Fa – the Green Dragon

A Place for the Odd Musings of an Expat Bristolian

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Staying in the present … Continued.

In 1985 -86, technology had developed to the point where we could program our wrist watches to emit a beeping sound, on the hour every hour. This turned out to be one of Mr. gibbons’ pet peeves. During his lecture one day, he questioned the necessity for this audible interruption.

From that time forward, we never heard this  sound again.

As I wrote earlier, removing distractions allowed for awareness. Mr. Gibbons explained at about this time that one of his mantras for living in the present was to consider the next two minutes as the most important moments of your life.

Staying in the present, being aware increases one’s ability to anticipate. Anticipation is simply a matter of being prepared. This can be most important when executing daily tasks. Driving your car for example is one of the most important places to be focused, aware and in an anticipatory mode. Paying bills on time is another which can save you money by avoiding late fees. And what about places of potential danger.

Taking notice of your surroundings when you enter a business or your bank can help  to keep you safe. Noting fire exits is something very few people do. Complacency rears it’s head with the thinking that it won’t happen to me.

I’ll leave you with these thoughts for the time being. I will write more in due course.


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Is it a question of Time?

Yesterday I was having a discussion with a friend about the situation Fotus Trump has created not only in the US but also around the world. My friend remarked, “yes I wish he would go away or just pass away”. I responded that passing away while still in office would not solve our problem. I went on to offer this opinion: It would be far better to wait for the mid-term elections and the next general election. If we do that, I believe that Trump, Musk and others of the GOP will have caused enough damage and disruptions to our country, that finally we will be able to vote them out of office, the congress and senate to reclaim a path of honesty, competence and sanity. On the other hand, if Trump should pass away while still in office the frightening reality will be the elevation of the rabid doglike JD Vance, who has already displayed his loathing for our friends and allies. Let us continue the fight with this in mind.


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SHUFFLE and PUTZ

I Have long been in what is sometimes referred to as My Autumn Years. And I have no problem with that terminology at this stage in my life.  However, as I have now grown older, and looking back on my thoughts and feelings as I aged, I thought it might be fun just too share some of them with you.

One of the things I noticed about older people is the way in which they walk. From my observations I saw that invariably they took shorter steps i.e. they did not seem to take a full stride. This was more pronounced when the person in question was using a cane or a walker. So, their gait could best be described more as a shuffle than a walk.

About fifteen years ago, I was admitted to hospital due to severe dehydration. I was in bed for about four days with round the clock IV’s replenishing fluids to my system. On the fifth day I was allowed out of bed. To my surprise, I found I could not stand or walk without support. This state did not pass quickly and with the help of therapists I had to learn how to walk again.

Since I am retired, I have quite a bit of time on my hands. Therefore, I spend my time doing what is sometimes termed putzing.  I like to putz in my garage and even in my home office. If in the garage, it comes down to cleaning, maintaining reorganizing tools, oils, grease, paints, etc.   And, in my home office, it is curating the thousands of

 photographs I have accumulated, cataloguing CDs and DVDs.

In more recent times I was taking shorter steps, and my own gait had turned into a shuffle. I noticed this first walking backwards and forwards in my garage when putting a tool away or moving a can of paint to a different shelf, all the while navigating boxes of who knows what on my garage floor.

To remedy this, I enrolled in a Sliver Sneakers program at my local community center. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go there to walk and indoor track for about an hour. I follow this with an hour session of group led chair yoga. So far, it’s working well for me.

I wonder if this experience resonates with you.


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the USA needs your help

Robert Reich wrote the following and I am reposting it here for my friends who live in other countries.

Friends, I’m addressing this letter especially to those of you who live in other lands. As you probably know, we here in the United States are facing the biggest emergency in the history of our democracy, and we need your help.

Trump and other members of his regime (Elon Musk, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Kash Patel, Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi) are actively undermining our system of government — usurping Congress’s power to fund the government, saying they “don’t care” what judges say, arresting peaceful protesters, investigating Trump’s “enemies,” siding with Putin against Ukraine, encouraging bigotry, and sowing widespread fear.

Please know that the Trump regime doesn’t represent the majority of Americans. Trump won the 2024 presidential election by a razor-thin (1.5 percent) margin, but half of all Americans didn’t vote, including many who voted for Biden in 2020. Polls consistently show most Americans do not support what Trump is doing.

How can you help us? Like most bullies, Trump can be constrained only if everyone stands up to his bullying — including you.

First, if you are thinking about a trip to the United States, please reconsider. Why reward Trump’s America with your tourist dollars? Spending by non-Americans in the United States is a significant source of tax revenue and a major “export” of this nation. There’s no reason for you to indirectly support Trump’s economy. Many international travelers concerned about Trump’s authoritarianism have already canceled trips to the United States. I suggest you do so, too.

Last week, Trump threatened a 200 percent tariff on European wine and alcohol after calling the European Union “one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World.” Why reward this bellicose rhetoric? Many Europeans are already skipping trips to Disney World and American music festivals. Travel from China, a frequent target of Trump’s contempt, is down 11 percent. Chinese travelers are choosing to vacation in Australia and New Zealand instead of visiting U.S. national parks. Our dear neighbors north of the border, who have long been the major source of international travel to the United States, are deciding to visit Europe and Mexico instead. In response to Trump’s repeated desire to make Canada a “51st state,” Canada’s former prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has urged Canadians not to vacation in America. An informal boycott by Canadian travelers has begun. The number of Canadians returning by car from visits to the United States already fell by 23 percent in February, and air travel by Canadians returning from the United States was down 13 percent relative to last year, according to Statistics Canada. Overall, it’s expected that international travel to the United States will drop at least 5 percent this year. Although we have loved (and profited from) your visits, I urge you to join many of your compatriots and at least for now decide not to come to the United States.

Second, if you are thinking about coming to the United States on a student or even on an H-1B visa, which allows highly skilled foreign citizens to live and work here, you should also reconsider. Perhaps wait a few years until, hopefully, the Trump regime has ended. It is not entirely safe for you to be here, in any event. Dr. Rasha Alawieh, 34, a kidney transplant specialist and professor at Brown University’s medical school, who has been in the United States legally on an H-1B visa, was just deported without explanation — even though a court had blocked her expulsion. Dr. Alawieh had traveled last month to Lebanon, her home country, to visit relatives. When she tried to return from that trip to the United States, she was detained by U.S. customs and immigration officials and put on a flight to Paris, presumably on her way to Lebanon. Lebanon is not even on a draft list of nations from which the Trump administration is considering banning entry to the United States. Even if there’s a shortage in America of skilled workers in your specialty, you could be deported at any time, for any or no reason.

Likewise, if you are considering coming to America on a student visa, you might consider the risk at this time. A Columbia University graduate student was arrested and detained for no reason other than that he peacefully protested Netanyahu’s policies in Gaza. The administration of Brown University is advising foreign students, ahead of spring break, to “consider postponing or delaying personal travel outside the United States until more information is available from the U.S. Department of State.”

It is not just the risk. It’s also the circumstances. If you care about democracy, this is not the time to come here on a student or H-1B visa because the Trump regime is riding roughshod over the Constitution of the United States.

On Sunday, the Trump regime deported hundreds of Venezuelan nationals from the United States under the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act — which until now has been used only in times of war — even though a federal judge blocked the decision and ordered planes carrying some of the Venezuelans to turn back to the United States. On Sunday night, Trump told reporters that the Venezuelans he sent back to Venezuela were “bad people. “But no one can take Trump’s word that these were “bad” people. Trump routinely uses the term “bad people” to refer to those who oppose or criticize him, or whom he dislikes. Whatever your reason for wanting to come to the United States — as a visitor, a student, or an H-1B skilled worker — you might reconsider your plans. Deciding not to come would send a signal that you’re justifiably worried about your safety and security here and you are as repulsed by the Trump regime’s attacks on democracy as are most of us Americans.