athletes in the 1990s, who changed the face and level of the American gymnastics. For example, the all-around Beijing champion, Nastia Liukin, is Russian, and trained by the Russian coach who also happens to be her father.

For many years, the Russians were unsurpassed in gymnastics, singlehandedly making it the most popular summer sport not only in the USA, but also worldwide. The fans of the Russian gymnastics are many. The admiration stems from both the technical difficulty, creativity and unrivaled artistic expression of the Russian gymnasts. But with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the following hardship, sport became the last thing anyone was thinking about. In recent years, the country finally started re-building its great gymnastics tradition, following a number of disappointing showings in the past several years. A lot of money is being invested to turn around this huge, and once invincible, machine of the Russian sport. The results of these efforts should start being visible during London Olympics.

Russian gymnast, Ksenia Komova, 16. Her first year competing as an adult. My prediction: gold medal in the all-around.

Women’s gymnastics prediction:

1. Russia will be No. 1 in the all-around competition.

2. Individual events: Russia will take a fair number of gold, silver and bronze, with USA being second in individual medal count, and Romania third.

Team Russia

Team USA

3. As to the team competition: Team USA will be No. 1, Russia No. 2, Romania No. 3. Note, there is still a small chance that Team Russia may win the team competition as well.

Check out this great spread about the Russian gymnastics http://rewritingrussiangymnastics.blogspot.com/

So far, I’ve had 100% accuracy with my political predictions. That is easy, because I am completely detached. Being detached and impartial is paramount in the business of predictions. With sport, it’s much harder, and I freely admit that I cannot be as impartial. Can you blame me?

We’ll know soon enough if I am correct in my predictions, or if the above is my wishful thinking.

Wishing everyone a wonderful and peaceful Olympic Games! May the best athletes win!

Related posts:

2012 Predictions Update: French Elections and Eurozone
2012 Predictions Update: Russian Elections
Year 2012 Predictions

The Divine Lotus

Today, I am simply sharing some beautiful images of one of my favorite flowers – lotus. I’ve collected them overtime from different sources and thought it would be wonderful to feast the eye on them this weekend. The lotus is so pure and healing. In the East, it is considered the symbol of wisdom and enlightenment. It is also wonderful feng shui!

No words are necessary! Simply enjoy!

Lavender lotus

Pink lotus

White lotus

Yellow lotus

Peach lotus

Purple lotus

A Case of Mistaken Identity: Soviet Cars and My Infamy

I bet, when you saw this title you thought I was mistaken for a thief of some old Soviet clunker, arrested by the scary KGB and shipped off to Siberia? Just as a clarification for those who missed it, there is no KGB any more. It has been replaced by the FSB about 20 years ago, which, much like the CIA and MI6, hardly concerns itself with auto theft, not to mention, they apparently stopped shipping people off to Siberia over sixty years ago (can you imagine that!).

No, my story is nothing as dramatic. It actually is cute and funny. So, if you wandered in here for the wrong reason, sorry to disappoint. But if you are still reading this, chances are you belong.

Want to join me on a fun journey back in time? Then, fasten your seat belt!

In the year 2011, I opened my Twitter account and suddenly was followed by a number of auto dealerships and manufacturers, ranging from Lombardini and Ferrari to Cadillac and Mercedes. My strange popularity among auto makers and distributors continued unabated, despite the fact that I never wrote a single tweet about anything remotely auto-related and never followed back my eager auto-friends.

As those, who follow me on Twitter know, I tweet about Russia, China, USA, world events and cultures, geopolitics, nature, spirituality, music, feng shui, social media, writing and publishing.

Then, several months ago, I discovered that according to Klout, I was influential in the following topics: Russia, thrillers, Amazon, epublishing and feng shui, to name a few. Which all made sense. However, my No. 1 TOP topic, according to Klout was… cars! For those who don’t know, Klout is the standard of Social Media influence and it rates how influential you are about various popular topics.

I stared at my Klout page. I’d never tweeted about cars. I tweeted about trains a lot, since my most recent mystery thriller, entitled GOLD TRAIN, includes some great train action, and since I happen to love trains.

But cars?

Then, I looked at my tweeter name, @LadaTweets, and knew: this was my answer! My mysterious and unwanted popularity with the world’s auto crowd has been explained!

Huh?.. You’ll say. But let me enlighten you.

It all started years ago, how many exactly is not important , when my well-meaning parents decided to call me Lada. This is a linguist in me talking: Lada is actually an ancient Russian, as well as Slavic, name and it means ‘balance’ or ‘harmony.’ As in ‘living in harmony.’ It’s a very good name and I am very fond of it.

As another example, the verb, derived from the noun ‘lada’ – ‘ladit’ – means exactly that: to live in harmony/ peace. A very well known in the West Russian name, Vladimir, means living in harmony (peace) with the world. V-lad-i-mir = In-harmony-with-world. Many, even among Russians, think that ‘Vladimir’ means ‘the owner (or ruler) of the world,’ but the ancient root of both notions is the same. It seems, the ancients were much wiser than us, as they understood that one can only own or rule one’s world by being at peace and in harmony with it. What a novel idea!

But back to my story. Here is the clencher: LADA also happens to be the name of the most popular Soviet car. Its manufacturer, the Soviet/Russian automaker AvtoVaz, thought it would be cute to give it a girl’s name, like Mercedes, you know. Mind you, Lada was nothing like a Mercedes. It was a rather simple – no luxuries – but solid and reliable, and in it’s own way, cute, little car.

Check out the general page for Lada on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lada

Lada Classic. Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

Currently called Lada Classic, this is what Lada looked like in the Soviet days.

Lada Classic page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lada_Riva

Lada Classic Estate. Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Lada Classic sedan. Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Excessive capitalist luxury was frowned upon in the good, old, Soviet Union, so things manufactured in the country were rather perfunctory, but so over-enginiered that many became heirloom pieces. Interestingly enough, many of those who grew up in the Soviet Union and other socialist countries have very fond memories of Lada, the car. So fond that there is still a cult following of Lada Classic. Although AvtoVaz makes contemporary cars as well, they still sell Lada Classic practically with the same exact look as in the 1970′s and 80s. It’s sort of like Volkswagen Bug – people buy because of nostalgia.

In 1989, I just graduated from high school and started at the university. My parents had recently bought a Lada and jokes were frequently made about a Lada within a Lada. My fiance at the time wanted to follow in his and my parents’ footsteps and also managed to buy a Lada, after his and my folks chipped in. It was very rare for a twenty-year-old to have a car in those days, although, ours was a used one. We were an adventurous couple and that little Lada served us faithfully for a couple of years, until in 1991 we left the country, having sold our well-used car for a nice profit. Such was the power of hyper-inflation that was picking up before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Before we left, we made a very good use of our car, having traveled high and wide in it, including a super-tour of Eastern and Central Europe. During our European adventure, we’d visited a number of countries and some day I’ll do a post about that.

Our adventures included a story about the two-foot deep pot holes in Western Ukraine, which cost us the steering wheel that cracked in half. We made the rest of the journey to Poland, steering the car without it (I still wonder how we managed it). In Poland, we bought gasoline and the new steering wheel on the black market at a huge premium, along with some very cute boots for me (the only thing that was actually affordable). Then we crossed over to East Germany, only to find that all gas stations were closed because it was after 6 pm. And I mean, ALL gas stations! The orderly Germans loved to go home to their families early and didn’t care too much about any stranded motorists, which were admittedly very few in those days.

To save the day (or rather, the quickly approaching night), we had to cross the border on foot back to Poland under curious gazes of the Polish and German border guards, and persuade the Polish border patrol to sell us some gas from their patrol car, which they gladly did to make an extra buck. In Germany, we had a different problem. Apparently, our car liked it there so much that it refused to leave and it took us a while to convince it to start moving.

Later, the Chech border patrol was so shocked to see a loose Russian car on their little border crossing – apparently the first ever Russian car they’d seen in their lives – that they asked us if we wanted political asylum. In Prague, we settled down for the night in our car (to save money) in what seemed like a quiet courtyard, only to wake up in the middle of the Chech Police headquarters parking lot. In Hungary, we bifriended the gypsies, who were… But that is already another story, which I promise to tell one day, along with many, many other funny anecdotes.

Yeah, it was a great little car – a big nostalgic sigh. Some tend to laugh at it, but I’ll always have fond memories of Lada, my first ever car! Lada was actually considered a luxury car in other socialist countries. Everything’s relative in this world, isn’t it? Kind of like Toyota Camry is considered an impossible luxury in Israel, where it’s unaffordable even for people who make a very good living (as I found out when a was visiting my Israeli friends).

In East Germany, our friends Anke and Michel were very envious when we came to visit. They wanted a car, too. But the only one available to them was a Trabant, an unbelievably tiny and funny looking East German car, made out of either celullose or cardboard. There is no consensus to this day, which material was used to produce that incredible creation, but the comforting thought was that the material appears to have been bio degradable, therefore cows could chew on the remnants after humans were done with it. I am not  kidding! And guess what, the nostalgia for the good, old East German days causes people to collect even Trabants.

The infamous East German Trabant. Along with Yugo (Yugoslavia), voted one of the fifty worst cars ever made. Dan Niel, Pulitzer Prize-winning car critic remarked that it  ”gave the Communism a bad name.”

As opposed to Trabant, Lada, properly made out of metal, was the pinnacle of desire in Poland and East Germany. As we drove our Lada through East Germany, the locals shouted appreciatively: “Ohh, eine gute Russisch auto!” – “A great Russian car!”

And so, there you have it. The mystery of my popularity in the auto industry is solved. It’s all about branding, you see. They actually thought @LadaTweets represented Lada, the car, not Lada, the thriller and fantasy writer.

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Contemporary Lada: Lada Granta. Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Lada Kalina. Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Lada Niva. Photo courtesy Wikipedia

The trick is now to make the Lada Ray brand name just as – preferably more – recognizable. The dinky little Lada is going strong after all these years. In the competition with the Hondas, Toyotas and Fords of the world, it has outlived lots of brands, both in Russia and abroad. And people still remember that old, classic Lada with warmth. Some even still want to drive it. Whatever you think about Lada as a car, those who made it, must have been doing something right!

So, I’ve been thinking: time is the ultimate test. If my books are remembered with warmth and re-read after many years, then I haven’t been writing in vain.