Mary Flaig's Blog

An amazing 4 CD set of 75 newly recorded Bob Dylan songs by 80 artists is just being released. Amnesty International chose Dylan as his words inspire us, with his emotional nuances that all people can relate to...in so many circumstances. And, his debut album, "Bob Dylan", was released 50 years ago.

"Crimes of Freedom, The Songs of Bob Dylan" honors the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International. Some of the singers that cover this gifted songwriter's work are Adele, Lucinda Williams, Mike Hucknall, Pete Seager, Jeff Beck and Seal, Ziggy Marly and Maroon Five. Miley Cyrus does a soulful rendition of "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go". All artists contributed their talents to benefit this amazing organization.

Amnesty International lobbies for political prisoners and victims of human rights abuses throughout the world...I can't think of anyone else whose musical poetry reaches out to uplift and defend the downtrodden in such a powerful way...Dylan's music frees the soul to dream. His bittersweet love songs make us yearn and fantasize about the perfect "vagabond" partner...his political songs empower us...he "says" it all for all of us...

Even my cat leaves the room when she hears Newt Gingrich speaking on TV...as Ana Marie Cox describes him in an article in "The Guardian", "He's a serial philanderer, widely disliked among former colleagues and an habitual opportunist". Chris Christie, the Republican Governor of NJ call him, "an embarrassment to the party". And, yet, this bombastic candidate is attracting a large number of Republican voters. Why, I wonder...his background in politics is a disgrace, his penchant for telling his wives that he wants a divorce while they're suffering from horrific illnesses...a brief phone call is how he informed one--shows a dispassionate, heartless agenda toward his relationships. His confusing mood swings are well known in the political world and are extremely threatening in someone who might be in a very powerful position. It's shocking to me that this troubled individual would be attractive to a wide audience. He has been embraced by Tea Party conservatives, who seem to have overlooked his dubious past history...how scary is that??

The "Today Show" told the story, yesterday, of 12 girls in a highschool in upstate NY, near Rochester, that have developed Tourette-like symptoms... uncontrollable tics and verbal outbursts. Two girls were on the show with their mothers...one was very affected and symptomatic, while the other was improving.

Today I read that because no other cause has been found, a neurologist says he has the answer, calling his diagnosis as "mass hysteria" or "conversion disorder"...emotionally triggered. While checking out other articles about this case, I read about Gardasil and Cervarix...these vaccines are supposed to protect girls and young women against HPV, the virus linked to cervical cancer, and they're encourged to get it. Interestingly enough, these vaccines contain large amounts of aluminum which is a neurotoxin that affects the brain and can cause an extensive list of symptoms...tourette-like manifestations among them. I wonder, if one of these vaccines is found to be the cause, is there a way to reverse the symptoms?

The male medical profession, I've found, likes to label women as "emotional" and can, therefore, overlook the real cause of an illness...I've seen it happen too many times, resulting in terrible suffering. I hope to learn that this mystery is solved and that the girls make full recoveries.

Danny Chen was a sensitive, bright 19 year old, from NY City, who joined the Army with great optimism...he wanted adventure. "New York Magazine" has a gripping profile of him, by Jennifer Gonnerman...his background and what brought him to be an "alleged" suicide in a miserable area of Afghanistan, Kandahar Province. Instead of the roadside bombs, booby traps and ambushes that plague the people serving there, Danny was a victim of his supervisors...the people that were supposed to protect him. He was there for about a month and endured daily physical torture as well as verbal harassment. Danny's rank was that of Private...so far a lieutenant, 2 staff sergeants, 3 sergeants and 2 specialists (all white) have been charged in his death...5 of the 8 with involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide. They report he shot himself but many more details are yet to emerge during the upcoming court-martial. Reading this article informed me that Asian Americans are not accepted in the Services...Harry Lew, a Marine, in Afghanistan, was another casualty of being tormented by his fellow soldiers...he committed suicide. One of few African American soldiers in Iraq, Brushaun Anderson, killed himself after repeated abuse...

How do you explain this heartbreaking brutality...? The Army has a growing number of suicides and homicides to deal with...maybe the mindset on all levels has to be reexamined...

Some worry 2012 will bring cataclysmic events that will bring an end to the world as we know it...through super volcanos, asteroids or comets or, perhaps, terrestrial and solar pole reversal. The Mayan calendar supposedly ends on December 21, 2012, bringing about these fears to many. Others view it as a new era of positive physical or spiritual transformation.

That's the feeling in Southeastern Mexico, the area where the Mayan culture thrived. A yearlong celebration is planned...a time of "hope" and "renewal". Spiritual ceremonies are planned throughout the year and a time capsule will be buried for 50 years. Apparently, they feel the fact that the calendar recorded dates beyond 2012 was ignored...It's all so mysterious, but, not to the Mexican tourism industry which expects to have around 50 million visitors this year.