DIY Cat Drinking Fountain: Low Cost Easy to Build

Our youngest cat drinking from the DIY cat water fountain.

A DIY cat fountain without the need for any tools, and even if you buy all the necessary parts the cost is still under $20.  It is certainly easy construction, easy cleaning, and loved by our cats so another lesson of often being simple is better.

Did you know that cats enjoy drinking fresh and moving water like that from a stream or fountain?

I actually never thought about it even though I remember how our cats used to drink from the pipes used to irrigate some of the fields.  Our cats patrolled the property, and I think summoned their friends whenever a hay cutting took place to help run down the field mice.  We often had dogs as similar as a Chihuahuas and a German shepherd as house pets at the same time (raise your voice to any member of the family, and be attacked high and low by a tag team who could have won on Mid South Wrestling), but cats always stayed outdoors.

Still I’ve always loved cats, and as a kid often took a small spinning reel and rod to which I attached a small bean bag which I used to cast in the back yard for them to chase.

I guess it was natural then when I met my future wife that she had 3 adult cats which had essentially moved with her as a student during both undergraduate and graduate school, and moved South with her when she began teaching Political Science at the same institution where I taught at the time.  About a year after she moved, we began dating, and less than two years later we married.  Fortunately, the cats decided to adopt me as an additional human.

Sadly, our youngest who is now 11 years old has developed kidney disease.  With her increased need for water, I first learned of cat drinking fountains.  Cost and perhaps more importantly the quality of the construction of the store bought varieties floored me.  Seriously, many were cheap plastic and even the better ones had all these little nooks and crannies that I most certainly would not enjoy cleaning.

I may work in the shirt and tie world today, but I’ll always feel more comfortable barefoot out in some field.  Like a typical country boy experienced in irrigating the strawberry fields and doing a lot of outdoor plumbing work on some of the lines my grandfather installed generations ago for friends and neighbors, I started envisioning this rather elaborate configuration.  Fortunately, my wife decided that my labor should be spent elsewhere.  Actually, I probably should have said that there was a leak when she came home and saw me about to cut a whole into the wall so that I could connect into the drain lines.  She laid down the guidelines:  no water leaks, no cutting into the walls and no pvc pipe on the floors.

At that point, I decided to take the historical route of my Livingston Parish past and employ the philosophy of what every boy kept in his truck to repair anything.  Yes, I would use the wisdom obtained through the connect=duct tape and separate=WD 40 lessons learned as a boy.

Now those actual items were not used in this particular construction, but the philosophy led to a cat fountain using items already in the house and in ample supply.  No tools needed, and assembly honestly takes far less than the 10 minutes that I cited.  It’s sturdy, easy to clean, works great, and has obtained the expressed approval of wife and cats.

The little video about the construction is located here.

Simply click the image of the slides to enlarge for complete directions.

If you have any questions, please ask.

The IRS in Profiles of Patriotic Tea: What does it mean for today and tomorrow?

The IRS targeted specific groups and flagged them for additional scrutiny.  Pick your favorite and least favorite news source, and I’m confident that you will find stories either to your political liking or disgust.

I’m in no special position where I can refute or prove any of the claims being made.  Chances are that many of the claims will be found true with substantial evidence, others will most likely be true but the belief will rest upon circumstantial evidence, others will be alleged with no evidence, and sadly too many claims, suspicions, or things not of common knowledge will be ignored completely.

Regardless of one’s political ideology, I think everyone will learn something from these events.  Unfortunately, much of these “revelations” of knowledge will be disregarded as they do not assist with the political rhetoric and partisan talking points which are sure to dominate more than actual events.

The first is so simple that too many people will sadly overlook.  Profiling and stereotyping are apparently acceptable as long as your group is the one conducting the profiling and stereotyping.  You may find these comparisons to be apples to oranges and in some ways I would agree, but in principle and the methodology employed they are similar.  We can take any real or perceived grouping.  Race, religion, gender, age, preference, ideology, and so on, and too many try to justify the extra regulations or constraints placed on another while deploring and yelling discrimination when the roles are reversed.  Granted it’s not easy to view things from the perspective of the other side or to walk “in their shoes,” but it is necessary for understanding and appreciation.  Even with the blood, sweat, and tears spilled by previous generations and our awareness of such struggles, today our actions may be different but we cannot seem to eradicate that ignorant and stubborn manner of thinking.

The second involves some background knowledge so let’s look specifically at the IRS as a department within the Federal government.    The IRS is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury.  As such you have Cabinet and Presidential connections.  Like all Federal agencies, the IRS is examined by the Government Accountability Office.  In addition to that review, the IRS also has an Independent Oversight Board.  Congress created this nine (9) member board in 1998 (IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998).  The President appoints seven (7) members who must be approved by the United States Senate.  These members serve a term of five (5) years.  In addition to these members, the Secretary of the Treasury and Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service also serve on the board.  Hence we establish a more direct connection with the Senate in that they confirm seven (7) members of a nine (9) member board.

To keep Congress informed of works taking place within the IRS, the 1998 Act also created a National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA).  Local Taxpayer Advocates are located in each state who report to the NTA.

Under Section 7803(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate has these general functions of office:

(A) In general

It shall be the function of the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate to

(i) Assist taxpayers in resolving problems with the Internal Revenue Service;

(ii) Identify areas in which taxpayers have problems in dealings with the Internal Revenue Service;

(iii) To the extent possible, propose changes in the administrative practices of the Internal Revenue Service to mitigate problems identified under clause (ii); and

(iv) Identify potential legislative changes which may be appropriate to mitigate such problems.

You can read the complete section of the code here:

The NTA presents an annual report to Congress.  You can read the Executive summary of the 2012 report here and the full report here.

A letter from the NTA regarding the report submitted to Congress on 9 January 2013 can be found here.

As you can see, enjoyable and easy reading, but the basic message from the NTA to Congress has been clear.  The tax code is so complicated that it allows for too many dishonest people to profit, too many honest people to lose, and practically nobody has a clue as to if they made all payments or received all deductions from the thousands of pages which may or may not apply to them depending upon the day of the week, weather, or outcome of any sporting event.  I have actually been reading quite awhile, and sadly the day of the week, weather, and final scores may play a role as I contemplate all the loops, spins, 180s, and 360s you experience going page to page.

Let’s, however, try to keep it simple with political organizations.  Just read a few minutes from this link here along with the associated links provided on the entry page.

Of course the above deals with political organizations, not non-profit groups who are engaging in political activities which is the heart of this scandal.

So instead of political organizations, we actually need to start with charities and such.

Let’s maintain the simplicity with beginning here.

With that background let’s step back for some clarification before proceeding to additional links by going here.

Now for a few more summations on different aspects:

Election year issues

Political Campaign and Lobbying activities

Public advocacy

Obviously, I’m not even getting a shaving of ice off the tip of the iceberg for my sweet tea with the above links and links from those links.  Still, I’m confident in saying that if you have chosen to read 10 percent of the material from the links I provided you might also enjoy activities like a root canal without any anesthesia or be engaged in the James Bond life of an academician.

Should the President and Executive Branch answer to these claims of IRS profiling?  Yes and to repeat Yes.

My question though, is why are Members of the House of Representatives and United States Senators being excused?

One can argue that these actions by the IRS are about political ideology.  Whether true or not, I’ll contend that a legitimate counter is that none of these actions would be possible if either this or previous Congresses simply focused on representing their constituents, i.e. the majority of citizens instead of special interest groups.  Simply read the highlights from the NTA report to Congress this year and the letter from 9 January 2013.  Quoting from the Executive Summary, one quickly finds:

Tax Complexity.

An analysis of IRS data by the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate shows it takes U.S. taxpayers (both individuals and businesses) more than 6 .1 billion hours to complete filings required by a tax code that contains almost four million words and that, on average, has more than one new provision added to it daily . Indeed, few taxpayers complete their returns without assistance. Nearly 60 percent of taxpayers hire paid preparers and another 30 percent rely on commercial software to prepare their returns. To inspire confidence and trust, the tax laws should be comprehensible and the computations of tax should be transparent and relatively simple, yet few taxpayers today can confidently say they understand the tax code or even that they have correctly computed their tax liabilities. In this report, we identify tax complexity as the #1 most serious problem facing taxpayers, and we recommend (as we have in prior reports) that Congress vastly simplify the tax code to make tax compliance easier . We offer both conceptual and specific suggestions for Congress to consider as it moves forward.

I’m looking at this from the perspective of an individual filing taxes and not a tax exempt non-profit where this discrimination has allegedly and most likely taken place, but have these non-profits, been singled out more than folks like you and me?  How much clarification are we able to receive for our questions?  Will your House Member or Senator’s office at least provide a phone number or a page number in the code to put you on the right path?  I had primary responsibility for preparing a collection of Congressional papers for archives, and that single Congressman has hundreds of requests from constituents and his staff replies to those inquiries.  I can’t even guess as to the number of archival collections within which I have researched, and these types of documents are quite common.  Even when I worked for a former Congressman after receiving my MA degree before deciding to return to graduate school, I personally assisted a number of former constituents in finding answers to tax related questions.

In regard to the present scandal, at least to this point, my understanding is that every organization who did not withdraw their paperwork for the 501 (c) status received that non-profit designation.  Percentage wise I won’t even guess at the level of extra paperwork and hours they had to go through in relation to the 6.1 billion hours suggested above for individuals and businesses which I assume are mostly operating for profit.

For clarity, and yes repetition because I find it hard to fathom as reality, but I read the NTA reports in their entirety.  I’ve read these links and associated pages of the tax code, and honestly I’d rather retake my graduate school qualifying exams with a case of the flu, in need of a root canal, and desperately needing to pass multiple kidney stones without access to any pain medication.  My former professors can even require to me to write the writtens in some long lost foreign language and force me to pass orals in multiple foreign languages and even require me to read their minds.  Seriously this country boy would rather answer:  “Citing and annotating applicable bibliographic references, examine the unique “twists and turns” of Southern politics and how it influenced events and decisions both at the time and for future generations in local, state level, national, and international affairs from 1867 to the present,” which was my 8 hour primary field question with the additional conditions written above than to explain the pages upon pages of tax code I’ve read over the past 2 days.  Twists, turns, jolts, spins, have me imagining being out in the Gulf of Mexico in a pirogue and having the eye of Katrina pass over so I get to experience the eye wall not once but twice.

This question is more of curiosity, but should any groups engaging in politics in any fashion be considered nonprofit?  Some of these 501 (c) groups take in more contributions than many towns in America have funds in their own budgets. I’ll contend that every individual has their right to privacy, but if you are going to donate millions to a group to promote a political issue, isn’t it odd that people don’t want their name associated with that issue?

General advocacy arguments, I understand, but aren’t there differences?  I mean that there are a number of organizations local, national, and international which bring awareness and hope to those suffering from various illnesses, impacted by disasters, and other causes which desperately need any and all assistance that can be brought.  To me those are true nonprofits in that they are based upon help.  Others advocate for causes or obtaining knowledge, but they are not promoting a particular message.   Seriously, in these nonprofit advertisements on television are there any doubts as to the candidate or elected official they are criticizing or praising even if the names are not given?

One type of group which appears to have been subject to profiling involves some who mention United States History or the Constitution.  I’ll argue with anyone that promoting knowledge of the Constitution of the United States of America is a noble cause, but sadly as a Professor of History I’ve seen students coming into classrooms with lessening degrees of actual knowledge as they seem less capable of placing things in context versus using a selective quote to “prove” a partisan position.  Is the goal of the nonprofit group to educate or to indoctrinate?  The increase in that methodology is not limited to one ideology, but it is more difficult to get a student to read when a student quotes someone and asserts that quote is proof of the lack of representation with Parliament when the individual writing at the time actually referred to the United States under the Constitution.

Is profiling a good thing?  No in this case and no in many other situations where profiling is utilized.  Were the events in the IRS politically motivated?  Perhaps and probably, but the solution is not about political ideologies.  I’m wondering how many of these groups who feel that someone in the IRS treated them unjustly were treated in the same manner of large number of individuals simply trying to make heads or tails out of the plethora of codes and loopholes on their own.

Getting to that Constitutional knowledge issue, if Congress would start doing the painful and tedious work of creating a more transparent and simplified tax code, an abuse of power such as this would be more difficult to instigate.  The President does not have these powers in the Constitution.  It is Congress, and today in our Two Party System, one group holds the majority in one Chamber and the other group has the majority in the other Chamber.  It takes both Chambers to enact changes.  Therefore it takes both ideological groups to work together.

Hopefully, We the People will not focus on making this into a partisan ideological issue.  There will be time to blame whoever one wants to blame later.  The political talking points and rhetoric can wait.

First, let’s demand that our elected representatives’ stop focusing on blame and using that as an excuse, and simply do some of the tasks for which they were elected.  I’m being blunt but if any Member of Congress seems stunned or shocked by these IRS revelations, they obviously neglected to read the NTA reports or look at anything from the Oversight Board Members which the Senate confirmed.  The specifics involving the profiling are not there, but the vast opportunities for abuse within the system almost leap from the very pages.  Instead of being stunned or shocked, I wonder if any of them demanding investigations now actually cared.

Apparently though, they care if a special interest gets harmed.  Since campaign season now runs 24/7 and for the entire length of a term, they care if they think it may be useful for fundraising purposes in the next actual election cycle.  My primary hope, at least this time, is that the remedy for the special interests profiled is the same remedy for the average working American.  If Congress would simply start addressing the many economic issues of interest and importance to the United States of America, exploitation could be curbed and many people would benefit to a degree that trying to cheat the system would not be worth the risk if caught.

Again, it’s a Constitutional thing about why I’m not calling for anyone in the Executive Branch to work everything out.  I’m calling out profiling.  I’m asking Congress to stop the nonstop politicking and actually look at what is happening to this country.  The people know the problems, and Congressman and Senators can stop repeating the problems for their moments of fame.  If someone on the Hill actually proposes some solutions to the problems, then you will get reelected.

Teachers, Students, Policy Makers, Public: Who is the Chef

A friend from high school posted this link on social media.

The video, description, and just a perusal of some of the comments made me stop and think even more about the state of education today.

In regard to the video, without having access to everything happening in the classroom, it’s impossible to make any real assessment.  In general terms, however, a few of the many issues of the education system of today are obvious.  Many K-12 teachers are hogtied because of legislation such as No Child Left Behind and others both before and after.  With the emphasis on standardized testing and other accountability measures based solely on statistical data, if the teacher actually tries to “teach” instead of “supervising” a station along a conveyor belt the teacher will face repercussions.  In other cases, filling out reports and forms with the popular “education buzzwords” of the day are more important with policy makers than what actually takes place inside the classroom.  Some teachers are expected to be experts and perform the work of those specifically trained and experienced in areas such as law enforcement ranging from discovering abuse and neglect, riot control, surveillance, apprehension of suspects, parole officer, and so on.  Others are expected to take the place of any parent or guardian for anywhere from one to every student in their classrooms. Wherever society has failed, policy makers and the general public feel the teacher has the responsibility to fix the problems but the same policy makers and general public protest vehemently even if the teacher only provides “lip service” let alone takes action to correct the problems.

Like any profession, there are great teachers and people who should not be allowed anywhere near a classroom of students.  Like any profession, I’ll argue the majority of teachers are somewhere between the extreme ranges on both positive and negative ends.  For anyone wanting a citation for my argument, I do not have one but I also do not have a standard image of what makes an effective teacher.  For one student a particular teacher may be the perfect match, but another student will learn more from another instructor.  The reasons for that are infinite, but to me the key is the willingness and ability of both teacher and student to communicate.  I always think of the three C’s in Content, Communication, and Commitment when I think of my best teachers throughout my lifetime.

When you really think about it, teaching is a profession where so much that impacts learning takes place outside the classroom, school buildings, and school ground.  Of course there are exceptions, but generally one could say confidently that a student living in healthy, safe, and stable surroundings with positive role models who promote learning will have an easier time adjusting to a typical classroom environment.  Students who must first battle physical ailments and who must travel by way of a dangerous path just to reach the school grounds may not have the stamina to perform to their highest level in the classroom.  For those contentions, I have too many sources and to cite one or two would not be prudent in this prose.

Inside the classroom, learning is a two way street as it takes both teacher and student working together for optimal performance.  The other students in the classroom, however, are not lagniappe or merely additional lanes of traffic but also ingredients in what is the learning equivalent of a pot of jambalaya.  Every ingredient should complement the other ingredients in the pot as it continues to cook.  Likewise, every individual inside a classroom affects every other individual in some manner.  While each ingredient or student can stand on their own, they can also stand together as a team.

What we have to remember, however, is that the teacher or chef did not run out and collect all the ingredients for the classroom or the jambalaya.  Sometimes, an important component is missing.  Other times it is there but not in the best condition or necessary amounts.  It’s not the teacher but society which supplies the ingredients.  If the chef turns the finest cuts of andouille, tasso, chicken, the freshest garlic, peppers, onions, and the ultimate grains of rice into a pot of slop, the chef needs to be removed from his or her place in front of that black iron kettle sitting on top of that homemade burner made from the rim of a truck tire.  For good measure, I would take that boat paddle used to stir the contents of the kettle and whack the chef across the backside as lagniappe.  A teacher who fails students should be removed as well, but again we must consider what ingredients are available.

If the chef is only provided with water, a single clove of squishy garlic, and two grains of rice, does it make sense to expect to eat jambalaya?  Sadly we have reached a stage where the chef is lucky to receive that amount of stock.  Sure some have fancy aprons and cooking utensils, but the prettiest frills cannot replace the core components.  Even with that limitation of necessary ingredients, some chefs are getting sprayed with the likes of kerosene while standing next to the burner in the political climate and battles of today.

Even when the finest of ingredients are available, we might desire, but do we honestly expect to eat within an hour of the initial lighting of the burner?  Do we even fire up that burner when we get the ingredients?  It takes hours of preparation time to have all the ingredients ready for the kettle.  Once that burner is going, some ingredients make an early entry in the kettle while others patiently await their turn.  Over the course of many hours, everything is eventually added, but the process is far from complete.  It takes more hours for the flavors to melt and bind with its peer ingredients.  That boat paddle (it might not look like a pretty utensil, but it is effective) must be used correctly as well to keep ingredients from sticking to either bottom or sides but not in a way to upset the cooking process.  Finally, after the burner is turned off, you know that good eats are near, and near is only hours away as you have to test your patience by allowing the jambalaya to rest and absorb more of the flavors and spices.  The patience pays off, however, because after that wait and a fluffing of the rice with the ole boat paddle, that hot steaming jambalaya will cause your taste buds to peak and fill your stomach.

Think about it.  At jambalaya cook offs, the judging takes place after the rice has been fluffed that final time.  For teachers, however, we are judging them based upon the recipe and then at stages in the cooking process and our focus is not an assessment of the completed project.  I have a basic jambalaya recipe that I can adjust to cook indoors to serve a family or outdoors with hundreds of servings for a benefit fundraiser.  I doubt if I have ever followed that recipe to the letter, as adjustments are made as to ingredients and cooking times for a multitude of reasons.  Also, some experimentation takes place and may be continued or discontinued depending on a value effectiveness scale of cost, taste, and labor.  Admittedly, many of the experiments seemed reasonable on paper but in reality did not work.  A few looked and sounded idiotic, but the result on the final taste was so profound that the experiment ultimately came to be ratified as an amendment to the basic recipe.  Still, I’ve both overcooked and undercooked rice through my own failings or no fault that anyone observing could detect.  At least on a large scale, I have yet to under spice but I have delivered some extra hot in the opinions of some over the years.  Admittedly some do not prefer the same high degree of the infusion of garlic as I do, but tastes will vary.  That’s the completed product, and I would not advise anyone to taste during the cooking process for legitimate health concerns.

Even with variances, cooking a good jambalaya requires standards just as effective teaching requires standards.  Standards with both, however, must account for an array of variables before, during, and after the process.  Back home, one can walk into a number of stores and see boxes and bags both plain and fancy with the word jambalaya affixed.  I’ll admit that as I have grown older that some of these are actually edible and a couple can actually be prepared and served as a meal even though I would not call that meal jambalaya.  With most of these packets, however, I think that individual ingredients produced by the same company and product label are far superior to any of the readymade mixes.

It may only be my impression, but have you ever thought that many policy makers are trying more and more to make teaching like cooking today?  It is a concept of put something in a pretty package and then toss it into the microwave for a few minutes.  Then they promote the idea of choice which becomes essentially which of the ever increasing brands on the shelf would I like to pop in the microwave tonight.

If everything becomes readymade and instantly “ready” what is the incentive to make something from scratch?  Fortunately we still have many who once only knew how to cook from scratch and the personal satisfaction and the adjustable and usually superior taste one could achieve.  What happens, however, when nobody has the desire to cook from scratch because they have never experienced anything other than readymade?

I think we see some of those results inside the classroom and in the public appreciation and perception of learning and education.  Readymade is convenient.  It can serve a purpose.  It is also profitable for the entity producing the product.  Instead of pushing for more readymade products and seeking the profits from such ventures, imagine if students, parents, guardians, teachers, administrators, and the general public demanded that focus needed to be placed on providing the best ingredients and then learning how to use those staples to craft your own creation?  That, however, requires patience as one cannot judge the results instantaneously.  It also takes the commitment of society as a whole.  The teacher directs the preparation and adding of the ingredients while continuing the cooking process and keeping a close watch over the kettle on the fire, but everyone is involved in the process.

I hope we have not reached the stage where the primary role of the teacher is to toss something in the microwave, set the timer according to a manual, and then press start.  That sells convenience, instant gratification, and creates profits, but while in some ways that can be progress, it can also be regression and ultimately elimination.

The Nurse

Most people know that it is a nurse who often protects the patient from the MD. Nursing is a special field with some special people, and I am fortunate to call many Registered Nurses friends.

They Ask Me Why I Teach and I Reply

“They Ask Me Why I Teach,” by Glennice L. Harmon, in NEA Journal 37, no. 1 (September 1948): 375.

A poem often recited by the late John Wooden which the Coach said typified his deep feelings on teaching whether on the court or in the classroom. You have to remember that not too long ago coaches were thought in the same manner of faculty, and the idea that student mattered more than athlete in that student-athlete moniker stood as the norm and not exception. College freshmen at the time were not allowed to even play on varsity, and both cost and profit from athletic programs were significantly less percentage wise than today. Of course corruption still existed back then, and of course there are many students today who are among the finest examples of student-athletes in our schools.

A Lesson from Vaddey Ratner and In the Shadow of the Banyan: Can the human spirit be destroyed?

Genocide is term that brings a sensation of uneasiness even to people who do not know the definition.  For those individuals who know the definition chills radiate along the spine causing the extremities to quiver.  For those who experienced such violence firsthand, any external wounds may mend leaving only a scar but the internal wounds?  How can the internal injuries heal as one would think that these wounds remain continuously inflamed, ripped apart, and always oozing?

Sadly, history has many examples of genocide.  Whether researching and reading as a professional or as a layperson, the information is always emotional and often difficult to comprehend regardless of forum or method of presentation.  Perhaps it is nothing.  Perhaps it is everything.  But despite the atrocities, the horrors, perpetuated upon others, human lives may and have been eliminated but the human spirit has never been extinguished.

Many reading here will have at least an acquaintance with the term Khmer Rouge and the country of Cambodia during the mid to late 1970s.  Maybe you watched the 1984 film, The Killing Fields.

Others may have read the recent novel written by Vaddey Ratner entitled In the Shadow of the Banyan.

If you are not familiar with this work, you can read reviews from the New York Times here and from the Wall Street Journal here.  The author’s website provides a trove of information as well.

While the events which took place in Cambodia are not within my primary areas of research, an atrocity of that magnitude has a rippling effect across all spectrums.  In regard to the style of writing, the genre of historical fiction is extremely difficult to compose.  While the setting and events are drawn from history, a character or characters who relate the story are often fictional even though these characters may be based upon real individuals.  My background in writing historical fiction came at the Master’s Degree level in a seminar course with Professor Bertram H. Groene.  While Professor Groene authored many works, he is probably best known for a rather short work entitled Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor which has been reprinted many times.  It is a compact, yet highly informative research guide for history or genealogical research.

I mentioned this book even though it is not historical fiction because it represents the concise attention to detail in writing that Professor Groene wanted from his students.  This five or six student seminar course was brutal.  As the semester continued, and we began to write our own works, the class sessions consisted of us reading what we wrote and then a roundtable critiquing from both peers and Professor Groene.  For those who did not take well to constructive criticism, the course would have been a nightmare.  Inside that conference room, Professor Groene pulled no punches.  Outside the classroom, however, he was one of the most supportive and encouraging professors as he always seemed available and willing to assist with breaking down weaknesses and fortifying your strengths within your writing.  While I thrived as a student in that seminar atmosphere, as a professor I do not use the same model in the conference rooms.  I do, however, try my best to duplicate his approach outside the classroom.  This course in historical fiction did prepare me for many of the reviews and critiques a student endures working toward a doctorate.  It also opened the door for me to realize and appreciate not just the difficulty faced by an author writing historical fiction, but the impact that writing in this style can have on a general audience.

Last night an exhibit based on Vaddey Ratner’s In the Shadow of the Banyan opened at Montgomery College in Maryland.

Vaddey Ratner commented on the discussion on her Facebook page

“When a discussion of one’s book becomes a platform for dialogue about questions that concern us all — the origins of conflict and violence, the possibilities for living together in a world often torn by hatred — it is at once daunting and rewarding. At Montgomery College last month, I wrestled with some of the most challenging questions from a wonderful and engaged audience addressing the potential for atrocity and strategies for its prevention. Tonight they are continuing the discussion with a book group on campus and in May they will mount an exhibit on “Resilience in Conflict and Post-Conflict Transitions” (see last post). Here are some pics from the event.”

Even though the coordinator of the exhibit invited me to say a few words at the opening, I never felt that any words I composed could express how no genocide has ever extinguished that glowing light within the human being.  Lands and people have been torn by hatred, but somehow, somewhere, something so miniscule has always managed to endure, survive, and then grow.  If we could only manage to suppress the darkness and sadness, think of the hope and light that could remain readily visible and available instead of emerging and reemerging?

With that thought, I tried something different for the exhibit.  Instead of speaking for myself, I created a moving image using the words of Vaddey Ratner as an inspiration.  In our own lives, the sun will rise and set.  The clouds will move, and the skies will change in appearance.  If we could look beyond the obvious, and delve slightly beneath the scenery, we might discover a world of hope and promise that has already emerged in brilliant light and has yet to be torn by hatred or even cast within the shadow.

Just something quick for relaxing

It seems that several of my ole friends from undergraduate days have been feeling down with just the normal proceedings of life.  In some cases, the kids seem to be a magnet for trouble.  Others are concerned with ailing parents.  Work related issues that accompany the end of the academic semester are at play for a few.

Tomorrow night, I’m tentatively scheduled to say a few words at the opening of an exhibit which addresses some of the atrocities which have taken place in history.  Some works will focus on the Holocaust.  Others will look at events from Cambodia.  I really don’t have a clue as to what I can add because the exhibits speak for themselves.

My remarks will be off the cuff, but I started thinking that even with the many tragedies throughout history, somehow someone has been able to move forward.  Perhaps that will be my focus.

Sadly, we don’t always learn from the mistakes of others or even our own mistakes.  If we think about it, however, some small spark or glimmer of hope manages to sustain itself. Sometimes we need to stand strong like the mighty oak to withstand great force.  At other times, that rigidity will result in our cracking and breaking.  If we can bend like a willow tree, we can snap back at fantastic speeds.

To my friends and anyone reading, just try to find something positive upon which to build.  The little video is merely a simple freeware effort, quickly created to just remind me to adhere to some of the encouragement I’m trying to offer to friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54hVJGpYIKY