SOLSTICE GREETINGS

Winter solstice in Fairbanks, a time of dim light, frequent sub-zero cold, and celebration. Each day will now get slightly longer, and the sun just a little higher. By the end of January, while still cold, there is much more light with which to enjoy our frozen landscape, and the promise of even more as we head into A.P.R.'s favorite months in the far North, February and March.

This year, of course, your lead editor is missing the winter solstice at home, and getting two summer solstices, the second one here in the southern hemisphere at latitude 34 South. The longest day of the year here begins around 0530, and ends around 2030. So far, during my time in Sydney, it has been unseasonably cool, only 20 to 28C for daytime highs (68-84F). But I have been assured by my mates in the B.O.M. office, that it can reach 45C (113F!), at any time. Certainly not something I hope happens during my time here!

Today, walking around the beautiful rocky blue-water coast around Sydney, it was cool and windy, with even a few showers, and temperatures only around 20C. Very comfortable for an Alaskan.
Surroundings like this always bring out my contemplative side, Being around bodies of water, whether it is the ocean, a lake, rivers, or fast-flowing streams, tend to have that effect on me. Today was no exception.

hol⋅i⋅day 
–noun
1.
a day fixed by law or custom on which ordinary business is suspended in commemoration of some event or in honor of some person.
2.
any day of exemption from work (distinguished from working day ).
3.
a time or period of exemption from any requirement, duty, assessment, etc.: New businesses may be granted a one-year tax holiday.
4.
a religious feast day; holy day, esp. any of several usually commemorative holy days observed in Judaism.
5.
Sometimes, holidays. Chiefly British. a period of cessation from work or one of recreation; vacation.
6.
an unintentional gap left on a plated, coated, or painted surface.–adjective
7.
of or pertaining to a festival; festive; joyous: a holiday mood.
8.
suitable for a holiday: holiday attire. –verb (used without object)
9.
Chiefly British. to vacation: to holiday at the seaside.
Origin: bef. 950; ME; OE hāligdæg. See holy, day

Winter solstice for me has always been my favorite holiday, after reaching adulthood and developing my own world-view.

at⋅a⋅vis⋅tic 

 /ˌætəˈvɪstɪk/
–adjective
of, pertaining to, or characterized by atavism; reverting to or suggesting the characteristics of a remote ancestor or primitive type.
Origin: 1870–75; atav(ism) + -istic

at·a·vism

(āt'ə-vĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key n.
The reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence, usually caused by the chance recombination of genes.
An individual or a part that exhibits atavism. Also called throwback.
The return of a trait or recurrence of previous behavior after a period of absence. [French atavisme, from Latin atavus, ancestor : atta, father + avus, grandfather; see awo- in Indo-European roots.]

What better descriptions for the meaning of Solstice, to me and many other green-oriented/progressive type people in the European/Caucasian industrialized countries, than this? Our ancestors, before Christianity, lived lives totally in the rhythm of the seasons, and in the cool or cold European winters, the arrival and passage of the shortest day of the year had great meaning.

This is a great article, once again, not from a U.S. source:

How Astronauts Went to the Moon and Ended Up Discovering Planet Earth

Photos of Earthrise from Apollo 8 changed the way we look at the world
by Juliette Jowit

Forty years ago this Christmas the first human beings reached the moon. But their historic feat is better remembered for an image of what they left behind - planet Earth.

Earthrise from Apollo 8. (NASA)Looking back from more than 200,000 miles away, the crew of Apollo 8 saw Earth floating "like a Christmas tree ornament lit up in space, fragile-looking". They pointed their cameras through smeared porthole windows and began snapping. It seems almost incredible now, but nobody thought to take a photo of Earth until they saw it, because nobody had seen it before.

One of those photos, an Earthrise over the grey and inhospitable lunar horizon, has become one of the most reproduced and recognized pictures of our planet. LIFE magazine selected it as one of 100 photographs that changed the world; more recently it featured in an Oscar-winning film about climate change, An Inconvenient Truth.

"That one picture exploded in the consciousness of humans," said Al Gore, the film's Nobel prize-winning narrator and campaigner. "It led to dramatic changes. Within 18 months of this picture the environment movement had begun."

There is still some dispute over which of Apollo 8's crew took the first Earthrise photo, but the official version selected by the American space agency, NASA, was by Bill Anders, who spoke to the Guardian from his home in San Diego, California. "After all the training and studying we'd done as pilots and engineers to get to the moon safely and get back, [and] as human beings to explore moon orbit," he said, "what we really discovered was the planet Earth."

Anders and fellow crew members Frank Borman and Jim Lovell left on December 21 and began orbiting the moon on Christmas Eve. For the first and second loops, Apollo 8's crew faced backwards, but on the third revolution Borman, the commander, turned their capsule around. "Suddenly Borman said something like 'look at that' and here was the Earth coming up," recalled Anders. "There was a mad scramble for cameras: I just happened to have one with color film in it and a long lens. All I did was to keep snapping.

"It's not a very good photo as photos go, but it's a special one. It was the first statement of our planet Earth and it was particularly impressive because it's contrasted against this startling horizon."

In the following weeks it is estimated that 2 billion people - more than half the humans alive at the time - watched the blurred black and grey TV film of the moon and listened to crackling voices speaking to them across space as Apollo 8's crew read the first 10 verses of the Bible.

In what now seems symbolic of the impact of seeing the whole planet for the first time with human eyes, Borman appeared to cast off the nationalistic cold war fervor surrounding the mission and ended the broadcast saying: "A merry Christmas and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth."

The impact of the photo in 1968 was immediate in a world already shaken by Rachel Carson's explosive book on pesticide pollution, Silent Spring. Four decades later, climate change is the great environmental threat and Earthrise is still used by campaigners trying to draw attention to the problem.

Landscape photographer Joe Cornish said he had been haunted by the image: "It's a new perspective from space, but it's a totally new perspective when you see it in relation to another body in space."

For Anders, the fragility of life on Earth is shown even more powerfully by three photos of the Earth alone in space: "Earthrise has a reference - there's the moon and the Earth, you don't get a vastness - whereas the other ones, particularly the smaller one, it's Earth and black to the frame ... it goes on and on."

He added: "I think it's important for people to understand they are just going around on one of the smaller grains of sand on one of the spiral arms of this kind of puny galaxy ... it [Earth] is insignificant, but it's the only one we've got."
© 2008 Guardian News and Media Limited

Interesting, isn't it? The most advanced technology in the World at the time, manned space flight, a technology which if fully exploited would have serious deleterious effects on the environment, gave humanity a way of visualising the one-ness of all people and beings. Enabling us to develop a global consciousness necessary to start tackling global problems that technology is creating.

We here at A.P.R. do tend toward atavism in our spiritual outlooks. Mattie especially, with her animist beliefs, sees the sacredness in all beings and things, living always in the present moment. A constant inspiration for me, since I tend to focus on the future over-much at times. We view with dismay the major religions of the Earth, which cling to exclusivity, (Christianity, Islam, Judaism to some extent), i.e., that their spiritual concepts are the "truth" to the exclusion of the others, and that their adherents are either specially chosen and/or will only be granted true peace and serenity in an afterlife, whilst non-believers will be destroyed. It is not our place here to tell people how or what to believe, evangelism has always been something we detest, especially when the Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses show up at our door. But, with the looming inter-related global crises of climate change, and overpopulation/resource-depletion, global solutions will be required. Exclusivity-based belief systems stand in the way of this, and make it easier for wars to occur. One look at Middle Eastern history and current affairs is illustrative, as well as the troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1960s-1970s, and the history of relations between indigenous peoples and Europeans in the Americas and Australia.

Our rule of thumb, here at A.P.R. in our spiritual questing, is very basic. We don't eat things that we know will make us feel bad. Similarly, we don't believe things that we come across, that will make us feel bad. When we are seeking, and come upon information or beliefs that resonate with us, we look at three prime qualifiers. Does the material openly and without hesitation accept all races, cultures, and beings? Does it or will it promote understanding and rapproachment between all other religions, cultures, and belief systems? Does it provide a framework in which our lives have true meaning and purpose? If any of these three questions are not met, we reject the material as not healthy for us.

A quick example: Pure science, in it's most orthodox sense, would say that we are essentially just a mix of chemicals in a random universe. That life developed and evolved it's extraordinary complexity by chance, and that the life we have now, is all that we will have. And further, that life necessarily then, is essentially meaningless. We rejected this long ago, as it did not make us feel good, and it violates the third prime qualifier.

So that's how we have chosen to act in our spiritual seeking, and for us, here at A.P.R., we find meaning in our lives, and see things in a larger framework. It goes without saying, that we believe many, if not all, of our problems on Earth, stem from a lack of spiritual consideration and awareness. The greed and short-sightedness of our Capitalist system is a prime example. Do you think people who had a true appreciation and understanding of the one-ness of all life would launch, or allow to be launched, a war based on lies, knowing that there would be large numbers of deaths and injuries, and suffering of those not injured? Or, would shift factories and jobs to poor countries, throwing people out of work, in order to seek higher profits from near-slave labor, and lax environmental regulations/enforcement?

What have we here at A.P.R. found in our years of seeking? Well, we have settled upon a "New-Age" belief system encompassing elements of Native American and other Indigenous peoples systems, as well as insights from modern day teachers and guides. One of our favorite sources is the Seth material, laid out in several books by Jane Roberts, two of the best being "Seth Speaks", and "The Nature of Personal Reality".

A very interesting psychic named Edgar Cayce lived in the southern U.S. from 1877-1945. He gave thousands of readings to people while in trance, about all manner of subjects, health/medicine, current affairs, spiritual matters, missing persons, etc.. He was investigated and tested by many prominent researchers in his day. He was able, while in trance, to pinpoint locations of hidden materials, and other things that would be impossible to know in our ordinary lives. He left a rich legacy of material that many people still study, including those of us here at A.P.R. Any bookstore in their philosophy/religion section will have a number of books about him, as dozens have been written.

In closing, I'd like to describe an interesting incident that happened to your lead editor last week, while at work. I was tired from lack of sleep, due to a bad head cold. After riding my bike to the office, and locking it up, I just left the keys on a wall by the bike, because of my grogginess. Upon leaving for the day, with dismay I realized I had lost my keys. After extensive fruitless searching, I borrowed a hacksaw, and began cutting the cable. As I was about a third of the way through, I noticed a wadded paper note stuffed in the seat. Opening it up, there were my keys, along with this message:

1153 am 17/12/2008

2 Whom it May Concern

1.) I just sat down in the shade 4 a smoke

2.) Keys lying there

3.) Hmmm.... - interesting!!!

4.) Keys fit mongoose bike lock

5.) I give u a Christmas present

God Bless U

(Jesus is born)

Now, there is a real Christian! Needless to say, I was speechless and had to show all my mates in the office the note, and it gave us all good cheer. Isn't it great when things like this happen, to show us that there are kind and concerned people in the World? Cheers.

Happy Solstice!

IF THE SHOE FITS

Hey folks. Greetings from Sydney, Australia, where A.P.R. is operating remotely, but still keenly aware of goings on in the homeland, both in Alaska and the USA.

In fact, after I got in here sunday, I did a quick browse of my usual news-sources, and came across this interesting article.

Published on Sunday, December 14, 2008 by The Guardian/UK
Bush Sneaks Through Host of Laws to Undermine Obama

The lame-duck Republican team is rushing through radical measures, from coal waste dumping to power stations in national parks, that will take months to overturn

by Paul Harris

After spending eight years at the helm of one of the most ideologically driven administrations in American history, George W. Bush is ending his presidency in characteristically aggressive fashion, with a swath of controversial measures designed to reward supporters and enrage opponents.

By the time he vacates the White House, he will have issued a record number of so-called 'midnight regulations' - so called because of the stealthy way they appear on the rule books - to undermine the administration of Barack Obama, many of which could take years to undo.
Dozens of new rules have already been introduced which critics say will diminish worker safety, pollute the environment, promote gun use and curtail abortion rights. Many rules promote the interests of large industries, such as coal mining or energy, which have energetically supported Bush during his two terms as president. More are expected this week.

America's attention is focused on the fate of the beleaguered car industry, still seeking backing in Washington for a multi-billion-dollar bail-out. But behind the scenes, the 'midnight' rules are being rushed through with little fanfare and minimal media attention. None of them would be likely to appeal to the incoming Obama team.

The regulations cover a vast policy area, ranging from healthcare to car safety to civil liberties. Many are focused on the environment and seek to ease regulations that limit pollution or restrict harmful industrial practices, such as dumping strip-mining waste.

The Bush moves have outraged many watchdog groups. 'The regulations we have seen so far have been pretty bad,' said Matt Madia, a regulatory policy analyst at OMB Watch. 'The effects of all this are going to be severe.'

Bush can pass the rules because of a loophole in US law allowing him to put last-minute regulations into the Code of Federal Regulations, rules that have the same force as law. He can carry out many of his political aims without needing to force new laws through Congress. Outgoing presidents often use the loophole in their last weeks in office, but Bush has done this far more than Bill Clinton or his father, George Bush sr. He is on track to issue more 'midnight regulations' than any other previous president.

Many of these are radical and appear to pay off big business allies of the Republican party. One rule will make it easier for coal companies to dump debris from strip mining into valleys and streams. The process is part of an environmentally damaging technique known as 'mountain-top removal mining'. It involves literally removing the top of a mountain to excavate a coal seam and pouring the debris into a valley, which is then filled up with rock. The new rule will make that dumping easier.

Another midnight regulation will allow power companies to build coal-fired power stations nearer to national parks. Yet another regulation will allow coal-fired stations to increase their emissions without installing new anti-pollution equipment.

The Environmental Defence Fund has called the moves a 'fire sale of epic size for coal'. Other environmental groups agree. 'The only motivation for some of these rules is to benefit the business interests that the Bush administration has served,' said Ed Hopkins, a director of environmental quality at the Sierra Club. A case in point would seem to be a rule that opens up millions of acres of land to oil shale extraction, which environmental groups say is highly pollutant.

There is a long list of other new regulations that have gone onto the books. One lengthens the number of hours that truck drivers can drive without rest. Another surrenders government control of rerouting the rail transport of hazardous materials around densely populated areas and gives it to the rail companies.

One more chips away at the protection of endangered species. Gun control is also weakened by allowing loaded and concealed guns to be carried in national parks. Abortion rights are hit by allowing healthcare workers to cite religious or moral grounds for opting out of carrying out certain medical procedures.

A common theme is shifting regulation of industry from government to the industries themselves, essentially promoting self-regulation. One rule transfers assessment of the impact of ocean-fishing away from federal inspectors to advisory groups linked to the fishing industry. Another allows factory farms to self-regulate disposal of pollutant run-off.

The White House denies it is sabotaging the new administration. It says many of the moves have been openly flagged for months. The spate of rules is going to be hard for Obama to quickly overcome. By issuing them early in the 'lame duck' period of office, the Bush administration has mostly dodged 30- or 60-day time limits that would have made undoing them relatively straightforward.

Obama's team will have to go through a more lengthy process of reversing them, as it is forced to open them to a period of public consulting. That means that undoing the damage could take months or even years, especially if corporations go to the courts to prevent changes.
At the same time, the Obama team will have a huge agenda on its plate as it inherits the economic crisis. Nevertheless, anti-midnight regulation groups are lobbying Obama's transition team to make sure Bush's new rules are changed as soon as possible. 'They are aware of this. The transition team has a list of things they want to undo,' said Madia.

Final reckoning
Bush's midnight regulations will:
Make it easier for coal companies to dump waste from strip-mining into valleys and streams.
Ease the building of coal-fired power stations nearer to national parks.
Allow people to carry loaded and concealed weapons in national parks.
Open up millions of acres to mining for oil shale.
Allow healthcare workers to opt out of giving treatment for religious or moral reasons, thus weakening abortion rights.
Hurt road safety by allowing truck drivers to stay at the wheel for 11 consecutive hours.
© 2008 Guardian News and Media Limited

Whilst pedaling back to my apartment downtown yesterday, after a day of sun, running, swimming, and gawking at the powerful 10-12 foot waves slamming into the rocks at the north point of beautiful Bondi Beach, it came to me. Does anything sum up better the overall methods and mendacity of the Bush Regime, over the past eight years than what is described in this article? The actual regulations that are being altered, and the method used to do so, secretive, without oversight or vote. The message this sends is stunning; complete and utter contempt for the environment, future generations, and the health and welfare of people in the U.S. and abroad. All sacrificed at the holy altar of greed. How has this come to pass, and why? Will things ever change in the U.S?

I'm sure all of you are aware now of the shoe-throwing incident Bush endured in a press conference in Baghdad http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/12/14-1 . The A.P.R. certainly understands and sympathizes with the viewpoints of that Iraqi Journalist, and he has caught global attention and concern http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/12/15-3 .

This may actually be one of the first incidents where Bush has gotten even a glimpse of the anger and rage engendered by his and his regime's actions that have caused such suffering in Iraq and throughout the World. It is serving as a lightning-rod for conversation about this, which is even better. In fact, earlier today, when I dropped in to my new office for a visit, it was a hot topic for a few minutes, after people asked me about Sarah Palin (naturally I felt free to offer my complete no-holds-barred viewpoint concerning her and her party's platform). All my mates there in the office were in good cheer talking about it, and felt it was deserved!

This is sure a breath of fresh air for your lead editor, to be in a place where nearly everyone he runs into is in agreement, in at least a general sense, about the current U.S. and global socio-political situation. Three cheers for the good people of Australia! Not that things are perfect here by any means, they have their share of problems and I want to examine some of them while I'm here, to see if anything useful can be learned for those of us in the North.

Next week, A.P.R. will offer up a Solstice/Christmas article that will examine things in a more spiritual sense, it being thought an appropriate time for that. Cheers!