Dupa lungi drumetii , Bucuresti-Focsani, Focsani-Bucuresti- Petrosani, aseara aveam si noi copii .

Si copiii ca copiii (scuzati cacofonia dar fara ea nu da bine) , dupa ce ai mari si-au primit cadourile, asteptau si ei …

Eu le-am spus ca n-au fost cuminti ( dau cu pumnu-n masa … rup ….mana) asa ca de geaba cauta. Pana la urma Dana fiind mai mititica a incaput sub brad sa scoata de la inghesuiala doua pungute. Parca chipul unui cunoscut s-a luminat putin, incruntandu-se la loc cand a constatat ca nu gaseste altceva decat dulciuri . Plicul  cel alb afat pe fundul pungii, a  adus zambetul pe obrajii fiului.

Mosul il cunoaste !

Apoi ne-am pus pe sarbatorit …

Dana a baut …vreo 4-5 pahare, Cristi nimic ca-l vedea maica-sa iar eu m-am luptat cu trei beri . Era sa uit paharele lui Dana erau de apa – apa plata, cica face bine la sanatate. Mie nici berea nu mi-a facut rau !

Pe la doua, trei noaptea  inca nu ne terminaseram povestile dar Mos Ene ne dadea tarcoale …

SUSPICIOUS ATTACKS IN NORTHERN IRAQ

by Halil DEMİRCİ

The attacks against prominent figures of various groups in Northern Iraq have been increasing the tension prior to the elections. In two separate suicide attacks carried out in November, Mosul representative of Iraqi Turkmen Front, Yavuz Ahmet Efendioglu and one of the prominent leaders of Shabak tribe in Mosul, Fazil Jiro have been killed. Recently an official of the Goran Movement, the leader of which is the former deputy chairman of PUK Nawshirvan Mostafa, Sardar Kadir has been a victim of an armed attack on December 4^th in Suleymaniyah . He has been injured by the legs. No official statement has been made whereas there were no clues about these incidents.

Turkmen circles believe that the attack against Mosul representative of Iraqi Turkmen Front, Yavuz Ahmet Efendioglu was carried out by Kurdish elements. In the statements an emphasis has been put on the people who want to create a faction among Shiite-Sunni Turkmen and disrupt their unity-togetherness. It has been claimed that the Kurdish groups are responsible for the attack carried out by an automatic rifle in front of Mosul University targeting Fazil Jiro. The Shabaks who show their reactions towards this incident state that Jiro started to raise the consciousness of his Shabak base against the activities of the Kurds and the Kurds were uncomfortable with this situation. On the other hand it has been claimed that the attack targeting S. Kadir, who was an official of the Goran Movement, was caused by Movement’s leader N. Mostafa’s recent accusations against the top management of PUK regarding corruption. As it is known Nawshirwan Mostafa has raised the reaction of PUK members as a result of his statements. That’s why the Goran supporters are in the view that this attack has been carried out by PUK. 

The experts state that the consequent murders of prominent figures belonging to various groups are raising some suspicions and there are concerns over some preparations which are being made to create sectarian conflicts in Iraq prior to elections.

Daca alaltaieri bradul nostru arata doar asa , aseara era gata pregatit sa vina Mosu’.  Fiind mai “puturos” am ajutat-o doar pe Ghiocel sa-l faca.  Este o placere pe care o impartim de 30 de ani si care are farmecul ei.

Mai nasol este la desfacut, atunci greul cade din nou pe mine …

Dar pentru ca tot nu avem copii, Mosul a venit, vorba unui prieten, ungur : tiptilo – tiptilo, a lasat sub brad ceva subtire (dar sa nu-l suparam pe Dumnezeu)  si pre cum a venit asa a si plecat.

Bineinteles ca Ghiocel a fost mai cuminte si a primit cadourile ei preferate : jucarii . O vulpita foarte frumosa si un soricel de-al lui Disney , ambi care colinda ! Foarte repede acestisau fraternizat cu Omuletul de zapada si Martinel si s-au asezat la taclale.

Nici eu n-am fost prea rau din moment ce am primit doua camasi elegante.

Nu stiu ce sa mai zic dar cum copiii ne stand cu noi, mai poti sti cat de cuminti sunt ? Mosu cred ca i-a vazut…

Cu tristete in suflet trebuie sa spun ca in afara de cateva saloane de pom  Mosu ‘ n-a mai lasat nimic ! Cu siguranta de la RECESIUNE li se trage !

Totusi noi ii asteptam cu drag, doar sunt ai nostrii!

A new order from the general in charge of northern Iraq makes getting pregnant or impregnating a fellow soldier an offense punishable by court-martial.

The order applies to all military and civilians serving under General Anthony Cucolo in an area that encompasses Balad, Kirkuk, Tikrit, Mosul and Samarra.

I guess this is another way not to get yourself kicked out of the army!

From CNN:

The directive, part of a larger order restricting the behavior of the 22,000 soldiers under Gen. Anthony Cucolo’s command, is meant to prevent losing soldiers at a time when troop strength is stretched thin, Cucolo explained in a statement sent to the troops under his command and provided to CNN.

“I need every soldier I’ve got, especially since we are facing a draw down of forces during our mission,” Cucolo wrote. “Anyone who leaves this fight earlier than the expected 12-month deployment creates a burden on their teammates. Anyone who leaves this fight early because they made a personal choice that changed their medical status — or contributes to doing that to another — is not in keeping with a key element of our ethos.”

The rule, enacted November 4, was first reported by Stars and Stripes, a military-focused publication. It prohibits “becoming nondeployable for reasons within the control of the soldier,” which include “becoming pregnant, or impregnating a soldier … resulting in the redeployment of the pregnant soldier.”

A U.S. Army general in northern Iraq has added pregnancy to the list of reasons a soldier under his command could be court-martialed.

The new policy, outlined last month by Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo and released Friday by the Army, would apply to both female soldiers who become pregnant on the battlefield and the male soldiers who impregnate them.

Civilians reporting to Cucolo also could face criminal prosecution under the new guidelines.

Army spokesman George Wright said the service typically sends home from the battlefield soldiers who become pregnant. But it is not an Army-wide policy to punish them under the military’s legal code, he said.

However, division commanders like Cucolo have the authority to impose these type of restrictions to personnel operating under their command, Wright said.

Cucolo oversees forces in northern Iraq, an area that includes the cities of Kirkuk, Tikrit and Mosul. His Nov. 4 order was first reported by the military newspaper Stars and Stripes.

Cucolo’s order outlines some 20 barred activities. Most of them are aimed at keeping order and preventing criminal activity, such as selling a weapon or taking drugs.

But other restrictions seemed aimed at preventing soldiers from leaving their unit short-handed, including becoming pregnant or undergoing elective surgery that would prevent their deployment.

Under Cucolo’s order, troops also are prohibited from “sexual contact of any kind” with Iraqi nationals. And, they cannot spend the night with a member of the opposite sex, unless married or expressly permitted to do so.

Iraqi police say three blasts in Baghdad killed four people and wounded fourteen others on Tuesday. Three other blasts also rocked the northern city of Mosul on the same day, killing and wounding several dozen people. The explosions came as politicians continue to debate over who was responsible for the last wave of bombings, which happened exactly one week ago.
The Baghdad explosions struck at the Iraqi government’s nerve center, near the heavily fortified Green Zone. Baghdad’s security chief, General Qassem Mohammed Atta, reported that three explosive devices hidden in civilian vehicles blew up in parking lots in the Karrada District, close to the Green Zone. He noted that a fourth explosive device, hidden in a parked vehicle near the Iranian Embassy, was found and disabled.
The explosions were in the immediate vicinity of Iraq’s Foreign Ministry building, which is covered by a gigantic Iraqi flag on one side, as repairs continue on the structure that was gutted by a massive car-bomb explosion on August 16.
Mortar attacks and assassination attempts against several Iraqi politicians were also reported elsewhere in Baghdad.
Meanwhile, the attacks in Mosul killed four people and wounded a further forty. They seemed to target a mosque and a neighbourhood, according to the Kurdish Globe, according to an unnamed doctor at a Mosul hospital.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombings.

Training police about veterans’ issues can be a tricky endeavor.  Police on the whole are a tough group to break through when face to face during instructions.  One has to reach out to them on a level playing field.  Cops are reserved as a group and individually.  A great deal of veterans are officers of the law and that may help.

Veterans are slowly but surely causing issues within the criminal justice system.  Domestic violence, dui’s, alcohol, and drug abuse are becoming prevalent in our generation.  No one’s immune, in our cohort.  Whether you suffer or cause suffering isn’t always the issue.  Others around you will, and ignoring it will cause it to escalate to an epidemic.

Facing a group of police is nerve wracking when leading a discussion panel and questions and answers.  In order to reach them, you must make them understand   Cops usually respond to gallows humor, but today, mine fell short.  They listened carefully, sans one aloof officer, who didn’t keep his smirks to himself.  (I may have misinterpreted his ticks though).

Chris and I taught police signs of PTSD, depression, identifying and coping mechanisms for veterans.  We also share how to deescalate potentially violent situations through empathy.  In the end, some police officers approached us with questions and complements.  One of the greatest things we’ve heard has been “this has been the greatest training I’ve ever had in X years.”  It’s flattering and means we have reached at least some level of understanding within the law enforcement community.

Un veritabil targ de Craciun… Nu e kitsch.

Bradul, ca in povesti. Cabanute din lemn autentic. Coronite de brad. In aer, miros de turta dulce, alvita, vin fiert cu mar si scortisoara. Pentru prima oara in acest an,  colinde…

Glasuri de copii, cantece, ghirlande, carusel.

Un veritabil targ de Craciun in… Sibiu. Sorb din vinul fiert. Ies aburi calzi. Hmmm, aromat. Aici, mosul vine intotdeauna mai repede. Mda, Craciunul este o stare de spirit.

Every year, Transparency International makes a list of the most corrupt countries in the world. I searched through the blogs to find out more about each one, from a travelers’ perspective.

1. Somalia

Hardiek at the border of Somalia

“For those of you who don’t know (almost everybody, including me up until a few weeks ago) the once unified country of Somalia is now effectively divided into three, the rump Somalia surrounding dangerous Mogadishu, the country of Puntland from which all the ship piracy of recent fame takes place, and Somaliland, relatively peaceful and open for business, connected by land to the also relatively peaceful states of Djibouti and Ethiopia.” – Hardiek

2. Afghanistan

Samcato telling home base about an explosion in Afghanistan

“From ‘grease my palm’ to ‘oil-fill my bellybutton’: corruption has penetrated the political, economic, judicial and social systems so thoroughly that it has ceased to be a deviation from the norm and become the norm itself. Corruption had existed ever since the Taliban regime was toppled, but it has reached a historically record breaking level. Ordinary Afghans are well aware of this, the majority of the country is sorry, not because it existed but they are not in a position to benefit from bribery. Corruption has become so endemic that it is perceived as normal. Nothing is possible at the same time, everything is possible. When a job comes to a standstill it doesn’t mean there is a problem with the job, it is time to grease up some bellybuttons. If one is prepared to pay as much as needed then anything could be done. Shortcuts are introduced if one is willing to compromise. I could have thought of any word as synonyms for bribery but not compromise, Farsi and Pashto languages are rich with euphemisms for bribe. My favorite and all time fresh is ‘Shirini’, the sweetener. It is generally used when you got something done. In other words shirini is post bribery bribe. Don’t be surprised. At least I had something done, these days ordinary citizens pay bribes as much to be left alone as to get something done. They call it ‘Kharcha’, ‘paeesi chai’, ‘jawani’ and many more which are basically *bribe of survival*. Exactly this has changed everything; everyone attempts to be in a position to take a bribe as oppose to a sucker. Bribe takers are at the highest rank of the society where everybody inspires to be.” – Samcato

3. Myanmar

Markl's tour guide "Stella" spoke about the corruption in her country

“Stella was forthcoming about the current regime and it’s appalling corruption. They have moved the capital inland and have created an insane, artificial compound where the military and civil servants live in pampered luxury. They are building a zoo, of all things there, and transporting the animals from Yangon zoo to fill it. So the people in the capital get a few old camels and the rest get shipped 300 miles inland. Civil service pensions are no better, her mother receives 100 Kyat or $0,10 a day. Stella’s bitterness was mainly reserved for the treatment of the poor who seem to have been mainly abandoned by the political rulers. The stories of aid for rural people post Cyclone Nargis in 2009 were terrifying.” – Markl

4. Sudan

Bonthorn on the road in Sudan

“You have two choices when you come to a roadblock. You can play Mr./Mrs. Nice Guy/Gal and greet the officer as if you’ve known him your whole life, shake hands amicably and ask about his health, his family, their health, etc. Calling him ‘my friend’ and patting him on the back is also a good tactic (although never try this if you are female). After all the formalities are completed, he might just let you off the hook and wish you a “Good Journey”. The second option is to play dumb and pretend you have no idea what the officer is saying, although it’s blatantly obvious. Keep jabbering in English in a tone that is neither offensive nor accusing, and sooner or later, he will hopefully tire of you and your feigned stupidity and wave you on. So far, these are the two choices we’ve attempted, both at pretty successful rates. But the key is to pick one and stick to it BEFORE your car is stopped and you’re face to face with him and his gun.” – Bonthorn

5. Iraq

Rebecca.mcneal went through several checkpoints in Iraq

“After passing through numerous checkpoints, Iraqi, Pesmerga and Awakening Council fighter types we neared Mosul. Mosul was the only place that was worrisome. We passed by a truck bomb site that had killed 250 people in the recent past. We were not allowed to photograph checkpoints which were all manned with machine guns.” – Rebecca.mcneal

6. Chad

Kevandsian picked up some unexpected hitchhikers in Chad

“Crossing into Chad was surprisingly hassle free, the police in this country have a bad reputation for being corrupt and subtracting bribes and ‘tolls’ at every opportunity. We took a hitch hiker at the request of the police and also transported a soldier to the next village. We then gave another 5 police and military personnel lifts to neighboring towns 55 kms away,becoming the essential local transport as the first truck to pass through in 6-7 days. We decided this might help avoid searches and bribes at police stops and ease our journey. They did help at one small town where the police demanded a 16 dollar fee per person for registering and stamping our passports which was eventually avoided successfully.” – Kevandsian

7. Uzbekistan

Crowdywendy's tour guide in Uzbekistan, Behruz

Our first morning in Bukhara introduced us to the entrenched police and official corruption in Uzbekistan. It was our first introduction to “bakeesh” or bribes to officials. At the first Bukhara bank we were told that we were not allowed in. “Why not?” we asked. It was a very large bank and there were numerous tellers open everywhere. Well, we just couldn’t. The police were stationed at the entrance of the bank and would not let people in. Well, of course with a little bribe they would… But we resisted and moved on to yet another bank, and another. Later that evening while talking with other hotel guests, we were told that it is not uncommon for locals to have to try ten or so different banks before they would be allowed entry. The young local people were openly disgusted with the practice.

Similarly, bakeesh is a common practice with the police. There are frequent road blocks throughout Uzbekistan. While we had no problems thanks to Naim calling out “tourists!” at every point we were told over and over again by locals about the road police. Apparently being a police officer on the roads is a much sought after profession. Although they are dreadfully underpaid they certainly make up for it in bribes or bakeesh.” – Crowdywendy

8. Turkmenistan

Ricka leaving the "ferry from hell" in Turkmenistan

We loaded on-board after a trainload of freight was stowed and we were squeezed in between the carriages and the crew started to hassle us for “Security Fees”. We all had the sense to tell them to get lost! We were on at last! Another trip back into the customs hall to get our final clearance and it was back on board, passports handed over to a dodgy looking guy along with $90 and then a stagger up to the deck with our luggage. We wondered why there were loads of crewmembers smiling and laughing at us, little did we know!
The dodgy guy we gave our passports and cash to started to try to explain that if we wanted a cabin they were $100. We said no thanks, at that price we could manage the 12 hour crossing on the deck. I had a suspicion that things may not go to plan so I followed a crew down into the ship to have a look at a cabin. He showed me two of the filthyest, run-down excuses for cabins I had ever seen, with the “bathrooms” being even worse. I haggled with the guy anyway as I knew this was a “take it or leave it” situation and I settled on twenty bucks per cabin – I thought we would be needing them!” – Ricka

9. Iran

Jimsim at Persepolis in Shiraz, Iran

“While Sim took a few snaps of the mosque I chatted to a local soldier who was visiting the mosque. He was very young, and was very upbeat about Iran’s prospects for the future. While not stating a preference for either the hardline or more moderate of Iran’s leaders he seemed to believe that by keeping the right (positive) attitude the people of Iran would pull the country in the right direction. It was hard not to be caught up in his enthusiasm. He was also extremely helpful while we were there, happily answering the barrage of questions I had about Shiraz and it’s major attractions.” – Jimsim

10. Haiti

Mim301 on her first day volunteering in Haiti

“It is so hard to believe that so many people in Haiti live in poverty because of such a corrupt government, but that the beaches and mountains are so beautiful. I guess that this is just another one of life’s great mysteries.” – Mim301

La Tortuga Fue Encontrada En Un Lago En La Ciudad De Mosul,Iraq,Fue Tomada Por La Milicia Kurda.

Source: Reuters

(2009-11-16)

(Reuters) – KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) – A car bomb exploded in a crowded market place in northern Kirkuk on Monday, killing at least six people and wounding six others, Iraqi police and hospital sources said.
“Many cars were set ablaze and many shops heavily damaged due to the powerful explosion,” said police Major General Torhan Abdul-Rahman, deputy police chief for the city.
Violence has dipped sharply in Iraq over the past 18 months but attacks remain common in volatile areas like the oil city of Kirkuk, the northern city of Mosul and in Baghdad.
Kirkuk is one of several flashpoints between Iraq’s Arab-led government in Baghdad and minority Kurds that U.S. officials fear could lead to renewed conflict in Iraq.
Kurds see the city and surrounding province, which lies over one of Iraq’s longest producing oilfields, as their ancestral home and want it wrapped into their semi-autonomous enclave. The city’s Arab and Turkmen populations fiercely oppose those aims.
The tensions between both sides are often exploited by insurgent groups trying to reignite the sectarian warfare that almost tore Iraq apart.
Disagreements over Kirkuk held up the parliamentary passage of a law needed to ensure Iraq’s next general election takes place in January, threatening to delay the vote.
The election law was passed just over a week ago in an emotional session, but has since fallen foul of complaints by Sunni Arab Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi that it doesn’t give Iraqi refugees abroad a voice.
Hashemi has until mid-week to veto the electoral law or let it pass.
(Reporting by Mustafa Mahmoud; Writing by Deepa Babington; Editing by Charles Dick)

IRAQUE - Um adolescente cristão de 16 anos foi assassinado na porta de sua casa em Mosul, na vizinhança de Tahrir. O garoto, Rami Katchik, pertence à comunidade armênia.

A polícia disse que no dia 13 de novembro, por volta das 17h30, “homens armados atiraram de um carro em alta velocidade”. Fontes locais relataram que o garoto estava lavando a frente da casa com seu pai quando foi baleado.

Girgis Paulos, vizinho da família Katchik diz que, no momento do ataque, “o pai havia entrado na casa para pegar uma pá. Quando ouviu os tiros, correu e viu os três homens no carro”.

Os agentes da polícia dizem que ainda não está claro se o crime foi por razões religiosas, mas Hazem Girgis, um sacerdote local, vê o assassinato como “um dos muitos crimes cometidos para erradicar os cristãos da área, e forçá-los a irem embora”.

Desde 2008, até os dias de hoje, a comunidade cristã em Mosul tem sido vítima de ataques, que causaram mais de 40 mortes. Milhares fugiram da cidade no norte do país. Uma matéria publicada pela Human Rights Watch em 10 de novembro, afirma que os cristãos e as minorias que moram nas regiões do norte do Iraque são vítimas de conflitos entre os árabes e curdos pelo controle da província.

:: Fonte: Missão Portas Abertas

Pentru toate vanatoarele de preturi mici: REDUCERI de sarbatori pana pe 21 decembrie!!!

Mai jos:

MULTI CERCEI LA 9 LEI!!!

Cercei “Anticariat” (~ 5 cm lungime, margele turquoise alb si margele cu efect de ochi de pisica) – 18 lei     15 lei (o pereche a zburat, inca doua te asteapta)

Cercei “Verde de colectie” (~ 6, 5 cm lungime, element cuprat, margele sticla verzi) – 19 lei     16 lei (o pereche data, grabeste-te s-o prinzi pe ultima!)

Cercei “Rauri patrate verzi” (~ 8 cm lungime, margele patrate si plate din sidef) – 17 lei     14 lei

Cercei “Roadele” (~ 4 cm lungime, margele portelan si lemn) -  18 lei     15 lei

Cercei “Aur albastru” (~ 4, 5 cm lungime, sticla cu foita) – 17 lei     14 lei (o pereche data, a mai ramas una singura)

Cercei “Apusul de odinioara” (~ 5, 5 cm lungime, margele sticla cu model, elemente cuprate) – 20 lei     17 lei (ultima pereche te asteapta!)

     Cercei “Triunghi tripolar” – 17 lei     12 lei

     Cercei “Ursuletul astronaut”/”Ursuletul teleportat”- 15 lei    10 lei

     Bratara “Inima mea nu ti-o dau” – 24 lei     16 lei

      Cercei “Bomboana de aur” – 18 lei  (optishpe)   13 lei

     Colier “Frunzulita” – 32 lei     22 lei

     Cercei “Frunzulita” – 16 lei     10 lei

 
     Bratara “Millefiori galben” – 22 lei     18 lei
     Cerceii “Millefiori galben” – 13 lei     10 lei

     Bratara “Cadre negre” – 23 lei     18 lei

     Bratara “Vartej albastru” – 25 lei     20 lei

   Cercei “Ochiul lui Allah” – 16 lei     12 lei

Those damn dirty contractors.

Each night, KBR throws out garbage cans full of food.  Contractors are not allowed to take food out of the Dining Facility.  I suppose the US Army thinks that Contractors get paid enough and they should be satisfied.  Contractors don’t need any extra benefits like taking all of that fabulous food out of the Dining Facility.  The US Army would rather throw it all in the garbage.

The message here is what?

“Fuck Contractors!  We’d rather throw all that extra food in the garbage than let them take a few scraps back to their rooms to eat.”

Typical Army bullshit.

The guy who made this rule is probably a pissed off Master Sergeant who wound up a Contractor after he retired.

That’s usually what happens.

I’ve seen it hundreds of times.  The biggest assholes that I’ve had to deal with overseas while contracting with the Army were guys who came to you at the end of their tour of duty begging for a job.  If it were up to me, I’d not hire one of them.

Bunch of hypocritical assholes all.  Fuck ‘em.

RIP Thomas Doerflinger, 11th November 2004 (Mosul, Iraq, aged 20)

RIP Shelly McKinney, 6th November 2009

Today my son and I heard the pipes as we were rummelling around the house after breakfast. We rushed through the courtyard to see the men and women of the University “Corps” marching up the street in Uniform, to practice for Remembrance Sunday.  For me the granite War Memorials are iconic representations of small town Scotland, the sun glinting on the mica in long, bored summer afternoons where the shadow  of the celtic cross stretches  over the cobbles.  I remember childhood Sundays walking past the War Memorial on the way home from Mass or on the way to the Ice Cream parlour.  Most of all I remember the names – Marshalls, Kirkwoods, MacDonalds,  Andersons  – Williams, Thomases, Roberts, Alexanders: the repetition of weel-kennt surnames and Christian names brought an aspect of “everyman” that a child could recognise.

As a child, however, the Wars (and war)  seemed distant, and the mention in the Kilsyth Chronicle of a rare name killed in action in Northern Ireland, registered only briefly.  I was sixteen and in France working, when that changed. Tante Michele (a distant relative in Normandy) drove us to one of the Normandy Cemeteries – I remember the explanation in French of the enclosure system of the farmers, I remember the khaki green BhS skirt and tee-shirt, and the white sandals, and I remember the brightness of the July sun reflecting, not off the grim granite, but off brilliant white which seared the eyes, and seemed stark against the blood red of the poppies.  Standard Grade history had not prepared me for the immeasurable quantity of headstones, Crosses and Stars of David, inscribed and nameless that filled this one cemetery, of the countless others in this small area of Normandy.

Political activism – a synonym for misunderstanding – meant that for many years I would find and wear only a white poppy.  The understanding of the horror – the extent of the death of youth – in the Wars (I had read Vera Britten) made me determined not to “glorify war” but to work and campaign against war.  What changed that was my friendship with “Thomas’ mom”.  Thomas Karl Doerflinger died in Mosul, Iraq on the 11th of November, 2004, aged twenty.  For me, the date of his death stopped me in a way no other death in war has done, and both forged a friendship with Thomas’ mom, and brought together the individual tragedy of one mother’s loss with the collective horror I had seen shining in the gravestones in Northern France 22 years before. And, for the first time  in my lifetime war dead are more numerous now, with the sad, steady increase of deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq.

While there is a time to do so,  “now” (Remembrance Sunday)  is not the place to discuss the notion of “just war” or capitalist motivations of current campaigns in oil rich countries: November  is a month to remember and to pray for all our dead, and Remembrance Sunday (and Armistice Day) a time to remember the sons, husbands and fathers who died in war, as men (though some barely) and especially in their role to others.

The death of a child – at whatever stage in their life – has become something more alien to us with improvements in neo-natal and childhood healthcare.  Although the words of Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne’s Land o’ the Leal, http://www.myspace.com/wendyarrowsmith written for a close friend of hers, make it clear that the death of a child, is untimely and a pain that never fully heals.

Land o’ the Leal

I’m wearin’ awa’, John
Like snaw-wreaths in thaw, John,
I’m wearin’ awa’
To the land o’ the leal.
There ’s nae sorrow there, John,
There ’s neither cauld nor care, John,
The day is aye fair
In the land o’ the leal.

Our bonnie bairn ’s there, John,
She was baith gude and fair, John;
And O! we grudged her sair
To the land o’ the leal.
But sorrow’s sel’ wears past, John,
And joy ’s a-coming fast, John,
The joy that ’s aye to last
In the land o’ the leal.

In another track, To be a soldier,  on the same album as the song above,  (Now Then),  Wendy Arrowsmith sings incredibly poignantly of a mother’s loss of her son in Iraq, in which we see the loss of “a child”, underscored by the lullaby tempo of the melody. Time does not heal so much as bring accustomedness to loss, the vacuum never filled but less empty, with overflow from other areas;  and yet,  in the words of Rossetti:

Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For, if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Nevertheless, it is meet we should remember all our dead:

To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under heaven….

A time to weep, and a time to laugh:
A time to mourn and a time to dance; [Ecclesiastes 3; 1-8]

The lines from Christina Rossetti’s poem Remembrance are preceded by “it will be late to counsel then or pray” which  – of course does not reflect the Catholic (and Jewish) teaching of praying for the dead;  it is not perhaps the dead, alone, for whom we pray but the living, in their loss, often a loss of “identity” as mother, wife, sister, as that relationship ceases to exist completely or in regard to the person who has died. Thomas’ mom often mentions that she no longer knows if she should reply with the answer “three” or “four” when she is asked if she has children;  and in terms of society, even today, no longer being a wife or mother can affect one’s standing and interactions in a community, beyond that which modern society struggles with the grief of others.

Death is a natural experience in life: “the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Lord” [Job 1:21]; untimely death is, however, harder to process than a death that occurs at the end of a long illness or a long life. In Latin countries – as was heretofore the case – there is an outward embodiment of mourning (in dress and cultural customs), as of course is the case with sitting shiva in Judaism; theologically – in terms of Judaism – there is the issue of a different understanding of the afterlife,  inasmuch as we as Christians and Catholics understand it, which makes the sorrow of the death of someone close more extreme.  There is, however, a demonstrable psychological value in a degree of ritualisation of mourning, because while “there is a time to mourn”, the counterpoint of “a time to dance” bounds that mourning and limits it.  And so it should be:  as Catholics we hope to meet again with those who have gone before, and prayer can be a way – on many levels – of reminding us of that fact.

It may no longer be the case of taking up the “quarrel with the foe” as in John McCrae poem Flanders Field, but remembering both the horror that is war, in terms of loss of human life as a total, and each individual loss and the tragedy that may entail, as well as the soldiers’ sacrifice of life for the end of peace and justice.  As those who profess to be pro-life, even if – retrospectively – we may classify a war as “just”, the value we place on the sanctity of life is such that we should count and remember each man and woman who dies in war, and ensure that no loss is gratuitous.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

This post is dedicated  to the memory  both of Lee Ann’s son, Thomas and of my late friend, Shelly McKinney who died unexpectedly this past week.  Of your charity, please pray for the repose of their souls, and all those fallen in the current war, and for the healing of those they leave behind.

And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithfully departed,
Rest in peace.

I recently commented at Stars Over Washington that the Nov. 4 Neptune station of Aquarius so close to the U.S. Moon would produce an event that would bring sorrow to the American populace. I think we’ve seen this with the shootings in Fort Hood, Tex.

This tragedy galvanized my family because my nephew left Mosul, Iraq, about two days ago, heading to the center in Fort Hood where the violence occurred. My sister has received an e-mail from a military liaison assuring her that her son is safe, but we still are not 100% certain.

I myself am at a loss for words, but feel ready to dive back into the astrological pool (Neptune). So I leave you with Planet Waves’ “War Comes Home.”