Book Nook Cafe discussion
Travel
>
Where in the World is Deb?
madrano wrote: "My biggest impact was this quote from DDE, “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."."
Yes ! I'm familiar with that wonderful quote. He did warn us about the military- industrial complex.
Yup. I also found it interesting that when he entered his first concentration camp, he made a point of encouraging photographers to take photos, so that in the future the pictures would be proof when people try to deny the camps existed. How forward thinking of him. Not that the deniers believed them ,either. *sigh*
madrano wrote: "Yup. I also found it interesting that when he entered his first concentration camp, he made a point of encouraging photographers to take photos, so that in the future the pictures would be proof wh..."I didn't know that.
I was impressed by his prescience in that case.
We are in Wyoming, Lovell, to be exact. Our Wi-Fi connections here and in Montana, where we’ve been the last 12 days, have been iffy. Lost phone calls, texts showing up days later and weak to no internet. So i have plenty of catch up when we get strong signals. Please know you are in my thoughts.Yesterday we visited a site we never knew existed, a Medicine Wheel (circle) of rocks on a mountain top. Apparently there are dozens, at the very least, of these sacred sites in North America. Some compare them to Stonehenge but the stones are not erected, just placed. This link may explain more.
https://www.wyohistory.org/encycloped...
Artifacts place some wheels from over 3000 years ago. And so, we are here. More when possible. We turned our personal hotspot, via our phone, to connect for awhile but time is up. Hugs to all.
madrano wrote: "We are in Wyoming, Lovell, to be exact. Our Wi-Fi connections here and in Montana, where we’ve been the last 12 days, have been iffy. Lost phone calls, texts showing up days later and weak to no in..."Sounds like you are having fun exploring in Wyoming !
Enjoy.
Live and learn. Today we traveled the Bighorn National Recreation area, which included wild horses. We saw six horses, two families, with colts. Delightful.While driving, i realized we had no phone access, which didn’t surprise me. However, this time we had a signal which declared “SOS”. We heard about that when in Montana. The only call we could make was in case of an emergency. We don’t know how that works exactly, but it was a comfort to see the notice.
madrano wrote: "Live and learn. Today we traveled the Bighorn National Recreation area, which included wild horses. We saw six horses, two families, with colts. Delightful.While driving, i realized we had no pho..."
The wild horses sound wonderful. They are beautiful animals.
I had no idea that so many places in the U.S. still have no internet or even cell phone access.
:(
Alias- Spoiled New Yorker.
When you see the vast, empty spaces out here, there seems to be no reason to try. It’s beautiful, fenced but not very populated. I suspect those with homes here pay high prices for prime internet service, which small town hotels may be unable to pay. Particularly since they are basically closed from Nov.-Feb, due to snow & ice. It’s a whole ‘nother world!
madrano wrote: "When you see the vast, empty spaces out here, there seems to be no reason to try. It’s beautiful, fenced but not very populated. I suspect those with homes here pay high prices for prime internet s..."Good point about cell/internet service. I guess it's expensive and doesn't turn a profit. And lord knows everything these days needs to turn a profit. :(
I recall in one of the books I read, sorry I forget which one, he was walking across the U.S. and noted back in the day much of the land wasn't owned. Now you do have to walk on private property to cross the U.S. It's sad.
madrano wrote: "When you see the vast, empty spaces out here, there seems to be no reason to try. It’s beautiful, fenced but not very populated. I suspect those with homes here pay high prices for prime internet s..."I follow a You Tuber who moved to a remote location in Hawaii. She had to set up a satellite connection, no standard internet service available.
Wow, John, i cannot imagine it. Being in Hawaii would make it worthwhile, though.
Alias Reader wrote: "I recall in one of the books I read, sorry I forget which one, he was walking across the U.S. and noted back in the day much of the land wasn't owned. Now you do have to walk on private property to cross the U.S. It's sad ..."I must admit that i think of that fact quite often. Even when we are on Reserves, there are fences in places. It’s a different country now!
John wrote: I follow a You Tuber who moved to a remote location in Hawaii. She had to set up a satellite connection, no standard internet service available..."I can understand not liking city living. However, I don't want to be so remote that I don't have internet, cell service and the nearest hospital is an hour away. I also like stores, malls, theater, etc. That is too remote for me !
Visiting and living there means the difference for me. The isolation calls to me, though.
Alas, while we are near the end of our sojourn, we are quite busy, particularly visiting family. Therefore i am quite behind in reading & responding on the boards. Apologies for that. On the upside, next week we settle into our Dallas condo rental. This means i’ll have much more time, as well as my desktop, which is easier to use for this group. I’ll catch up!
deb
Deb, no apologies necessary ! Please, just enjoy your travels and family visits.
I wondered to myself, where to put this update on my daughter's world travels. I decided here, so i can locate the info later. I know not everyone visits all sites, so i'll link to this on the General Discussion thread, too.Last night our daughter called from India. In September, she met up in Uzbekistan with a guy she's traveled with previously. Now, they are in India. As we spoke, she was taking a walk in the countryside near the place she's staying. Within 20 minutes she saw two cows face-to-face and others from a distance. Apparently, she had no idea that the sacred beasts roamed wherever they wanted, including what we would call Interstates. lol
After the rough time in Uzbekistan, they decided to spend a week of transition at a yoga retreat. They are going crazy there. It was funny to hear her complain about all the meditation time. LOL But they are both happier with the meals offered there, as opposed to Uzbec, because they are vegetarians. Almost all meals there were meat-based, not many veggies. In India, they have their choice of 5 different millets each meal.
The retreat has different focuses for various visitors. The point of one is to vomit daily, so they are served a very special millet! Can you imagine? I gag just thinking of it.
After mentioned the several different ways they have been meditating, including a Singing Bowl meditation. The providers claim it will end cancer in your body. She laughed, not believing it, but appreciated the experience. Looking this up, i found the following.
https://www.healthline.com/health/dan...
Now, when the retreat ends, they will head toward New Delhi, where they will join in the Diwali celebrations. It's the only thing i would enjoy doing in India, i must add.
You sure raised an adventurous daughter ! Good for her. The Free mediation app Insight Timer has numerous singing bowl meditations, including both guided meditations and ambient music tracks using crystal and Tibetan singing bowls.
Thanks for sharing !
madrano wrote: "I wondered to myself, where to put this update on my daughter's world travels. I decided here, so i can locate the info later. I know not everyone visits all sites, so i'll link to this on the Gene..."I did enjoy India, but it's too crime-riddled for me. I think if one sticks to the main streets, sites, all is well except for pickpockets. Being a lover of the countryside and quiet, the festivals drove me nuts.
Hope she stays safe, Deb as well as enjoys herself.
Thank you both for the comments. I meant to also mention that India has only one time zone. She said that in speaking with locals, they are baffled by the idea of having time zones. They ask her, "Is it true you have many different times in the US?" lsn't that neat?
madrano wrote: "I meant to also mention that India has only one time zone. She said that in speaking with locals, they are baffled by the idea of having time zones. They ask her, "Is it true you have many different times in the US?" lsn't that neat?."It intersting to see what people from other countries pick up on. Often it's something we have given little thought.
Again, thanks for sharing. I'll never visit these places so I'm living vicariously through you and your daughter ! :)
Same here, Alias. I have no desire to visit India, nor most of the countries she likes to visit.
madrano wrote: "Same here, Alias. I have no desire to visit India, nor most of the countries she likes to visit."It's not that I wouldn't like to travel to these places. I don't have the $$ to travel. :) So I'm an armchair traveler with books and also follow you and your daughter. :)
Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: "Same here, Alias. I have no desire to visit India, nor most of the countries she likes to visit."It's not that I wouldn't like to travel to these places. I don't have the $$ to tr..."
I had a job that involved a lot of world traveling, and they paid for almost everything. I consider myself very lucky that way. Now I'm happiest just staying home and cuddling up with good books, good chocolate, my dogs and cats, and most of all, my family, especially now that prices are going up on just about everything. It's expensive just to live now.
#478 Bella (Kiki) wrote:I had a job that involved a lot of world traveling, and they paid for almost everything. I consider myself very lucky that way. Now I'm happiest just staying home and cuddling up with good books, good chocolate, my dogs and cats, and most of all, my family..."
It sounds like you had the best of both worlds.
Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: "I meant to also mention that India has only one time zone. She said that in speaking with locals, they are baffled by the idea of having time zones. They ask her, "Is it true you ha..."When I lived in Zuerich, Switzerland, I had to make a business call to the US. The person in the US I talked to asked, "Now do you all have paved roads over there in Europe, or is everything just dirt?" LOL I really hoped she could see the NS highway turnoff for Milan. It becomes a toll road, and there are maybe 20-30 lanes and booths. I think in Europe, we have a lot wider roads that in the US. The outer belt around Madrid is truly frightening. You have to know which lane you want to be in before you get on the outerbelt because once you're on it, you can't change lanes. The Spanish are truly in love with speed.
I have seen Americans who are shocked when they see Zuerich's main train station. They can see trains going to every medium and large sized city in Europe there. And the underground shopping at the train station is huge! Anything from luxury goods to a supermarket. And a walk down Bahnhofstrasse from the train station, the Bahnhof, contains so many luxury stores - Dior, Dolce and Gabbana, Chanel, Versace, etc., that a person could spend a million dollars just on a short walk from the train station to the lake. I loved the US before the change in government, but I do miss Europe a lot. I would love to go back and take my brother on the Glacier Express.
Oprah tried to buy a purse for Tina Turner's wedding when she was shopping on Bahnhofstrasse, but she didn't like any she was shown. She did see one she liked and asked the sales clerk to show it to her. The sales clerk, not recognizing Oprah, said, "Oh, you could never afford that one! It's designer and one of a kind." I think it was more than $10,000 for a small purse! Insane! (I buy my purses from HSN or Amazon LOL, but I love them.) Oprah said she could have played "the black card" (nothing to do with ethnicity, it's an AMEX card that has no set spending limit), but she decided just to insist on seeing the purse, instead. I think she ended up buying it. That was probably a first for Oprah in a long, long time. Being told she couldn't afford something! LOL
I used to take my little sister and stay at the Dolder Grand even though our house was close by just for the luxury and beauty of that world famous hotel. I wouldn't spend money like that anymore. I'd save it for energy bills, instead. Electricity is getting so expensive. More than food. I'll stay home and save money for bills and my children's education. You can't travel so much when you and your partner have four children to bring up.
Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: "Same here, Alias. I have no desire to visit India, nor most of the countries she likes to visit."It's not that I wouldn't like to travel to these places. I don't have the $$ to tr..."
For most of our married life, we had four savings accounts, one college fund, per child; Old Age fund and Travel fund. We were lucky to have started when we did because the travel fund, which we really couldn't use until the kids were grown with homes of their own, just kept growing, untouched. This is where our travel money awaits. Dumb luck, because, really, i never would have thought we could afford to save for those four. THIS is where it paid to marry a guy with an MBA, i guess. lol
Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: "Same here, Alias. I have no desire to visit India, nor most of the countries she likes to visit."It's not that I wouldn't like to travel to these places. I don't have the $$ to tr..."
I would love to see a lot of the great things you have in New York, like the gorgeous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. And Broadway plays! And the symphony! You have so much there, you make LA seem like a vast wasteland, and it sort of is.
So you would be surprised how much a flight to India cost. Especially if you wait a hot minute for cancellations. Travel to Europe is expensive but other countries are fairly inexpensive.
Alias Reader wrote: "#478 Bella (Kiki) wrote:I had a job that involved a lot of world traveling, and they paid for almost everything. I consider myself very lucky that way. Now I'm happiest just staying home and cud..."
It did, and I'm very thankful I had that job for the time I did. Very happy I got to see so much of the world without having to pay for the big ticket items myself. I think of those days with thanks every day. And also the days I'm living now. My homebody days. I love dedicating my life to my family and pets, who are really family, too.
QueenAmidala28 wrote: "So you would be surprised how much a flight to India cost. Especially if you wait a hot minute for cancellations. Travel to Europe is expensive but other countries are fairly inexpensive."Hi, QueenAmidala. Thanks for posting and joining BNC.
That is a very good tip to keep in mind about cancelations and also flying stand by.
QueenAmidala28 wrote: "So you would be surprised how much a flight to India cost. Especially if you wait a hot minute for cancellations. Travel to Europe is expensive but other countries are fairly inexpensive."Thank you for contributing that fact, QueenAmidala28. For my daughter, flying there from Uzbekistan, the cost was decent for her. From here? Way too much! Good Tip!
Once again, i am sharing from my daughter's PolarSteps site, this time about a visit in India. I hope you find it as fascinating as i did.Incidentally, most of her notes are not as detailed as this one. I'm grateful to learn more for this stop.Varanasi is the holiest city in India, thanks to its auspicious spot on the sacred Ganges river. It's the eternal home of Shiva, one of the most worshiped Hindu gods – and of more interest to me, the eternal home of millions of Hindus who come here to die. It is believed that if you are cremated here at the Ganges, your soul is liberated from the cycle of rebirth and death. Hospices line this part of Varanasi so that bodies can be cremated as soon after death as possible. The fires burn 24 hours a day.
Out of respect and by request, we did not photograph the cremations, though there are a couple of photos of the grounds from afar. Notice how pedestrian the affair is: People walk by, maybe glancing, maybe stopping, maybe not even noticing that there are four to nine bodies burning mere feet away, depending on the site. At one point, as we observed, a tea vendor went by. Sipping lemon chai as we watched bodies be paraded from the streets was one of the more surreal experiences I've had.
We watched the entire cycle, fragmented: one body being carried in with a small processional, a son or brother holding each handle of the bamboo stretcher, the four of them chanting, perhaps accompanied by other relatives. Men only; the belief is that women might cry too much and make the souls reluctant to leave. Plus, they have long hair, which makes it easier for demons to grab them; hence why the oldest son (for men) or the youngest son (for women) shave their head and face after their parent’s death. The bodies are carried on bamboo stretchers and are piled with orange silks and usually leis of marigolds, appearing to be piled high.
After a brief ritual dip in the Ganges, the body is then carried to the next open pyre. The relatives remove the orange silks–I use “silks” figuratively here, as they are made of polyester and are toxic when burned, which is why they are removed at this point. The bodies are still covered, though, with a white muslin shroud that burns cleanly. One family carried in their elder–a woman, as there was a red silk mixed in with the orange–and rested her body maybe four feet from where I was standing, allowing me to see the outline of her feet underneath the shroud, making me think of toe tags.
The family members–I would call them mourners, but there was little mourning going on, for what is about to happen ensures that the dead person is liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth–have prepared the funeral pyre by this point, stacking wood maybe three feet high, taking care to have a lattice arrangement on top for the body to rest. The body is then placed atop the pyre and sprinkled with various potions–sandalwood to make the smoke more fragrant, lotus seed oil to anoint the body and soul, ghee to help it burn. The eldest son goes to the eternal flame to light a bundle of grasses or sticks. Whether the flame is indeed eternal is anyone’s guess – monsoons and floods seem to make the claim that the fire has been burning for 3,500 years impossible, but who am I to say? – either way, I accepted a dab of its ashes on my forehead when a somewhat fraudulent priest told me it would bring good karma. The family circles the body five times, and the flame carrier sets the pyre alight from underneath.
A body takes around three to four hours to burn. I didn’t stay long enough for any one cycle in full, but saw it play out in pieces. Watching a body burn is, oddly, unremarkable. There was no moment in which it burst into flames, no “pop,” no ghostly or ghastly sensation that came over me. If anything, it was the exact opposite: Here is a body, burning; here was a person, now dead; soon there will be embers, then ashes. Soon, one of the workers will dredge a bucket of water from the Ganges and unceremoniously pour it over the ashes to stop them smoldering, and within three minutes another funeral pyre will begin to be built. There are between 250 and 300 bodies burned each day at this ghat; Kali, the goddess of death and time, has a schedule to keep.
A figure in black sat in meditation among the pyres. This is an Aghori, a member of an extreme sect of Hinduism who lives in places like crematories and graveyards, smears their body with the ashes of the dead, uses a human skull as a receptacle when begging, and occasionally eats the flesh of the dead. What I do know is that this particular Aghori sat in meditation for at least 20 minutes while pyres blazed around him. After he rose, another black-clad Aghori approached him, and the two talked amid the flames while family members occasionally stoked various fires and crematory workers beat the pyres with sticks to help the logs settle. Chris and I later stumbled into an Aghori temple, which we recognized by the skulls decorating the outside. We could not take photos inside, but found it to be peaceful, happy. “We come here for good energy,” one woman told us after her 7-year-old son had goaded her into asking us where we were from. And it is good energy, believe it or not. Aghoris do not do their acts out of a macabre nature but to prove a point: If we do not embrace the darkness of life, the light does not shine as brightly. Anyone can be holy when meditating on a cushion in a temple. To meditate atop a corpse? That's devotion.
This cremation ghat has been run by the same caste of men for generations. It is toxic, dangerous work, reserved for the caste known as untouchable. Addiction is rampant: Death may be more accepted here, but the work of it leaves a groove in the psyche. As this atheist watched these boys and men stoke the fires of the dead, she found them to be the most holy beings in the vicinity.
madrano wrote: "Once again, i am sharing from my daughter's PolarSteps site, this time about a visit in India. I hope you find it as fascinating as i did.Incidentally, most of her notes are not as detailed as this..."Very interesting, Madrano.
They probably think our habit of filling a body full of formaldehyde and burying it is barbaric, though I think more and more people are choosing cremation here, though not in public! My parents want to be cremated, have no funeral, just a simple graveside service with family only. They aren't trying to save money, not my parents! They just would rather burn than be buried. I'd rather just not go. LOL I like my life! :-)
Thank you again. I knew none of this, except that Hindus do cremate their dead.
I looked at photos of all the temples, etc., my goodness it's crowded! Not with bodies, but buildings and temples. And bodies, I suppose, but I didn't look at those.
madrano wrote: "Once again, i am sharing from my daughter's PolarSteps site, this time about a visit in India. I hope you find it as fascinating as i did.Incidentally, most of her notes are not as detailed as this..."Thanks for sharing, this was fascinating. I love learning about other cultures. I also okay to be created with my ashes left in my favorite place on the planet...the ocean (properly, not just at the beach like my daughter thought she was supposed to do "I thought I was just supposed to dump them off the end of the pier" lol)
My Washington state BIL & wife have paid to be turned into compost after their deaths. I didn't ask cost but it's an interesting concept, as i understand it. First, they are cleaned, then placed in a steel container, along with wood chips, alfalfa and similar carbon agents. Oxygen and heat are carefully added to accelerate decomp.In less than 2 months, the body breaks down into nutrient material. As it's being broken apart, the container is kept at a certain temp, around 130 degrees, i believe, to kill off ecoli, samonella, etc. Mercury content is also tested. When complete, it is then deposited onto/into the land the company holds. The family can take it at this point for their own use or keep it there, as i recall.
Only 17 states have legalized this, btw. This sounds as though it is great environmental idea.
madrano wrote: "My Washington state BIL & wife have paid to be turned into compost after their deaths. I didn't ask cost but it's an interesting concept, as i understand it. First, they are cleaned, then placed in..."Goodness! To me, who's never heard of this before, it's a little shocking, but I can see it could be a very good idea. I think the State of Washington should be paying them, though. They are providing a very important service.
I looked it up, and it's expensive. Here's what I found:
The cost for human composting in Washington State typically ranges from $5,000 to $7,000, depending on the provider and included services. For example, Return Home offers a standard package for about $4,950, while Recompose has a flat rate of $7,000 that includes additional services like an online obituary and death certificate filing.
I'm claustrophobic, so I might go with cremation rather than being in a casket and coffin and underground! Not that I'd even know. I don't even go into caves, I'm too claustrophobic. Some of those parks in the Blue Ridge Mountains have nice caves, but I always waited for the others at a outdoor picnic table. I did make it through an MRI without trouble because I didn't want to have to start over again. I just wanted it done and behind me.
I wish I could live on and on and on. LOL
madrano wrote: "Same here, Alias. I have no desire to visit India, nor most of the countries she likes to visit."I visited India with someone who grew up there, but lived in North America his adult life. Honestly, he found the experience ... challenging.
John wrote: "madrano wrote: "Same here, Alias. I have no desire to visit India, nor most of the countries she likes to visit."I visited India with someone who grew up there, but lived in North America his adu..."
I took a train trip through the Himalayas with my youngest sister. It was terrifying, in part because some of the trains were quite old and very crowded. The track is very near the edge of the mountain.
Then we visited Southern India. Wow. What an experience.
I do not regret it, but I have no desire to repeat it.
My sister and I were also in a very old, and seemingly unstable train when we travel from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, which we loved.
madrano wrote: "This cremation ghat has been run by the same caste of men for generations. It is toxic, dangerous work, reserved for the caste known as untouchable..."
:(
untouchability still exists in India, despite being outlawed by the constitution in 1950. It persists through systemic discrimination, social exclusion, and violence against Dalits (formerly known as "untouchables"). Practices like segregation in housing, schools, and public services continue, particularly in rural areas.
Thank you for sharing, deb. I will never get to India, so I appreciate these updates.
madrano wrote: "My Washington state BIL & wife have paid to be turned into compost after their deaths. I didn't ask cost but it's an interesting concept, as i understand it. First, they are cleaned, then placed in..."Interesting. I haven't heard of this before.
Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: "This cremation ghat has been run by the same caste of men for generations. It is toxic, dangerous work, reserved for the caste known as untouchable..."
:(
untouchability ..."
Never say never, Alias. One of the very last countries I ever thought I'd get to, let alone live in is Switzerland. I don't like high mountains much at all. I never had a desire to go to Switzerland. I do have to say that while it's an uncommonly beautiful and clean country, with a very high standard of living, I did not like living there at all, and it wasn't because of the mountains. Life is regimented in Switzerland. It's kind of the opposite of India. Every little law, like washing every empty yogurt cup is strictly enforced with no exceptions.
I was shocked when a train porter let me and a friend ride in first class from Geneva to Zuerich, a three hour ride, when we just had regular tickets, not first class. To be fair, there was only one other person in first class.
491 Bella (Kiki) wrote: " I might go with cremation rather than being in a casket and coffin and underground!..."My mother was Catholic. She expressed such relief when the Church officially "allowed" cremation as an option for believers. Long ago mom read a story about a person buried alive and lived in fear of that. Given that, i understand her joy at the news.
Two mistakes, i made in my post. It's only 13 states that have legalized composting for bodies. The second was so much a mistake as lack of info, which my DH supplied. My BIL & wife used some of the money they inherited when my MIL died for signing up for the composting plan.
John wrote: "I visited India with someone who grew up there, but lived in North America his adult life. Honestly, he found the experience ... challenging...."It seems that would be a good person to visit with, as he'd have some connection to what you were seeing.
My husband & i wondered how/why the deceased decided they want to end the birth-rebirth cycle. Does some spiritual advisor help or are they just tired of it? I suppose it's not considered suicide, but i am curious about the impact on families.
493 Bella (Kiki) wrote: "My sister and I were also in a very old, and seemingly unstable train when we travel from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, which we loved..."Almost everyone we've met who has been to Machu Picchu says the same thing about that train. Given this is over a span of 40 years, i guess it really is safe, just scary.
Alias Reader wrote: "untouchability still exists in India, despite being outlawed by the constitution in 1950. It persists through systemic discrimination, social exclusion, and violence against Dalits ..."I appreciate the Google update, Alias. I knew there is a different word for them, but forgot "Dalits". Thanks.
Like you, Alias, i like reading these updates from my daughter, as i have no desire to visit India. She praises it highly.
Her traveling partner for India is a guy she first met in Peru, when she was tele-commuting from there. He is using an inheritance from his grandfather, who raised him, despite the kid's mother being in the same town.
The way he has been able to travel as long as he has is by "couch surfing". For the first time ever, Autumn joined him, although she has reached out to families as she travels, to see sites with them, which is another option at their site, apparently. https://about.couchsurfing.com/about/...
They signed up for 3 days. From the photos, they appear to be a woman and her brother. Not only did they stay with them, but the woman made a number of dishes for them, teaching them how to make a few of them. The female also hennaed (?) our daughter's hand, which looked wonderful.
Ultimately, though, they left after two days, as they missed their privacy. I found that interesting, Btw, her travel buddy has also hosted people when he is at home in Albuquerque, NM.
Clearly, when my kid arrives home, there will be questions! lol
Book Nook Cafe
Books mentioned in this topic
Eisenhower: Soldier and President (other topics)Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier (other topics)
Eisenhower (other topics)
Bless Me, Ultima (other topics)
What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Stephen E. Ambrose (other topics)Stephen Ambrose (other topics)
Rudolfo Anaya (other topics)
Jennifer Ackerman (other topics)
Nathaniel Philbrick (other topics)
More...
Both Dan & i left the Eisenhower site with an improved impression of both Dwight and Mamie. While this often happens to me, Dan surprised me. I figured he knew Ike inside & out. Wrong.
My biggest impact was this quote from DDE, “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
How enlightened, particularly considering the present White House occupant.